Nico Forte Email & Phone Number

My interest in architecture was sparked at the age of five when I received a model train set for my birthday. Less interested in the train, I was drawn to the scenery—constructing the polystyrene buildings and shaping the insulation foam landscapes. As I grew, so did my landscapes—ranging from snow-capped mountains to rivers, and from farms to suburbs to cities.Now in my sixth year as an architecture student at the University of Nebraska, I am pursuing a summer internship where I can leverage my creativity and critical-thinking skills, further my architectural experience, and deliver value to a firm and its clients.Highlights of my two favorite portfolio projects include:𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Create a contemplation space in a secluded location in the Nebraska National Forest—chosen because of its steep drop in topography in contrast to the surrounding flatlands.𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The utilization of controlled light in Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light, and a residential structure that echoes the flat, Midwestern prairie through repeated horizontals in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House.𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭: Leveraging existing precedents, I transformed them into something new—designing a narrow building to reflect the prairie, and an interior relatively void of matter to create a peaceful atmosphere that invokes a sense of serenity. I was awarded an ‘A’ on the design, and the professor called out my blended precedents as “genius.”𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: Create a research facility that includes residency for five scientists, located in the heart of Valentine National Wildlife Refuge—one of seven large-scale grasslands in the world that remains intact.𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: The Refuge’s mission—to preserve, restore, and enhance the ecological integrity of Nebraska Sandhill uplands and associated wetlands. Taking a minimalist and friend-of-the-earth approach.𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭: I created long and flat modular structures—to contrast the Sandhills landscape and built on concrete slabs—to lightly touch the ground. I was awarded an ‘A’ on the design, and the professor highlighted my preservation approach as “incredible.”Presentations of these and additional projects, including Whiskey Distillery and Culinary Residency can be viewed below in ‘education.’