Architecture Competition Caramel Shore Traveller Rooms Honorable mention – Javier Monasterio, Natalia Cuevas, Maria Eugui and Jonander Rodriguez

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Caramel Shore Traveller Rooms" competition –  Javier Monasterio, Natalia Cuevas, Maria Eugui and Jonander Rodriguez from Spain!

Honorable mention winners from Spain

Javier, Natalia and Maria studied architecture at University of Navarra in Pamplona and Jon studied architecture and product design at European University of Madrid. The four of us did the Architecture Master's degree at University of Navarra in Madrid. We came one year ago to the Netherlands to do an internship and we are currently hired as Junior Architects at different companies in Amsterdam while we continue learning about the field and developing further skills.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

The four of us have joined different types of company, all of them understanding different scales of projects. Maria is currently working as a landscape designer more focused on urbanism and bigger developments. Jon is working in a big architecture firm of around 60 employees and he has won the three tenders he has been working at. Javier did his internship in a small firm and has now joined a bigger company which is focused on developing a future vision of living and working. To finish, Natalia is working in a small architecture firm that develops different projects from the very detail to bigger scales including housing blocks or international tenders.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

We believe that architecture should be the tool that shapes people's life. While doing architecture we try to be always focused on the user experience and on the feelings that the people are going to have while living our projects. Architecture leads us to think about the future of our society and how it can coexist with the existing environment in a respectful way.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

It's a way of pushing ourselves to go beyond the limits of conventional design and think from new perspectives.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

We would tell them that it's an amazing experience that develops your imagination and that helps getting out of the routine and doing something different.