mike mccarthy m. arch portfolio 2012

www.mccarthitecture.com

Mike McCarthy

Portfolio 2012 All work is from academic sources unless otherwise noted. [email protected]

Comfort | Health | Safety | Sustainability | Stewardship

“Manifesto” Architecture as a practice is imbued with a set of responsibilities to human comfort, health and safety which is the ethical duty of the architect to protect. In the localized sense, these responsibilities can be seen as follows: 1. Comfort usually refers to temperature, light, pleasure, and aesthetics; 2. Health refers to well-being, protection from mold, particulates, and moisture; 3. Safety relates to the structures not falling down around our ears, not breaking our legs when taking the stairs, and the ability to escape in the event of disaster.

These responsibilities have largely been written down as building codes which any contractor can follow to the minimum standards, therefore any architectural project undertaken by an architect should be looked at not simply as another task to protect these issues, but as an opportunity to enhance these qualities in the human environment through proper building design. An architect’s duty is not simply to plan a building so that it passes code, but to engage the client and act as a mediator between desire, budget, site, materiality, the environment, and beauty which may lead to an evolutionary building design.

The greater good, however, expands these responsibilities to include more global and non-architectural issues: 1. Comfort includes accessibility, longevity, flexibility, and universal design; 2. Health includes livability, non-toxic materials, sunshine, fresh air, and proximity to everyday services; 3. Safety expands to include global energy and economic security by decreasing this country’s reliance on foreign oil and materials via the reduction of building

energy use. Harnessing wind and passive solar energy to warm and cool habitable space and on-site generation of power also works towards that goal. Safety can include reduction of water use and greenhouse gases through careful site planning and landscaping which mitigate effects of drought and climate change.

By designing with the goal of saving resources rather than depleting them we help ensure the safety, health and comfort of future generations.

Sustainability concerns aside, architecture should also be about how the built environment functions and how it serves the needs of the inhabitants and its environment, not that it looks like a Mediterranean home or has fluted columns. Architecture is not the building – it is the thought that creates it and the dream which inhabits it. The thought bends the glass, wood, or steel to fit within the landscape that is scraped away (or not) with another thought. The thought is an assemblage of technologies, spaces, materials, whims, textures, views, and most of all, people. The dream is the experience of that thought – the delight of fresh air and sunlight infiltrating an office or classroom, the newly discovered view framed by a carefully placed window or deck, warm materials and colors in cozy spaces and cool colors and materials on a hot summer day, or simply the smooth surfaces of a kitchen counter built for your height.

The separation of the artificial environment from the natural has been the goal of the architect for centuries – primarily for protection from the sometimes violent natural environment, and we have succeeded beyond the wildest inklings of those early pioneers. This separation has led to a complete detachment from nature in the current generations and a reliance on technology in the Western world. How many of us today can light a fire without a match or distill water from the morning dew? How many of us have any idea how much effort, material and waste it takes to deliver the electricity, ingredients and fresh water for a cup of coffee? A 2011 poll by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates and Public Opinion Strategies indicated that half of the respondents had no idea where their drinking water came from, with some responding “the ocean.”

I intend to bring nature back into design and the human environment not simply through carefully placed potted plants, but by combining biomimicry, biophillic design, passive natural systems, stewardship, generative design, and blurring indoor and outdoor spaces with the architect’s overarching intent of enhancing comfort, health, and safety.

Home Remodel

Original floor plan New floor plan (upper level)

This project set me on the path towards studying architecture. I redesigned and rebuilt my own home overlooking a lake in South Carolina myself beginning in 2002. I thought I would resell it in a couple of years, so I disguised the “greener” design to look like a typical “rural South” home so as not to scare away potential buyers. House is day-lit, most rooms view the lake, and operating costs are a fraction of the neighbors’. I reached the architecture2030.org 2010 energy use target a couple of years ago and am halfway to the 2015 target.

Ongoing. Images are of home “before” and “current status.”

