Model Making Advice for Architecture Students

The first and most important step for any architectural model making project is to establish a clear goal for the model. In other words, what is the model for, what is its purpose, what does it need to communicate? Very few people have the budget and resources to make a model that shows everything about their project. It is more realistic to choose an aspect of your design that the model can show well.

For example, if you are designing a building in a sensitive area, a monochromatic massing model can show the overall form and layout of your design and how it sits in its context. This will give viewers an instant general understanding of your project. The colours, materials and any other detailed elements can be explained through additional drawings, photographs, swatches, etc.

Another approach is to let your drawings show the general overview of your project and use an architectural model to illustrate one of the detailed aspects — an entrance feature perhaps, a decorative elevation, or a sectional model that slices through the building to show the internal spatial organisation.

The important thing is to start with a clear purpose for your architectural model and then work out what sort of model will best achieve your goals.

Once you have decided what your model needs to illustrate, the next step is to choose the most appropriate scale. This decision is affected by two things: how big an area you need to model and how much detail you want to show. If you need to show a big area — perhaps for a site context model — you would choose a smaller scale such as 1:500 or even 1:1000. At these smaller scales it is not really possible to show much in the way of detail.

If the purpose of the model is to show just the building itself you could consider 1:200 or 1:100 scale, allowing you to show windows, doors, balconies, etc. If your goal is to illustrate a particular detailed element, you may need to go larger still — 1:50 or even 1:20 scale.

Scales are actually very simple. The scale of a model is a ratio — the relative size of the model to the real thing. For example, 1:1 would be life size. 1:10 would be one tenth of actual size. The larger the scale indicator number, the smaller the model, which means less detail can be shown.

A useful way to think about scales is to work out how many millimetres represent one metre. Divide 1000 by the scale indicator number. At 1:200 scale — 1000 ÷ 200 = 5mm per metre. So a site 100m × 100m would produce a model 500mm × 500mm. At 1:1000 scale — 1000 ÷ 1000 = 1mm per metre.

Be realistic about what you can achieve with the time, materials and facilities available to you. Very often it is students with good model making skills that don't finish their model — their enthusiasm gets the better of them and they've tried to show too much. It is better to be a little less ambitious with the model and focus on submitting a coordinated, fully realised overall presentation.

The use of colour is another area where models can go wrong. Sometimes it's safer to keep things monochrome — white can look quite architectural and stylish — unless you're very confident with colour or it's a vital part of what your model needs to show.

Always present your model on a good, solid base with a clean edge finish. This acts almost like a picture frame and greatly enhances the general appearance of your model.

Laser cutter

The most useful tool for architectural model making is a laser cutter, which most educational establishments now have in their workshops. This will enable you to create precise, perfectly square floor plates and elevations which, as long as you have drawn them accurately, should fit together perfectly to create a neat, sharply finished model. The laser cutter also allows you to engrave line detail on to the elevations for extra refinement.

Materials

Unless you have access to a laser cutter, it is best to work with card, foam-board or similar easy-to-cut materials such as Balsa or Lime wood — anything that can be cut with a sharp blade or junior hacksaw and stuck together with conventional glues.

When cutting, use a square wherever possible — keeping everything square is crucial for a neat, crisp finish. Invest in a metal ruler as a plastic or wooden one will get damaged quickly. Whether you're using a craft knife or scalpel, use several light passes rather than one heavy cut for a cleaner result.

Sourcing materials can be difficult. Check your local art and craft shop, or hobbyist model shop. If you can't find what you need locally, visit our Useful Links page for a list of model making supplies companies with online catalogues and mail order services.

Stephen Wynne-Owen Modelmakers Ltd — Architectural model making specialists