Archinect - News

Foster + Partners chairs Trailblazer Group, the UK's first model maker apprenticeship program

2024-08-22T11:58:00-04:00

A brand new apprenticeship opportunity will grant aspiring workers in the UK's architecture industry the chance to learn professional model-making skills in an initiative chaired by Foster + Partners in collaboration with a group of other British universities and design firms. The three-year Trailblazer Group program is officially a Level 6 qualification (equivalent to a bachelor's degree).

Apprentices will earn a salary and other benefits while they learn. As the firm's announcement notes, this is meant to spur greater diversity in the profession. It coincides with the movement to reform pathways into architecture that has recently been taken up by RIBA and factored extensively in the body of fundamental overhauls proposed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) last year.

An investigation into an early design of the Barcelona Pavilion

2024-05-29T20:24:00-04:00

Really, the differences between the plan and the final construction are not great. Then again, I make this tentative conclusion, that our salvation depends on attention to small things, to what lies obvious before us, once seen clearly, felt within, once absorbed. Mies said similar.

Gary Garvin, a name familiar to many Archinectors, delves into the lesser-known early design phase (Plan I) of Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. This study highlights the architectural and conceptual distinctions between the initial plan and the final structure. Garvin’s detailed analysis provides insights into Mies’s design philosophy and the modernist principles that influenced the Pavilion’s evolution.

Garvin begins by outlining the key differences between Plan I and the completed Pavilion. He notes how the initial design featured more pronounced structural elements, which were later refined to create the iconic open and fluid spaces of the final version. Garvin emphasizes Mies’s intent to balance form and function, highlighting how these early designs reflect the architect’s experimentation with spatial concepts.

The investigation delves into the philosophical underpinnings of Mies’s work, discussing his commitment to the principles of modernism, such as minimalism, the us...

A proposed residential project by Laney LA makes use of dark Shou Sugi Ban cladding nestled in Lake Tahoe's landscape

2023-07-19T19:48:00-04:00

Lake Tahoe is the project site of Laney LA's unbuilt residential design project titled the SQ Residence. The Hermosa Beach-based architecture and design firm share model images and drawings of a residential project proposal aimed to resemble a mountain cave that "acts as a fortress within a demanding environment."

The firm is no stranger to showcasing new projects alongside meticulously designed architecture models, which help add to the design proposal's narrative.

Model image courtesy of Laney LA.

The 4,488 sqft home utilizes Shou Sugi Ban cladding, a dark, striking exterior material that applies a traditional charred timber cladding technique found in Japanese building and design methods.

Image courtesy of Laney LA. Visualization: Negar Zahiri

The firm shares, "The dark shell of the home enhances its ability to withstand the harsh climate while blending with the forest in order to increase the visibility of wildlife and other natural wonders."

Image courtesy of Laney LA. Visuali...

Adjaye debuts preview of India's new Kiran Nadar Museum of Art project in Venice

2023-05-17T00:01:00-04:00

As part of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, David Adjaye will be on hand to present an architectural model of the new Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) project in New Delhi.

The model will be staged inside the Arsenale as part of the Curator’s Special Projects Mnemonic section, which runs from May 20th until the close of the Biennale.

Once it is completed in 2026, the museum building is expected to become India’s largest cultural center. Offering space for the museum’s collection of over 10,000 modern and contemporary works, the project is being undertaken in collaboration with S. Ghosh & Associates and will consolidate its currently disparate locations in New Delhi and Noida into a 100,000-square-meter (one-million-square-foot) new home on a plot adjacent to the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Architectural model of the new KNMA, New Delhi. Courtesy David Adjaye Associates and KNMA

The museum’s founder and namesake explains: “Our presentation at the Biennale Architett...

Your next job could be as a model maker at Safdie Architects

2023-05-11T12:52:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for an AI-Related Architectural Intern at DVLPR, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Digital Fabricator / Model Designers at Safdie Architects.

The role, based in Safdie’s Boston office, calls for a “creative, entrepreneurial, and detail-oriented individual” to assist in exploring the “spatial, tectonic and material properties of designs through the planning and production of digital, 3D printed, fabricated and handcrafted models, as well as scale mock-ups.” Among the skills and qualities sought in applicants are a passion for model making, experience operating digital tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers, and a knowledge of AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, and Adobe Suite.

