architecture
ortfolio
A lexandre R obert McC ormack
Alexandre ROBERT McCORMACK ADDRESS : 97 Rue des Augustines, EMAIL : ARMcCk@gmail.com TEL : 0032 (0)4 71 64 26 50
1090 Bruxelles
PERSONALITY
Driving Licence B
ARCHITECTURAL AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
,P P... )
EDUCATION
PROGRAM SKILLS
Master thesis “Non-Stabilised Rammed Earth Constructions : Material Characteristics and Application to Urban Co-Housing in Brussels”
2008 - 2011
ULB, Belgium - Ecole polytechnique de Bruxelles Bachelor degree (French)
gue oth e ani rton sh gue :G ood Du tch :E lem Ge ent rm ary an :M
Sp
nch
Fre
En
glis h:
Mo
the rton
Ongoing Broekbakema Office - Architectural Assistant Feb 2014 and Biomimicry Researcher (6 months) 03/02/2014 – Ongoing, Rotterdam, Netherlands Architect and Biomimicry Specialist Advisor in building physics, sustainable strategies and techniques
ce
op
Offi
osh
Ph ot
esi gn
InD
Pa ck
(Ex
opp p
ssh Ske t
chu
Gra
cad
LANGUAGES
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Conceptual to technical design Architectural teamwork design Architectural integration of sustainable strategies Conception and innovation for reducing construction costs Presentation
ino ,
Au to
Lycée St Louis, France - Scientific Baccalauréat « Mention bien » (French) Specialisation in plastic arts (7 years)
Rh
2D
/3D 2007
vit
2012 - 2013
Re
ULB / VUB, Belgium - BRUFace Masters degree (English) - “Distinction”
er
2011 - 2013
cel ,W ord
Brussels Engineering Faculty ULB / VUB
er
02/02/1989 Irlandais/Français
Oth
Date of Birth : Nationalities :
Innovator, Insightful, Communicative and sociable, Artistic and creative engineer, Visionnary
The world is older than we'll ever be. humbleness abides.
Masterplanning.................................
Architecture.....................................
Biomimicry.........................................
Master Thesis...................................
MASTERPLAN
URBan planning Repairing the urban tissue
COURSE
Design Studio I - Team Work (4 students)
YEAR
Master I - 1st Semester
SITE
La Chapelle Trainstaton, Brussels
SIZE
Surface Covered : 28 137 m² Surface Built on Ground : 10 771 m²
FUNCTION
Residence, Hotel, Art Gallery, Cinema Nightclub, Youth Hostel, Sports Center Trainstation, Skatepark
PHILOSPHY
Our sentiment was that the neighbourhood has great potential Our position was to work closely with the existing buildings
M A S T E R P L A N Repairing the Urban Fabric 0 50 100 200
Gare de La Chappelle, Brussels The train bridge crossing has completely scarred the neighbourhood. Our first aim was to create a visual connection between the north and south side like a Ying and Yang. This would also help integrate the bridge and the activities underneath as part of a whole rather than a burden and an eyesore. From there on, the urban fabric was recreated in harmony with the rest, providing new opportunities for activities, open spaces, social interaction and sunlight.
ARCHITECTURE
BUILDING Design
Sustainable Strategies
COURSE
Design Studio II
YEAR
Master I - 2nd Semester
SITE
Building south-side bridge of masterplan La Chapelle Trainstaton, Brussels
SIZE
Surface Built on Ground : 3 347 m² Livable Surface : 16 735 m²
FUNCTION
Nightclub, Youth Hostel, Sports Center, Restaurant, Library, Conference Hall.
PHILOSPHY
Circulation is based on social interaction. The building is a lung for itself and the district.
YOUTH Hostel SPORTS CENTER
AIR PURIFICATION DESIGN CO2 to O2 Converter
TWO STARTING-POINT CIRCULATION
The heated air in the hostel rooms, sports center and public spaces rises up all the way to the greenhouse compartment through vents. The cooled air drops down into the atrium which also acts as a second CO2 transformer. The oxygenated air then permeates the frequented areas. CO2 Ventilation
Greenhouse
O2
O2 Atrium
FUNCTIONAL MIXITY Different experiences
The restaurant on the upper level has direct access to the open and closed gardens so it can serve fresh food. The whole function of the building is to reproduce O2 from the CO2 created by the inhabitants. It is therefore a closed system. The building benefits itself and the neighbourhood. Restaurant GreenHouse Interior court
Exterior Garden
Hostel Rooms
Water Havesting System
Translucent Solar Panels
The slope of the atrium glass roof is designed so the flow of the rain water falls into the exterior rooftop garden. All the extra water is stored under the building and is usable for toilets, washing machines, gardening, etc...
A large area is covered with new technology translucent solar panels. A comfortable spectrum is allowed through and the rest is transformed into energy for the building and district.
BIOMIMICRY
Architectural Engineering
Structural Analysis
COURSE
Spatial Structures - Parametric Design
YEAR
Master I
SITE
Temporary
SIZE
Surface Built : 177 m²
FUNCTION
Exhibition Pavilion
PROGRAMS
Rhino 3D, Grasshopper AutoCad 3D, VBA Easy, SCIA Engineer
BIOMIMICRY
structural
In 2010, I assisted at a conference on biomimicry given by domain expert Janine Benyus. It inspired me to implement the thought process into architectural design. The course on spatial structures was a good oppoortunity to try it out. It quickly showed that the complexity of biological structures are difficult to grasp and the analytics are a major part in the research. To maximise the intelligent aspects of a biological system, an iterative process is favoured, where the analysis is reimplemented and the whole cycle starts over.
