Since the start of my career as a structural engineer over a decade ago, climate issues have shaped my decisions. Initially, this led me to focus on timber, a material with low environmental impact. After earning a Master’s degree in timber engineering, I worked for more than 7 years in companies specialized in glued laminated and timber frame structures as well as heritage preservation. These experiences closely tied to prefabrication workshops and construction sites allowed me to develop a real expertise in Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA).
Passionate about digital technologies and aware of the shortcoming of the construction industry in this field, I wanted to align my interest in new technologies and apply it to architectural and structural design. This motivated me to pursue a second Master's degree at Stuttgart University of Architecture, where I specialized in digital technologies, parametric and computational design applied to architecture and engineering. I was able to develop new skills to harness the power of digital tools in order to propose technical and architectural solutions that are both more efficient and environmentally respectful.
After graduating the second time, I worked for 4 years at knippershelbig, an internationally awarded structural consultancy based in Stuttgart, Germany where I collaborated on a wide range of projects, including complex timber gridshells, large Mass Timber buildings and R&D projects such as the Structural Design Kit Holz , an open-source framework for timber engineering that I am still maintaining and improving.
I am now running ITERATIONS, a small structural design consultancy where I am promoting low carbon materials such as timber, natural stone or structures inspired by vernacular architecture such as rammed earth. At the same time, I am developing bespoke digital workflows and tools to provide optimized and high-quality services to our clients.
Structural engineering of the timber gridshell for the "Elefantenhaus" at the wilhelma in Stuttgart
Architects : herrmann bosch architekten
Structural Engineers : knippershelbig
Image : herrmann bosch architekten
Afforadble housing in Zanzibar. CLT and glulam structure manufactured by MTT in South Africa.
Architects : OMT architects GmbH
Structural Engineers : knippershelbig
Image : OMT architects GmbH
Development of a Structural Design Framework to simplifying the daily work of structural engineers working on timber projects.
Using Agent Based System, an AI technique to generate innovative and fluid structural structures
In collaboration with Francesco Milano during the ITECH Master
Development of the geometry and the statical model for the free form steel sub-structure of the stair entrance
Penn Station, New York
Structural Engineers : Engelsmann Peters GmbH
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Structural design for new and historical buildings in Paris area
Company : UTB
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ITECH Master’s thesis project in digital architecture combining flexibility of wood with the performance of carbon fibres.
In collaboration with Francesco Milano
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Structural design for a Multimodal Hub in Vendôme, Fr
Architect : Atelier Cité Architecture
Contractor : UTB
Image : Atelier Cité Architecture
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Personal project of conception and realization of a wooden vault using the concept of reciprocity to allow the realization of curved and complex shapes using linear elements
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Structural and execution design of the timber structure and enclosure for the reconstruction of the social and storage premises of the nursery of Longchamp
Architect : Atelier Cité Architecture
Contractor : UTB
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Participation in the development of the research pavilion during the ITECH Master programme. Flax fibre pavilion fabricated using robotically wound yarns.
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Structural and execution design of the support buildings for the "Village Nature" project near Paris
Contractor : UTB
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Structural design of a 12m diameter dome and associated roof structures for the cultural centre in “Plessis Robinson”
Architect : Jean-Christophe PAUL, Paris
Contractor : UTB
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Structural design and workshop drawings for long span glulam buildings
Contractor : Groupe CMBP
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Project developed during the Form and Structure ITECH seminar.
In collaboration with Nicolas Kubail Kalousdian, Lasath Siriwardena & James Hayward
It's almost magic! A unique way to interact with computers, machines and the whole digital world. Using different programming languages (C#, Python, ...) I have found a way to fully use the digital potential that is so widely available but still so little used to its full potential in structural design.
Parametric design is also kind of programming. Most often associated with visual programming tools such as Rhino and Grasshopper, it facilitates and accelerates the design process and finally allows to be more creative: Once the algorithm is defined, there are no limits to explore the design space.
Robots are fantastic! Precise, powerful, versatile and almost unstoppable (they still need a good dose of energy ... Low carbon preferably!). In collaboration with the knowledge of craftsmen, it is an indispensable asset to promote and generalize low carbon construction techniques.
After having realized that by working in the field of construction, I contributed directly or indirectly to about 40% of all CO2 emissions, it became essential for me to focus my professional activity on low carbon materials. Unlike concrete, steel, glass or aluminium, bio and geo-sourced materials have the advantage of having a very low carbon footprint, even negative (they can capture carbon from the atmosphere). Here are the 4 materials that I believe should be considered in every construction project that takes environmental issues seriously.
The natural building material of reference with its many advantages. Beyond its warm and aesthetic side, wood is a renewable resource that helps sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. In addition, the mechanical characteristics of timber are extraordinary and make it a first class building material.
Omnipresent in our cities, stone is historically the most widely used low-carbon construction material. If we still needed to be convinced, natural stone is geo-sourced and has been used for thousands of years, long before fossil fuels were used en masse by mankind. Durable, solid, reusable, beautiful, available in quantity… Why are we still asking ourselves how can we reduce our consumption of concrete?
Earth is a material that is less vivid in the collective imagination regarding construction, yet it has always been at the forefront in our built heritage. Local, abundant, aesthetic and naturally regulating the humidity of buildings, earth is gradually gaining some traction. The numerous vernacular construction techniques allow to adapt to the different soils available in order to use this resource almost everywhere.
image: Grégoire Paccoud
Thanks to their very good insulating properties as well as the good hygrometric regulation offered by natural fibrous materials (straw, wood wool, hemp, ...) it makes them an essential ally for low carbon construction. Like wood, these materials store CO2 and therefore contribute to the mitigation of global warming. In addition to their insulating function, fibre materials can also be used in a very relevant way as load-bearing structural elements.
image: Nathan Blackaby
ICD / ITKE Stuttgart University
2018 - 2020
Stuttgart, Germany
