MOHAMAD MAKKOUK
ARCHITECTURAL BODY OF WORK
PREFACE Over the course of my adult life, i have relentlisly tried to trace back my affinity towards architecture and that has constantly led me back to one source, my birthplace. I love my city. Not solely out of patriotic fervor, but more so because I feel like we grew up together, if you may. My earliest memories as a child living in Beirut are all characterized by rubble, abandoned shell-shocked buildings, protruding steel frames, and other vestiges of a gruesome 17 year long civil war. My elders consistently romanticized about how Beirut was once the “Paris of the Middle East”; my father, a civil engineer by trade, reassured me that it would soon re-earn that title. As the years passed, Beirut did definitely seem to be on that trajectory. The building I lived in, once an imposing building in an otherwise derelict neighborhood was soon enveloped by new developments; downtown Beirut, after heavy investment, was completely rebuilt, and is today lauded as one of the top tourist attractions in the entire Middle East. Fathered by an engineer and son to a city that was reconstructing itself, my interest in architecture grew year after year. Upon graduating from high school, I opted to complete a degree in architecture at the American University of Beirut. It was during my time at AUB that I came to realize, in layman terms, that great architecture – solely - doesn’t make for a great city. My time spent in London during the summer of 2007, interning at Foster and Partners, was instrumental in that realization. London is home to some of the world’s greatest architecture and yet what makes it a great city is the abundance and effective use of public space. The city has a peculiar buzz to it, as if it has a personality of its own, a raison d’etre of serving, accommodating and inspiring its residents and visitors. After practicing for three years at laceco a design firm in beirut i experienced in working on different scaless and types of projects, These experiences fed my interest in furthering my education and led me to return to london and complete a masters of architecture in emergent technologies and design at the architectural association school of architecture the following document is an overview of the projects that i have worked on over the course of my professional and academic life.
ACADEMIC WORK ATONOMOUS INFRASTRUCTURES......................................
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TOPOPHYL..............................................................................
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COMPETITIONS ANWAR BASRAH COMPLEX....................................................... 31 FOLDING PAVILLION..................................................................... 35
PROFESSIONAL WORK CENTRAL MARKET PLACE......................................................... 41 VERDUN GARDENS...................................................................... 49 SANG HOUSING............................................................................. 55
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ACADEMIC WORK architectural association
Atonomous Infrastructures (MArch dissertation) Topophyl (MAch studio)
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AUTONOMOUS INFRASTRUCTURE Master of Architecture emergent technologies and design the architectural association IN COLLABORATION WITH: ABDELHALIM CHEHAB
Autonomous infrastructures is my masters of architecture dissertation at the architectural association school of architecture. it investigates the possibility to create and design a semi autonomous urban fabric that relies on passive architectural techniques, solar energy and waste to energy techniques to harness and produce energy at a local scale so as to try and reach a level of self sustainability.
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Abstract The evolutionary development of urban form is strongly related to the nature of the climate, the availability of resources and the socio-cultural habits of the people. As cities expand, the people’s demand for energy increases. With less non-renewable resources to rely on, growing populations are turning their attention to alternative solutions in order to cover their electricity consumption. This dissertation is an investigation of a new model of urbanism that considers the integration of multiple infrastructural subsets in a single cohesive system which seeks to harness energy from local renewable resources. The aim is to generate urban tissues in which the core organisational principles rely on alternative energy sources. Three types of alternative strategies are explored: solar power, waste-to-energy and passive design techniques, each having specific urban as well as architectural implications. The dissertation includes precedents from different cities worldwide and builds upon relevant research that regards the city as an organic process. In terms of morphology, an algorithmic approach is devised to simulate urban growth, evaluate generated patches, and derive important values concerning resources and infrastructure. Resulting urban tissues recombine multiple social programmes with large vehicular flows, pedestrian walkways, public spaces and green areas. The research leads to a system with the potential of generating highly autonomous urban morphologies, adapted to local climatic conditions and social practices.
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General view
Close-up on the buildings
The dissertation investigates the possibility of generating a new urban model based on the concept of local energy production in extreme climatic conditions. Cities worldwide have started contemplating the possibility of utilizing their renewable resources in the production of energy. The nature of such resources permits the implementation of a decentralized network of alternative energy processes with the ability to generate and reorganize the urban tissue. An algorithmic approach is devised to run digital simulations and evaluations of these processes, producing a variety of emergent networks and urban forms.
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Close-up on the waste route
academic work
Waste Route and Collection Points
Open Spaces (Ground Floor)
Blocks
All Urban Layers
Added Layer for Photovoltaic Rooftops
Buildings and Elevated Network
Super-imposed layers highlighting the waste route
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Close-up on mid-rise buildings
Design Development
The section cutting longitudinally through the selected part of the cluster shows instances of shaded courtyards and narrow streets as well as cases where multiple volumes connect and overlap (figure 1). Other features such as the differentiation of block heights and courtyard sizes can be observed in figures 2 and 3. The plans, cutting at three different levels, show narrow streets with a number of covered passages as well as an abundance of interior spaces on the ground floor. On the elevated layer of the urban fabric, an intricate network of pedestrian streets provides shelter for the layer beneath (figure 4). The elevated network and households are fully integrated and compose a unified layer for public use. The top view shows how tightly the buildings are packed together, reflecting the compactness of the urban fabric. The park, dominant in plan, constitutes the central element of the cluster. 14
Close-up on low-rise buildings
academic work
Longitudinal section cutting through the processing plant
Plans
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Design Development
From Clusters 4, a long chunk is selected for further design development as it cuts trough important parts of the urban fabric and includes the processing plant as well as major parts of the waste routes (figure 12). At the heart of every cluster, where waste processing takes place, a junction is created, weaving and connecting all the networks and pathways of the city fabric. Since the urban form is a superimposition of multiple layers of networks and programmes, the junction located in the mist of all the urban activities must account to these layers as well. The junction consists of four main layers, each designated to deal with certain aspects of the city programme
Layer 2 / Park The top layer is an elevated platform for public use covering all the nested spaces of the junction. The platform connects and merges the surrounding pedestrian streets into a single large planted patch conceived to create a “biological cover� for the vehicular pathways as well as the spaces designated for waste processing located below. Layer 1 / Traffic Zone This layer unifies all the networks of the cluster and provides adequate routes for waste, pedestrians and vehicles respectively. It links some parts of the elevated routes with the ground floor and others with the park. Layer 0 / Waste Collector This layer consisting of the first and second basements is consecrated for storing and treating the organic waste generated in the urban tissue. The waste, produced by the population in the households, is carried away via the waste route towards the anaerobic digestion plant and collected underground for treatment. Layer -1 / Power Generator After collection, the organic waste is filtered and sent one layer further below ground to be converted into electricity. This layer features the technical spaces and equipment required for power generation.
