Roof-off view of Porter’s Lodge refurbishment, St John’s College, Oxford.

Whilst the majority of the models we produce are about external appearances, occasionally we get a project like this where the main purpose is to show internal views. Often the best way to do this is to create a model with a “roof-off” view like this recently completed model showing the planned internal refurbishment of the Porter’s Lodge at St. John’s College, Oxford. We’ve shown the new proposals in full colour to differentiate them from the existing buildings which are stylized and painted white. Part of the refurbishment proposals include a new front courtyard with an arched colonnade entrance feature which is why these areas are also shown in colour. The courtyard retains all the existing trees, some of which are close to 300mm tall at 1:50 scale. We actually custom-made all the trees to reflect the shape and characteristics of the real trees.

1:50 Floor Plan Layout

 

The purpose of this 1:50 scale floor plan model was to provide an "at a glance" explanation of the various apartment layouts on a typical floor of a large apartment complex. Showing indicative furniture and fittings in rooms and highlighting the communal areas, the 3D representation makes the internal spatial arrangement easy to understand for potential purchasers.

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A few days after completing these two white styled models we were surprised (and pleased) to discover they had been the focal point for a presentation to David Cameron about the Swansea Lagoons tidal energy project (apparently they couldn’t tell us beforehand for security reasons). The models are both at 1:1000 scale and show two different areas of the lagoon structure. The largest model shows the leisure facilities where the lagoon wall joins the mainland whilst the small model shows where the turbines generate electricity from the twice daily rise and fall of the tide (the Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal range in the world). If you click on the images to enlarge them you’ll see that even at this small scale (1mm represents 1 metre) we can show a high level of detail.

Masterplan Model – Scale 1:1000

This model is essentially a 3D representation of the client’s colour coded masterplan for the redevelopment of a disused quarry site in the South of England. The local planning authorities requested the model so that they could get a clear understanding of how the new mixed use development would fit into the re-contoured landscape of the quarry. Even at 1:1000 scale (1mm equals 1 metre) we had to accurately model all the proposed new contours and levels across the site, including the old quarry cliff faces. The colour coded buildings indicate the proposed usage and maximum roof heights for each of the plots. The colours reflect those used on the original 2D masterplan but toned down to create an aesthetically pleasing appearance for the model.

Redevelopment Area Planning Model – Scale 1:1000

We’ve made several models for local government backed redevelopment areas, and this was the third such project in the last couple of years. Winning all of them through a strict tendering process we had to demonstrate that we could deliver outstanding quality at a competitive price. This small scale model was used to illustrate the masterplan for the proposed redevelopment of a huge decommissioned steelworks site.