Architecture Paper Models Free Download
Rosella Brain
I went back and forth about writing this blog post as a 2 part series but just decided to make this one big post. The first part is all about glue and then I break down the tape shortly after. If you want to the section about tape CLICK HERE
I prefer to use isopropyl alcohol and nail polish remover, to help remove the gunk and residue left from glue and tape. I have never been a fan of Goof Off. I think that stuff is way to too toxic for my liking.
Hot glue is definitely a specialty glue. I used it a lot in architecture school for all types of random stuff. They sell different types of glue sticks and I tried them all but never seemed to think one was stronger than another.
When I was building my thesis site model I needed a very thick block of wood to show the massing of an existing building. I sandwiched a few pieces of wood together with wood glue in the middle and clamp them all together. After it dried, I chopped down that Frankenstein block of wood to the size that I needed it. Worked beautifully!
I discovered Cyanoacrylate by accident one day when I was at a model railroad shop buying dimension basswood for a model. This glue really upped the ante on the way I build models and their craftsmanship.
I use spray adhesive mostly to mount drawings to foam core. When I use spray adhesive I only want to use the best, which is why I only use Super 77. I have tried all types and none other has been as strong as Super 77.
Why is tape in a blog post about model building? I sometimes use tape a lot more than I actually use glue to build models. You can put things together and rip them apart a lot faster with tape then glue. Double sided tape is a much safer and cleaner alternative then using spray mount. Sometimes it seems like I have used tape for everything, besides what it was originally invented for.
One of my favorite ways to build real fast study models is taking a whole bunch of scrap or random pieces of Bristol board, grabbing a sharp scissor and using painters tape instead of glue to hold all the pieces together. Modeling with painters tape instead of glue is the fastest way to bring 3 dimensional ideas to life.
Many years ago I met an architect who uses mostly double-sided tape to build his beautiful models. He swore by the stuff and he had 10 different types of double-sided tape he used to build models. He got me hooked and I actually use this double-sided tape more then white glue.
Need your views on the topic "Use of paper modelling techniques in the study of architecture" as part of a research that I am undertaking. I plan to use the results of the survey to publish a book on the use of paper modelling in architecture.
Please do let me know your views on this topic. Would really help to understand from an architects perspective if the use of paper modelling as a method for teaching concepts of architecture is a GO or NO GO.
like I said this was just the genesis of the project, but it seemed very useful for getting us to think a little differently. unfortunately I don't know much else about how it was taught, seeing as I was a student.
Paper modeling is a critical function that teaches plan reading, scale, visualization, problem solving, experimentation , etc. among other things. Also stimulates the imagination in ways that computer models can't and never will. Making things is a basic and essential skill for all creative professions.
I agree with Miles. I just finished up my second graduate semester studio at Illinois-Chicago and the entire studio was predicated on building paper models, establishing one concept through development of an idea that is a direct resultant of iterative process of paper modelling. Check out some photos and write up here:
By paper modelling, I mean the use of paper as a medium to understand the concepts of architecture design. The objective is to present to students techniques of using paper to build concept models and experiment with designs.
The premise for this is that paper provides a realistic idea on the feasibility of the full scale model (although computer designs will also be able to validate this) by providing a feel of the real thing.
When you say paper modeling techniques in architecture, it makes me think of topological studies, like Mobius strips (which I just noticed got a mention on Thread Central this morning too). Studying topology through physical objects is very different than studying on the computer. Although computers have very powerful abilities to make and express surface and form, studying topology through a physical medium is multi-sensory, and therefore has more learning opportunities. We had a good studio project where we had to choose a simple yet complex 3-D object (like a spoon) out of a flat piece of paper. I thought it was very beneficial. But that is my opinion, I am not much of a computer modeler, so maybe I'm biased, but no matter what is on the screen, when you lick it, it ALWAYS feels like a cool plane of glass...
I think physical models are definitely essential in the learning process. They don't have to be made of paper though. I don't think paper in itself has any inherent benefit, versus, say, wood, or cardboard, or mesh, or metal.
Paper is an ideal material for modeling. Cheap, plentiful, recyclable, easy to work, adopts various structural properties based on configuration, etc. Cardboard is simply stiffer paper. Wood, metal etc. all require some degree of technology and training to manipulate. Paper can be worked with rudimentary tools or without tools at all. This allows students to focus on what is being modeled rather than the process of construction.
just because someone is using paper to build models doesn't necessarily mean they'll learn more if all they're doing is making boxes compared to that crazy guy modelling on computer with a million ideas in his head
I think that part of the confusion going on here is that there is a substantial difference between literally constructing a model out of paper, which is done occasionally but not frequently in architecture, and the idea of architectural model making in general which would be done out of a certain set of materials which are considered standard for model-making such as chipboard and basswood. Paper isn't typically used for serious model making since it has less structural rigidity than other materials, but it has some advantages where it is easy to cut and can be folded into a wider range of unusual/curved forms compared to a thicker material. Typically paper would be used for quick study models, whereas chipboard and sometimes cardboard can be used for both studies (including more in-depth/sophisticated study models) and final presentation models.
I would like create some grasshopper definitions of paper models that we are making by hand and to be able to change them in 3D (and compare the results) by changing the 2D geometry (the unfolded pattern). I think I would like to achieve something like the software Rigid Origami does, but using Rhino+Grasshopper instead.
I have this planar shape in mind now (without the flaps on the edge). 1. How can I make this "piece" behave like a segment with multiple folds? 2. How can I add more of the same segments (join them on the sides) in order to create a closed object? 3. I would also like to be able to change the number of border edges as well and to be able to control the position of those points in order to make differently shaped "planar pieces" and different objects in the end.
If I understand you correctly you want to make folded-surface-sub-units that can be combined to form a single closed surface. It sounds like you want to arbitrarily define the shape of the sub-surface yet I doubt the problem can be approached this way with any hope of ending up with a closed surface. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something...
in your example the srf should have a area of 9. But this works only for the parallelogram not for triangles. Do you know why? During a paperfolding all the areas should stay the same size. I have this problem faced quit often! Mh?
Good catch on that. As you suggest the problem must be with the parallelogram since the triangle by definition will always remain planar...probably the parallelogram outer point coincident with the triangle outer point needs to rotate around a differently oriented vector or around the same vector at a different rate which I believe will twist the parallelogram out of planarity while it's folding. So it looks like the parallelogram needs to be diced into triangles (as in the paper model) to keep all surfaces planar and hence there will have to be more folding vectors and rotations in the definition. Oh...no fun here.
Look at this. I think you'll find it to be more in line with what you're looking to do. Accomplishing anything like this is way beyond my skill set at this point. This has been a very interesting topic though and I'll continue to dabble at it.
Kirigami is a variation of the Japanese art of origami that involves cutting paper as well as folding it. In Frank Lloyd Wright Paper Models, Hagan-Guirey's kirigami designs have been intricately composed to imitate some of Wright's most famous works, including the Robie House and Unity Temple in Chicago.
Among the book's 60 pages, are 14 removable kirigami templates and step-by-step directions on how to create these models yourself. Laurence King describes the book "a must for Wright fans and architectural model enthusiasts", whether they are experts or newcomers to kirigami.
The publisher added: "Using the art of kirigami (cutting and folding), with only a scalpel, cutting mat and ruler, fans can recreate Wright's best-loved buildings, including iconic landmarks such as Fallingwater and New York's Guggenheim Museum."
The artist's first book, Paper Dandy's Horrorgami, was published in 2015, also by Laurence King. His kirigami works have sold to private and commercial clients, and he has produced commissions for Samsung Galaxy, the London Transport Museum and Decorex International.
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