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Evaluations and Model
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TOPOPHYL Master of Architecture emergent technologies and design the architectural association IN COLLABORATION WITH: MARIE BOLTENSTERN, SWAPNILGAWANDE, YUNG YUAN HUANG
Topophyl is a proposed master plan for the isle of dogs where high density is reached through submerging the whole urban fabric under a continuous park. lightwells for public pocket holes that become vertical ramps leading up to the park on top of the urban fabric
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Design Development
The site development process starts with defining the main connection nodes on the site. Starting from those, the primary network is developed, based on the requirement that from every point on the site access to one of the main nodes is guaranteed within no more than maximum ten minutes walking distance. Based on the primary network the topography arises attracted by main nodes. Inbetween the primary network, a secondary network is developed which guarantees access to the top surface as well as interconnection of single patches. Main lightwells are then placed, which at the same time form vertical access to the top surface. Placement of those is again based on the maximum ten minutes walking distance. Inbetween those main lightwells, the secondary lightwells are placed, guaranteeing effective light access, dependent on density and programme. According to the function on the top surface, single patches are again interconnected through bridges which also connect, through vertical-ramps in the lightwells, the bottom network and superblocks to the top green areas of the site.
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academic work ATTRACTOR POINTS
PRIMARY NETWORK
DLR STATIONS & RIVER TAXI
guarantee connection to the DLR points within maximum 10 minutes walking distance
100 m 100 m
100 m
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TOPOGRAPHY
correlate topography with density topography as morphology
SECONDARY NETWORK
secondary network establishes interconnections within patches the seconday network
100 m
LIGHTWELLS
secondary network establishes interconnections within patches the seconday network
100 m
100 m
100 m
TOPOGRAPHY NETWORK
correlate topography with density topography as morphology
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Community for 25,000 over Boston Bay - Perspective
ENTRANCE
OPEN SPACE
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COMPETITIONS Anwar Basrah Competition Hackney Pavillion
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competitions
ANWAR BASRAH COMPLEX Basrah, Iraq IN COLLABORATION WITH: BARTOSH ARENDT
The anwar basrah complex is a mixed use developement proposal located in basrah Iraq. it was an open call for entries launched by a developper. the program consitets of an office nlock, a hotel block and a retail platform shared by both.
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Concept and developement mixed use developement
The Anwar Basrah complex is a mixed use developement comprising of a retail / shopping area, an office block (phase 1) as well as a hotel which will be developped at a later stage (phase 2). The project draws its guiding principles from vernacular architecture indigenous of the islamic culture of Iraq, architectural concepts such as the “souk” and the “mashrabiya” are revived in an attempt to move away from the typical and standardized shopping mall experience by contextulising the project and allowing it to better integrate the surrounding urban fabric.
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competitions
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competitions
FOLDING PAVILLION London, England IN COLLABORATION WITH: BARTOSH ARENDT, VINCENZO REALE, CHUN FON LIU
The Hackney pavillion competition was an internal competition that took place in the emergent technologies and design program, it was overseen by AA staff and members of the hackney cooperative. the design is based on a component system where components lock in to each other and thus are able to get folded and taken away overnight.
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competitions
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PROFESSIONAL WORK laceco architects
Central market place (Amman, Jordan) Verdun gardens (Beirut, Lebanon) Sang (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
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CENTRALE MARKET PLACE Amman, Jordan Located in the heart of Amman’s new downtown, the centrale market place is situated along the pedestrian spine which links the high-rise sector at the west side to the piazza of the civic pole on the eastern part, it is a mixed use developement comprising of residential, retail (mall) and office parts. A low rise mall culminating in an interior garden and a tower consisting of two blocks
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CENTRALE MARKET PLACE Amman, Jordan
Located in the heart of Amman’s new downtown, the centrale market place is situated along the pedestrian spine which links the high-rise sector at the west side to the piazza of the civic pole on the eastern part, it is a mixed use developement comprising of residential, retail (mall) and office parts. A low rise mall culminating in an interior garden and a tower consisting of two blocks
the central market place - Aerial View
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professional work
view from open area inside the mall
bridge on mezanine level
tensile structure
tensile structure
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tensile structure
tensile structure
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ground floor
professional work
tensile structure
tensile structure
perspective
perspective
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VERDUN GARDENS Beirut, Lebanon
Verdun gardens is a mixed use developement located in Beirut the capital of lebanon. its program consists of a hotel, residential and retail amenities.
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SAUDI ARABIAN NATIONAL GUARD HOUSING Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
the saudi arabian national guard housing project is a masterplan located on the outskirt of riyadh, saudi arabia which consists of 10000 pre-fabricated units (villas) as well as their amenities
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