Exhibition display for “Jumping Pillows”.

The client for this project “Jumping Pillows”, who specialise in installing inflatable play areas, asked us to design and build an eye catching model for use at exhibition events around the UK. We based this model on one of their recent installations and gave it strong colours and realistic detail so that it really draws the eye. The fencing and picnic tables give a good sense of scale but we also supplied some clear silhouette figures that the client could place on the model as an additional detail if required (you can see these better if you click on the two smaller pics above).

Mobile display models for a ground breaking construction product.

Concrete Canvas, a South Wales based company with an innovative, concrete based construction material, commissioned us to produce 8 mobile display models for use by their sales team. The displays were designed to demonstrate the speed and simplicity of construction using their unique, concrete based fabric which comes on a roll but sets solid when soaked with water. We made the ditch and bund profiles using the actual product formed over simulated earthworks. Each model was supplied with a purpose-built flight case (shown in main image) to protect it in transit and for storage when not in use.

A room divide with a difference!

We don’t just do models! When our website guys “Designer Websites” asked if we could come up with a quirky installation for their refurbished meeting room we suggested this “designer” partition wall featuring custom-made tiles and a hidden door. They needed to divide the room and we felt this was a more interesting solution than a painted stud partition wall with a standard door. The tiles are made from back-sprayed clear acrylic using colours from their logo and arranged in a pattern they designed themselves. The flush fitting “secret” door closes automatically to avoid the need for a handle on the facing side. The whole installation was built in our workshop in three sections so that it could be delivered and installed on site with minimum disruption. Designer Websites were keen to get us involved because all the main refurbishments in the room (floor, signage, table, blinds, etc.) were provided by other companies they’d built websites for – a good opening talking point for meetings with potential new clients.

The partition and secret door can be seen at the beginning of this video:

Cut-away view of turbines and sluice gates

Designed and constructed within two weeks for a presentation at the House of Commons, the main problem we had with this model wasn’t the tight deadline but how best to show an underwater view of the power generating turbines at the heart of this renewable energy project. We also had to illustrate different water levels on the inside and seaward side of the lagoon structure. Our solution was to create the water as a thin clear layer with a sprayed on rippled, surface finish and then cut out large viewing “windows” on either side of the turbine structure. This allowed clear low angle views through the turbines as can be seen from the inset pic above.

Realistically detailed sales model for marketing suite.

We recently completed this 1:150 scale sales model for a new client, a Kent based developer, and as soon as it was delivered their response was: “…the model is fab! The sales director and sales advisor are both really pleased with it – it’s a great tool which will help us to sell these new homes off-plan! Thank you for all your hard work.” What makes our sales models so effective is the quality of finish and high level of detail we can achieve. This gives house purchasers a clear vision of how the building and gardens will look and enables them to buy with confidence, even when the building is little more than a set of muddy foundations. Our client was so pleased with the first model we’re just about to complete a second project and are in the quoting process for two other sites.

Country House Redevelopment - 1:150 Scale

Occasionally a project turns out to be much more complicated than expected and this was certainly the case with this model. The development comprised a group of holiday villas based round a refurbished and extended old country house set in a steeply sloping and heavily wooded site. The main problem was the lack of accurate information about the original building (much of it had to be created from photographs) and there was only limited information for the complex levels across the site. The various designers involved (architects, landscapers, etc) were still developing their detailed designs but the client needed a model in their marketing suite ASAP. By liaising with all the parties involved we were able to build the model pretty much at the same pace as the designs were evolving. The completed model has also helped the client identify several areas for improving the design and we’re expecting it back in a couple of months for updating.

Vets Practice - 1:25 Scale

For this project the client, a chain of vets, wanted a portable model that showed the typical internal layout of one of their newly built practices. We suggested this 1:25 scale stylized model because it offered plenty of recognizable internal detail but was easily transportable at only 800mm long. Rather than have a removable roof, we made the roof panels out of clear acrylic to allow easy viewing of the internal detail (this also keeps the dust out). Whilst it is predominantly a white stylized model, we added highlights of realistic colour to add extra visual interest.

 Olympic Countdown Clock

With just over 12 months to go to the start of the Olympics, we were asked to create 7 of these Olympic Countdown displays for the reception areas of a large organization's main offices around the south of England. It was a major challenge, particularly as we only had two and a half weeks to complete the project. The client's concept design for the display was not very practical to build, or to use, so the first thing we had to do was create a new, simpler system that would allow the boxes to be easily and securely positioned in the different number combinations. Our solution was to incorporate clear acrylic "hooks" on the backs of the boxes that could be universally fitted into precisely positioned slots on the 2 metre high acrylic back wall. It was simple, neat and unobtrusive and meant the client could do the repositioning themselves for each month's number change. I'm pleased to say, all seven displays were delivered on time and on budget, and the client was delighted with how they looked - let the countdown begin!

Conservatory Sunroom Model – Scale 1:15

Made for a company that specializes in high quality conservatories, this detailed model needed to reflect the product’s elegant design and high levels of finish (inside and out). The model’s primary purpose was to act as an eye catching display at shows and exhibitions to help attract potential customers to the company’s stand. To give it a bit of extra “sparkle” we incorporated battery powered working interior lights which you can see in one of the inset pics. As a further complication, the model also had to be made strong enough to withstand conventional courier delivery to central Scotland where the company is based. The client was really pleased with the finished model and is currently planning further models of some of their other designs.

GlaxosmithKline Factory Model - Scale 1:75

The brief for this model was to create a 3D internal view of this GSK production plant which produces Penicillin for the pharmaceutical industry. The company frequently show visitors around the facility and felt they needed a simple visual illustration of the complex internal layout of the building. Our solution was to create this stylized 3D representation of the plant with the building floor plates in clear acrylic so that the viewer could appreciate, at a glance, the vertical and horizontal layout of all the major industrial components involved in the process. At 1:75 scale, the model is just over 2.4 metres long so it can be easily viewed by a group of people, making it an ideal starting point for a tour of the building.

Creating the model involved deciphering and rationalizing a huge volume of technical drawings so that we could design a pared down representation of the main production equipment. A crucial part of this process was keeping an ongoing dialogue with the client to make sure we were interpreting the information correctly. The client was extremely pleased with the final result and has in fact commissioned “Phase 2” of the project which involves adding further levels of detail plus some of the external plant and storage vessels that weren’t required for the original model. They have also indicated that they will require further similar models of other buildings plus an overall site model of the whole facility. So all in all, we’re looking forward to building a healthy relationship with GSK!