A room divide with a difference!

We don’t just do models! When our website guys “Designer Websites” asked if we could come up with a quirky installation for their refurbished meeting room we suggested this “designer” partition wall featuring custom-made tiles and a hidden door. They needed to divide the room and we felt this was a more interesting solution than a painted stud partition wall with a standard door. The tiles are made from back-sprayed clear acrylic using colours from their logo and arranged in a pattern they designed themselves. The flush fitting “secret” door closes automatically to avoid the need for a handle on the facing side. The whole installation was built in our workshop in three sections so that it could be delivered and installed on site with minimum disruption. Designer Websites were keen to get us involved because all the main refurbishments in the room (floor, signage, table, blinds, etc.) were provided by other companies they’d built websites for – a good opening talking point for meetings with potential new clients.

The partition and secret door can be seen at the beginning of this video:

Three models of 5000 year old tombs.

We’ve just completed these three very different types of architectural models – they’re different because the architecture they represent is over 5000 years old. The Maghera Heritage Centre in Northern Ireland commissioned us to create these unusual models of three local megalithic tomb structures. It was a technically challenging project because it was important that the stones were accurately shaped and positioned and had a realistic looking finish. We also had to make sure that the landscaped setting looked convincing and didn’t detract from the realistic appearance of the stones. The client was very pleased with the finished models and it was very enjoyable for us to apply our architectural model making skills to some very different types of man-made structures.

Life-size Model of 3U Cube Satellite.

We recently completed this 1:1 scale mock-up of a 3U Cube Satellite for the Glasgow Life museum. The photos don’t show the model in its fully finished state because most of the black solar cells still have a thin protective film on them. We left the film on to protect the panels while the model was assembled on site. The model was too fragile to be shipped in its “deployed” position so the main body and four solar panels had to be kept as separate components. The protective film could then be removed once the model was securely mounted. We’re hoping to get a “finished” pic from the museum once the display is finalised. We have produced numerous satellite models over the years including several variations of this design (see Industrial Models page).

Six models head off to St Petersburg

Commissioned for a Russian developer, this group of six models all had to be designed to fit into large standard suitcases so they could travel out to St Petersburg as normal luggage. This necessitated choosing a small scale and making the models as sturdy as possible to withstand the rigours of both UK and Russian baggage handlers. The white model is for a proposed Sailing Club and is at 1:750 scale. It also incorporates battery powered LED illumination. The full colour models are at 1:300 scale and show five proposed designs for luxury holiday dachas.

University Campus Model – Scale 1:333

Produced for Queens University Belfast, this master-planning model was commissioned to illustrate the existing and proposed developments within the university’s Health Sciences campus. A major part of the model making process involved the co-ordination of many different drawings for the numerous buildings on site. As well as this, a lengthy site visit was required during which we took over 300 photographs and surveyed the general levels across the overall area of the model. The significant buildings were modelled in high detail with the context buildings shown as accurate massing blocks.