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Bairro da Bouça, in Porto and MAAT, in Lisbon, by Siza Vieira are shortlisted for the 2019 Architectural Photography Awards

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The eight edition of the Architectural Photography Awards 2019 shortlisted works by photographers Inge Schuster and Claire Tucker, whose portfolios include photos of Siza's work and drawings of his work. The awards will be announced on 6th December.

The overall winner of The Architectural Photography Awards 2019 is chosen from one of the four main categories- Exterior, Interior, Sense of Place and Buildings in Use. There is also a separate portfolio prize, and a mobile photography category awarding two winners.

The leading architectural photography competition in the industry spotlights the grandeur of one of the most relevant architects in the world, with photos that picture Siza Vieira's designing of the Bairro da Bouça in Porto (whose exhibit "Neighbourhood" was featured in Venice), and the MAAT building in Lisbon.

In the city of Porto, Siza Vieira also designed the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum and the FAUP Building.

In a statement, the Architectural Photography Awards organization announced that circa two thousand photos, from 42 countries have been referred to the jury: "29% are from the United Kingdom, 11% from the United States and 9% from China."

The finalist images will be displayed in the Architectural Photography Awards exhibition area, which takes place in Amsterdam from 4th to 6th December. The Closing Gala will be the time to announce the winner, chosen by visitor's votes.

All photographers - professionals or amateurs - were invited to join the competition and submit their photographs, "and these awards cross sectors and continents so as to provide visibility to these photographs and their ability to translate the sophistication of the built world", as announced by the organisation in that same statement.

Siza Vieira studied Architecture at the Higher School of Fine Arts in Porto (ESBAP) from 1949 to 1955 and is Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Architecture of Porto University- FAUP.

His list of awards is both extensive and impressive: Siza won the Pritzker Prize in 1992, the Mies van der Rohe prize in 1988, the National Architecture Prize in 1993, the Alvar Aalto Medal in 1998, the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal in 2009), the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Biennial, in 2002 for best project and the Golden Career Lion in 2012, and more recently, Siza Vieira was granted the Grã-Cruz da Ordem da Instrução Pública [Grand-Cross of the Public Instruction) in 2017 and the Merit Medal by the University of Porto in 2018.

It is worth highlighting that the Serralves Museum hosts the exhibition "in/disciplina" devoted to the life and work of Siza Vieira, from 19th September until 2nd February 2020. It comprises over 400 sketches and 30 projects signed by the architect from when he was a student to present time.