Design Portfolio by Alex Clouser

Alex Clouser: Design Portfolio

High Speed Rail Station

Re_Fill House

Laboratory: Molecular Spatial Studies

Glass Innovation and Design Center

Timber: High Rise Wood Construction

Major Over Minor: Model Exhibition

Duo: Hand Crafted Fishing Vessel

Soulard Greenhouse: Community Center

Urban Home: Music Center

Demun Childrens' Park

High Speed Train Station: Revitalizing Downtown St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Options Studio: Spring 2016 Professor: Dennis McGrath St. Louis' Union Station, once the world's busiest rail hub, positioned the city as the gateway to the west. As the 20th century developed St. Louis lost density and its once bustling rail hub. However, with the emergence of highspeed rail St. Louis may once again be positioned as a central corridor for mass transit. This proposal sits in the heart of downtown with a mixed-use tower and base and large parking structure, in coordination with new and existing subgrade MetroLink lines. The increased density proposed draws on plans for towers in the neighboring Ball Park Village area. The train shed itself is constructed in heavy timber beams braced via concrete buttresses, referring back to the heavy timber and masonry construction of late 19th and early 20th century St. Louis. The tower's large glass facades reflect the city to stitch together the north-south highway divide. 4

Porous Ground Floor Plan: Concrete Buttresses and cylindrical support columns create an open, naturally lit floor plan, minimizing the need for artificial lighting. To the north of the highway a large plaza draws pedestrians in to a retail connection corridor that leads to the train shed. The plaza is lifted and re-sloped to allow the existing MetroLink line to remain below. 6

Prefabricated Construction: The Train Shed is constructed with prefabricated composite timber beams, supported by tensioned king post trusses. The concrete buttress bracing system and platform support columns are designed as a regular modular system making for easy and cost effective installation and manufacturing. The train platform itself is constructed using precast concrete members, further increasing installation efficiency. On top of the shed a system of solar panels acts as a double shading facade as well as energy generation tool.

Open Interior: The system of composite timber beams and king post trusses allow for a column free train platform with maximized natural lighting.

TOWER

ROOF SLAB

SLAB

AMENITIES

SLAB

Facade Shading: The South Facade of the tower is shaded via a ceramic rod system to reduce mechanical cooling load. Rod Spacing allows winter sun angles to penetrate to reduce heating load and maximize concrete thermal mass potential. Tower Structure: The tower is constructed in concrete with down turned perimeter beams. These beams create necessary lateral bracing while also allowing space for mechanical systems and integrated lighting strategies. 8

SHADING CANOPY METAL SUPPORT COLUMN HUNG GLAZED RAILING SYSTEM RAISED FLOOR DECKING 9” POURED IN PLACE CONCRETE SLAB WITH DOWN TURNED CONCRETE BEAM SPANDREL INSULATION GLAZED SPANDREL PANEL METAL GRATE CAT WALK METAL HANGING AND SUPPORT BRACKET METAL TENSION ROD BRACING CERAMIC ROD SHADING SYSTEM

FIRE PROTECTION PLUMBING H.V.A.C DUCT WORK ELECTICAL, DATA, LIGTHING HUNG DROP CEILING SYSTEM W/RESILIENT CLIP DOUBLE HUNG GYPSUM BOARD

Floating Tower: The base of the tower rests on large concrete pillars creating and open double height lobby. This allows a continuous transition from the plaza to the north, through the retail corridor, and in to the train shed.

New MetroLink Line: At the east end of the train shed runs a new below grade north-south MetroLink line. This situates the new train station as a multi-modal transportation hub, allowing access to the entire city. 10

Re_Fill House: Net Zero Energy Use Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Options Studio: Fall 2015 Professors: Pablo Moyano, Hongxi Yin As a design for Washington University's Solar Decathlon Competition bid, Re_Fill house creates an efficient adaptable layout for a young couple or single family. The house's 950 square foot area necessitates diminished circulation space and efficient mechanical organization. The home employs an in wall track system that allows furniture to be adapted to user needs. A central utility core keeps all wet functions in a single location. On the exterior, a system of louvers and vertically hung planters shade the house and provide an overhead space for a solar panel array. Personal role: Solar Decathlon Studio Research Assistant, project coordination, digital rendering, and creation of digital and physical model for use in drawings. Project team: Alex Clouser, Jordan Thompson, Jodie Saunders, Megan Simmons, Matt Weinberg, Kun Cheng, Jay Bassett, Yuwei Yang 12

