Eduardo Souto de Moura

Eduardo Souto de Moura (born July 25, 1952, Porto, Portugal) is a Portuguese architect known for integrating the clean lines of minimalism with unexpected colors and for using local materials. In 2011 he won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, whose jury cited the “intelligence and seriousness” of his work and noted that his architecture “appears effortless, serene, and simple.”

Early life and education

Souto de Moura attended the Porto Higher Institute of Fine Arts (Escola Superior de Belas Artes do Porto [ESBAP]; now part of the University of Porto), where he initially studied sculpture. By his own account, he changed his focus to architecture after a chance meeting the American Minimalist artist Donald Judd. Souto de Moura described how he related to the artist’s writings, in which Judd describes his weariness with the solitary work of sculpting and his interest in the communal nature of architecture.

As a student Souto de Moura worked with architect Noé Dinis and then for five years (1975–79) with the firm of Álvaro Siza, who became a leading influence on Souto de Moura’s work. (Siza went on to become the first Portuguese architect to win the Pritzker Prize [1992]). Souto de Moura also regards Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as an influence. After receiving his degree in architecture in 1980 Souto de Moura established his own firm. That same year he began to teach architecture at his alma mater.

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Early projects

Souto de Moura’s first major commission was the Municipal Market in Braga, Portugal (1984; remodeled as a cultural center by the architect in 2001). He then won a competition to design the Casa das Artes (1991), a cultural center in Porto. The building uses such diverse materials as copper, stone, concrete, and wood, to pleasing effect. In the following years Souto de Moura steadily engaged in building single-family houses, including House Number Two (1994) in Braga. Constructed of concrete terraces on a hillside, the home offers space for gardens and a pool. He also converted an abandoned Cistercian monastery into an elegant inn, the Pousada de Santa Maria do Bouro in Amares (1997).

Projects from the early 21st century

In the 21st century Souto de Moura continued to design single-family homes, including the House in Serra Arrábida (2002), Portugal. He also designed a home and exhibition space for the Portuguese film director Manoel de Oliveira called Cinema House (2003). The building features two large hooded windows that recall camera lenses and a base that suggests a shutter gauge. His large-scale projects comprise the Braga Municipal Stadium (2003), which uses crushed granite from the site for the concrete of the building; the Metro do Porto, the subway system in Porto (2005); and the Burgo Tower, an office complex also in Porto (2007). The Portuguese artist Paula Rego commissioned a museum to house her work in Cascais (Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, 2008), for which Souto de Moura created two distinct pyramid-shaped towers of red concrete at the entrance.

Collaborations with Álvaro Siza

Souto de Moura and Siza had so enjoyed their earlier collaboration that they continued to work together on several projects. These included the wooden canopy for the 2005 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London, as well as the renovation of the Municipal Museum Abade Pedrosa (2016), Santo Tirso, Portugal, which included the construction of a new wing to house the International Contemporary Sculpture Museum.

Later projects and honors

Souto de Moura’s later structures include the Cultural Center of Viana do Castelo (2013), Portugal; the restoration of the São Lourenço do Barrocal estate (2017), Monsaraz, Portugal, into a remote retreat; and the Comédie Clermont-Ferrand (2020), a theater in France. For the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, he designed one of 10 small chapels for Vatican City’s debut at the event. Souto de Moura also won a Golden Lion that year for best project on show. The piece, Vo De Jour, displays two aerial photographs of the São Lourenço do Barrocal estate: one taken of the site before his renovation and one after. The changes are hardly perceptible, revealing that the modifications were very small. Among Souto de Moura’s other honors were the 2025 Praemium Imperiale in architecture, awarded by the Japanese Art Association for lifetime achievement in the arts.

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