No Place is Deserted is based on the famous aphorism by Álvaro Siza about the multiple references (natural, topographical, built, immaterial) that architects find in a place, and which are a creative catalyst for the project. Contrary to what you might think, the Leça da Palmeira Swimming Pool complex, designed and built between 1960 and 2021, was not conceived as a single project. Rather it is the result of consecutive commissions and revisions that dictated the gradual growth of the bathing complex, from the construction of a tidal pool to its recent renovation and extension to the north.

The exhibition aims to illustrate the multiple lives of one of the most iconic works of 20th century architecture, including a vast array of drawings, photographs, audiovisuals and objects (collected from public and private archives) — many of them previously unseen — that allow us, in three sections, to reassemble a critical narrative of the design, construction and renovation process over the last six decades. 

Exhibition Opening: 28.11.2023, 15:00-20:00

Keeping It Modern Colloquium. Álvaro Siza: Tidal Pool

28th November, Tuesday, 15h00 - 18h00
Casa da Arquitectura Library

15h00 | Opening Session
Nuno Sampaio Executive Director of Casa da Arquitectura
Fernando Rocha Councillor for Culture of Matosinhos City Council 
Magda Seifert Executive Director of Porto Design Biennale
Teresa Calix Vice-Director of FAUP

15h30 | Final Presentation of the Keeping It Modern Project. Tidal Pool

A universal explosion 
Ana Tostões Technician Lisbon

Inspection and Diagnosis
Paulo B. Lourenço University of Minho

Concrete restoration: the example of Álvaro Siza's Tidal Pool
Rui Fernandes Póvoas FAUP

From recent rehabilitation to future management of change: Management and Conservation Plan for the Marés Swimming Pool
Teresa Cunha Ferreira FAUP

16h30 | Discussion of the Tidal Pool Management and Conservation Plan

17h30 | Presentation of the Álvaro Siza Editorial Project. Tidal Pool (1960-2021)

Teresa Cunha Ferreira exhibition curator, FAUP
Luís Martinho Urbano exhibition curator, FAUP
Magda Seifert Executive Director of Porto Design Biennale
Fernando Rocha Councillor for Culture, Matosinhos City Council 

18h00 | Exhibition Opening

Teresa Cunha Ferreira and Luís Martinho Urbano