The Search for Eternity and the Polyphony Prodigy in Távora

Abstract

Fernando Távora was a pioneer. As he never tired of saying wisely and kindly, “I am Portuguese architecture!” He not only integrated various references in Portuguese architecture but also deeply understood architecture as culture in a profoundly innovative way. The intense immersion in modernity without abandoning tradition, the desire to innovate while simultaneously not forgetting the roots, are at the core of the rich and complex personality of the architect Fernando Távora, which is reflected in his actions, his work, his teaching, his life. From Le Corbusier to the modernists of Orfeu, from traditional Japanese architecture to Portuguese vernacular and erudite architecture, from classical order to Miesian rigor, Távora thinks, feels, and builds a heterodox and inclusive path, a genuine journey in search of truth to “arrive at solutions of eternity”. As he wrote in 1960, “I am increasingly convinced that only by doing the same thing over and over again, in one lifetime or over generations, is it possible to refine and arrive at everlasting solutions. From the Theséion to the Parthenon there is a whole path of progress, as with Mies’ Lake Shore 1st and 2nd phases”. In Japan, Távora rediscovers the weight of history and the call to “arrive at solutions of eternity.” The investigation into the Portuguese house (1945-1947), the field surveys conducted within the framework of the “Survey of Portuguese Regional Architecture,” and the study of vernacular and erudite architecture find resonance in Japan.

Keywords

• fernando távora
• portuguese architecture
• journey to the east
• modernity
• tradition