GIVENS

BBQ

Bar dining Excercise

MARRIED

SINGLE

Living

Living Reading

Breakfast

Reading

Breakfast

DAILY 70%

DAILY 60%

FORSYTH BLV

dining

living

sitting

SITE PLAN

Site: Re_Fill House was designed to compete in the 2017 Solar Decathlon Competition and then return to Washington University's Danforth Campus in front of the school of architecture. This meant the house had to acknowledge a change to a classroom space after the competition, which became a driving force behind the adaptable interior initiative. Adaptable Plan: A central mechanical and wet wall core acts as the divider between private and shared spaces. Within the exterior walls a system of imbedded tracks serve a cabinet mounts. These cabinets can be interchanged to adapt to user needs and various family typologies.

GUEST 40%

GUEST 20%

BBQ

dining Excercise

Excercise

SENIOR PEOPLE

Living

dining Reading

Reading

Breakfast

PARTY 10%

DAILY 70%

sitting Kids play area/ dinning area

COUPLE WITH CHILDREN living living dining

sitting

CHILDREN & GUEST 30%

DAILY A 70%

BBQ

Bar dining Excercise

MARRIED

Living

SINGLE

living office studio

dining Living Reading

Breakfast sitting

Reading

Kids play area

WORKING GROUP

meeting

Breakfast enterprise car charging

DAILY 70%

DAILY 60% DAILY B

WORKING 60%

dining

dining living

living living

review

office

Track System: Re_Fill's concrete sandwich panel walls allow all systems to be prefabricated and imbedded within. This allows for a sliding metal track system that cabinets can then be hung from. The cabinets are designed on two-foot wide intervals depending on intended use. This unitized design allows the cabinets to be placed where the user desires within the home. Thus the house is refilled to the user's needs when a layout becomes obsolete. For ease of construction this track system allows the walls to be tilted in to place and the cabinets to be slid and hung on the walls. Since the cabinetry covers all unfinished wall surfaces there is no need for typical drywall or interior finish work. The architectural piece becomes the finish.

Living units

Bedroom Units

GARDEN UNITS

Living units

Partition Wall

MILY WORKSHOP

Hanging Cloths

ORAGE

RBECUE WALL UNIT

Laundry

Garden Wall Sample Units

Living Wall Sample Units

Bedroom Wall Sample Units Storage

Section A 1/2” -1’

A Section B 1/2” -1’

Construction: Re_Fill is constructed from insulated concrete sandwich panels. This provides a resilient envelope that also serves as an architectural finish. It also enables quick prefabrication and site construction. The extensive insulation allows for minimized mechanical systems while the thermal mass provided via concrete allows for night flushing in proper seasons. This construction type also allows for a cantilevered carport. B

Exterior Planting: The west facade houses a water tank and hydroponic plant watering system. It also houses space for portable planting racks. These racks plug in to the exterior trellis, which distributes water collected from the roof.

Solar Array: The metal trellis on the south facade contains a louver and planting system and is covered by a fivekilowatt solar panel array. This array shades the home from the harshest sun angles and minimizes the solar gain on the large southern glazing walls. The shading also allows the living space to become a large outdoor room when the southern facade doors are fully opened.

Warm Interior: A large effort was made to minimize added finishes to Re_Fill House. This results in exposed concrete walls, primarily on the homes exterior and occasionally on the interior. To counter the massive qualities of concrete warm wooden finishes for the unitized cabinet system were selected. The interior floors are also wood to create continuity between the exterior decking and interior living space. The cabinets are flush faced in order to create seamless minimal wall planes.

Laboratory: Molecular Spatial Studies Washington University in St. Louis Architectural Design I: Fall 2013 Professor: Jonathan Stitelman At the north edge of the city of St. Louis sits the historical Chain of Rocks Bridge. As part of this studio properties of sand and sediment were studied to inform an observatory and laboratory to be placed within the bridge. An interest in the molecular structure of non-Newtonian sand was explored and used as a spatial guide to designing the structure. The 22 degree bend in the middle of the Chain of Rocks Bridge was considered as a compressive point within the bridge and thus became the area of focus for siting. The structure hugs the bend of bridge and uses the language of sand's molecular properties to inform elongated floating spaces.

