This unique project is located facing the most ancient canal of Haarlem: The Spaarne.

The 36 m long plot connects the Spaarnwoudestraat with the water.

The existing one-floor storage space facing the canal created a significant urban void.

A new volume was required to connect the existing buildings.

Our proposal creates a smooth transition from the remaining warehouses and the residential area.

It is a singular volume with the shape of a house and the dimensions of an industrial building.

Extra-large vertical sliding windows open the view of the living room towards the Spaarne.

We chose hand made bricks and hand made ceramic roof tiles  (Petersen) for the materialization of the new volume.

The heaviness of the materials contributes to the characteristic monolithic presence of the new volume.

This new facade is extended towards the roof in order to hide a 100 m2 roof terrace situated above the living room.

A grand void connects both old and new parts and it brings light towards the central piece.

Location: Haarlem, NL

Client: Private

Surface: 540 m2

Program: Residencial housing & roof garden

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V

Year: 2018-2020

Status: Built

Photography: ©photoarchitecture.com

In 2018 LAA was commissioned to build a social housing block with 33 apartments in the city center of Amsterdam after winning a restricted competition for young architects.

The building budget was very tight.

The plot was very wide and deep.

We proposed a simple scheme which could also be transformed into big apartments if required in the future.

A very clear grid organizes the units in a symmetrical way. This grid allows combining four 3room apartments in one floor or six 2room apartments, without altering the clear rhythm in the facade.

The upper floor as it has a 360∫ facade gave us the opportunity to design panorama apartments overlooking the city.

The facade has a strong rhythm due to the repetition of its perforations.

A beautiful pattern made of glazed bricks is applied to all facades. This element together with the different depths of the openings creates a very vibrant facade.

SUMMARY

Location: Amsterdam, NL

Area: 3200 m²

Program: 33 apartments and bike storage

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Oihane Garcia Meneses, Chinouk Jongerius, Aleksandra Shopova

Year: 2018-ongoing

Status: Under construction

"I grew up in the North of Spain not so far away from Villa Slow. I have really good memories of me and my family enjoying nature. This region of Spain has many of the things I always look for when I go on holidays: Mountains, sea, natural parks, hiking, quietness, culture and rich gastronomy. But I always felt I missed here a nice place to stay… a place where you can be warm when it is cold outside and be fully connected to the outside when the sun shines. So I thought: If I cannot find it, there will also be many people not able to find it too….Let’s design and build a beautiful place and share it with more people!… Being myself an architect, it was an opportunity I could just not let go…And this is how it all started."

Laura Alvarez

Villa Slow is designed and built with extreme mindfulness and care for detail. The house is very respectful with the environment. Its design is based on the traditional typology of a Pasiego House (Cabana Pasiega) but with a contemporary twist. The rough exterior stone walls and roofs contrast with the delicate interior wooden structure and details. Two big panoramic windows in the living room facing opposite directions create a beautiful scenography of mountains, clouds, and trees. The two rooms with their generous height are designed to allow different arrangements: just a couple, couple with children, friends, etc. Each room has its own bathroom fully equipped, barrier-free.  

THE WATER

Villa Slow is situated in a very special natural area well known for its spring water formation. The water of Villa Slow comes from its own spring.

A SUSTAINABLE HOME

Villa Slow pays extreme attention to sustainability. Villa Slow is provided with a heat pump, under floor heating and high quality insulation and windows for a minimum heat loss. All electronic appliances are A+++ and all lightning based on LED technology. The  high performance glass  warms up the interior in the winter and the big wooden shutters protect the summer from heat gain. All materials used to build Villa Slow are reused from the old stone shed or come from the area of Cantabria.

SUMMARY

Location: Valle del Miera, Cantabria, Spain

Client and developer: Laura Alvarez  www.villaslow.com

Photography: David Montero

Contractor: Soal Inversiones

Wood works: Carpinteria Astillero

Program: Holiday retreat

Area: 160 m² gross floor area

Year: 2014-2017

Status: Completed

SUMMARY

Location: Amsterdam, NL

Area: 3472 m²

Program: 32 apartments for artist with dementia, cultural centre, café, doctor´s practice

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Maitane Enara, Joanna Greve, Paz Gonzalez

Client: Stadgenoot, Stichting Kunstenaarshuizen (SKh), Zorggroep Amsterdam Oost (ZGAO)

This tiny project has been designed with a dual function: an Airbnb unit and a workplace for a filmmaker.

To minimize the costs we decided to make a very compact and multifunctional volume.

The cabin has a width of 2,10 m. and contains a rollout bed, a bathroom, storage, and an office desk.

The main facade consists of a large fixed window that connects the inner space with the garden. To create a more spacious interior the cabin has a pitched roof.

For the exterior materialization, we used burned black wood. By treating all the surfaces, including the roof with the same material the volume pops up as a sculpture in the green garden.

On the inside, the bathroom and the studio room are separated with a wooden custom-made closet. Under the compact bathroom, a pullout bed is located.

In contrast to the dark exterior of the cabin, the interior is made of whitewashed underlayment plates.

SUMMARY

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Client: Private client

Area: 12 m²

Program: Studio & Living unit

Author: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Esmeralda Bierma (project architect), Arun Jansen

Year: 2016-2017

Status: Completed

Photography: Ewout Huibers

The transformation of an old industrial building on the Korte Poellaan in Haarlem into 16 modern apartments required a spatial strategy. The requested program exceeded heavily the existing envelope.

