"Alvaro Siza is one of the world's most respected architects. Since the 1950s he has built and taught extensively, both in Portugal and internationally. Siza's architecture is based on a unity of space and volume. It is vigorous and coherent - each work reveals a unique sensitivity to the rural or urban context to which it belongs without detracting from its functional and stylistic identity. Siza has received critical acclaim for a range of works including: the Boa Nova Tea House and Restaurant, Matoshinhos (1958-63); the Borges & Irmao Bank, Vila do Conde (1978-86); the Bonjour Tristesse Residential Complex, Schlesisches Tor, Berlin (1980-4); the reconstruction of the Chiado district, Lisbon (1988-); the Galician Centre of Contemporary Art, Santiago de Compostela (1988-93) and the Portuguese Pavilion at Expo '98, Lisbon (1995-8)." "This monograph is a comprehensive study of Alvaro Siza's work and charts over forty years of buildings and projects, represented by photographs, working drawings and many of Siza's sketches. An introductory essay by Kenneth Frampton examines Siza's prolific practice and its evolution, while writings by Siza are interspersed throughout the book, offering a unique personal perspective on his work and twentieth-century architeture as a whole."--BOOK JACKET.