Archinect Feature: Archinect's Guide to Job Titles: Model Maker

Why the role interests us

The role of model makers in design practices, and the design culture at Safdie Architects, are topics our editori...

OMA, Peter Cook, Morphosis, Adjaye Associates among firms showcasing design proposals in NEOM's recent The Line Experience exhibition

2023-02-02T15:00:00-05:00

A list of architecture firms involved in the design of Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project has come to light along with a preview exhibition on view now in Riyadh at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation for Contemporary Art that features proposals from unspecified designers.

Peter Cook, Adjaye Associates, OMA, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Studio Fuksas, Oyler Wu Collaborative, Morphosis Architects, Tom Wiscombe Architecture, HOK, Delugan Meissl Architects, UNStudio, and Coop Himmelb(l)au are the entities included in the exhibition, according to a report published recently in the Architects' Journal.

Exhibition image courtesy of NEOM (2022).

The scope of each firm’s involvement remains unclear as the proposals were not credited to anyone specifically. The Architects’ Journal was also unable to obtain either confirmation or quotes from any of the firms named in the exhibition, making it a guessing game that nevertheless reflects on the $500 billion project’s murkiness and the reluctance of global de...

Tate Modern unveils a visual feast for the Great British Bake Off

2021-11-24T19:19:00-05:00

The Tate apparently showed off a gingerbread model for the finale of the Great British Bake Off. This year’s winning entry for the BBC Channel 4 competition was an oversized remake of the Mad Hatter’s tea party from one-time architecture critic Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

The edible museum model was produced by food artists Caitlin Levin and Henry Hargreaves. The duo originally prepared several models of different museums like the MAXXI and Guggenheim for the 2013 edition of Miami Art Basel they said are inspired by each building’s unique form.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tate (@tate)

“We wanted to really focus on architecturally heavy galleries. Ones that were a mixture of the iconic and ones that people might not know, because a lot of it’s about learning and playing," Hargreaves said at the time. "Once we figured which galleries we wanted to do, we focused on certain angles and great shots and then we’d make a foamcore model of the gal...

San Francisco-based studio Gemmiti Model Art celebrates the importance of architectural model making

2021-09-17T18:04:00-04:00

Who doesn't love architecture models? These small-scaled versions of structures are revered treasures of the industry. While 3D modeling software and VR/AR have transformed the idea of the model, it's still safe to say the craft of model making will always play a key role in understanding structures within a space.

The skill and precision behind architecture models continue to be a beloved tool for showcasing a new project. Firms like MAD Architects, for example, continue to stun design professionals and architecture enthusiasts with their mesmerizing models. To learn more about the art of architecture models, we focus on San Francisco-based model-making practice Gemmiti Model Art. Their work and passion for model-making have positioned them as one of the top model-making practices for over 30 years.

California Pacific Model Medical Center at Cathedral Hill. (3/32"=1' scale) Image © Gemmiti Model Art

Founded by Lisa Gemmiti in 1999, Gemmiti Model Art has worked with Apple, NASA, Ado...

Michael Velliquette's intricate architectural paper models to be exhibited in Texas

2020-11-12T18:06:00-05:00

Previously featured on Archinect, artist Michael Velliquette has a new collection of paper sculptures that will be on display at the David Shelton Gallery in an exhibition called Creations are Numberless, I Vow to Free Them.

Everywhere transience is plunging into the depth of being | Paper sculpture |
12” x 12” x 9” | 2020

By constructing objects that convey strength, intent, and durability, Velliquette's work redefines the fragile connotations of paper. The artist's process, done completely by hand, is so intricate and complex that some works can take up to 500 hours to complete.

Now heaven’s river drowns its banks, and floods of joy have run abroad | Paper sculpture | 25" x 25" x 6" | 2017

The love that would soak down into the center of being | Paper sculpture | 20” x 20 x 8” | 2020

The series of abstract layers that make up each sculpture suggest fortress like constructions, tiered mandalas, or complex gears. Velliquette's work is in the permanent collections of the Chazen Museum ...

London's Open House launches new collection of card models to make at home

2020-09-16T16:13:00-04:00

Open House, the volunteer-led festival of London's urban landscape, has created a collection of card models of iconic London buildings. The collection is one of a number of new "virus-proof" initiatives celebrating London's architecture during the pandemic.

