Architecture | Siza Vieira says ‘nobody could have imagined’ Macau’s development

Fernando Guerra, Siza Vieira and Yany Kwan

Álvaro Siza Vieira was in Macau during the ’80s to take part in the urban planning of the NAPE and Areia Preta districts. Now the 81 year-old renowned Portuguese architect is back in town to see his plan executed “with some changes, important changes.” But the major change, he says, is Macau itself.
“When I was here the Casino Lisboa seemed big and now… Nobody could have imagined this big development. In the plan we projected [for NAPE], the highest of the buildings is only half of what it is,” he says. But the architect doesn’t feel that his plan was degraded, stressing that he is “happy with the result,” since the “basic concept” is still there. Besides, he notes with a philosophical tone, “the transformation is irresistible.”
“What happened [in Macau] was absolutely extraordinary and related not only to Macau, but to changes in China,” he continued, stating that “Macau is not only interesting because of the new things that come in such a spectacular way, but also the architecture of other times, the baroque in churches and other buildings. There is renovation, but there is baroque, there is also the architecture of the ’50s, that people now think is old. It is important to keep this. All the interesting towns have this (…) it contributes to the richness and freshness of the town.”
Mr Siza Vieira took part in a press conference yesterday at Macpro Gallery, where a photography exhibition, titled “Shadow of Light – Portraits of Álvaro Siza by Fernando Guerra” will open on Friday. He is also here to work on the Hotel Sun Sun revamp. The Inner Harbor area hotel is owned by the family of Yany Kwan, who is also the owner of Macpro Gallery. According to Mr Kwan, Siza’s work will not just be focused on the hotel. “We hope the master architect can provide us with suggestions on the proposal for revitalizing this district with the goal of bringing sustainable growth to the area and then present to the concerned bodies for reference,” he stated.
During the press conference, Mr Kwan reiterated that the hotel was closed for some time and reopened in 1993. “We need to improve the hotel. I looked at Siza’s work and have two friends who love his work. I personally went to Porto [where the architect lives] and Siza accepted [the proposal]. It’s a small-medium hotel. By revamping it perhaps we can revamp the whole area and develop an environment for  SMEs to be there. I want to see a professional like Siza working there,” he said.
According to Siza Vieira, it was a surprise to be invited to work in Macau again. “But I was happy,” he expressed, “because it reminded me of about 30 years ago, when I was here, and the good experiences I had in this part of the world. It is a stimulating experience because the atmosphere is depressing in Europe due to the economy. We need to go outside to other environments where we see more confidence in the future. (…) Besides, it is good to be working in the middle of these big changes. At least I can’t be annoyed.”
Regarding Hotel Sun Sun, Mr Siza Vieira disclosed that the existing structure would be maintained despite some changes in the facade and exterior. Major changes will happen inside the building, in order to create “a new character.” For the hotel to “become special” he and Carlos Castanheira plan to introduce a new strategy there, featuring interior design quality in aspects like the room display, furniture and lightning.
Siza Vieira is the most recognized architect in Portugal. He won the Pritzker Prize (regarded as the Nobel Prize for architecture) in 1992 and in 2012 he was awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievements at the Venice Biennale. His numerous masterpieces include the restoration project of what many deem as the heart of Lisbon (the historic Chiado district, that had been destroyed by a massive fire) and Portugal’s famous pavilion in World Expo ’98.
The architect has been working in Asia together with Carlos Castanheira. He has been travelling in China for the past weeks, having just inaugurated his first building there, which he called “The building on the water” (in Huaian, Jiangsu Province) because it sits on a water reservoir.
The exhibition will open on Friday and will be held until September 28, every Friday to Sunday (open from noon to 8 p.m.) at the Macpro Gallery. The architect has offered the gallery 10 print sets of his Macau themed sketches. Those works will be sold in a silent auction, with a minimum bid price for each set of MOP5,000. The funds raised will be donated to charity.

a special trip

Fernando Guerra was an architect in Macau from 1994 to 1999, where he worked on NAPE’s plan created by the mastermind Siza. “I never thought that I would return after all these years, not for a project but to picture Siza during his [Asia] trip. These days have been very special. To have a three week trip in Macau is also special, for him and for me,” Mr Guerra says. The author of the exhibition’s pictures says that the 56 images displayed showcase a part of Siza’s work. Also featured are some portraits of the famed architect.

Paulo Barbosa