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

BANJA LUKA ON AIR   Program: Congress hall with 200, 700 and 1500 auditoria / theatre halls, restaurants, phillarmonic, exhibition spaces, offices, parking , etc. Area: 33.000 m2 Location: Banja Luka, Bosnia Herzegovina Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V. Team: Maitane Enara, Paz González, Laura Alvarez   PROJECT DESCRIPTION A tower of culture  Towers have played a very important role throughout history. There have always been not only landmarks but important points of reference, physically and culturally speaking.  In the middle ages European cities grew around religious buildings: churches, mosques and synagogues. They were the spiritual centre for societies and also the center of urban activity, mostly surrounded by a market square.  By the pass of the time, the value of towers changed. In the Florence of the renascence, towers were a symbol of power. Later, in the postwar architecture, specially in the United States with the Chicago School, high buildings were associated with modernity, but the were in fact an intelligent and efficient way of dealing with high prices of land.  In the present day, towers have changed their function to host mainly office and living spaces. They have kept the meaning of a landmark but they lost greatly their public character and the special connection with the square of activities present in the middle ages.  With the new multifunctional and cultural centre of Banja Luka we have the opportunity to create again a cultural function in height connected to an active market plinth.  “Banja Luka On Air” will be the new reference building not only for the city but for the country.   Access  The park-like square created around the new multifunctional hall has a gentle slope so that the access area is slightly elevated from the surroundings streets. This, on one hand, creates a buffer zone between the public building and the busy roads.  On the other helps us in organizing entrances around the whole building.  All entrances are wheelchair friendly.  The car park access is located on the North-East side of the plot whereas the logistics access is situated on the North West. This two points are the least publicly accessible and least visible points of the location.  A bus stop is located next to the western entrance, between park and building.  A compact and flexible building  Most of large congress or multifunctional spaces have an unpleasing and unwelcoming size. They are dimensioned for its full capacity. When a small even takes place there, the visitor feels as if the building is abandoned. If they are not used in their whole capacity, they are experienced as big empty containers which also create a bit interruption in the urban tissue.  Furthermore, the maintenance costs of a large facility that cannot be fragmented are enormous.  We think that making a compact building that can be used partially and with different opening times, solves these two issues.  Our proposal, with a foot print of just 30% of the plot (2.580 m²), frees up great space on the ground floor which could work as the square of the middle ages. In this new provided public space on the ground floor, many events could be organized. From local food markets, to exterior performances.  The strategic position of a food court on the ground floor will activate the public space    Challange  Making a tower of theaters is not an easy task but it brings with it many advantages: 

• It is iconic, therefore it will become reference point. 
• It oversees the city and the surrounding beautiful landscape 
• It is compact 
• The theaters can be used simultaneously without any noise or circulation interference 
• It has a human scale

It can be used partially and yet feel pleasant. But how to build it?  In the day of today, advanced technical constructions offers us the possibility to build towers in wood. And we do believe we should do it. They cannot be merely wooden constructions due to wind and torsion forces but the use of wood can be maximized.  We proposed a table structure with 4 concrete cores and a mix of concrete and wooden slabs.  The slab of the upper floors will be made in concrete due to wind forces.  The facade structure will be also completely made of wood.  The theatres and concert halls are built as a box-in-a-box. They have their own structure so that the sound is not transmitted towards the main structure.    Spatial layout  Banja Luka on Air has a very simple layout.  The ground floor, as mentioned before, works as a food court. It can be open long hours and it is publicly accessible.  This ground floor makes the building being active all they long.  The food court is organized as a series of inners streets and squares, like passages. This public interior is the access towards the multifunctional hall.  The multifunctional hall is organized around 4 elevated squares. This for squares are publicly accessible and work as public foyers.  They are connected to several packages of programs: 

• Small hall 200, press centre & chamber halls 
• Theatre hall 700 seats 
• Concert hall 1500 seats 
• Phillarmonic 

Two groups of public elevators connect these four squares with the ground floor. These groups of elevators (and fire stair cases) only stop in these 4 places.  Each of the elevated squares has the same layout. The double heigh hall forms a welcoming foyer where the visitor can leave their jackets, buy tickets, ask for information ,etc.  The big lobby is connected to a café and a lounge area. A welcoming podium serves as a waiting area but also as a tribune for small events.  A generous open terrace around the whole elevated square reinforces even more the public character of these elevated spaces.  These squares can be open even when the theatres are closed.   

