Architectural Portfolio | Abigail Incontro by Abigail Incontro

PORTFOLIO Abigail Incontro

Portfolio of Architectural Design

2020

CONTENT 04

CURRICULUM VITAE

INSIDE OUT: POP-UP THEATER Fall 2019

COYOTE RUN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Fall 2017

IMAGE: THE VALUE OF THE INAUTHENTIC Spring 2018

EATING FILLEY: ADAPTIVE RE-USE OF THE HISTORIC STONE BARN Spring 2017

[W]ORLDS + [O]THER [W]ORLDS: COEXISTENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES Fall 2019

GRAPHITE + OTHER ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS 2014 - 2017

INVOLVEMENT 2019 - present 2018

Taubman College: Architectural Representative Committee Social Chair [2019 - 2020] Restoration Exchange Omaha Member

2015 - 2018

Delta Gamma Fraternity House Corporation Member [2017] Director of Funds [2016]

2015 - 2016

No Coast Derby Girls Road Warriors Team, Skater [2015 - 2016] Junior Derby League, Assistant Coach [2015]

2013 - 2015

Omaha Roller Derby Omaha Rollergirls, Skater [2014 - 2015] Omaha Junior Roller Derby, Skater [2013 - 2014] GRANTS + AWARDS

2019 - 2021

Taubman College Merit Award University of Michigan

2019 - 2020

Taubman College Graduate Grant University of Michigan

2014 - 2018

Regents Scholarship University of Nebraska

2017

Delta Gamma Academic Scholarship University of Nebraska

2014

Scholastic Art Awards Marian High School

ABIGAIL

INCONTRO

402. 661. 9778 a bbyincontro@gmail. com Omaha , NE

EDUCATION 2019 - 2021

Master of Architecture University of Michigan, Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning: Ann Arbor, MI

2018

Bachelor of Science in Design - Architecture University of Nebraska: Lincoln, NE + Omaha, NE

2017

Stories in the History & Theory of Design Study Abroad: Paris, France PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2019 - present

University of Michigan: Taubman College Media Center Student Assistant: Ann Arbor, MI

2019

Holland Basham Architects Architectural Intern: Omaha, NE

2018

National Park Service, Midwest Regional Office Historic Architecture + Cultural Landscapes Intern: Omaha, NE

2016 - 2018

University of Nebraska: College of Architecture Media Center Student Assistant: Lincoln, NE SCHOLARLY WORK EXHIBITIONS

2018

Exurbanites Public Exhibition Architecture Hall, University of Nebraska

2016

Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum Design Proposal Pinnacle Bank Arena + Nebraska Union Exhibitions

2015

Park[ing] Day Lincoln, NE

INSIDE OUT: POP-UP THEATER Fall 2019 | 5th Year Studio Professor Ana Morcillo Pallares Eight Weeks

hen a person goes to the theater, they immerse themselves in a world different from their own. They exit their personal reality and enter into another. This presents a conflict between oneself and their environment, a conflict that is highly relevant in the performance itself. This relationship between incompatible realities and their inevitable conflict inspired this intervention into the Power Center in Ann Arbor, MI. This proposal takes the characteristics of the existing Power Center and turns them inside out. What happens when an inverse reality is inserted into this space? Could we oppose the existing monolithic mass with something insignificant? If instead of rigidity, we introduced flexibility. What would happen if we took the inoffensive, plain Power Center and created something vulgar, or ostentatious. Perhaps we sidestep tasteful and embrace the gaudy. And finally, what if we took something so obvious, so easily perceived and understood, and introduced something unknown, or unfamiliar. What if we took the Power Center and introduced a theater of self-discovery? This theater inside of a theater, this theater of self-discovery, is a place where the existing theater ideal is challenged. After exploring materiality and existing temporal structures, this project became an organ-like, bodily, inhabitable tape installation. From the rest of the Power Center, this alien object offers glimpses, shadows, of those inside. These people are sort of actors for those below and above. This intrusion into the Power Center is completely incompatible with the existing language. This conflict, this world inside of a world, is theater in architectural form.

