First patented in 1983 by inventor Chuck Hull, stereolithography (SLA) is a three-dimensional printing technology that is used in producing models, prototypes and production parts. This technology has a variety of applications, including manufacturing, medicine, casting and architectural modeling. What differentiates stereolithography from other three-dimensionally printed media is the speed and level of detail offered. […]
The interdisciplinary design practice of Weiss/ Manfredi based in New York is well known for their integration of architecture, art, infrastructure, and landscape design in their projects. The firm relies heavily on model building as part of their design process that begins with simple sketches, progresses on to conceptual models, and culminates with detailed models […]
“The story of the Elbphilharmonie provides, as an example, an insight into the extremes that mark the reality of planning and building today.” -dezeen magazine Design firm Herzog & de Meuron are in the process, after many years and dollars past the original goal, of completing the Elbphilharmonic in Hamburg. The firm presented suspended models of […]
Vincent De Rijk is the go to model maker behind many of OMA and MDRVD ‘s infamous competition models. Like the firms, he is based in Rotterdam, but is sought out across Europe and North America. He was educated in industrial design and a leading expert in the use of polymers. In addition to […]
The S-M.A.O, Sancho-Madridejos Architecture Office was commissioned to design a chapel in Aladen, Ciudad Real, Spain (1996-2001). The architects, Sol Madridejos & Juan Carlos Sancho were inspired by the surrounding landscape and reinterpreted its corrugating surfaces for the Chapel in Villeaceron project. The combination of creased surfaces translated into the team’s first concept models. Folded […]
More than a tool to represent, for OMA, models are also tools for analysis. Such 3D diagrams make information much intuitionistic – filted elements formed in scale which could make a container of information into a real space or building, and the connection between them becomes road which based on real terrain. It’s a smooth […]
After winning the Rome Prize in 1999, Tom Leader’s chosen project was to create a temporal map of Rome. Relating time and historical data in the form of a drawing is a challenge enough, but expression in the form of a physical model is even more so. Tom Leader’s finished project relies on 15 acrylic […]
The design process at Gehry Partners is deeply rooted in physical model-making. Frank Gehry, a well known American architect, established his practice in 1962 in Los Angeles, California. In 2001 Gehry Partners was formed, and today has a staff of over 140 people. During the design process at Gehry Partners many models are made, in […]
We often go to the movies to escape our reality. Conversely, many filmmakers try to make a ‘recognizable reality’[i]. There are more than a few takeaways from the modeling techniques of the film industry, and many that could be compelling entries in the designer’s playbook. 1. Choose materials with purpose. It is advised that […]
At first glance, images of surreal landscapes by artist Matthew Albanese appear so unbelievably real that it is impossible to imagine that they are in fact photographs of dioramas. Through his series ‘Strange Worlds’, the artist demonstrates that it is possible to create something extraordinary out of very ordinary everyday materials. Using a wide range […]