Our project has two main goals. On one hand to transform the existing market hall into a vibrant and dynamic public space. On the other hand to redesign the derelict surrounding public space.

In order to do so, we propose a new multifunctional square with gardens and recreational areas. This new public space will also host fairs, events or gastronomical activities.

In the center of the square, a new programmed market hall will contribute to the new liveliness of the area.

The new FOOD lab

Food represents a big cultural heritage for Portugal. We have changed the way we buy, the way we eat. A traditional market can be nowadays enriched with new eating areas, spaces for gastronomic activities or weekly food fairs.

In order to create this new FOODlab, the existing building will undergo a major transformation.

A new roof creates a covered space to protect the goods and eating areas from the rain and the sun.

The ground floor in direct connection with the square is understood as a dynamic area with groceries, meat, and fish stalls. Around the central court, tapas bars and small food shops are organized. The central space is kept as a main empty space to allow sporadic events to take place. Wine tasting,  local product sales, etc could be organized in this area.

The upper floor on street level, host a more permanent program, with cafes, restaurants, a multifunctional space, and a co-cooking area.

SUMMARY

Location: Santo Tirso, Portugal

Client: Municipality of Santo Tirso, Portugal

Area: 4000 m² market hall, 25.000 m² public square

Program: New public square and conversion of the existing market hall into a FOOD lab containing a market, food court area, workshop areas, multifunctional spaces, cafe, restaurant, cooking school and cooks-in residence units.

Author: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Oihane Garcia, Leire Alvarez Marcos, Esmeralda Bierma, Arun Jansen, Mar Muñoz Aparici, Elise Nguyen, Aleksandra Shopova, Matteo Silverii, Marjolijn Vrolijk

Year: 2016-ongoing

Status: FIRST PRIZE, ongoing

Europan 13, International competition 2016

The Uptown Meat Club is a meat restaurant located in the city center of Amsterdam.

The client, passionate about Spanish food commissioned us with this interior design project with the idea of creating an informal and accessible restaurant with a Southern character but without neglecting the exclusive area where it is located.

The restaurant's interior concept sticks to the basic materials of wood and metal. Due to their combination, a warm yet robust tone is created.

The ground floor is divided into two zones which offer the guests both a lively and more intimate atmosphere to dine in. Either way, warm lights support the coziness of the restaurant.

A variety of hand made tiles that still coordinate in color, elongate the feeling of the space and provide a point of orientation.

SUMMARY

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Client: Uptown Meatclub

Surface: 500 m2               

Program: Bar & interior of the restaurant

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Year: 2015

Status: Completed

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

The UNESCO World Heritage Podium is a permanent exhibition where you can see, hear and read which UNESCO World Heritage sites can be found in The Netherlands and what makes them so exceptional. It is simultaneously the information centre for the Canal District of Amsterdam, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010. The Podium is situated in the central hall of the monumental building De Bazel in Amsterdam.

On exhibit are special objects from each of the Dutch World Heritage sites, such as a 16th century pair of compasses from the Canal District Amsterdam and a small divan table designed by Gerrit Rietveld.

The Podium consists of three sections.

An exhibition area where each site is represented by an object that indicates the age and location of each site and doubles as a base for the objects on display.

A podium that bridges the height difference between the central hall and the big window facing the street level of the Vijzelstraat. On the podium books on Dutch heritage can be found and read .