Incompatible Realities Theater of Self-Discovery

Traditional Theater : Power Center, Ann Arbor, MI

UNIFORM GAUDY

MONOLITHIC VULGAR

RIGID

UNKNOWN

Existing Ideal

Proposed Ideal

Proposed Reality

traditional theater

theater of self-discovery

improper social etiquette + display; discomfort

monolithic : large, powerful, and intractably indivisible and uniform

insigniďŹ cant : too small or unimportant to be worth consideration

use of everyday, seemingly unsubstantial material

rigid : not able to be changed or adapted

flexible : ready and able to change so as to adapt to different circumstances

organic form that responds to the human body

inoffensive : not objectionable or harmful

vulgar : lacking sophistication or good taste

lacks aesthetic connection to existing spaces

tasteful : showing good aesthetic judgment or appropriate behavior

gaudy : extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless

unreďŹ ned in its composition, spacing, form, etc.

plain : not decorated or elaborate; simple or ordinary in character

ostentatious : vulgar or pretentious display designed to impress or attract notice

overtly excessive in its textural + aesthetic qualities

obvious : easily perceived or understood; clear, self-evident, or apparent

unknown : that which is unfamiliar

encourages discovery through movement

BALCONY FLOOR PLAN

MATERIAL EXPLORATION

MAIN FLOOR PLAN 10

PHYSICAL MODEL PERSPECTIVES

AXONOMETRIC VIEW 11

COYOTE RUN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Fall 2017 | 4th Year Studio Professors Nate Bicak + Vanessa Schutte Fourteen Weeks Partners: Raghdah Almazyad, Joseph Holtz, Andrew Rose

lkhorn, NE is facing rapid growth; between 2005 and 2017, enrollment in Elkhorn Public Schools has more than doubled. In those twelve years, they have built ten new schools and have added onto several existing ones. Because of this, Elkhorn is unable to design new buildings for each new site; instead, they have been simply applying existing footprints to different sites. This “copy and paste” method does not allow for site considerations and hinders the design’s ability to perform to its full potential. Our task was to develop a “kit of parts” that can be arranged and re-arranged according to each site. We began design with a “learning suite.” The learning suite is essentially a set of classrooms that acts as a module for this kit of parts. We then were given three different sites to arrange our learning suites on and apply the rest of the programs--gym, commons, media center, etc. We moved forward with the site that best allowed our learning suite to be successful in design. That site was taken to a detailed level of design for our final phase. Personal + collaborative responsibilities: research graphics, floor plans + axonometric graphics, architectural design [collaborator], perspective renderings [collaborator], physical model construction [collaborator], diagrams [collaborator]

LEARNING STYLES

Research PROJECT GOALS Tactual learners prefer active involvement using a hands-on approach while utilizing the small motor skills.

__To create a learning environment that is inclusive and actively works to meet the needs of every type of learner

__To develop a “kit of parts” to be used to create additional schools on different sites.

Some learners prefer formal seating (classic desk and chair) while others prefer informal seating (soft furniture, etc.)

ELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

__To alter the traditional methods of teaching by altering the built environment

__To encourage learning by doing

430 Classroom Teachers 108 Special Ed Teachers 19 Guidance Counselors

Mobile learners are productive when they are able to move around when working or studying. Visual text learners understand and remember best by reading the written word; these learners are note-takers who prefer handouts or some form of text.

15 Media Specialists 10 Gifted Education Teachers 7 Reading Specialists 13 Coordinators & Activity Directors 24 Administrators

CERTIFIED ELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT STAFF (2015-2016)

60.43%

Average Teacher

of all expenditures go directly to instruction

Salary: $51,292

Nebraska: $50,681

Auditory learners understand and remember information best by listening.

Teaching Staff with

Per Pupil Spending:

Master’s Degrees: 67.35%

$9,902.47

Nebraska: 52.16%

Average Years of

Kinesthetic learners prefer engaging in active learning that incorporates their large motor skills.

