2008 – Present
Since the time of my Design Technology course in secondary school, the physical scale model has proved indispensable in my work, allowing me to rapidly test and develop new ideas during the design process, and to effectively present proposals to the client.
The physical model allows the designer to explore the relationship of spaces within a building, as well as the relationship between the building and its surroundings. Through the exploration of form and functionality, it is possible to model how a building will interact with its surroundings, of public space and circulation, along with climatic qualities of lighting and shading.
There will always be a need for a skilled hand to present ideas, a need that a computer cannot fulfil. As with freehand drawing, the physical model is more familiar and more ‘friendly’ to the client, and more effective in communicating proposals. At the same time, through the design process, a designer can play god with the building. He can physically cut paths through the model, or open up space to assist the building to breathe, to interact better with its context, to better serve the needs of its users. It is both an accessible tool, and highly powerful.
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The ‘Information Flow Concept Model’ was constructed in the design development of the Water Education and Research Centre.
Following an extensive period of research to produce the design brief, the concept model was the first stage of form design of the Water Education and Research Centre, constructed to give an idea of how to create an initial intervention on the site which would grow into a final building proposal.
The concept model reflects from the idea of information/energy flow through the building: the perceived flow of information from the research spaces to the educational spaces.
The Plated Structural Model was constructed as a study in form development for the Water Education and Research Centre
As the next major step in the development of the form of the building, the intention of the plated model was to explore the form of a unifying canopy built directly on the skeleton of the structure below. The canopy, in terms of aesthetic, would have to reflect the building‘s water related programme through the use of fluid gestures, illustrating the flow of information.energy through the complex.
The result is a series of tectonic façade plates which, overall, provide a flowing, uniting form to the building, whilst reflecting the breaking of the plan beneath into component spaces. The plates wrap the basic structure to provide a ‘shell’ to the skeleton of the concept model.
The Spatial Program model was constructed to aid the design development of the Water Education and Research Centre.
Moving into the advanced stage of the project, I sought to introduce the idea of information/energy into the programme of the building to influence the development of the program, the functional performance of the building, and the connection of spaces to one another.
This was achieved by the combination of two developed diagrams of spatial layout and the original Concept Model. The first was the basis to the spatial arrangement of the facility, arranged in blocks. The second was the information/ energy flow diagram resulting from the previous stage of the project.
The result was the breaking of the rigid structure of spaces to allow for greater vertical connection between spaces, and horizontal connection through shared space and circulation.
The Canopy Form Model was constructed as a study in form development in context for the Water Education and Research Centre
Steel and glass constitutes the structure of the roof canopy, keeping the overall visual impact to a minimum, whilst providing airy, well-lit internal spaces, to make it easy to navigate the building. All major circulation spaces between each floor are bathed in natural light from glazing above.
The frosted appearance of the facade panels, mimicking the effect of etched glass, was decided to diffuse incoming natural light through the building, and provide a means of solar glare control.
The Sectional Model was constructed as a study in vertical program/ spatial development for the Water Education and Research Centre.
The construction of a sectional model provided the necessary insight into the vertical spatial arrangement of the building, asking questions regarding the depth of the structure and scale of the necessary excavation needed, as well as the position of voids and double height spaces across the central axis to permit sufficient daylighting to the deeper spaces
The model was a direct superimposition of the original two-dimensional spatial diagram, before a real idea of the spatial layout had been decided. As such, questions remained to be asked of the nature of the internal spaces, and connection to each other, but the diagram serves to illustrate a hierarchy of depth and vertical separation, aiding the overall circulation strategy for the facility.
I was commissioned to produce a working presentational model of the new church hall centre at St. John the Baptist in Hartford, for the purpose of presenting the proposed design to the local Parish and congregation before the start of the project works.
The design brief required that the model be operable with removable roof and floor plates to demonstrate the internal layout of the building, as the exterior aesthetic on the site.
The model was constructed almost entirely from card mountboard, with rigid foamboard to provide a base for the roof sections and floor plates.
Professional
Professional Works as a Part I/ Part II Architectural Assistant
Professional
Portfolio of professional and academic modelmaking projects
Professional
Portfolio of extra-curricular works as a graphic designer
