Make models: 20 and 22 Ropemaker Street gift models

刊登 13.02.2023

由 Make modelshop

Client Old Park Lane Management Ltd
Scale 1:1000
Dimensions 130mm (l) x 130mm (w) x 150mm (h)
Time to make 24 models – 3 weeks
Materials Fast-cast resin with brass and bronze powder, machined stone base
Model-makers Susie Cole, Paul Miles, Theodore Polwarth, Alex Stewart, George Taylor, Cristiana Dumitru

The project

This new commercial building will bring more than 400,000ft² of Grade A, BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ office space to a prominent corner site just north of Moorgate Station. With a strong vertical rhythm, our design features a series of stepped slices that protrude forward and recess back, creating five roof terraces and facilitating a variety of floorplates to accommodate different tenants. Most of the levels have balconies, meaning virtually every floor has access to outdoor amenities. We’ve designed the ground floor lobby as a community space for the building’s occupants, with a variety of event spaces, places to work and a coffee bar greeting workers on arrival.

The model

This set of gift models was commissioned by Skanska to commemorate the topping out ceremony of Ropemaker in October 2022.

We first took the CAD (computer-aided design) model of 20 Ropemaker Street and made a simplified version that would work for moulding and casting. We 3D-printed a prototype on our Formlabs 3D printer using SLA resin, then, once the print was cleaned and cured, we lightly sanded the models to remove the build lines. After applying a coat of primer paint, our mould was ready to cast. We made an acrylic box slightly large than our 3D-printed model and filled it with silicone. Once it had set, we removed our master print and were left with a hollow mould we could cast into.

The colour of the models was selected to reflect and match that of the facade elements, notably the glazed ceramic, so we experimented with different mixes of metal powders. Once we were happy with the mix, we started the casting process. We combined the metal powders with the fast-cast resin and then poured the mix into the mould. To save on the expensive metal powders, we used the slush cast technique – where a small amount of the resin and metal mix is poured into the mould, which is then manually rotated in all directions until a thin layer of resin and metal coats the mould, creating a hollow part. Once cured, this hollow is then filled with resin to create a solid model.

Once the final model was cured, we removed it from the mould and worked over each face with steel wool to remove a fine layer of resin and expose the metal. After some experimentation, we then added a thin layer of black polish to the model to accentuate the window reveals and cladding.

While we were making the models, Chiltern Contracts made the stone bases. These were made from limestone, to reflect the material used on the building’s facade, and then engraved with the clients’ and contractors’ logos alongside the date of the topping out ceremony.

Finally the completed, mounted models were boxed up and sent to the topping out ceremony.