Personal Project

2002 – Present (South Carolina)

Home Remodel (continued)

Before Construction

Software: Punch! Home Design

Preliminary designs

Final tile pattern for Master Bath

Home Remodel

During Construction


Software: Punch! Home Design


Construction Details

I designed and built everything you see here (excluding truss design)

Structural Details


Low-e skylights bring light deep into 29’ x 40’ room

Salvaged windows heat the room in the morning and look out to lake

Construction Details

Interior Details

Private Home Redesign

2008 (La Jolla, CA)

Preliminary studies for a residential home overlooking the ocean in an established neighborhood.

The family was proud of their Persian heritage and wanted columns incorporated somewhere in the design, so the bottom design includes Greek columns subordinated to Persian columns, playing off the Persian-Greek wars.

Due to coastal preservation regulations, the building height could not exceed the existing home’s roofline, and for financial reasons, the design closely followed the existing structure.

Contracted Project Mechanical pencil on paper


(continued)

2008 (La Jolla, CA)


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2008 (La Jolla, CA)

Computer visualizations


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2008 (La Jolla, CA)

Clockwise from bottom:

Roof Plan

Basement

Main Floor

Solar Panels

Skylight

Solar Hot Water Panels

Skylight

East Elevation

West Elevation

South Elevation

North Elevation

Site Plan

Eco-Home Redesign

2010 Spring – Clemson University

Class: Environmental Systems Partner: Stephen Troutman

Software: ArchiCAD

Home and public pavilion designed for an amateur astronomer.

This home near New Orleans was designed to use roof shade, high ceilings, operable louvers, and “shotgun shack” style ventilation to maintain cool interiors in summer; passive solar together with geothermal and radiant heating for warmth in winter. The FEMA-recommended elevation was re-envisioned as a structural truss system to prevent shear from hurricane winds and mimic the uncontrolled kudzu growth endemic to the Southeastern U.S.

Eco-Home Redesign

(continued)

Floor Plan


Pavilion Documentation

2009 Fall – Clemson University

Class: Productions and Assemblies

Software: SketchUp

Project involving the documentation and modeling of a local pavilion and its construction. My portion of the documentation was of the hardware components

East Elevation North Elevation

Buist Academy

2010 Fall – Student Intern

SC Architecture Firm Software: ArchiCAD

Computer model created from copies of the original blueprints and elevations from the 1920’s.

Floor Plan

Campus Center

2008 Spring - SAIC

Class: Intermediate Interior Architecture II

Software: ArchiCAD

New campus center for The School of the Art Institute of Chicago located in existing 4500 sq ft historic corner storefront in busy downtown Chicago. Originally based on rectilinear volume exercises, this project evolved into an accentuation of the noisy and visually busy urban setting itself, with building-like volumes and thoroughfares defining the space between “neighborhoods.” Current SAIC Student Center

Extrapolated forms SAIC Campus Skyline near campus Skyline vectors

Location and views surrounding future SAIC Campus Center site

Campus Center (continued)

2008 Spring - SAIC


Software: ArchiCAD

Referencing the Daniel Burnham plan for The Loop as the civic center of Chicago, the SAIC Campus Center becomes the hub of the school’s social activities. E. Monroe St entrance was not to be used and could be blocked off. Requirements: Food service, art gallery, performance space, single bathroom, seating.

Ground floor

Mezzanine level

Arts & Culture district

Entertainment district

Theater district

Dining district

Business district

Parks & Recreation district

Grand entry

Key


2008 Spring - SAIC


Software: ArchiCAD

Materials, colors, and structure reflect the energetic urban environment – steel, glass, and gray shapes create a vertical and horizontal skyline whose volumes cast shadows over other forms in order to de-emphasize the architecture while emphasizing the space itself. Aside from student art, the walls and ceiling remain unadorned and uncolored to evoke the blank canvas that faces every artist as well as the position of the SAIC student as a tabula rasa ready to absorb the unique interdisciplinary curriculum that SAIC offers.

