Physical Modeling

Physical Modeling 

By:Lucas Shubert

            I have often wondered throughout my student career in architecture about the value of scale physical models. While they do communicate certain things about a building, I believe they are (or soon will be) obsolete. I imagine their primary purpose has always been to show the client a design medium that he or she has never seen before in day-to-day life. The power of the physical model comes from the wonder it creates in the eyes of someone that is generally unfamiliar with architecture. However, that situation will never occur for a student, because our client is always an instructor (who knows a thing or two about our projects to begin with) or a jury member from a peripheral field of study. Therefore, who does it help to better understand the project by spending an enormous amount of time on a physical model?

            The answer to this question changes from person to person. According to my instructors, physical models are most useful for me while I’m building them. According to me, the finished product is not worth the effort of creating it. That is because I always already have a digital model that is much more detailed and accurate. Something that frequently happens toward the end of a class is a student becomes completely engrossed with his or her physical model and loses potential quality in documents produced from the digital model. Time spent designing a physical model and constructing it could be better spent perfecting a digital model that communicates infinitely more about a project through detailed sections and renderings. The scale of a physical model is frequently inaccurate and inconsistent due to material constraints. This problem does not exist in the digital realm.

            The most effective argument for physical models is of course that digital models can only exist in two dimensions. But, computer software has long been capable of creating a realistic illusion of three dimensional spaces. Which bring me to my next point: students should be encouraged to explore animation and graphic design over studies in materiality of chipboard and Plexiglas. As mentioned above the real power of a scale physical model is in showing a client a form of media he or she hasn’t seen before. That same logic can and should be applied to animated digital walkthroughs, making them the next form of media that will impress a client.