|
Project: John Roan School Location: London, UK Architect: Architecture Plb (model by David Grandorge) Date: 2007 |
|
Models made from wood can be easily adapted and developed. This model shows part of a scheme proposal for a school relocation in London. The wood adds a variety of colours and textures to the mode. |
Models made from wood can be easily adapted and developed. Most commonly used for model making, balsa wood comes from a tropical tree source and is very light (it has a density that is a third of other hardwoods), so it is easy to cut, which is good for creating accurate models.
Other woods can be used to provide particular finishes.
Cork, for example, can be used to give a carpet-like effect to a surface, which is useful for city-scale models.
Wood can be finely sanded and varnished to achieve a range of finishes, and using different woods in varying grains or colours will affect the appearance of your model.
Project: Queen Mary University Location: London, UK Architect: Alsop Architects Date: 2005
Alsop Architects’ designs for this Queen Mary University proposal contrast strong three-dimensional forms in a structural framework.
This model is made from perspex; as it is a transparent material it allows the structural shapes to be read through the building frame.
In model making, metal can be used in sheet form to suggest various building finishes, wall cladding or roofing. The sheets can be made from aluminium, copper, brass or steel, and can be perforated or corrugated and in mesh or flat-sheet form.
These can lend interesting qualities to a physical model. Perspex and acrylic can be completely transparent or have a semi-opaque finish, and coloured acrylics can be used to good effect in model making. Using lights to illuminate transparent material will exaggerate the effect of the design’s features.