Fernando Távora’s Japan through books: A fascination with tradition in search of innovation

Abstract

Amongst the private library of the Porto architect Fernando Távora (1923-2005), who is an obligatory figure if one wants to understand Portuguese architecture in the latter half of the 20th century, are several books on Japan and its architecture. Taken together, the books reveal a sustained interest in this subject matter, an interest which had begun when Távora was still a student of architecture and for which his visit to Japan in 1960 was to be decisive for its consolidation and deepening. I...