A series of banners with prints of historical paintings and maps of the Amsterdam Canal District are hung from the double height space above the podium. One banner functions as a projection screen and when lowered the podium turns into a small auditorium.

In terms of design and materialization the podium and the exhibition objects merge into each other in order to create one continuous landscape. All objects, stairs and bookcases are constructed out of birch multiplex, clad with black linoleum.

Text and drawings are directly printed on the lino with white ink.

Additional elements like a desk for an employee working at the Podium or an object showing video interviews with representatives of the different sites are clad with mirroring acrylic sheets in order to minimalize their presence.

SUMMARY

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Client: Bureau Wereld Erfgoed, Stichting Werelderfgoed, Rijksdienst voor het cultureel Erfgoed, National UNESCO commission

Program: World heritage visitors centre

Architect: Office Jarrik Ouburg & laura alvarez architecture

Team: Laura Alvarez, Jarrik Ouburg

Photography: Ewout Huibers

Year: 2013

Status: Built

This design was developed in collaboration with Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos. Our proposal creates a harmonic balance between old and new. The former “Society building” is preserved as a sole architectural volume in the new garden.

The museum garden will be transformed into an open and public garden overlooking the River Rhine. Two elegant pavilions located in the museum garden reinforce the symmetry of the existing building and at the same time mark the new entrance of the museum. The duo form a modest icon in the landscape, carefully seeking a balance between visible and invisible.

The entrance pavilion gives access to the new flexible public program; partly dug into the embankment, glistening through the tops of the surrounding trees beckons to the other side of the Rhine.

Through the autonomous position of the public area and the flexible programming, this new space allows a wide range of activities. The new exhibition area connects the public entrance hall and the existing building.

This underground extension offers other kind of exhibition spaces with generous dimensions.

When arriving at the Society building, the visitors will surprisingly rediscover the dome, by an almost sacred entrance in the centre of the room.

The new Museum Arnhem will provide very differentiated experiences and allows an infinite possible ways to use the space.

SUMMARY

Location: Arnhem, The Netherlands

Client: Municipality of Arnhem

Area: 7.000 m²

Program: Renovation and extension of  Museum voor Moderne Kunst: exhibition spaces, public lobby, restaurant and multifunctional rooms.

Author: Cruz y Ortiz arquitectos & Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Antonio Cruz, Muriel Huisman (project architect), Arun Jansen (project architect), Antonio Ortiz, Matteo Silverii

Year: 2016

Status: Restricted competition

SUMMARY

Location: San Diego, USA

Client: Private client

Program: Family house, garden pavilion, swimming pool

Architect: laura alvarez architecture & CRUDO

Team: Laura Alvarez, Esmeralda Bierma, Mar Muñoz Aparici, Manuel Osuna (project architect)

Year: 2017-ongoing

Status: Under construction

The existing elementary school Dalton Molenwiek in Haarlem dates from 1975 and was built by architect Wiek Röling. A temporary extension was added in the 1990’s. In the near future the number of students will grow significantly and the current extension does not longer fulfil the wishes of the school.

The existing building was very much designed from the perspective of the interior, which is very characteristic for these kind of schools dating from the 80’s. The exterior has therefore a very undefined shape and the entrance of a building that is very hard to find from the street. The extension of the school, with space for extra classes, a library, workplaces etc. is designed as a rectangular frame around the existing building. The school will have a strong urban presence in the neighbourhood characterised by big building blocks.

Some of the new functions will also be used by people from the neighbourhood and have a direct entrance from the street. Due to these functions, the school will also function as a new community centre. In between the existing building and the extension new patio’s and gardens will be formed. Every group of students will share one patio for outdoor classes or as a communal playground.

SUMMARY

Location: Haarlem, The Netherlands

Client: Gemeente Haarlem, Molenwiek School, Mevrouw Meijer

Architect: Office Jarrik Ouburg & Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez (project architect), Freyke Hartemink,Kornel Lewicki, Jarrik Ouburg (project architect)

Area: 3.500 m²

Year: 2015