The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) has launched the exhibition titled 'The fortune of the city is that it has never been perfect,' which explores the urban production of the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza. The show will be available in the institution's Main Galleries from May 21, 2026, to January 10, 2027.
The exhibition analyzes Siza's methodology for building the city through a selection of projects that interact with the historical, social, and physical characteristics of established urban environments. Curated by Giovanna Borasi and with curatorial assistance from Laura Aparicio Llorente, the event demonstrates how Siza's architectural practice extends beyond isolated buildings, encompassing neighborhoods, public spaces, and larger urban structures.
Instead of treating the city as a fixed or idealized model, the show focuses on Siza's working method with existing contexts, considering crucial elements such as history, topography, infrastructure, and daily routine in the design process. This perspective invites reflection on themes like urban transformation, the maintenance of the built environment, and the connection between architecture and municipal planning.
The exhibition content extensively uses Álvaro Siza's archive loaned to the CCA, displaying everything from original drawings and sketchbooks to architectural models and photographic collages, supplemented by photos of completed projects. Works by photographers such as Gabriele Basilico, Nuno Cera, Giovanni Chiaramonte, Alessandra Chemollo, and Balthazar Korab offer complementary views of the urban settings and buildings presented.
The presentation also incorporates materials from architects and historians whose research intersected with Siza's studies or the areas addressed in his projects, citing names such as Aldo Rossi, Gene Summers, James Stirling, Kenneth Frampton, and Jean-Louis Cohen, placing urban investigations within broader architectural debates.
According to the CCA, the city itself is viewed as an essential source of knowledge for future urban development, highlighting the value of accumulated physical, historical, and social layers. The show does not propose generic solutions but rather highlights Siza's way of understanding each place through direct observation, drawing, and careful attention to present conditions, defining the appropriate scale and form to intervene in an already consolidated urban network.
Additionally, the exhibition features a publication containing a recording of oral history conducted with Siza over several days in the city of Porto. This volume gathers archival documents, recently transcribed notes from the architect's sketchbooks, and unpublished materials discovered through a collaborative transcription initiative based on his archive.
Other recent exhibitions mentioned include 'Without the Artist, Architecture Disappears' by Jean Nouvel at the Pudong Art Museum in Shanghai, and 'Parlour Gardens: Dreams from the Rooftop' at the Botanical Garden of Barcelona, part of the UNESCO-UIA World Architecture Capital program. Furthermore, the Danish Architecture Center hosts 'PLACE' by the firm Dorte Mandrup, which explores the link between architecture, landscape, and context with five projects in Northern Europe.
