Route
Two entrances, one room
Build a simple enclosure with two entries. Compare what becomes visible from each threshold.
DF-SPATIAL / Make room for an idea
Think with
your hands.
Look from
inside.
Build small. Discover how an edge, an opening or a change of light can alter the whole experience of a space.
A workbench for spatial ideas.
Use a modest model to expose a relationship before making it permanent.
01 / Observe
Where does the next step seem to be?
02 / Test
Which boundary changes the experience?
03 / Record
What did this version teach you?
Watch / move / compare
Three ways to make a route legible.
Make the destination visible from the entrance. Compare the clarity of the route with the amount of discovery it leaves along the way.
Introduce one turn. Check whether it creates anticipation or simply hides information someone needs.
Place two possible destinations in the model. Study where their paths meet and whether that meeting has enough space.
Material as a spatial argument
Let the surface help you decide.
A model material can stand in for a full-size surface only in limited ways. Compare stiffness, transparency and edge behaviour, and keep structural assumptions explicit.
CardFast / foldable / revisable
Translucent paperLight / diffusion / atmosphere
BasswoodGrain / edge / direction
Coloured planeAttention / boundary / contrast
Short rounds, useful evidence
Four passes through the same question.
Set a boundary
Define one footprint and a consistent scale. Keep the brief smaller than the model.
Build alternatives
Make three loose arrangements before committing to one. Photograph each from a fixed position.
Shift the viewpoint
Compare plan and eye-level views. A readable plan may conceal an awkward threshold.
Keep the reason
Record the rejected option as well as the chosen one. Explain what the change made possible.
Project note / Threshold
One opening.
Two viewpoints.
A different answer.
A plan can hide a low ceiling or an uncertain entrance. Photograph at the height of a model visitor and compare the result with the view from above.
- Focus
- Arrival and orientation
- Variable
- Position of the opening
- Reference
- A consistent scale figure
- Record
- Matched camera positions
Choose a next action
Find a study for the decision in front of you.
Light
A narrow slice
Cut a single slot in a card wall. Move a lamp and record when the light begins to describe another surface.
Scale
The borrowed object
Place a familiar scaled object inside the model. Check how it changes your judgement of the surrounding volume.
Route
A place to pause
Add one stopping point to a straight route without blocking it. Test whether the pause feels invited or imposed.
Light
A floating ceiling
Suspend a paper plane above the model. Observe how its edge and shadow change the perceived enclosure.
Scale
One room, three heights
Keep the floor plan constant and alter only the ceiling. Photograph all versions from a fixed eye level.
Before another cut
A short
workbench check.
Read the model as someone approaching it for the first time. These checks are temporary and are not sent.
0 checks complete
Working evidence
Keep the uncertainty
in the room.
Measuring, lighting, revising and documenting are different kinds of looking. Give each a place in the process.
Models and their limits
Make room
for doubt.
Exploratory models reveal questions. They do not certify construction, access or performance.
What scale should I choose?
Choose a scale large enough to inspect the relationship you are studying and small enough to revise quickly. A detail model and a whole-room model may need different scales.
Does a successful model prove the space is accessible?
No. An exploratory model can reveal questions, but access, dimensions and real use require appropriate review against the actual project requirements.
Should I make a polished final model first?
Start with quick, reversible assemblies. A polished model is useful for communication after the central spatial decisions have been tested.
Are these built architecture projects?
The images are illustrative model-making scenes. They are not records of completed buildings, engineering approvals or client commissions.