Quicksand: A molecular model was constructed to demonstrate the nonNewtonian properties of quicksand. The model easily collapses under pressure but stays in suspension when left untouched. When force is applied, space within the model is manipulated, morphing into elongated irregular forms.

The Site sits to the north of downtown St. Louis and is a crossroads between the city and southern Illinois.

The Chain of Rocks Bridge sits just north of the Mississippi River Chain of Rocks and south of the Interstate 270 Bridge.

Floating Spaces: The space was designed to feel as if it were floating, in suspension, congruent to the nature of quicksand. The floor plates are separated from the wall planes that break and merge with each other. Laboratory: The lab space wraps under the bridge and is supported with a structural lattice.

Site: Chain of Rocks Bridge. A historic Route 66 bridge used for pedestrian traffic. A bend in the bridge was considered as a compressive force, which was then mapped in order to advise the form of the Laboratory

Transition Spaces: Elongated terraces and stairs act as resting and observation space between each main space. Exterior platforms protrude from the enclosure to provide observation posts to various Chain of Rocks attractions.

4th Floor: Bedroom and living

3rd Floor: Main Living Space

2nd Floor: Additional Living Space

1st Floor: Entry and public observation 22

Glass Innovation and Design Center: Intergrated Building Systems B

Washington University in St. Louis Advanced Building Systems: Fall 2015 Professor: Paul Donnelly A Glass Innovation and design center schematic design created by Hannah Lim in a previous architectural course was brought through design development and construction document phases of design. The complex consists of a double-skinned, structural glass gallery, and a concrete lab and administrative building. Architecturally the forms oppose one another, massive versus light and open. The glass pavilion utilizes a king post truss system and structural glass ribs to span across the entire space, while the concrete structure employs a foam-concrete floor slab and sandwich panel walls that allow all mechanical systems to run within and preserve a flat polished concrete finish throughout. Personal Role: Digital modeling and coordination, digital rendering, mechanical systems planning. Project Team: Alex Clouser, Hannah Lim, Christian Korta, Sam Saunders, Letoa Zhang

Site Plan: Since the Center is oriented north-south the concrete structure was positioned to the west in order to shade the glass pavilion from south-western solar exposure and maximize the concrete's thermal mass potential. On the west and southern facades of the concrete mass vertical frosted glass fins shade windows from harsh solar exposure. The glass pavilions structural glass members serve the same purpose within the gallery.

0' - 4"

2' - 0"

1' - 6"

Triple-Glazed High Performance Windows

4" Rigid Insulation

Triple Pane High Performance Glazing

3' - 4 1/4"

0' - 4"

RFC

RFA

1' - 0"

1' - 5"

1' - 0"

10" Styrofoam Blocks

Steel Clamps

Cast-in-Place Concrete 4" Rigid Insulation

0' - 4"

0' - 11"

0' - 4"

Cast-in-Place Concrete

2' - 0"

1' - 6"

0' - 6"

BC 2' - 8"

Keyway Joint at Concrete Footing

Concrete Structure: The administrative building is made from a foam block-concrete floor system in coordination with sandwich panel walls. The foam blocks in the flooring create a concrete I-beam system, reducing weight and allowing the floor to float on the sandwich panel walls and cantilever off the south side of the building. 26

0' - 6"

2' - 0"

Structural Glass Pavilion: Structural Glass fins, supported by a tension cable and king post truss system, allow for a completely transparent Gallery pavilion as a tribute to the capabilities of glass construction. The double skinned facade allows for passive heating and cooling techniques to be implemented and also allows a cavity for artificial lighting at night.

Mechanical Systems: The structure of the building complex allows for easy mechanical systems integration. The concrete pavilion employs a traditional air handling unit-condenser system. The supply and return air is run through the vertical structural shafts. Due to the small footprint no additional ductwork is needed in the space, allowing for a clean concrete finish. The glass pavilion runs off the same system with ductwork lining the perimeter of the glazing. Hot air is allowed to stratify above the occupants and then fall into vertical return airshafts. Condensers

Heating ducts Air Supply/Return within structural shafts.

