Casa Beires (1973–76) was built in northern Portugal by Álvaro Siza as a family home, its ochre plaster, unusual layout, and generous fenestration indicative of the direction his architecture would take in the coming years. For this book the architect invited Luís Ferreira Alves to photograph the home after 40 years of inhabitation. No major works or restorations had been done in the meantime, and although the site has become overgrown and cracks and water damage blemish many of the interior spaces, one can easily imagine what a grand residence it once was – and could be again. 

The soft, filtered daylight and cluttered rooms lend Siza’s architecture a human touch.

Casa Beires (1973–76) was built in northern Portugal by Álvaro Siza as a family home, its ochre plaster, unusual layout, and generous fenestration indicative of the direction his architecture would take in the coming years. For this book the architect invited Luís Ferreira Alves to photograph the home after 40 years of inhabitation. No major works or restorations had been done in the meantime, and although the site has become overgrown and cracks and water damage blemish many of the interior spaces, one can easily imagine what a grand residence it once was – and could be again.

The soft, filtered daylight and cluttered rooms lend Siza’s architecture a human touch.