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

    RSA-AGA-MODEL-PIC-3.jpg

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

    detail.jpg

    Building a model is another form of architecture, but on a smaller scale.
  • Image may contain Building Architecture Convention Center Office Building Urban Town City and Metropolis
    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.
  • Image may contain Building Architecture Flooring Banister and Handrail
    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.
  • Image may contain Architecture Building Dome Urban and Neighborhood
    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.
  • Image may contain Banister Handrail Human Person Interior Design and Indoors
    Erich Koyama
    09

    interior-2.jpg

    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

    IMG-64141.jpg

    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.
  • Image may contain Building Office Building Urban Town High Rise City Condo Housing Architecture and Wood
    Kennedy Fabrications
    14

    Marion-Road-Dublin1.jpg

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