Early conceptual drawing

2008 Spring - SAIC


Software: ArchiCAD


Technical construction materials like Litracon translucent concrete, 3-Diculous 3-dimensional printed artwork, piezo-electric floors, and Ceelite LEC panels serve to inspire the Center’s art students to explore new materials and techniques while the busy lines and shapes energize the students to go out and create their art.

Early conceptual drawing

Penthouse Master Suite

2008 Spring - SAIC


Software: ArchiCAD

Client owned a large penthouse in a Chicago high-rise and requested a restful oasis from their frequent entertaining. The entrance was hidden from the outside public rooms via a series of panels, only one of which opened. The penthouse was wall to wall glass with spectacular views of the skyline and lake, so to maintain the magic of that view, the antechamber took it away before the owners entered the bedroom where the view was restored. Walls were glass mounted on metal supports, and lit from behind to create a soft glow. Separate water closets were positioned such that the occupants could roll out of their side of the bed and only take a few steps. Construction Details - 2008 Fall - SAIC (Well Tempered Environment)

Closet Closet

w/Vanity

Antechamber/ Study

Jacuzzi

Bedroom

WC WC

Sinks

Shower

In-Wall Water Holding Tank

2” Vent Stack

4” Waste Stack Supply In

Supply to Toilet

½” Cold Water Supply

Basic Floor Plan Electrical Plan

WC Mass Detail WC Plumbing Detail WC Axonometric

Visualization


(continued)


Software: ArchiCAD

The room’s luminescence is provided by low voltage lighting behind the glass wall panels and above the ceiling cove creating a relaxing, soft glow throughout the space.


(continued)


Software: ArchiCAD

Sections

Visualization/Construction

Detailed drawings and renders of the bathroom construction.


(continued)


Software: ArchiCAD

¾” Cold Water Supply

Shower Controls

Overhead “Rain” Shower

¾” Hot Water Supply

Bodyspray Array

4” Waste Stack

2” Vent Stack

Gypsum Board Over Metal Stud Construction

Hand shower w/adjustable height bar

Skylight

¾” Hot & Cold Water Supply

4” Waste Stack

2” Vent Stack

Metal Stud Construction

Bodyspray Array

Shower Controls

Hand shower w/adjustable height bar

Overhead Showerhead

½” Cold Water Supply

½” Hot Water Supply

2” Vent Stack 4” Waste Stack

Vent junction at least 6” above fixture overflow

¼” slope per 12” of pipe

Techlanta: Beltline Jewel

Class: Studio Clemson Software: SketchUp, Artlantis,

Artrage

This project proposes a Museum of Industry and Technology on the northwestern Atlanta former brownfield site of a defunct steel mill, and will be devoted to showcasing and educating visitors to the innovative technologies and industrial processes that shape our world. Specific local industries and specialties would be emphasized to help differentiate the new museum from other similar ones around the country. The chosen site was once part of a larger 138 acre brownfield site that was the home of Atlantic Steel Mill, which produced steel from the 1920s to the 1980s.



(continued)

The form for this project stems from a desire to create an iconic steel “jewel” for the Beltline necklace around Atlanta while linking it with nature and the idea of recreational greenspace. Since steel is an elastic building material that allows for both high compressive and tensile strength, a more sculptural form in the building’s structure could be explored.


Artrage

2011 Spring – Clemson University Taking a cue from the machine-like structure of the nautilus shell merged with the teeth of a mechanical gear, the form wraps around the odd shaped lot and mimics the surrounding hills.