There are a total of sixteen card models, which can be ordered online and made at home. Some of the structures included are St Paul's Cathedral, Kew Gardens Palm House, and the Hoover Building. Every model kit comes with two sets of printed and pre-creased sheets to assemble the building along with information about the structure and its architectural history.

"For Open House 2020, we’ve created a program of in-person events all across the city but we wanted to create something for families and individuals who can’t visit the festival in person too," said Hafsa Adan, Assistant Curator of Open House 2020 in a statement. "For those who can’t get out and about in London this weekend, we’re bringing the skyline to them instead."

The ...

Create kirigami paper models of Le Corbusier's iconic works with this step-by-step guide — and win a copy of the book!

2020-01-23T12:26:00-05:00

For all you diehard Le Corbusier fans or architectural model enthusiasts out there, you don't want to miss out on the upcoming Le Corbusier Paper Models: 10 Kirigami Buildings to Cut and Fold, which will be released on February 4. Thanks to Laurence King Publishing, Archinect is giving away five copies of the book to our readers!

Authored by design director and kirigami paper artist Marc Hagan-Guirey, this step-by-step guide teaches you how to create 10 of Corbusier's iconic works using the cutting and folding art of kirigami, a variation of origami. You'll learn how to create paper models of: Villa Savoye, Maison Citröhan, Villa Stein-De Monzie, Maison de Week-end, Maisons Jaoul, Unité d’Habitation, Maison de la Culture, Villa Sarabhai, High Court Chandigarh, and the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts.

Villa Savoye. Photo courtesy of Laurence King Publishing.

High Court Chandigarh. Photo courtesy of Laurence King Publishing.

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Photo courtesy of L...

The Centre Pompidou in Paris acquires 12 architectural models from MAD Architects

2019-02-28T19:16:00-05:00

Known for their futuristic expressions of the built environment, MAD Architects has developed a reputation for designs that exhibit an organically dream-like aesthetic. By pulling elemental influences from nature, each architectural concept strives to strike a balance between the surrounding environment, cityscapes, and humanity. The famed Centre Pompidou in Paris has recently acquired 12 stunning architecture models that illustrate projects MAD have created between 2005 to the present day.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (Los Angeles) model ; Image courtesy of MAD Architects

The collection is a reflection of the firm's design ethos and their take on architecture's progression and evolution towards designing the future. Each model represents various structural typologies, ranging from a contemporary kindergarten, residential towers, mixed-use complexes, and cultural buildings. Individually, each model also exhibits elements of artistic aptitude due to the level of precision and constr...

Artist hand-cuts paper shapes and assembles them into sacred architecture

2018-08-09T14:06:00-04:00

Mixed media artist Michael Velliquette has been making imaginary architecture models. A prolific artist who favors paper as his medium, his latest is a series of carefully detailed installations. Using hand-cut paper shapes, Velliquette assembles countless pieces of paper into complex forms he describes as both "scared architecture and three-dimensional mandalas." Textured and layered over one another, the Wisconsin-based artist's work takes interest in "ritually driven object making, devotional ornamentation, and our natural human impulse for razzle-dazzle."

Image courtesy of Michael Velliquette.

An artist creates brutalist cuckoo clocks based on Germany's social housing

2018-06-05T14:55:00-04:00

Artist Guido Zimmermann's Cuckoo Block series present a brutalist take on the traditional cuckoo clock design. Based in Germany, Zimmermann's pieces are largely inspired by local brutalist housing blocks found in Frankfurt and Berlin. He has also ventured out to create clocks based on notable brutalist structures such as as Marcel Breuer’s Hotel Le Flaine, and Ernő Goldfinger's Glenkerry House.

Check out some of these unique creations below:

All images courtesy of Guido Zimmermann.

The fantastic, cardboard city models of Bodys Isek Kingelez on display in MoMA's first retrospective of the Congolese artist

2018-05-01T14:26:00-04:00

In its first-ever solo show of a Black African artist, New York's Museum of Modern Art will put the work of visionary Congolese artist Bodys Isek Kingelez on full display. On view from May 26, 2018 through January 1, 2019, City Dreams will span the sculptor's three-decade career from his early single-building sculptures, to his spectacular sprawling cities and futuristic late works.

