Tidal Pool: An Architectural Jewel by Álvaro Siza Vieira

The Matosinhos City Council just wanted to build a swimming pool. Until Siza Vieira took the project and created a monument - the “Piscina das Marés” (Tidal Pool).

The “Piscina das Marés" is a set of saltwater pools located on Leça Beach in the parish of Leça da Palmeira, in the municipality of Matosinhos (Portugal).

Built in the 1960s and inaugurated in 1966, it was designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira, Portugal's most renowned and award-winning contemporary architect. In 2006 it was classified as a National Monument.

The two saltwater pools (one just for children) are an alternative to the many beaches that stretch along the municipality of Matosinhos.

Piscina das Marés includes two swimming pools, changing rooms and a bar/lounge.

Piscina das Marés, Leça da Palmeira

Inaugurated in 1966, this pool has been classified as a National Monument since 2011 and continues to operate during the bathing season.

The idea of building a swimming pool next to Leça da Palmeira beach arose in the 1950s and was part of the project to turn Leça da Palmeira into a nationally renowned bathing center.

Initially it was to be little more than a water tank that would be filled with the movement of the tides, but it ended up being a work of art, with a pool for children and another for adults, changing rooms and a bar.

Siza Vieira - Pritzker (1992)

Some of the particularity of this pool lies in the name of its author, the architect Siza Vieira, the most renowned and awarded Portuguese architect today, but it is also worth mentioning that it is one of the best examples of what is known as organic architecture in Portugal. According to this line of architecture, as well as seeking to satisfy people's interests, the building constructed must also take into account its integration into the environment, into nature.

Siza Vieira designed the Boa-Nova Tea House shortly before, almost simultaneously with the Quinta da Conceição Swimming Pool, at the end of the 1960s. He had completed his architecture degree at the Porto School of Fine Arts in 1955, making these monuments some of the young architect's first works. Matosinhos City Council's initial idea was actually to build a pond, fed by the coming and going of the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

The greatest representative of Portuguese architecture, he was the first Portuguese architect to receive a Pritzker Prize (1992). He also received a Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale (2012) and is known for his universal and particular architecture.

It is in Leça da Palmeira that we find some of his most emblematic works: the Quinta da Conceição Swimming Pool (1958-1965), the Marés Swimming Pool (1961-1966), the Boa Nova Tea House (1958-1965) and more recently the Leça da Palmeira waterfront (2006) which, as well as uniting these last two works, results in a space adapted to its new functions and characteristics of centrality and leisure space.

Leça da Palmeira is:

A heavily urbanized city, but with numerous places of tourist and cultural interest:

• Boa Nova Tea Room and Marés Swimming Pool, are both the work of architect Siza Vieira.

• Boa Nova Lighthouse is the second largest in Portugal.

• Quinta de Santiago Museum, home to the Matosinhos Art Center.

• The Mother Church is an 18th-century building with a beautiful gilded altar in the chancel and a statue of Senhora da Conceição by Diogo Pires (the Old Man) dating from 1483.

• Eight chapels, of varying ages and styles, but which illustrate the liveliness of the local people: Chapel of Monte Espinho, Chapel of Ruas, Chapel of Corpo Santo; Chapel of Senhora da Piedade, Chapel of Santa Ana; Chapel of S. Francisco, Chapel of Santa Catarina and Chapel of S. Clemente das Penhas (Boa Nova).

• Museum of the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Matosinhos-Leça, where you can get in touch with the past.

• Mobile bridge, which is unique in Portugal.

• Monument in honor of António Nobre, a famous Portuguese poet.

• Nossa Senhora das Neves Fort is a fine example of a defensive fortress.

• Manueline arch, which can be seen at Quinta da Conceição;

• The Customs Building (Porto and Leixões), is a beautiful work of architecture.

• Castelinho da Praia de Leça.

• Titan, is a symbol of strength that accompanied the entire construction process of the Port of Leixões.

• The maritime passenger station, through which the tourists who visit us and cruise around the world still pass today.

• The ruins of a windmill, are a symbol of times gone by.

In addition to these true works of art built by man, we also have a large green area and a beautiful coastline, where we can enjoy real moments of pleasure in contact with nature or simply contemplate it:

• Quinta da Conceição and Quinta de Santiago, are two beautiful estates with idyllic gardens where you can spend unforgettable moments in contact with nature, play sports, or visit the museum.

• Wonderful beaches that were once a magnet for the upper echelons of society, not just in Porto, but in the north of Portugal. Watching the sunset on one of Leça's beaches is something you'll never forget.

But nowadays, quality of life without sport is not quality of life. So, in Leça da Palmeira, there are also sports areas/venues that are worth visiting:

• The Matosinhos-Porto Equestrian Center, with a space for housing animals, a training school, and an obstacle course.

• Leça Football Club Stadium.

• Leça Sports Park.

• Marina, with its sailing clubs and training schools.

Finally, economic activities. Leça is a land of the sea and in addition to the beaches, it offers a huge variety of restaurants, almost all of them of excellent quality. However, in terms of the economy, we have to mention a few places that mark out the whole parish and that are worthy of contemplation by those who visit us:

• The Port of Leixões is one of the largest and best organized in the country.

• Exponor is one of the largest exhibition centers in the north.