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Inside the Painstaking World of Miniature Building

November 12, 2021 Diego Hernández 0

This video takes us inside a professional model-building shop in Chicago called Presentation Studios International (PSI). They make models for all kinds of clients, but mostly for developers and architects. We get a tour of the shop from Robert Becker, an architectural designer and former employee. He helps us understand how models are conceptualized a little differently here than within an architectural office or in school. Here, they are almost strictly miniature buildings with the job of faithfully depicting a building design and serving as a persuasive tool to motivate investment. Then, we hear from Martin Chadwick, a life-long model builder to talk through the process of making high-quality miniature buildings and landscapes.

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Behind The Scenes of a Daring Renovation

November 5, 2021 Diego Hernández 0

This is the story of architect Grant Gibson’s journey with a house in central Missouri. Originally designed with his mentor, Doug Garofalo, the owners have recently commissioned Grant to design an addition to their award-winning structure. The problem is the original house was designed to make it difficult to add anything at all, and Garofalo passed away shortly after the original house was constructed. Now, Grant, along with his practice CAMES Gibson, needs to design an addition to this house that defiantly resists alteration and to do it in a way that respects the original design while remaining consistent with his own beliefs and design ethos. The clients work closely with Grant to achieve this new design and find a solution to this very difficult problem.

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How Models Inspire Architecture

October 29, 2021 Diego Hernández 0

Models are useful to architects for all sorts of things, from the earliest parts of the design, all the way to marketing a building after it’s built. But, what is it about models that makes them such an important and powerful tool? And, how do different architecture firms incorporate them into their own and unique design process? This video explores these questions by surveying three firms: Morphosis, MVRDV, and Herzog and de Meuron. Often firms have model shops and dedicated model teams who are responsible for everything from early design decisions to critical client presentations and even marketing the building. We hear from the folks who work in these model shops and breakdown how the three case study firms approach models in their own unique way.

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Dutch Design Week x ArchDaily: Future Cities

October 15, 2021 Diego Hernández 0

Cities face enormous challenges: The energy transition, climate adaptation and, the enormous challenge to build houses for growing populations. As more and more people live in cities, we consider how architecture and landscape design can be adapted to their needs.

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Design Disruption Episode 11: Architecture for the People with Balkrishna V. Doshi

September 23, 2021 Diego Hernández 0

The COVID-19 Pandemic is a disruptive moment for our world, and it’s poised to spur transformative shifts in design, from how we experience our homes and offices to the plans of our cities. The webcast series Design Disruption explores these shifts—and address issues like climate change, inequality, and the housing crisis— through chats with visionaries like architects, designers, planners and thinkers; putting forward creative solutions and reimagining the future of the built environment.