Sixty years after designing As Quatro Casas (The Four Houses) – his first project, while still a student – Álvaro Siza Vieira reunites with his first client, Fernando Neto, in the documentary The First Siza directed by Sara Nunes and produced by Building Pictures, a production company graduated from UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto. Awarded at international festivals, the film is now available for streaming on the Filmin Portugal platform.

The film portrays the whole story behind the project that launched the career of Álvaro Siza, who would become the most awarded Portuguese architect. “It was a very rich experience for my training”, he recalls. Reflecting on how he was seen at the time, he says: “At the time, even at the age of 21, I had more power than I do today.” He concludes: “I know there are many exhibitions, many conferences, many news stories in the newspapers (…) but the reality is that there is – not a lack of interest – but contempt for architecture and architects”.

At a time when the housing crisis dominates public debate, The First Siza invites us to rethink the role of architecture in our lives. “More than building houses, it is important to think about the lives that are built in them. What kind of cities — and countries — do we want to build? Because everything starts at home”, says director Sara Nunes. “Every element – from the stairs to the gate – carries a story: births, romances, games, concerts and also death. Architecture is not just walls and ceilings, but spaces that transform and define life experiences,” she concludes.

After its preview at the Serralves Museum (Porto), attended by Álvaro Siza, The First Siza was selected for festivals in Italy, Turkey, Sweden, Bulgaria and Hungary, and won the Best Film Award at Cinema Urbana (Brasília). The film was also screened at the Power Station of Art (Shanghai), the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the CGAC (Santiago de Compostela) and the Barbican (London), followed by talks with leading figures in architecture such as Kenneth Frampton and Niall Hobhouse.

The documentary can now be viewed on the Filmin platform and is also available in Portugal and Spain on the CaixaForum+ cultural platform of the “La Caixa” Foundation. The trailer for The First Siza can be viewed on the Building Pictures page dedicated to the film.

06 March 2026