AHU Fresh air intake AHU Fresh air intake

Return air intake

Return ducts Cooling Ducts

Air Handling Units

Warm air supply

Supply/return air shafts

Condenser Vertical air shaft

Vertical air shaft Makeup Air Unit Air Handling Unit Gallery Return Duct Gallery Supply Duct

Timber: High Rise Wood Construction Independent Research and Competition Project Advising: Don Koster Timber is a twenty-two story apartment complex situated on a transit oriented development site that activates three transportation corridors with a large public plaza, and acts as the eastern entry corridor to the St. Louis, Delmar Loop neighborhood. The tower also serves as an example of advanced wood building technology. Southern Missouri contains large forest reserves and Timber seeks to utilize these local resources in order to reduce shipping expense, manufacturing costs, and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions. Timber is made almost entirely of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), a sustainable mass timber product that is fire resistant, lightweight, easy to handle, and cost competitive. CLT allows the building to be almost entirely prefabricated, drastically cutting construction time and labor. This means minimal community disruption, a critical advantage when constructing on a busy street such as the Delmar Loop. Throughout the entire height, shear walls made of insulated CLT panels are utilized as apartment partitions. Floor plates are made of composite CLTConcrete panels to dampen vibration while also housing geothermal heating systems. As a CLT development, Timber demonstrates a sustainable, cost competitive alternative to traditional concrete and steel construction, which is well suited for high-rise applications. 28

Site: Timber sits at the intersection of the St. Louis Metro, Metro Bus, and Loop Trolley lines. This makes it an ideal location for commuting young professionals to live. The small footprint of the site, slightly under one acre, also makes it ideal for a tower building typology. This tower allows half the site to be left as an open public plaza and promotes cross traffic to the various public transportation routes that occur along the sites border. Rotating Form: The facades of Timber rotate and set back according to surrounding views. The solid walls demanded by the CLT construction peel open in plan to reveal balconies and open spaces. A large curtain wall facade faces the public plaza to signal primary entry while a communal roof deck on the eighth floor points towards Forest Park.

Metal Panel Sun Shade

5 Ply CLT Panel

4" Rigid Insulation 1" Air Space Metal Panel Rain Screen

3" Concrete Top Slab w/ Radiant Heat Tubing

Exterior Envolope. Metal Panel/ Rigid Insulation Rain Screen on CLT Wall Panel

3 Ply CLT Panel

Shear Walls. Rigid Insulation Between 2, 7 ply CLT Panels

CLT Wall Construction

Structure: Timber employs a composite CLT- Concrete floor system that dampens vibration, integrates heating systems, and allows for extensive span lengths. Thickened exterior and interior shear walls provide structural integrity and additional soundproofing. A simple exterior rain screen systems seals against thermal bridges in CLT panels and keeps in accordance with the expedited construction theme.

2 Story Concete Pedestal

Concrete Foundation/ Parking Garage

Interior Finish: An advantage of CLT is its ability to integrate architectural finish with structure and envelope. Thus the wood is exposed negating the need for added finishes.

Major Over Minor: Synesthetic Connections Independent Project: Exhibited in the Small Buildings Exhibition: St. Louis Joe Hendersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Black Narcissus inspired this piece. The song begins in a minor key, a fluid warping surface. However the song turns to a Lydian mode, major in sound, and evokes an open angular space. It was these two spaces, angular over fluid, Major Over Minor, which I sought to render through architectural language and model making.

Duo: Hand crafted fishing vessel Independent project: 2012 The Eastport Nesting Pram is a kit boat designed by Chesepeake Light Craft that fills the need for a small fishing boat that fits in the back of a small SUV, negating extra expense on a trailer. The boat accomodates two people, fishing gear, and a trolling motor. The construction of the boat utilizes a unique stitching system. The oakum plywood panels are sewn together using copper wire which is then tightened to form a water tight lap jointed connection. The boat is then structuraly supported with fiberglass and resin. An extensive sanding and varnishing process results in a mirror glass paint finish that protects the wood from ultraviolet solar damage.

Bulkhead Separation: The nesting pram split in half at a bulkhead that rise the full depth of the hull. Since the water line never exceeds this height water does not infiltrate teh boat. a full rubber gasket further prevents water intrusion that otherwise might seep through the bolt holes in the bulkhead. An adhesive rubber floor pad allows occupants to stand without slipping. Nested Storage: The stern bench can be removed to allow the bow to fit within the stern allowing for convenient dry storage. The hull weighs less around 40 pounds allowing it to be moved by a single person.