Bodys Isek Kingelez (Congolese, 1948-2015). Paris Nouvel. 1989. Paper, paperboard, and other various materials, 33 7/16 × 24 × 27 9/16″ (85 × 61 × 70 cm). Long-term loan from the Centre national des arts plastiques, France to the Château d’Oiron, France, FNAC 981003. © Cnap (France) / droits résérves; photograph by Frédéric Pignoux, Studio Lud

The self-trained artist, who passed in 2015, was known for his "extreme maquettes" in which he transformed paper, commercial packaging, and other everyday materials into dazzling, intricate sculptures. From fanciful models of civic buildings and public monuments, t...

UK model making firm specializes in custom miniatures of client's homes

2018-04-04T15:17:00-04:00

Custom miniatures are increasingly the focus of Chisel & Mouse, which Robert Paisley runs with his brother, Gavin. The duo, yearning for a more fulfilling career after working in software sales and banking, turned to model making seven years ago [...] A cottage industry of architectural model-makers has arisen in the U.K. to offer this bespoke service.

Chisel & Mouse's passion for architecture results in miniatures of famous architectural structures as well as custom models. Using modern and traditional printing and sculpting techniques, the group will make an exact miniature of anything you choose working from satellite data, architect's drawings, photos and sketches.

Maidman House by Chisel & Mouse. Image: Chisel & Mouse.

With their early Makerbot 3D printer, Chisel & Mouse have made molds of building such as the Tate Modern, the Battersea Power Station, and the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, CA.

Battersea Power Station by Chisel & Mouse. Image: Chisel & Mouse.

Bauhaus Dessau by Chisel & Mouse. Image: Chisel & Mouse.

Excavate the hidden architecture models inside these unique note pads

2018-01-16T13:32:00-05:00

The Omoshiro Block is a note pad that unveils itself as it gets used revealing an architecture miniature hidden inside. Using laser-cutting technology, what appears as a regular cube of paper note cards eventually turns into an intricate miniature model.

These unique note pads are designed by Japanese architecture model company Triad. The blocks feature various notable architectural sites of Japan such as Kyoto’s Kiyomizudera Temple, Tokyo’s Asakusa Temple and Tokyo Tower.

Triad's noteworthy miniatures aren't cheap and can be hard to aquire. Ranging from about 4000 yen to 10,000 yen they are currently only available at the Tokyu Hands Osaka location, however you can stay up to date by following the company's Instagram account.

Artist Joshua Smith builds urban decay miniatures

2017-12-01T13:14:00-05:00

Australia-based artist Joshua Smith expresses his love of decrepit urban spaces by recreating them in 1:20 scale. Building all of his miniatures from scratch, Smith designs every element himself. The artist's work is built on his past experiences as a stencil artist and gallery director. Inspired by street art, graffiti, and old forgotten buildings, Smith is fascinated by the layers and history found within the dirt and grime of city spaces.

Pictured above is a recreation of 23 Temple Street, a building in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, made by the artist for New York's VOLTA art fair. Smith's process starts with hours of searching on google street view for his next subject. Once his next project is underway, it can take months to finish a piece. The 23 Temple Street miniature took Smith three months of full time work to complete.

Scroll down and check out these mini architectural masterpieces.

'Big Bang Fireworks Company', based on 10 Pell Street in Chinatown NYC, by Joshua Smi...

A chess set that forms the New York City skyline

2017-06-20T13:53:00-04:00

First-name-only architects Chris and Ian of Skyline Chess have already rendered landmark buildings of London into chess pieces, and now they're trying to create a similar set of New York City, provided they receive enough funding via their Kickstarter.

Each building has been carefully chosen to represent a particular chess piece. As the architects explain:

"We gave careful consideration to selecting each piece on the board, to ensure that it both visually reflected the appropriate chess piece and also reflected the architectural status and scale of that building in the city.

King - One World Trade Tower
Queen - Empire State Building
Bishop - Chrysler Building
Knight - Flatiron Building
Rook - Guggenheim Museum
Pawn - Brownstone House"

Each piece has been weighted and given a felt bottom to make them enjoyable to hold and maneuver.

