A stylised combination of walnut and clear acrylic.

As well as big, highly detailed sales models we also sometimes produce small, simple projects such as this stylised concept model for a private house. Combining walnut and clear acrylic on a black base, the model was only 160mm square so was very much a portable presentation tool for conveying the fundamental spatial organisation of the building. The project was actually a rush job in the run up to Christmas which we squeezed in round our existing commitments. It was enjoyable for us to work on something so simple and elegant compared to the high level of detail we are normally asked to produce. The architects were so pleased with the model they asked us to produce a second version for them to keep in their studio.

Our Latest Projects | Modelmakers | Interactive Model

Stylized model showing multiple industries.

The brief for this project was to create a physical model of an existing CGI created landscape showing all the various industrial sectors the company worked in. The only information they were able to give us was a set of still-frame images of the landscape so we had to create our own CAD from scratch before we could start constructing the model. The muted greys and greens are an exact copy of the CGI graphic but we feel they work very well for this stylized industrial landscape. As you can see from the photo above, we also incorporated LED lighting. The system allowed 16 zones to be individually controlled from the client’s laptop.

Industrial model featuring interactive illumination.

Although we specialise in architectural models we also regularly produce high quality industrial models such as this model of a Cryobattery power station which incorporates interactive LED illumination. The CryoBattery system uses renewable sources to compress air in tanks which can later be used to generate power. In effect, it acts as large battery to store energy for when it is most needed. This is very much a stylised representation of the facility with the strong colours being used to indicate different parts of the process. The LED illumination rises slowly upwards to the top of the vessels and then gradually drops down again to represent the “filling up” and “emptying” phases of the CryoBattery facility.

Interactive model to illustrate best water management.

This interactive model was commissioned by the NFU as a visual demonstration to farmers of good water management practices on their land. The model shows two different catchments, one illustrating a high risk landscape with poor farming practices and the other showing a low risk landscape where the delivery of good practice minimises risks. The buttons on the front of the model activate LEDs set in the landscape to highlight different aspects of land management practice. The brightly coloured area shows an example of a Scimap, a graphic plan that shows farmers the risk areas across their land.

Cardiff city model relocated to Cardiff Castle.

We’ve just moved our 6.5m x 5.5m model of Cardiff city into the visitor centre at Cardiff Castle, an exciting new venue where it will become part of the organised castle tour. The model is fully interactive with a touch screen interface that provides onscreen information whilst lighting up the relevant building or area on the model. If you click on the left inset pic above you should be able to spot (despite the rain) the profile of the castle’s twelve-sided Norman Keep, one of the finest examples in Wales.

Fully interactive model for Notting Hill Sales.

One of our existing clients recommended our services to Notting Hill Sales which lead to us producing this fully interactive sales model for one of their major developments in London. The interactive element allows touch-screen controlled illumination of individual apartments with floor plans visible on screen and various filter options such as number of beds, aspect, availability, etc. Due to limited space in the marketing suite, we had to use a smaller than usual scale for this type of model which made it much more tricky to build in the wiring and individual apartment lights. The client asked us to create a “ghosted” but recognisable representation of an existing on-site building so our solution was to model it in clear acrylic, but still replicating a lot of the building’s architectural features – you should be able to pick this up in the photos.

Our Latest Projects | Modelmakers | Large site context model for public consultation - 1:1250 Scale.

Landscape model with accurate topography.

This large topographical model is 3m long by 2m wide and is made in four sections that butt together on adjustable height trestles. It’s the second large landscape model we’ve made for this client (see Recent Projects December 2016) and was commissioned as part of a public consultation process for a proposed development near Coventry. The aim of the model was to demonstrate how high embankments and landscaping around the site would screen it from surrounding villages so it was important that the on-site levels and surrounding topography were all accurately recreated. The buildings are shown as massing blocks due to the small scale (1:1250). Each metre is represented by just 0.8mm, so that the 16 metre high commercial buildings shown on the model are only approx. 13mm high.

Comments are closed
Our Latest Projects | Modelmakers | Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre Model 1:750 – Rebuild/Refurbish - March 2006

Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre Model 1:750 – Rebuild/Refurbish

Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre Model 1:750 – Rebuild/Refurbish Originally built in 1990, this huge model measuring some 10 metres long by 5 metres wide was in dire need of updating and refurbishing. The whole model had to be dismantled and brought to our workshops (in 28 pieces), where it was stripped back to its original components and completely re-sprayed and rebuilt. It was then reassembled back at the visitor centre, looking as good as new and ready for 15 more years of service. We have also built a half size copy of this model which features in the Architectural pages on this web site. The buildings are made from beech wood. Some landmark buildings are highlighted in white.

 

Comments are closed