Experience: 12.84

Visual picture learners create mental images based on what they hear and/or see. These learners prefer pictures, charts, and other graphics.

Tax levy 2015-2016: 1.3375 Omaha: 1.2440 Millard: 1.2237

Nebraska: 14.34

Poverty 6.3%

Variety learners are less productive when they perform routine tasks for extended periods of time and prefer using different approaches.

Nebraska: $11,619.34

Black 1.6% Other 2.9% Asian 3.4% Hispanic 3.7%

Special Ed 8.9%

ELL 0.69%

High Ability 14.64%

White 88.4%

2007 Enrollment: 4,505

2016 Enrollment: 8,392

Learning Suite Iterations

15o

42.75x

1 1.7x

3.75x

15o

Coyote Run Elementary School

15o

Accordian wall: allows two classrooms to combine in order to create a double-size classroom to facilitate largerscale learning

Direct instruction: traditional classroom layout; lecture-style learning

Dynamic learning: bigger space with movable furniture to allow for active classroom learning

Small group: glass enclosure located in the middle of the two classrooms, allowing for small group activity while remaining in direct visibility Collaboration space: largest space; allows for large groups to collaborate, interact, and learn

15o

Connection: Nature

Connection: Interpersonal

Final Learning Suite For our final learning suite design, we used the fifteen degree rule from Fifteen, and we used the dynamic vs. direct classrooms from Squared.

SECTION THROUGH CLASSROOM + COLLABORATION SPACE 18

MEDIA CENTER DIRECT INSTRUCTION

SMALL GROUP DYNAMIC LEARNING

TWO TYPES OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

LEARNING STYLES

Tactual learners prefer involvement using a ha approach while utilizi small motor skills.

PROJ

Some learners prefer __To Tactual learners prefer active seating (classic desk an incluin involvement using awhile hands-on others prefer need approach while utilizing the seating (soft furniture, e small motor skills. __To

Mobile learners are pro ELKH Some learners prefer formal when they are able to seating (classic deskaround and chair)when worki while others preferstudying. informal seating (soft furniture, etc.)

Visual text learners understand and remember best Auditory by readinglearners und the written word; these learners and remember infor are note-takers who best prefer by listening. handouts or some form of text.

PROJECT GOALS Tactual learners prefer active involvement using a hands-on approach while utilizing the small motor skills.

LEARNING STYLES

Visual text learners und and remember best by Mobile learners are productive when they are ablethe to written move word; these l are note-takers who around when working or handouts or some fo studying. text.

Some learners Tactual prefer formal learners

__To create a learning environment that is inclusive and actively works to meet the needs of every type of learner __To encourage learning by doing

__To develop a “kit of parts” to be used to create additional schools on different sites. __To alter the traditional methods of teaching by altering the built environment

PROJECT GOALS ELKHORN SCHOOL DISTRICT __To create a learning environment that is prefer active PUBLIC

COLLABORATION seating (classicSPACE desk and chair) involvement using a hands-on

__To develop a “kit of parts” to be used to

COLLABORATION MODEL] createSPACE additional [PHYSICAL schools on different sites.

inclusive and actively works to meet the

while others prefer informal approach while utilizing the seating (soft furniture, etc.) skills. small motor

430 Classroom Teachers needs of every type of learner

Mobile learners when they are around when studying.

ELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 15 Media Specialists

__To alter the traditional methods of teaching by altering the built environment

108 Special Ed Teachers __To encourage learning by doing

Auditory learners and remember best by listening.

Kinesthetic learners understand engaging in active learn information incorporates their large skills.

19 Guidance Counselors

are productive Some learners prefer formal able to(classic move desk and chair) seating working while othersor prefer informal seating (soft furniture, etc.)

Visual text learners understand Mobile learners are productive and remember best by reading they are able to move the written word;when these learners when working or are note-takersaround who prefer studying. handouts or some form of

24 Administrators 15 Media Specialists

Visual text learners understand and remember best by reading Auditory learners theunderstand written word; these learners and rememberareinformation note-takers who prefer best by listening.handouts or some form of text.

