Not only did Laura Alvarez Architecture place in Europe’s top 40 architects under 40, but the young firm also just received a unanimous first prize standing from the jury of the Customize Me! competition sponsored by the Heijmans Vastgoed & Woningbouw. Asked to provide a new vision for contemporary housing, Laura Alvarez responded with a housing model that can be aadjusted for different kinds of families and if a person suddenly changes his way of living. Entitled 4D LIFE | Space and Time – four dimensions of living, space and time are linked entities so that how the space is used directly correlates to time. ”We want to offer a house that fits all moments of life and to all kinds of standards of living. We want to offer space for personal input, for all kinds of people, independently from their origin, social status or age.” explained the architect.
As the Netherlands’ dense population expands outwardly, spreading over more land, there is a need to reevaluate how the ground can be used more efficiently to satisfy the demands for the growing cities and suburbs. The idea behind the proposal is to create more compact and dense living spaces to avoid the spreading. ”Our starting point is then to avoid the 30 dwelling/ha as requested by the competition and duplicate that density,” explained Alvarez.