Cerastoderma Edule The shell grows by gradually depositiing calcium around it’s egdes. Each transversal line represents a winter cycle. These transversal lines were the basis for the modelling. The geodesic lines from the starting point were created using AutoCad and Rhino.
ANALYSIS OF EXISTANT STRUCTURE
A linear approximation was found between the radius and lentgh of the shell. The growth and shape of the shell are governed by an Archimedean spiral and polar equation.
Growing
the Structure from the bottom
The reaction forces on the far end points of the structure are far less greater than those at the concentrated point. This leaves the possibility to push the structure from the bottom by adding steel or concrete gradually. There would be no need for cranes or hoisting infrastructure.
UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE
mODELLING
The cerastoderma edule is a common seashell that has been structurally optimised through an evolutionary process. It's an inspiration for spatial structural design The spatial structure is designed as a temporary exhibition pavilion for a public square. It has a height reaching aproximately 7m, its length and width are respectively 16m and 13m.
MASTER THESIS
Non-Stabilised Rammed Earth Constructions
Material Characteristics and Application to Urban Co-Housing In Brussels
COURSE
Master Thesis
YEAR
Master II
SITE
Tour et Taxi, Brussels
SIZE
Ground surface Unit : 1500 m² Livable surface : 4670 m² Basement : 1500 m²
FUNCTION
Co-Operative Housing
PHILOSOPHY
Implementing sustainable features from insulation, embodied energy, life cycle assessment to social interaction and sharing. Densifying the function suitable for the urban outfit.
o
ousing
RAMMED EARTH C -H
LATE
EARLY
Sunlight was an important factor to be considered. The nature of the walls does not allow large openings. Linear walls were placed inside the building which became an interesting plan for costs, exploiting hygrometric proprerties of RE, avoiding contact with insulating layers and creating large penetrations for daylight.
Th e Ho pr in usin ojec g Th an u Pr t c e l r oj on b co ns ocal an a ect sists wa tru re ma s of fo lls c ctio oil w a in de f rt n B o r a . om a C s f ru r Th s e g he b resp The o o s th oa ase on amo und els Ramm -Ope e ds l me ra (T t u e co st cons was nt a to nt o o be our d E tive sa fs t n t ad et arth nd truc o c d f he o a i l a tion reat oun amo l us pted Taxi) bo . d u r. pr e a b atio nt e ed in for oc es uild ns. xcav the s in ate th g s d us imp re le o du cin n g
Co-Housing A group of residences co-operating together by distributing the chores and tasks among them. They live as a community, generally sharing meals 2-3 times a week and own common spaces. A multi-generational community is necessary, where for example the elder take care of the children while parents are at work. Different sociological backgrounds are beneficial as each can bring own their skills to the community. The challenge of an urban co-housing project was to densify these features.
0
50
100
200
Non-Stabilised Rammed Earth walls are typically thick. After laboratory compression tests and an estimation of loads, it was approximated with a safety factor of 3.5 (1.25 for concrete) that a 4 storey building was feasible with 70cm thick walls.
Level 0 The inhabitants experience the thickness and massivity of the walls by walking through them. passersby can also interact with this unfamiliar structure, observing and feeling the walls where they are external.
Level 1
Level 2 An equilibrium between intimacy and social interaction is provided. The living rooms face outdoors with small balconies. The entrances are turned towards the heart of the building. The circulation area is strategically spacious where vertical circulation occurs allowing people to stop and interact.
Compressive Strength
Grain-Size Distribution
Cylindrical samples of 15cm high were put under compression tests at different moisture contents. Before complete failure, the material shows some cracks. The right moisture content is crucial to resistance of the material. A variation of 2% can double or triple the compressive strength. Generally, the strength achieved was 2.2MPa. After hygrometric equilibrium and optimal moisture content, the maximum compressive strength achieved was 7MPa.
The grain size distribution is a standard way to classify the type of sdil. CRATerre suggests that the ideal soil for rammed earth must have a more or less uniform distribution. During compression tests, the samples with a finer grain size tended to have greater resistance. It seems that rammed earth achieves it’s resistance mainly through capillary forces rather than the grain structure which tends to be the norm in a concrete mix.
Hygrometry Having discovered the influence of hygrometry on the rammed earth specimens,the question of whether rammed earth was suitable for both interior and exterior conditions was raised. Samples were left to meet hygrometric equilibrium after 28 days under a relative humidity of 40% representing interior conditions and that of 90% representing external rainy conditions. It was demonstrated that under the ideal initial water content, the wall would have a tendency to dry thus increasing it’s resistance through time by increasing suction.
In April 2011, I participated in a Rammed Earth Workshop. It consisted of building a 50m² hunting pavilion. It is very seldomly we find an opportunity to take part in a full rammed earth project. The experience was incredible as it had suscitated more than just learning the technique. The touch and feel of earth is heartening and opened up aspects of construction I had never suspected before. The social aspect was one of them and it created a bond between all participants. It was almost unbelievable that such a soft and brittle material could become so strong and resistant. I needed to find out more about the science behind it all.