Architecture Model

Hi rurudr

What if you use the expensive stuff but leave a cavity on the inside? That is cut strips to stick onto each other only at the visible edge. You could maybe give it pillars on the inside to give it strength.

And what about using polystyrene covered with a skin of mesh or cloth hardened by pigmented epoxy?

Do it at coarser intervals and blend in between with plaster or some similar material.

Conversely make the mountain part non representational, turn it into an abstracted shape of geometric blocks...(essence of mountain...funky)... (after all I don't suppose even a detailed contour map gives an accurate 3D map of a mountainside)...

The actual bit the summer home sits on can be accurate ..but that is doubtless fairly flat anyhow)

Del

Visible edge was what I said until I learned / saw the different "usable levels, i.e parking area at 2nd level showing access from backside of house (front faces river). Upper / roof level extends to plateau on top of mountain for social area, etc. We would create more work. We did a poly and then covered it with plaster mesh, type used for casts purchased at the local med supply store. He said great work for initial concept...Now show me a true topo. Looks like we are just going to have to buy what they all buy and cut, cut, cut.

Thanks

Couple of the kids went with abstract geo shapes representing mountain, unfortunately, not what he was looking for...At the actual site, there is some excavation depicted where part of the house is recessed into the mountain but most of the house is on footers, columns and header beams, (more of an exercise in engineering than design if you ask me) so we have very little flat land. I myself would be more focused on the house itself and how it is supported on a steep slope site rather than what the contour material is. But he is boss for now. Like I told Hendrik, Guess we Buy Buy Buy & Cut, Cut, Cut...

Thanks

Architectural education, much like any art, is really just about how much money and time you are willing to spend. It is not really about technical skill, so you can not compensate substantially for a lack of money with ingenuity. It is not going to be a cheap degree, so be prepared.

Who said education meant to be cheap?

I concur...But spending the weekend cutting 200 sheets of "wiggly" lines on four fronts to a pinnacle, just to throw it away seams like a wast of resources, regardless if you consider time or money. I just think that focusing on the design of the structure and then the home design itself would be a better exercise, but then again, I do not write the curriculum. If this was a course in topography where you pick a site, get GPS readings, survey it, plot it, scale it, draw it, build it to scale to represent an actual point on the map, then I would not be looking for a "Cheap" alternative in both time and money. I guess for me its more principal as I am a linear thinker. Oh yeah...Sticker shock set in a long time ago...

Thanks

If you are at a university ask around in the industrial and mechanical engineering programs about rapid protyping in plastic. Its not the cheapest, but its getting more affordable all the time. Pipe the GIS data (or model data) through a CAD setup and there you go.

You may want to add void spaces on the inside of the mountain and screw holes to mount other parts of the model to it.

As father to two University students, there comes a time when it's your turn to be the labourer rather than the brains.

Third year of her degree, she should be ready to "fly on her own" with guidance from parents and friends.

By the way, we used lightweight styrene sheet (10mm thick) to create models. Easy to cut with a hot wire, some challenge to paint, but created good models. Needs an inbuilt frame to support the masterpiece at the top

We were building model bridges. Most difficult part was the jointing of timber members in the models. Worse than building the real thing.

How about a mix of cardboard and bubble wrap? Use small and large bubbles and spray paint spots then brush to connect.

I think first you make up this model (mountain) in mud or pop then pour thin layer of resine mixed with qualt and catalyst. then evenly spread thin layer of glass fibre say around 3mm thicknes then again apply same mixture of resien, qualt and catalyst with brush. Now take .8 to 1mm thick sheet of polyester or polythene and spread it over the surface such that each and every corner is properly coverd. let this to settle for around 5 hour. NOw remove the mud from inside and you will get a fine 4 mm skin of mountain. this will be light weight and regid enough to take load of floor plan layout.

Please note this is an exothermic reaction so do this in open and take proper care while working with checmical as they some time alergic in nature.

I would agree with Just an Engineer use the light weight styrene sheets and a hot wire foam cutter. You can get the sheets in many thicknesses. It will be much quicker and lighter than the cardboard. Just about any hobby store will have the knife or you can make one easy enough. Just do a quick search on the web.

Would Foamcore panels work? Thicker than cardboard, lightweight, easy to cut.