Architectural Model Building

I'm using this book to help create lesson plans. The way that the materials are laid out with example projects is great!

It is a great resource to peruse some modeling ideas, but there isn't a great deal of detail. It will start you off on a creative step, but don't expect it to walk you through everything. It really is a great book to introduce ideas to you for you to experiment with yourself.

Excelente brief about model making and materials. Contains small essays about how esay, or commited you have to be to use this 3d tool.

Modelmaking techniques, such as shaping basswood blocks with saws, adhering graphics to the back of plexi sheets, etc. are explained, with a reference to pictures of models made with that technique at the rear of the book. Uses of certain techniques, such are repetition, modules, rotation, are related to similar architectural concepts and indicated as being appropriate to communicate those concepts. Some techniques are not addressed at all, for example hot wire cutting of foam blocks, which is actually very well suited for creating contours. Key words and key concepts are listed with each technique, a construct which is more suited to a searchable digital resource. Here you have to flip the pages and read the bottom paragraph. The layout is pretty and architectonic, but as an experienced model maker since high school, building radio control airplanes and then 35 years as an architect, I found the book to be rather limited. This would be a good inspiration book for an architectural student, but I would supplement with some more hard core model making instructions.

Lots of useful tips and information.

Bought this for some inspiration while modeling, and I am not disappointed! This book has some great tips and techniques that everyone can learn from.

The book comes up short as anything related to architectural model making. I bought this and within the first five minutes it was apparent that it was a disappointing purchase. It fails to go beyond being a mere photo montage of the materials used in the process. It lacks specific how-to information and only offers knowledge that the beginning architecture student already knows -- which is the basic list of materials needed to construct models. It seems as if the intention of the book is to provide a clean, pleasant look as evidenced by the constant use of "bricks" as a comparative visual tool of various materials. The bricks however, do not offer any sort of useable technique beyond the generalized and very lean descriptions, which again, the typical architectural student would already know. It is a picture book. It looks good on the coffee table. But Making Models the book fails to offer any useful purpose in providing insight to any useable technique or procedure in architectural model making. While it may look pleasing, there is of little use here beyond a first glance. There are definitely more useable and informative books on architectural model-making.

i like it, im archiect

fully recommended

Excellent reference source and a pleasure to just look at or scan through as well!

I thought this book would be as good as the title on photography in the same series but was disappointed. It is about architectural modelmaking but I couldn't understand who it is aimed at. There are some photographs of really nice large models for top architectural firms but showing photographs of models is a bit like writing about architecture - you have to go and see it first hand to appreciate it. There is a large section on the various materials; these range from card to CNC lathes with everything in between, they are not for beginners or students but I am not sure what professionals would get out of it either as they would be aware of all of these. The techniques section is also very advanced so again not sure who would be buying this book. Not really worth the money for the photographs alone and the text is a brief overview of a comprehensive selection of methods and materials.