Eduardo Souto de Moura receives UIA Gold Medal in Barcelona

The President of the Republic will travel to Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday for a tribute by the International Union of Architects to Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, taking place at the Sagrada Família Basilica, Antoni Gaudí’s landmark work.

Before the ceremony, head of state António José Seguro will visit the headquarters of Catalonia’s regional government, known as the Generalitat, following an invitation from regional president Salvador Illa for a "courtesy meeting", according to the Presidency of the Republic.

Eduardo Souto de Moura receives the UIA Gold Medal

On Tuesday evening, Eduardo Souto de Moura will be awarded the International Union of Architects (UIA) Gold Medal during a ceremony at the Sagrada Família Basilica. The event coincides with the World Congress of Architects, being held in Barcelona this week, and with the centenary of Gaudí’s death. Gaudí designed several buildings that now form part of the identity of Barcelona, Catalonia’s capital.

In a statement released in connection with António José Seguro’s visit to Barcelona, the Presidency of the Republic stressed that the UIA Gold Medal "is one of the most prestigious international distinctions in architecture" and will be presented to Souto de Moura "in recognition of his exceptional work".

A Pritzker Prize winner - regarded as the "Nobel Prize of architecture" - in 2018, Eduardo Souto de Moura will become the second Portuguese architect to receive the UIA Gold Medal. He follows Álvaro Siza Vieira, who also received the Pritzker Prize, in 1992.

Established by the UIA in 1984 and awarded every three years, the medal is described by the organisation itself as "the most prestigious distinction bestowed on an architect by architects, selected from nominations submitted by professional institutions from around the world".

Barcelona programme honouring Souto de Moura

Alongside the Sagrada Família ceremony, the Portuguese architect will also be honoured in Barcelona on Wednesday, on the margins of the World Congress of Architecture. The programme is jointly organised by the Order of Architects (OA) and Casa da Arquitetura (CA), with the participation of the Portuguese Embassy in Spain.

At 16:00, the Disseny Hub Barcelona will host a discussion featuring architects Nuno Grande, Souto de Moura, Inês Lobo, Manuel Aires Mateus and Wilfried Wang. It will follow opening remarks by Avelino Oliveira, president of the OA; Nuno Sampaio, director of the CA; and Marta Vall-Llossera, president of Spain’s Higher Council of Architects.

The closing session will be attended by the Secretary of State for Housing, Patrícia Gonçalves Costa.

Later, the MOCO Museum of modern and contemporary art will hold a reception featuring an installation dedicated to Souto de Moura. Entitled "Uchronia", it draws on previously unseen sketches by the architect from the 1970s.

Portugal at the World Congress of Architecture

This year’s World Congress of Architecture, running from 28 June to 02 July, will culminate in the presentation of the Gold Medal to Souto de Moura on the 30th at the Sagrada Família Basilica, following a nomination submitted by the Order of Architects.

Portugal will also be represented at the congress by a delegation led by Avelino Oliveira and an institutional stand devoted to Portuguese architecture, as well as taking part in several elements of the event.

António José Seguro’s trip to Barcelona will be his second visit to Spain as President of the Republic.

Around six weeks after taking office as President of the Republic on 09 March, António José Seguro made his first overseas visit as head of state to Madrid, where he was received by Spain’s King Felipe VI and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.