Urban Greenhouse: Community Center Washington University in St. Louis: Introduction to Design Processes IV: Spring 2013 Professor: Catty Dan Zhang Soulard, Missouri contains a large variety of historical brick and masonry structures as well as a well known fresh produce market. A site across from the Soulard market was thus used to house a community center and greenhouse. As part of this exploration a terrarium and plant study was conducted to understand plant properties and living requirements. Discoveries from this study were then applied to the design of the greenhouse. The structure contains a large ramp system and required accompanying office space as well as public gathering areas. Rotating terraces on the building exterior frame views of St. Louis and offer outdoor gathering spaces.

Highway

Soulard Market

Urban Greenhouse: A greenhouse constructed in Soulard, Missouri creates a community center and public growing space. Using the idea of spiraling growth from the terrarium, the Greenhouse became centered around the idea of spiraling circulation, thus a ramp system was developed to house the main program space. Structure: Support structure is pushed to the exterior freeing interior space. The structure also supports a secondary exterior skin, providing variable shade to the areas receiving the harshest sun.

Soulard Market

Ramps: A system of ramps is used as a means of ascent as well as to provide planting space. The ramps provide gravitational drainage from the planting beds to collect water. Terraces: Exterior terraces provide outdoor planting space. The terraces rotate around the exterior of the building framing different views of the Soulard area.

2nd Floor Plan

1st floor plan

The West Facade reflects on the rectangular nature of the surrounding buildings. The form then abstracts as it descends away from the street. The ramp system ascends through the regular floor plates on the north side of the structure as can be seen in section. Section: East Looking West

Urban Home: Music Center Washington University in St. Louis: Architectural Design III: Fall 2014 Professor: Yolande Daniels Grand Center functions as the arts and entertainment district for St. Louis. Within this district lies a vacant block for housing. A home was designed to occupy one of the site lots along with an accompanying youth music center. The home was developed by first analyzing a precedent, in this case the Morphosis Landa House. The Landa house contains a central core that holds its utilitarian elements, with spaces stemming off from the core. The exterior form then frames views of the surrounding area. These observations informed the construction of the home and arts center. 42

Grand Center Site: Grand Center contains numerous centers for arts and culture. These centers surround the site and are prominent points within the local skyline. As a corner lot the site is privy to viewing most of these important surrounding structures. The Music Center has priority to the views to the east that are more publically accessible while the home focuses on more interior views directly to the front and to its neighboring homes to the west.

Morphosis Landa House: The Landa House is an early Morphosis design drawn almost completely in sections rotating around the central core. These sections were linearized and connected in order to discover the spatial properties within the house. Then in a completely different study the house was analyzed using only planar surfaces. The planar models' forms rotate around the central core and elongate and open to frame views. 44

Rotating Sections: The Home and Music Center were initially drawn using rotating sections around the central void between the two structures. These rational datum lines, drawn from the surrounding landmarks, influence the formal bends and folds within each building.

First Floor Plan: The first floor of the Music Center contains an entry lobby with reception desk as well as three small practice rooms and one larger group practice room. The first floor of the home contains a great room, office, kitchen, eating area, bathroom, and utilities space and storage. Second Floor Plan: The Music Center is a split level structure with the upper floor containing a large open concert hall. The second floor of the house contains a master bedroom, two secondary bedrooms and a second full bathroom.

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Facades: The Facades of each building peel open towards their respective views. The Music Center facade is very open to the street to invite the public in. The facade of the home opens to the private yard. The front of each building turns away from each other to further iterate the difference in function. At night the voids between the folding planar surfaces illuminate the street corner. The western facade illuminates the private yard of the house and looks out across the rest of the street block.

Demun Childrens' Park: Modular Composition Washington University in St. Louis: Introduction to Design Processes III: Fall 2012 Professor: Elissa Kim Demun Park sits within a residential area near the Washington University campus and is used as a recreational space for children. Utilizing only hand made mediums, a modular system was created to manipulate qualities of light. This modular system was then introduced to the site as a play structure that grows to form a series of buildings that house offices, storage, and restrooms at the west end of the site. The structures also fence off the exterior of the site and create a large central recreation area. 48

Aggregated Module: Rotating triangular faces are aggregated to create a spiral form as a means to manipulate light and shadow. Upon further study spatial characteristics are exploited by creating an alternating system of latticed open faces and solid planar surfaces.

DeMun Childrens' Park: The module is incorporated into the site to create a childrens' park. The modules become integrated with the ground and acts as play structures and spaces of refuge. At the north end of the site the modules morph into a set of structures that house an office space, storage area, and two bathrooms.