Map courtesy www.beltline.org


(continued)


Artrage


The building is divided up into two main sections and contains 3 levels plus a mezzanine and roof access. The southwest section under a green roof consists of the administrative offices, workshop and storage, while the spiral building to the northeast contains the public exhibits, theaters, gift shop and café. An underground passage on sub-level 1 allows internal access from the workshop and storage to the museum interior

Sub level 2 Garage

Delivery/loading dock

Sub level 1 Administration (storage, underground access)

Museum (exhibits, theaters, restrooms)

Ground Level Administration (workshop, meeting/work rooms)

Museum (temporary exhibits, gift shop, café)

Mezzanine Administration (offices, cubicles)

Museum (exhibit space)

Roof Public greenspace


(continued)


Artrage


Compression ring with center occulus allows light and air through side vents while

providing structural strength

Tubular steel flying buttresses

Center columns help support compression ring

Steel mezzanine provides additional exhibit space while not requiring additional fire safety precautions

ETFE glazing in sculptural steel frame (above 15 ft)

Interior view looking up at the roof

Levitating Object Display

2008 Fall- SAIC

Class: Design With Details 18” x 12” Clay, Metal,

Electronics, Seed Pod from Sweet Gum Tree

Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Plant and animal reproduction is a kind of magical process which current technology cannot replicate. My design emphasized the magic of the randomly assigned seed by electronically levitating it within an organic shield.

Untitled

1992 Spring – California State University – East Bay

Class: Sculpture I 24” x 18” Ceramic Raku

Louis Sullivan Luminaire

2007 Spring - SAIC

Class: Design With Light 14” x 10” Wood and CFL lamp

Hand carved wooden luminaire with CFL designed for the elevator lobby in The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s architecture department, located in Louis Sullivan’s landmark Carson Pirie Scott building.

Based on a Sullivan design for the Guaranty Building (1895-96).

Dreamstand


Class: Intro to Craft Oak, Pine, Steel bracing, misc

hardware

When we sleep, our dreams take us to worlds where the laws of physics do not always apply and familiar things become a little uncomfortable. This nightstand has hidden steel braces which allow an impossible cantilever along a twisting path evoking dream logic.

Clemson Experimental

Forest Lab


Class: Synthesis Studio Software: SketchUp, ArchiCAD,

Artlantis, Artrage

Buildings are responsible for consuming 40%-60% of all electricity in the U.S., mainly for space heating, space cooling, water heating, and interior lighting. Tasked with designing an iconic university laboratory building in the middle of a 17,000 acre forest in Clemson, SC (USA), this project used biomimetic principles as a design driver and, more importantly, to reduce the building’s energy use in the interests of forest stewardship. Team partner: Xiaokang He with structural assistance from Professor Bernhard Sill.


Forest Lab (continued)

The project is located in the Upstate region of South Carolina on the campus of Clemson University in a preserved arboreal environment which serves as a living laboratory. The specific site was chosen for its proximity to Lake Hartwell, where many experiments are conducted, and to existing roads and services.


Artlantis, Artrage


Local climate data via www.city-data.com and www.wrcc.dri.edu

Digital paintings of the site

Topographical depiction of the area


Trees are the Clemson Experimental Forest’s main product, therefore land availability for forest growth is paramount. Building horizontally would require clearing much of the wooded area. If, however, the programs were stacked vertically, the resulting footprint would only equal the largest of the programs, plus the addition of a building core. By shifting the plates in relation to the core, the sunlight each program section receives can be controlled. Areas like the museum and auditorium require the least, while study areas and classrooms require more. Stretching the building vertically allows it to reach above the forest canopy and take advantage of the sunny local climate for energy production and water heating. It also allows students to examine the forest biome at various levels where different growth takes place.




Artlantis, Artrage



Biomimicry: With these goals in mind, the tree becomes a good model for the building. Trees grow tall as a competitive strategy to rise above the larger tree canopy to maximize sunlight. By raising the building plates along the core column, we raise the area of “new growth” (i.e. classrooms and labs) above the canopy and maximize sunlight for interior daylighting, photovoltaic panels and water pre-heating.


