Pritzker Price winning architect Álvaro Siza Vieira has designed the stunning Nadir Afonso Foundation Art Gallery, located in Portugal. The gallery was created in honour of abstract Portuguese artist Nadir Afonso.
The building is an impressive geometric shape constructed with looming walls of light-coloured stone. The entire structure is raised on a platform, keeping it safe from river flooding while providing shady pavilions on drier days. A long, sharply angled ramp creates a dramatic approach to the second story entrance. A semicircle opening in one of the exterior walls provides access to the back of the structure from a loose stone path.
Light-wood floors, white walls, and marble accents are featured in the interior. Skylights and ambient lighting illuminate the galleries without over-lighting the artwork. Long windows along the exterior walls provide views of the river, connecting the structure to its environment. I love how outdoor space is an integral part of this gallery design. From the covered, ground level spaces to the long stretches of paths extending from the building, Nadir Afonso Foundation Art Gallery promotes the outdoor dwelling spaces equally to the interior galleries. Not every art centre makes public space such a priority. By doing so, Vieira opens the foundation up to a larger community outside of the art community.
Photography by João Morgado.

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