Architectural model makers for practices and design competitions

They are usually named after the design stage they serve. Concept or sketch models test an idea; massing models study volume, height and context; competition models present a scheme to a jury; presentation models show finished detail to clients, planning committees or the public; and interior or detail models explain layouts and construction at 1:50 to 1:20.

It depends on what the model has to explain. Masterplans and urban competitions are usually built at 1:500, a whole building with its surroundings at 1:200, a building with façade detail at 1:100, and homes, interiors or construction details between 1:50 and 1:20. If a competition brief fixes the scale and plinth size, we work to that.

Usually an architectural model or a scale model. Within a practice, models are named by purpose: working or sketch model, block or massing model, white card model, competition model or presentation model. Whatever the name, it is a physical object built to an exact scale.

It is the craft of turning drawings and digital files into accurate physical objects at a fixed scale. Much of the skill lies in judging what to leave out: a massing study works because it is abstract, a presentation model because nothing is missing. In a professional workshop, digital fabrication handles the precise cutting and printing, while assembly and finishing are still done by hand.

In the office, mostly white card, foam board and balsa for quick sketch models. Professional architectural model makers add digital fabrication: laser-cut MDF, birch plywood and acrylic, CNC-milled plinths and terrain, and 3D printed resin or PLA for complex geometry. The finishing touches remain manual: paint, lacquer, scale trees and figures, LED lighting and an acrylic cover.

Architects often build quick working models themselves, but competition and presentation models are usually commissioned from a specialist studio: architectural model makers in the UK, or architectural model builders in the US. Ours is in Madrid, Spain. We ship across Spain in purpose-built packaging, with wooden crates for large models, and quote delivery to the UK, Europe and further afield on request.

A white massing or competition model at 1:500–1:200 costs from €450, typically €450–€1,500 (excl. VAT). A presentation model at 1:200–1:100 with medium-to-high detail usually costs €1,500–€6,000 (excl. VAT). The final price depends on scale, detail, materials, lighting and deadline. Our architectural model pricing page breaks down every range.