We understand our architectural models as physical objects of logic and emotion. They are used throughout Grimshaw as a contact point at different stages of a project: when evolving, sharing, and communicating design intent and outcomes. With modelmaking workshops in London, Sydney, Melbourne and New York, the evolution of our designs is often, within architect teams, enabled in-studio, using modular more malleable materials to quickly share ideas and design direction. This is a hands-on free-flowing, creative process that the whole team can physically contribute to. The form of a model takes a more ‘controlled’ path when produced for a more external audience, for specific stakeholders and decision makers and influencers in a project’s outcome. Scaling the often-complex geometry, referencing context, considering key materials and detailing human relationships and use with the form, becomes paramount. These models become carefully curated messages from the architects, delivered through the skill of professional modelmakers: sharing the excitement and intricacy of the design and responding to the rational and heart-led decisions that make every project a success.