Artlantis, Artrage


New Growth

Nutrient & Waste Transport

Mechanisms

Anchoring Roots

Respiration & Energy

Generation

Protective Exterior

Classrooms & Labs

Building Integrated

Photovoltaics & solar hot water

Restrooms

MEP/ Circulation

Double skin exterior

Foundation/ Entrance/

Teaching Museums

Early digital model Early digital painting





Artlantis, Artrage

In line with the CEF’s sustainability mandate, the building will use passive systems wherever possible. Photovoltaics supply electricity. Similar to the method termites employ to keep their mounds cool, this building combines a central air shaft and operable windows which take advantage of negative air pressure transfer to induce cross-breezes. Primary heating will be solar, though passive solar heating, and solar water pre-heating for the radiant floors. The radiant floor system will be supplemented with a geothermal/hydrothermal heat pump taking advantage of the close proximity to the lake. Rainwater will be captured on the multiple roof plates and stored for later use much like a tree’s sapwood stores and transports water.



HVAC system example - laboratories and classrooms (occupied floor levels 4+5). One 12.5-15 Ton ClimateMaster geo/aquathermal heat pump per 2-3 floors (≈ 9,000-12,000 ft2). Mechanical rooms are located “in-between” floors and also contain rainwater storage tanks.


Artlantis, Artrage






Artlantis, Artrage

The building envelope utilizes a double glazing system with air vents at the top and bottom of the curtainwall to allow cool air to enter and warm air to escape. The interior windows are operable to allow fresh air to enter. Ceiling vents near the core connect to air shafts at the center of the building which induce air to flow from high pressure (warm air) to low pressure (cool air)and create mini breezes within the building. The insulated glass curtainwall has a UV coating mimicking the Red Orb spider’s UV coated webbing which birds can see. This reduces bird collisions and deaths.

Operable windows

Ornilux UV coated Bird Glass facade

Rainwater collection pipes

Automatic shade with manual override

Green roof or water permeable hard

surface (foot paths)

34° railing doubles as photovoltaic mount

Air gap

Air gap



The structure for this building is a series of trusses resting on the core. The diagonal supports reduce deflection of the floor plates and create shear strength. The most extreme cantilevered sections are connected together to balance one another. Oasys engineering software was consulted to check for structural integrity and indicates where the greatest stress occurs, and thus where the strongest members should be placed.


Artlantis, Artrage






Artlantis, Artrage Core

-2 Auditorium/Lobby 0 Ground level roof deck

6 Offices 7 Typical roof deck with mechanical room Core enlargement (occupied floors)

Specific facilities were requested for this building with specific sizes for each. These diagrams indicate the program positions within the floor plates and their relation to the central core.




Artlantis, Artrage


4 Nature Museum & Children’s room 3 Natural History Museum

9 Classrooms 8 Laboratories 11 Lounge / Study space


Programs which stimulate new growth and require more light are placed higher in the building than ones that are more foundational and do not require as much light. The roof decks contain native wildflower exhibits and serve as living experimental laboratories which multiplies the available horizontal forest floor space for education.




Artlantis, Artrage

Classrooms

Laboratories

Lounge/Study Area

Roof deck

Offices

Mechanical Floor

Mechanical Floor

Mechanical Floor

Mechanical Floor/ Ground level

Natural History Museum

Cultural History Museum/ Children’s room

Auditorium/Lobby




Artlantis, Artrage


The new site plan takes advantage of an existing logging road and extends it into the forest with a meandering approach that follows the topography. Parking is spread out between the trees to minimize disturbance to the forest and directly in front of the building are dedicated parking spaces for car pools, wheelchair access, and charging stations for electric vehicles as well as bus drop-off. All surfaces are water permeable to prevent erosion. Walking paths have been added with native flora exhibits. A boat ramp and dock allow for easy lake access.





Artlantis, Artrage

mike mccarthy m. arch portfolio 2012

Documents

warm materials

human comfort

building codes

proper building design

evolutionary building

nontoxic materials

human environment

global energy