To create new surfaces without losing the singular character of the existing building, we overlayed a new facade onto the preexisting one.

To do so, we first blinded all existing openings, but with the bricks slightly set back, to emphasize the former openings. Then, as if it would be a solid wall, we created all the new openings, following the same principles of symmetry and rhythms of the existing one.

In order to accommodate the additional surface, we designed a new zinc roof. This new element, in combination with the carefully detailed facades, creates a sophisticated ensemble in which the industrial aesthetics are still clearly visible.

SUMMARY

Location: Haarlem, the Netherlands

Client: Private client

Area: 1350 m²

Program: 16 apartments

Contractor and developer: Smart Interiors, Haarlem

Architect: laura alvarez architecture

Team: Laura Alvarez(project architect), Matteo Silverii

Year 2014-2017

Status: Built

In 2011 we completed the renovation and interior design of a two-floor apartment in the city centre of Amsterdam. The building is catalogued as a national monument.

The main idea of the project was to transform the dark and claustrophobic existing apartment into a bright and spacious loft. The 70 m2 living area is located on the first floor. It is conceived as a continuous space capable of hosting different living activities without fragmenting them into separate rooms. An oak gray painted window bench provides a seat to enjoy the beautiful view towards the Amsterdam canals. Furthermore, this window bench functions as a storage cabinet. A walnut wood sliding door creates the possibility to close off the entrance hall from the living space.

ORIGAMI STAIRS

A light steel staircase creates the transition between cooking and dining area. Moreover a series of satin glass walls have been incorporated in the upper floor to bring natural light into the lower level and the bathroom.

CONTINUOUS SPACE

On the upper floor the guest room and the main sleeping room can be found. Both spaces are experienced as one large room that can be split into two in case needed.

The bathroom is situated in between these two rooms. Existing plaster walls have been removed in order to make the old roofbeams visible.

HIDDEN BEAUTY

An eleven meter long closet has been designed to be used as storage and a wardrobe. The existing colorful closet has been used to define the height of the closet and to break the long white line of the new furniture. Frameless doors and plinths flush with walls contribute to perceive the space as a sequence of pure and sharp surfaces.

SUMMARY

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Client: Private client

Area: 120 m²

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Constructor: Smart Interiors

Wood works: Kooijmans Interieurs

Photography: Ewout Huibers

Year: 2011

Status: Built

This apartment built in the '70s is located in a very quiet and green area in the city center of Amsterdam. It has a garden orientated towards SouthEast which provides light and a fantastic view towards the park.

The spaces are very clearly organized through a wooden box that separates day and night functions. It contains all the service spaces of a house such as storage, garderobe, toilet, boiler, etc.

By concentrating all these elements inside a box, we provide the house with clean and wide spaces for living.

LIGHT INBETWEEN

The bathroom is situated between the two bedrooms. It gets natural light from both sides. A small wooden window opens up towards the garden to connect the interior with the green garden.

OPEN  CLOSE

All doors of the house have been removed and replaced by sliding doors. By doing so, the user has the flexibility of opening and connecting all the spaces or closing them all. The epoxy continuous floor helps to understand this as a continuous space.

The old lowered ceilings have been removed and the old pipes remained visible. This adds a charming industrial look to the contemporary and clean interior design.

WHITE.WOOD.WARM

White paint color for the ceiling and walls, white furniture and lighting fixtures.

Light wood fixed furniture and pastel color bathroom tiles.

A striking red sofa as a counterpart.

SUMMARY

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Client: Private client

Area: 85 m²

Garden: 65 m²

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Photography: Ewout Huibers

Year: 2010

Status: Built

Home H is a two-floor villa on the hills of San Diego (USA) overlooking the sea. The bearing structure of an old villa has been preserved for the new house.

The almost 700 m2 house lays in a narrow plot. The two ends of the villa are connected with two green gardens of royal dimensions.

We proposed a volume with a clear facade towards the main garden. By dividing the facade into four equal spaces a calm volume is created.

Several functions such us entrance, library, kitchen and living room compose this facade.

Alternating terraces, double heights, and covered spaces create a very dynamic and three-dimensional facade.

We have taken special care regarding interior design.

All built-in furniture is made of walnut wood.

Wet areas are finished in mortex.

Non treated oak wood floors can be found in sleeping areas.

The limestone flooring of the common areas extends towards the garden, creating a seamless transition between inside and outside.

SUMMARY

Location: San Diego, USA

Client: Private client

Area: 650 m² Garden: 350 m²

Program: Private holiday house

Architect: laura alvarez architecture & C1

Team: Laura Alvarez, Esmeralda Bierma, Leire Muñoz Lampreabe, Manuel Osuna, Matteo Silverii

Year: 2015-2018

Status: Built

SUMMARY

Location: Oostende, BE

Client: Duinhelm Oostende

Area: 1514 m²

Program: Care homes for 20 residents, common living spaces, multifunctional rooms and park

Architect: laura alvarez architecture; in collaboration with Boom Landscape

Team: Laura Alvarez(project architect), Oihane Garcia Meneses, Chinouk Jongerius, Jan Maas, Philomene van Vliet, Arun Jansen

Local partner & cost calculations: Bureau Bouwtechniek Antwerpen

Structural advisor: Establis Roesalaere

Building physics & installations: Bureau Bouwtechniek Antwerpen + Studiebureau Schoonackers

Year: 2017-2018

Status: Invited competition