The Marina Beach Club situated on the west coast of Mexico is a social club for people to store their boats and yachts, to go sailing, fishing, relaxing, dining and enjoying water activities like canoeing.

The marina was built in 2004 and it has been extended several times without a clear master plan behind all these additions.

The result is a rather disorganized structure with several wood huts (palapas), service areas and walkways.

Our client requested a new high-end restaurant including storages, restrooms, kitchen and eating areas.

Office spaces were also needed.

The existing palapas with their rounded shape created a very distinctive stamp among the mangrove trees.

A different and yet strong shape was required in order to create a new architectural language that could dialogue with the traditional constructions.

Five sculptured concrete boxes contain kitchen, toilets, storages, offices and installation rooms.

These volumes are connected by a paved square to emphasize their distinct character.

Two new palapas have been added to accommodate the additional eating areas of the restaurant.

A series of new wooden pathways connect old and new parts.

New landscape design helps to hold all the pieces together.

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.   

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)

The departing conditions of this project were not easy. The plot longer sides, one faces a highway, the other one a west orientation, which means a very big impairment in order to open windows.

Furthermore, the plot is very narrow and it has a very pronounced slope.

The design brief requested office, commercial and parking spaces and public and recreational spaces.

How could we create light and livable office spaces and deal at the same time with the facade restrictions imposed by the site?

How can we integrate a working environment with commercial spaces and yet find a way to create beautiful outdoor spaces?

We took these challenging restrictions as a starting point of our design process.

We propose a sequence of public squares which are directly connected with the commercial spaces on the same level.

The office spaces are organized in the upper levels with their main entrances addressed at the public squares too.

The parking areas are located under the square. The pronounced slope of the street provides the parking with entrances on different levels. This allowed us to create

parking levels both for commercial and office users.

The facade has been designed in order to prevent direct sun radiation from coming into the building. A sequence of prefabricated concrete panels protect the facade from the sun and at the same time, the view towards the lake is emphasized.

The office building situated in G.H. Betzweg 1 in Rotterdam near Rotterdam Alexander station, dates from the eighties. In 2015 the building became vacant.

The challenge of this commission was to transform this building once again into an attractive office space, capable of winning over new tenants. Since the building was vacant, there was a limited budget and therefore there was no opportunity to execute a full renovation.

In order to provide our client with a good design solution, we did exhaustive research and analysis of the existing situation:

The building had no connection with the public realm. The ground floor was a parking lot. Therefore the contact between inside and outside was reduced to a small entrance area.

The entrance area was neither a representative space nor a space to meet.

Working areas had poor light conditions caused by the low windows with a height of 1,85 cm.

The colors chosen for the building were very cold and old fashioned, far from a modern look.

We did an exercise of acupuncture and only intervene in the main issues of the building.

In order to improve the contact with the public domain, the ground floor was extended. In this way, the new working areas got a direct connection with the street.

The entrance was transformed into a warm and welcoming space, including a podium for presentations and informal meetings.

To increase the allowance of natural light, the windows of all office spaces were enlarged, transforming the working areas into light and vibrant spaces.

Furthermore, the color palette was changed to a much warmer one that was also applied in the new facade panels.

SUMMARY

Location: Rotterdam Alexander, The Netherlands

Client: Private client

Area: 5500 m²

Program: Renovation and extension of an office building

Author: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Esmeralda Bierma, Maarten Kop (project architect), Arun Jansen, Mar Muñoz Aparici

Project management: Savills

Building technology: dGmR

Structural engineer: abt

Contractor: Ooijevaar bevlogen bouwers

Year: 2016-2018

Status: Completed

Photography: Nuvastgoed

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 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

The Gamazo halls, in appearance very similar, have been executed in very different times, with different purposes and not comparable constructive qualities.

The main hall built in 1886 has beautiful proportions and a prominent location facing the sea. It is much better preserved than its twin little brother. However, its free inner height of 4,5 m is a big impairment to host art pieces of large dimensions. Enaire foundation has an art collection that compresses works from artists like Jaume Plensa. Some of these artworks are 6 m. tall.

The second hall, built in the late `50s is very damaged. The sidewall facing the slope has progressively deteriorated due to water infiltration. Furthermore, the steel structure of the roof can barely stand its own weight.

Our strategy was to renovate the main hall keeping its current dimensions and appearance and transform the damaged smaller hall into a hall that could fulfill the preserved one.

Therefore we decided to keep the facade and replace the roof and structure of the small hall with a robust concrete structure.

This new hall will be a tall and multifunctional space. In it, all the ancillary rooms are located.

The new cultural center allows many different exhibitions to take place, even if those happen to be simultaneously.

A beautiful sculpture garden created around the halls completes the exhibiting possibilities of Airlab.

 

SUMMARY

Location: Santander, ES

Client: ENAIRE

Area: 945 m²

Program: Exhibition spaces

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Oihane Garcia Meneses, Chinouk Jongerius

Year: 2018

The existing exhibition space of ArquerÌas no longer suits the current needs of the Enaire Foundation.

On one hand, the several renovations that took place during the last 20 years have created a labyrinthlike routing. The multiple levels created during these transformations don't allow adapting the building for wheelchair users.

Furthermore, the strong transparency of the original gallery has been totally neglected.

The several interventions have not contributed to the preservation of the strong architectural character of the location.

Our goal in this project is to bring back the exhibition space into its original state.

Therefore we need to open up space, connect it to the outside and at the same time, be able to create the same amount of exhibition surface that in the current situation.

We propose a very clean intervention. First of all, we empty the space to show strong arches again. Then we only add what is strictly necessary to be added.

An open public entrance welcomes the visitors and connects the three new levels of the exhibition center: Permanent, temporary exhibitions, and lecture rooms are spread over these three floors, all of them directly connected with the main entrance.

This big stairs communicating the hall with the lecture areas work as an informal meeting place.

The existing brick walls remained almost untouched. Inside and outside strongly connected.

A roof garden above the almost 200 m long building completes the cultural offer. This green roof is also understood as a new public corridor in the very busy business area of Nuevos Ministerios.

 

SUMMARY

Location: Madrid, ES

Client: ENAIRE

Area: 2000 m²

Program: Exhibition spaces, roof garden

Architect: Laura Alvarez Architecture B.V.

Team: Laura Alvarez, Oihane Garcia Meneses, Aleksandra Shopova

Year: 2018

Status: Competition, THIRD PRIZE