7 Reading Specialists

Average Teacher

60.43%

13 Coordinators & Activity Directorsof all expenditures go

Salary: $51,292

Nebraska: $50,681

24 Administratorsdirectly to instruction

CERTIFIED ELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT STAFF (2015-2016) Teaching Staff with Per Pupil Spending:

67.35% Master’s Degrees:Average Teacher Nebraska: 52.16%

Salary: $51,292

Poverty 6.3%

$9,902.47 60.43%

directly to instruction

Average Years of

Tax levy 2015-2016: 1.3375 Experience: 12.84 Teaching Staff with Omaha: 1.2440 Per Pupil Spending: Nebraska: 14.34

Master’s Degrees: 67.35%

Millard: 1.2237

Nebraska: 52.16%

Black 1.6% Other 2.9% Asian 3.4% Hispanic 3.7%

Special Ed 8.9%

Average Years of

Experience: 12.84

White 88.4%

Poverty 6.3%

$9,902.47

Nebraska: $11,619.34 ELL 0.69%

High Ability 14.64%

Tax levy 2015-2016: 1.3375 Omaha: 1.2440 Millard: 1.2237

Nebraska: 14.34

Black 1.6% Other 2.9% Asian 3.4% Hispanic 3.7%

Variety learners are less Visual picture learners create productive when they perform mental images based what for extended routineon tasks they hear and/or see. These periods of time and prefer using learners prefer pictures, differentcharts, approaches. and other graphics. 2007 Enrollment: 4,505 Visual picture learners create mental images based on what they hear and/or see. These learners prefer pictures, charts, and other graphics.

Visual picture learners create mental images based on what they hear and/or see. These learners prefer pictures, charts, and other graphics.

Nebraska: $11,619.34 of all expenditures go

Nebraska: $50,681

Auditory prefer learners understand Kinesthetic learners and remember information engaging in active learning that best by listening. incorporates their large motor skills. Kinesthetic Variety learners are lesslearners prefer in active learning that productive whenengaging they perform routine tasks incorporates for extendedtheir large motor skills. periods of time and prefer using different approaches.

Variety learners Visual are less picture learners productive when they perform mental images based o routine tasks for they extended hear and/or see. periods of time and prefer using learners prefer pictures, different approaches.and other graphics.

CERTIFIED ELKHORN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT STAFF (2015-2016) 10 Gifted Education Teachers

text.

MEDIA CENTER 20

Variety Kinesthetic learners preferlearners are productive engaging in active learning that when they p routine incorporates their large motortasks for ex periods of time and prefe skills. different approaches.

10 Gifted Education Teachers 430 Classroom Teachers 7 Reading Specialists 108 Special Ed Teachers 13 Coordinators & Activity Directors 19 Guidance Counselors

Special Ed 8.9%

ELL 0.69%

High Ability 14.64%

White 88.4%

2007 Enrollment: 4,505

2016 Enrollment: 8,392

LEARNING STYLES

TRANSPARENCIES

Tactual learners prefer active involvement using a hands-on approach while utilizing the small motor skills. Some learners prefer formal seating (classic desk and chair) while others prefer informal seating (soft furniture, etc.) Mobile learners are productive when they are able to move around when working or studying. Visual text learners understand and remember best by reading the written word; these learners are note-takers who prefer handouts or some form of text. Auditory learners understand and remember information best by listening.

Kinesthetic learners prefer engaging in active learning that incorporates their large motor skills.

SENSORY ROOM

Variety learners are less productive when they perform routine tasks for extended periods of time and prefer using different approaches.

IMAGE: THE VALUE OF THE INAUTHENTIC Spring 2018 | 4th Year Studio Professor Marc Maxey Twelve Weeks

“All that once was directly lived has become mere representation.”

Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle

n today’s digital culture, we are constantly bombarded by image. The average person spends nearly two hours browsing through social media each day. A person’s social media defines them: the people they know, the things they do, and the places they go. We are who we represent ourselves to be. In today’s world, image is more powerful than reality. In the words of Marshall McLuhan, “All media work us over completely.” In this project, I am arguing that digital culture has made the image of a place more valuable than the place itself. We are all aware that the online representations of ourselves are falsified or exaggerated, so it is logical that the next step is to completely fabricate these settings and experiences. Because suburbia in itself is a misrepresentation, it will become the stage for this falsification. The program of a house is no longer simply a place to eat and sleep; in the digital culture of today, a house is a backdrop, an environment, a stage for representing our lives to the rest of the world. Chiara Bottici theorized about the role of image in society. She wrote that today, “spectacle prevails over content. We are inundated by images that toy with our emotions and move our imagination, but do not often convey even the most basic and relevant information. The authenticity of virtual images has been lost. Indeed, in the contemporary society of the spectacle, the virtual risks becoming most real.”

THE “GOTHIC CATEHDRAL” HOUSE HEIGHT: 3 - 4 stories tall, plus a basement

ROOF: 3 : 1 roof slope

3-4 3

ELEMENTS:

MATERIALS: brick + mortar limestone

pointed spire

flying buttress

pointed arch

pointed arch window

THE “EGYPTIAN TOMB” HOUSE HEIGHT: 2 stories tall, plus a basement

sandstone

ROOF: entire facade sloped 2 : 1

MATERIALS:

ELEMENTS:

ghandola granite limestone post + lintel

thick sloped wall

hieroglyphs square ﬁxed window

THE “GREEK TEMPLE” HOUSE HEIGHT: 1 story tall, set on crepidoma

1 crepidoma

sun-baked mud brick

ROOF: entablature set on columns

1 3.5

MATERIALS:

ELEMENTS:

evenos marble white marble doric ionic corinthian entablature double-pane column column column + pediment window

THE “MODERNIST” HOUSE

HEIGHT: 1 - 2 stories tall, plus a basement 1-2

red limestone

ROOF: flat roof with 8” parapet 8”

MATERIALS:

ELEMENTS:

concrete expansive glass cubic + cylindrical shapes

horizontal banded windows

steel

LINCOLN, NE SITE

“Virtual images are no longer simply commoditized objects reproduced on an industrial scale; they have become processes in need of perpetual maintenance. More than their authenticity has been lost: the very possibility of locating reality has vanished. Indeed, in the contemporary society of the spectacle, the

virtual risks becoming most real.”

- Chiara Bottici, Imaginal Politics

“Gothic Cathedral” House

The “Modernist” House

“Greek Temple” House “Egyptian Tomb” House

CHIPBOARD MODEL, AERIAL VIEW

SECTION THROUGH TWO HOUSE ITERATIONS [GOTHIC CATHEDRAL + GREEK TEMPLE]

E ATIN G FILLE Y: A DAP TIV E RE-USE O F TH E HISTO RIC STO N E BARN Spring 2017 | 3rd Year Studio Professor Peter Olshavsky Six Weeks

new restaurant and banquet hall are being created at the site of the historic Filley Stone Barn. This restaurant will be rated at 3 Michelin stars and will serve as a destination restaurant in Filley, NE. Nadia Santini will run the kitchen, serving Trattoria-style Italian food. Because of the site’s historic presence, the new design uses the idea of architecture and memory. Without architecture, it is argued that memory could not exist; memories are merely images, and images are created from places. Without a place, there would be no image to remember. It is with this in mind that the building is designed. Through containment, architecture facilitates memory and recollection. The containers are wrapped in a white oak shell, which will darken over time. On the two short ends of each container is a solid glass wall. To the south and west, the glass is fritted, allowing light to illuminate the space but stopping the sun from overpowering the experience. On the north and east sides, this glass is clear and acts as a frame, capturing specific views in a “picture” to be remembered by all users.

Feast of Fools In groups of three, students were tasked with designing and fabricating regalia for a Feast of Fools. The regalia encourages engagement with the site to better understand the explicit and tacit ways our bodies and social performances can be organized in situ.

