Gallery: The World’s Coolest Buildings Begin as the World’s Coolest Models

  • Image may contain Vehicle Transportation Aircraft Airplane Sphere Machine City Town Urban Building and Metropolis
    Scott Harrington
    01

    Alberta-Museum.jpg

    Architectural models, the small-scale versions of buildings, are an important step in the design process.
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    Scott Harrington
    02

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    Here you see the Art Gallery of Alberta by Scott Harrington.
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    Erich Koyama
    03

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    Building a model is another form of architecture, but on a smaller scale.
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    Erich Koyama
    04

    Illuminated.jpg

    Every model involves some degree of visual trickery, to convince you that you’re looking at a perfectly shrunken replica of a full-sized building.
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    Scott Harrington
    05

    Dome-Aerial.jpg

    Every model builder uses techniques to achieve certain visual attributes. The screen on Abu Dhabi's parliament building was created through photochemical etching.
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    Scott Harrington
    06

    Ehrlich-0759.jpg

    A detailed look at the etching. The main structure is 3-D printed.
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    Scott Harrington
    07

    Front-Aerial2.jpg

    From above.
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    Scott Harrington
    08

    Project.jpg

    Harrington designed a miniature replica mixed-use project in Moscow.
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    Erich Koyama
    09

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    If you don't look too closely, you could mistake the image for a photograph of the actual building.
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    Erich Koyama
    10

    Interior-3.jpg

    An interior sculpture made at scale.
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    Kennedy Fabrications
    11

    Abu-above-1-Copy.jpg

    Michael Kennedy constructed a model for the entirety of Abu Dhabi's Sadyiatt Island.
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    Kennedy Fabrications
    12

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    Most of the time a model is the first time a building is realized in 3-D.
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    Kennedy Fabrications
    13

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    Part of a model's job is to view the building in its surrounding context.
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    Kennedy Fabrications
    14

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    Kennedy Fabrications
    15

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  • Image may contain Hotel Building Resort Tree Plant Palm Tree Arecaceae Summer Human Person and Outdoors
    Kennedy Fabrications
    16

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