Discover the fascinating world of famous models throughout history.
Architectural models are tools of considerable importance, frequently used to create structures, monuments, real estate complexes and many others on a smaller scale. Due to their ability to faithfully represent the final construction, models provide architects, investors and builders with the opportunity to see the future project in a much clearer way and to have a common communication topic.
Considering these things, it is not surprising that architectural models have had huge popularity for thousands of years, being often used in countless historical periods, but also areas of the Globe to express architects’ ideas and vision.
Many buildings with significant historical significance first began as architectural models, structures that shaped and substantially influenced human civilization, but also the way buildings are built today. There are many examples of famous architectural models in the world, but these 3 ones are the most important:
Reims Cathedral – Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims – France
Reims Cathedral, also called the Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Reims, cathedral located in the city of Reims, France, on the Vesle River east-northeast of Paris. Reims was the site of 25 coronations of the kings of France, from Louis VIII in 1223 to Charles X in 1825, including the crowning of Charles VII in 1429 in the presence of Joan of Arc.
Michelangelo’s dome from St. Peter’s Basilica – Italy
One of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican includes the dome that Michelangelo redesigned in 1547. At the age of 85, he asked a carpenter to produce an architectural model based on a model of clay, created by himself, considering it an important step to test the project.
The dome was completed after the death of the Italian master and the details proposed by the great artist were largely preserved.
Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família – Spain
Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família is one of the most recognizable buildings in Barcelona, Spain. The church was built mainly based on the models developed by the architect, as Gaudí preferred this approach over drawn sketches.
Ever since 1883 when he became responsible for creating the design of the church, Antoni Gaudí created plaster models to bring his vision to life and give the builders a clearer picture, something impossible with a two-dimensional sketch, given the complex details of the structure.
Although the Sagrada Família has not yet been completed even today, the responsible architects respect the vision and tradition of using architectural models in the construction of this iconic building, using both traditional methods and newer technologies.
Architectural models were and still are some of an architect and designer’s most important tools. The models allow a better picture of the final structure in order to bring to life some truly extraordinary masterpieces.
Taking into account the countless centuries in which they have been used, architectural models are proof of human ingenuity and creativity, being a reminder that every great idea in history first began as a thought, before being developed and built in an innovative and amazing way.