Both parties enter into the barn and are presented with stairs that descend into a gathering area. They are given drinks and opportunities to mingle in the historic barn. From there, they process to their destination: the restaurant or the banquet hall.

SKETCH OF BAR AREA IN BARN

EAST ELEVATION EAST ELEVATION

0’1’

10’

25’

SOUTH ELEVATION SOUTH ELEVATION

0’1’

10’

25’

E M OYE O PL RO EM KER C

KIT

UET

TO OPEN BELOW

BANQ

O UTD

WOMEN’S RESTROOM

IN D IN G

PRE-FUNCTION SPACE + BAR

MEN’S RESTROOM

RECEPTION + COAT CHECK

A DN

RES

EM PL CK OYE ER RO E OM

KIT

FIRST FLOOR

25’

BARN + RESTAURANT SECTION 34

SECOND FLOOR

SECTION B 0’1’

10’

25’

BARN SECTION

Banquet hall is situated northeast of the barn. Its positioning creates a pocket of space just north of the banquet hall that acts as a private outdoor space.

KIT CH

AL L

Restaurant is located closest to the main road. Its elongated shape allows for every table to have the best views.

URANT RESTA

R+ YE FO BAR

KITCHEN

Barn is restored to its original materials. The west-facing entrance opens to a lofted floor, creating a theatrical descent to the main areas.

SECTION C 0’1’

10’

25’

BANQUET HALL SECTION 35

[W]ORLDS + [O]THER [W]ORLDS: COEXISTENCE OF TECHNOLOGIES Fall 2019 | 5th Year Representation Professor Perry Kulper Six Weeks

he task: to implicate worlds in other worlds through the use of downloaded digital models. The goal: to build through fragments a communicative realm, rich with potential and indeterminate in nature. The work is produced in four phases: collection + construction, generative erasure, triptych reconstruction, and post-production. This particular triptych explores the contemporary coexistence of incompatible temporalities and how they interact in a post-digital world. This collection of significant technologies acts as an incomplete, working taxonomy of technological advancement. Through the juxtaposition and reciprocity of these elements, we are given a brief glimpse into the expansive history of technology, as contained in a singular moment. In other words, we capture centuries of innovation in one moment in time.

GRAPHITE + OTHER ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS

his collection of graphite drawings and sketches comes from school, leisure, and a study abroad trip to Paris, France. Many of these drawings are hybridized with images taken by myself.

Projects range from 15-minute sketches to 3-month drawings. Mediums used are graphite, pens, and paper. The work is displayed in chronological order.

GRAPHITE PORTRAITS 2013-2014 High School Art Course + Personal Work Graphite The image on the right is a graphite self-portrait completed in 2013 as a three-month project. The original drawing is 18â&#x20AC;? x 24â&#x20AC;? and won a Scholastic Art Award. The above image is a smaller graphite portrait, done in one week in 2014.

SEVEN Fall 2016 Studio Professor: Guillermo Yanguez-Bergantino Acrylic paint, modeling paste, gel gloss medium + fiber paste on canvas â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sevenâ&#x20AC;? was a week-long exploration into anything that came in sets of seven. The above project represents the seven seas. The length of the canvas reflects the total area of the body of water, while the width reflects the average depth. Texture, color, and movement were added to further represent the characteristics of each entity.

CHAPEL OF THE VIRGIN Summer 2017 Stories in the History + Theory of Design Study Abroad Professor: Peter Olshavsky Graphite + pen This drawing is taken from the Paris sketchbook and overlayed on top of an image I took of the Chapel of the Virgin. The Church of Saint Roch standing today was built in the 1600-1700s. As a Baroque church, the purpose of the architecture was to attempt to seduce the people back into the Catholic faith. In doing so, the sculpture, painting, and architecture all seem to dissolve into one. The result is these magnificent chapels. The Chapel of the Virgin is the work of Jules Hardouin Mansart with the art decoration having been done by Etienne Maurice Falconnet.

abigail incontro omaha, ne

(+1) 402-661-9778

abbyincontro@gmail.com