Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza says, 'It is hard not to build what created the enthusiasm and pleasure of being an architect. But this is not wasted time.' In the unbuilt works collected in this publication, thought, conception, and the timeless heritage of architecture, as well as ideas that through their power and poetic manifestation become models, are examined.

The texts that comprise the first volume, written by people intimately familiar with Siza and his work, add memories, analyses, and lived experiences. A selection of texts from the architect himself frame not only the unbuilt projects he has selected but also his vision and approach as an architect, designer, and even sculptor.