Restaurant Boa Nova

The commission for the Boa Nova restaurant came to Siza through his work in Fernando Távora's studio. After completing his studies, Siza realized three houses in his native Matosinhos, which received positive feedback. Based on these, Távora, Siza's former teacher, offered the young architect a position in his studio. However, it soon became clear during the first project - a swimming pool in Quinta da Conceição - that Siza's personality required a more generous approach, and Távora let him work on projects independently.
For the Boa Nova restaurant, the investor announced a competition, which was also sent to another local architect - Francisco Figueiredo, in addition to Fernando Távora's studio. Siza recalls the moment when, during the site scouting, Távora pointed to a rocky cliff with a beautiful view of the open ocean as the construction site. Siza and his colleagues were horrified, as the site was not visible from the access road; however, the lucrative view with a nearby chapel and the foundations of an old lighthouse vindicated his choice.
Siza's competition proposal was selected by the investor as the winner. After a month of working on the project, however, Siza realized that the chosen concept was not good and developed further variants. Távora marked one of them as the best, and it was realized.
Siza came up with the idea of a horizontal roof, whose mass unified the dramatic lines of the cliffs and calmed the resulting composition of the house. The entrance to the house is located on the upper floor and immediately offers a unique panoramic view of the sea upon entering. The lower floor is divided by a communication hall with a staircase into the restaurant-dining area and a tea room that functions as a café. The kitchen and restaurant facilities are oriented toward the slope and do not offer employees any view of the ocean.
The Boa Nova restaurant represents a classic gesamtkunstwerk, Siza designed almost everything. Noteworthy are the sliding windows that allow for uninterrupted views, as well as the furniture and wooden paneling. As he himself recalls, during the realization of the house, he became comprehensively acquainted with the carpentry and joinery craft. When a major reconstruction of the house took place in 1991, Siza approached the work reverently, as the work of another architect-colleague. Even though he considers some ornaments and cladding today to be superfluous, the interior remained preserved in its original form from the 1960s.
Siza has a strong personal relationship with the restaurant and its location. It was his first realization that gained international acclaim. A few years later, he got married in a nearby chapel and still enjoys visiting the restaurant. "When you are exhausted from stress, you can sit in the tea room at the end of the day and enjoy the feeling of great tranquility. You watch the fishermen departing for the sea or returning to the harbor. Sceneries that never repeat."