Abby EHrlerUndergraduate architecture portfolio

Table of ContentsBlack Box Theater

Architecture Biennale

Michael Kors | New York, NY

Michael Kors | Stockholm, Sweden

Wasteline

Historic Decker Hotel

Resumé

02

06

08

10

12

18

19

Contact infoPhone

Email

Website

563.495.0417

alehrler@iastate.edu

www.abbyehrler.com

Black box theater Venice, Italy

In October of 2014, our ARCH 401 studio traveled to Venice, Italy to participate in a workshop at the 2014 Architecture Biennale. We also used the time to survey the site for our semester project, the Venice Arsenale. In this site, we were going to be designing a �loating black box theater, inspired by Aldo Rossi's Teatro Del Mondo and Thomas Mann's Death in Venice. We were inspired by the people of Venice and their zeal to use all spaces as public, whether those were large piazzas or historical arsenales. Visitors to the arsenale were already using the water-side gaggiandres as places to relax and re�lect and we simply wanted to enhance those spaces. The bones of our theater are rather simple, direct and to the point ― this is no accident. Our theater space is dark, controlled and the epitome of a 'black box theater'. This allows visitors to pick up the only sensory cues of the arsenale that have been left for them, the movement and sound of the water. The goal of my partner and I was to create a just few images that fully incapsulated our design and told a story, rather than offering a single piece of information. We used these drawings to showcase exactly how our theater would subtly enhance the current arsenale, rather than compete for attention.

‘14

BLACK BOX THEATER | 02

BLACK BOX THEATER | 03

BLACK BOX THEATER | 04

BLACK BOX THEATER | 05

Architecture biennaleVenice, Italy‘14

In October of 2014, Iowa State University was invited to participate in a workshop at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition, Fundamentals, directed by Rem Koolhas. Our two day workshop, Caution Wet Floor: Slipping Into Deep, challenged us to question all that we thought we knew about a fundamental we are all too familiar with, the �loor. Myself and 49 of my peers were given rolls and reams of paper to create new topographical surfaces to strengthen our understanding of what such a fundamental means to the discipline of architecture.

ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE |06

ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE | 07

michael korsNew York, NY‘15

During the summer of 2015, I worked as a freelance store designer for Michael Kors. At this time, the brand began exploring the possibility of a materials and �ixture overhaul. I was able to collaborate with architects and interior designers to develop new material palettes and research furniture for this worldwide concept. I was given these new developments to implement into photographs of existing stores that were to receive this retro�it. Below are the images created by me and presented to John Idol, CEO, and Jaryn Bloom, president of retail.

MICHAEL KORS | 08

MICHAEL KORS | 09

michael korsStockholm, Sweden‘15

After an existing two-story etagere in Amerstdam proved too roomy to properly merchandise, I was given the task of redesigning an etagere for Stockholm before it was built to prevent the same mistake. This proved to be a challenge, since we wanted to keep visibility to the staircase behind, but also didn't want the etagere to look empty. Rather than �ill the etagere with solid material, such as calacatta marble or mirrored panels, I decided to use "nothing" as a material. By inserting macassar trimmed boxes that are the only space product is featured, the blank spaces then became a material itself, without making the etagere look empty. We also wanted to prevent any awkward L-shaped spaces and make the whole unit more modular and more easily assembled- without giving the appearance of one pattern being copied and pasted multiple times. To do this, I designed one 'unit' that was repeated four times. I then reversed and rotated the unit to give the etagere a nice �low without having too rigid of a pattern.

Below is the original etagere that was designed, and to the right is the improved etagere, approved for construction.

MICHAEL KORS |10

MICHAEL KORS | 11

wasteline San Francisco, CA

In the fall of 2015, our professor, Mitchell Squire, gave us one instruction for our studio project:

"Your site is somewhere in San Francisco." My four-person team chose an unconventional site, a wastewater treatment plant in one of San Francisco's roughest areas. Taking a cue from a brand-new, state-of-the-art STEM-based middle school that was built in hopes of revitalizing the community, we created Wasteline, a performing arts education and performance center. The idea was to keep the user aware at all times of their location, and in turn, get users to rethink the stigma of living in the same community of the wastewater treatment plant. We mimicked the solid shape of the plant, leaving sixteen negative spaces to give users views into and around the plant.

‘15

WASTELINE | 12

WASTELINE | 13

WASTELINE |14

WASTELINE |15

WASTELINE | 16

WASTELINE |17

Historic Decker HotelMaquoketa, IA‘16

In December of 2015, I was approached by the Maquoketa Betterment Corporation for help with an upcoming project. There were plans to renovate the historic Decker Hotel, but budget constraints didn't allow for the interior design team to make the trip to Iowa for preliminary tasks. I was hired to measure the spaces and create drawings that the interior designers could then use to work from.

DECKER HOTEL | 18

Abby Ehrler563.495.0417alehrler@iastate.eduabbyehrler.com

ExperienceMichael Kors New York, NYFreelance Store Designer June-August 2015

Collaborated with designers and department vice president to create new material palettes and worldwide concepts Facilitated the development, review and update of schematic plans, shop drawings and inspiration boards that were used in weekly meetings with the CEO and corporate leadership Responsible for creating renderings of store retro�its to be presented to CEO and President of Retail

Skold Companies Des Moines, IAProject Management Assistant November 2013 - Present

Work directly with company management to assess construction documents and speci�ications for information critical to project bidding and cost estimationProcess contracts and various AIA documents to return to general contractorsAssist with general administrative tasks to provide an organized and ef�icient of�ice

Maquoketa Betterment Corporation Maquoketa, IAFreelance Drafter January 2016

Measured and recorded all dimensions and electrical placements of the historic Decker HotelCreated as-built drawings for all guest rooms and public spaces, including lobby, restaurant and bathrooms

LeadershipCollegiate Panhellenic Council Vice President of Recruitment Counselors 2014Recruitment Counselor 2013

Sigma Kappa Sorority Alpha EpsilonVice President of Membership 2013Parent’s Club Liaison 2012

Order of Omega Honor SocietyInducted in 2014

EducationIowa State University Ames, IABachelor of Architecture 2011-2016

StrengthsCommunicationPublic SpeakingTime ManagementTeamworkLeadershipCreativity

SoftwareAdobe PhotoshopAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAutodesk AutoCADAutodesk RevitGoogle SketchUpRhinoceros 3DMicrosoft Of�iceArcGIS

ExhibitionsArchitecture BiennaleVenice, Italy

SpecialtiesRetail SpacesVisual MerchandisingUrban ResidentialTheater Design

AE

RESUME | 19