MoMA celebrates Frank Lloyd Wright's 150th birthday with comprehensive exhibition of his archives

2017-06-06T13:58:00-04:00

If you've ever wanted to see the original physical model of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in person, you're in the luck: starting June 12th (with a live-streamed press preview on June 8th, which you can watch here), the Museum of Modern Art will display its Frank Lloyd Wright archive to celebrate the legendary architect's 150th birthday. Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: Unpacking the Archive, which includes drawings, building fragments, never before seen photographs, film clips and other iconic leavings, will be publicly viewable until October 1st. (PS: For further Frank Lloyd Wright coverage, keep your eyes peeled: Archinect is working on some special pieces for FLW's actual birthday, June 8th.)

16 designers to display new "Tribune Tower" models at the 2nd Chicago Architecture Biennial

2017-03-07T19:41:00-05:00

The 1922 contest drew 263 entries from 23 countries and led to the construction of a landmark neo-Gothic skyscraper. In 1980, Chicago architects Stanley Tigerman and Stuart Cohen organized a "Late Entries" version of the legendary contest...Now, the curators of this year's Chicago Architecture Biennial are putting together what might be called the "Late Late Entries" to the Tribune Tower competition.

Although the names of the sixteen designers picked to create a new "Tribune Tower" at the Chicago Architecture Biennial haven't been announced quite yet, according to this article their designs are already being value-engineered in order to be as feasible as possible for potential construction. Whichever design may ultimately go on to the big time of 1:1 scale, the Biennial will be a delightful experience for all of those who still enjoy enormous physical models of both the built and the unbuilt variety:

In addition to the 16 new versions of Tribune Tower, the curators are commissioning two other 16-foot-tall models of designs for the skyscraper from early in the last century. One is a famous, columnlike version by the Austrian architect Adolf Loos that was part of the 1922 competition. The other, which was not officially entered, is a gridded modernist design by the German architect and urban planner Ludwig Hilberseimer.

GSAPP displays unusual + intriguing photographs of famed architectural models with "Stagecraft: Models and Photos"

2017-02-02T18:31:00-05:00

Photographer James Ewing was given a studio and several weeks to creatively photograph architectural models made by students of the Columbia GSAPP between 1994 and 2003. The resulting work will form a show, "Stagecraft: Models and Photos," that opens at the GSAPP on February 9th.

Featuring photographs of models of structures such as Le Corbusier's Pavillon des Temps Nouveaux, Norman Foster's Renault Distribution Center, and Peter Zumthor's Saint Benedict Chapel among others, the photographs avoid the atmosphere of your typical two-in-the-morning-on-a-work-day professional studio snaps, instead investing each of these models with unusual drama.

Because the models and the photographer are so removed from the original architectural design process, the work is necessarily interpretive. These are miniature echo chambers of history, models of models of structures some of these students undoubtedly visited in real life, photographed against occasionally surreal backdrops.

...

The toy-like Mola Structural Kit allows architects to experiment with structural engineering

2016-11-29T14:02:00-05:00

How can architects determine if their designs are structurally sound? Aside from consulting with a professional structural engineering firm, the Mola Structural Kit offers a playful way to test out the strength and durability of various designs. The company has unveiled the second edition of the kit, which has been designed to be compatible with the first. Here's a video that explains it all:

Bjarke builds a model! (and explicates his design process)

2016-07-21T14:59:00-04:00

Proving that he can hold his own against 8 to 14-year old contenders, Bjarke Ingels demonstrates some model-building basics by participating in the "Build Your Own Pavilion" challenge, whose participants are usually still in grade school. Admittedly, Bjarke's nimble paper crinkling is integrated seamlessly into an explanation of the design concept behind his "unzipped" Serpentine Pavilion. Here's the full video:

Tour hundreds of Japanese architectural models by the likes of Shigeru Ban and Kengo Kuma at Tokyo's 'Archi-Depot'

2016-06-20T13:14:00-04:00

The museum, which will open on Tennozu Isle in Tokyo’s Shinagawa district will not only be a place for these models to be displayed, but also act as an effort to preserve them. The space will be lined with over 100 shelves to display their permanent collection, in addition to special exhibits. Each model in the museum will be accompanied by a QR code which can be scanned using a smartphone to access more information about the structure, including photos of the completed work.

The Archi-Depot museum originated from the Archi Depot Foundation (founded last year by Terrada Warehouse and Tokyo Design Center companies), with the core purpose of conveying to a general public the significance and artistry inherent to the architectural model-making process. Before opening the museum, the Foundation staged an exhibition at the 2015 Triennale di Milano.

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