From time to time I like to make these facade models - just one elevation of a building, as a way to really study and indulge in the detail. So I choose buildings with lots of detail, in a way to challenge myself. The one above is the most challenging I’ve done, the original St Enoch’s Subway entrance. Chosen because of how very detailed it is! This model is all hand-cut and assembled, no laser cutting here (and is available for sale, by the way!).
So recently I fancied doing another facade model, but wanted something that I could complete in a day or two. I thought about various modernist buildings, and settled on the Rietveld Schroder House, in Utrecht, an iconic design of the De Stijl movement. I was lucky enough to visit here as a teenager (with architects for parents, this is the kind of family holiday we went on!).
Image by creative commons
It turned out to be so much more complex than I’d imagined. It really shows the attention to detail that went into every part of this building. While the facade is made up of rectangles, they each layer and line up with each other, so creating that layered effect had to be well thought through before starting.
This was a real eye-opener for me. Yes, it was much quicker to produce than the St Enoch’s model. But something I thought of as visually simple turned out to have a lot to it. I’ve always loved modernist design - far more than anything like the ornate, late-Victorian style of the subway entrance - but thought it was a little boring from a model making perspective. I do love crafting the detail for a Victorian facade, and there’s plenty of good ones around Glasgow, but this has made me think twice about what simple actually means!