What the ISBN Represents
The 13‑digit ISBN 9788770980098 (and its 10‑digit counterpart 8770980098) uniquely identifies this architectural anthology. Registered to this specific imprint and edition, it ensures anyone searching worldwide can reliably find The Makings of an Architectural Model libris.kb.se+8abebooks.com+8adk.elsevierpure.com+8.
Context & Significance
This anthology stands out in architectural discourse for highlighting the role of the physical model in studio and design practice. It pushes back against the privileging of drawings—plans, sections, renders—as chief vehicles of design communication.
Peter Bertram brings together voices of architects and educators who treat models not as end products, but as integral tools for material exploration, spatial reasoning, and iteration. The book underscores the tactile, experimental, and ethical dimensions of building models. These aren’t just miniature presentations—they’re devices to think with, shaping the form, context, and values of architecture itself .
Structure & Content
Though the full table of contents isn’t widely available online, we know the book offers:
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A collection of essays or reflections by leading practitioners and educators, each unpacking their use of models.
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Visual and material case studies showing models in various states—conceptual mock-ups, exploded diagrams, finely detailed presentations.
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A rich blend of experimental, utilitarian, and speculative models—all crafted to interrogate different design problems.
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An explicit discussion of the model as a social construct, shaping and shaped by architectural discourse and pedagogy adk.elsevierpure.com+3books.google.com+3upi2mbooks.hr+3.
One notable contribution is Deane Simpson’s essay, “New Soviet Models”, which spans pages 117–133. Simpson examines how early Soviet architectural models embodied forward‑thinking modernist ideals in both design and ideology adk.elsevierpure.com.
Why It Matters
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Reclaims the Model’s Role
Drawings and digital visuals dominate architectural culture today. This book asserts that models play a central, generative role for architects—supporting spatial thinking, material experimentation, and narrative invention. -
Bridges Theory and Practice
Through case-specific reflections, it connects lived model-making with larger theoretical questions—about spatial perception, materiality, and ethics. -
Global Educational Resource
Produced by the prestigious Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, the book is a reference in architecture schools around the world. It’s cataloged in major libraries—from the Danish national collection to Princeton and Stockholm . -
Interdisciplinary Relevance
Architects, designers, model-makers, educators, students, and researchers will all find something of value—whether reconsidering how design is taught, exploring hands-on methods, or preserving traditions of craft in a computerized field.
In-Depth: Materiality & Process
A recurring theme across the essays is how working with physical materials—balsa wood, foamboard, cardboard, plastic sheets, metal—forces a conversation between hand, eye, and idea. These materials don’t just convey form—they react, resist, and redirect the architect’s thinking.
Exploratory models are often rough, unrefined early in design, deliberately left unfinished to encourage new lines of thought. Model-making becomes a feedback loop: hand-formed ideas lead back to plan and section, and those drawings, in turn, inform further model refinement. Peter Bertram’s editorial vision makes clear that process is as important as product books.google.com.
Ethical Dimensions & World-making
The anthology insists architectural modeling involves ethical choices. Even mundane decisions—material sourcing, scale, detail—carry implications for sustainability, representation, and the built environment.
Architecture isn’t isolated; models, as simulacra of the real world, participate in world-making—shaping how we imagine, inhabit, and value spaces. This book uses the model to examine architecture’s responsibility toward habitat-making and social change .
Educational & Scholarly Impact
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Curricula Influence: Architecture schools often assign not just model construction, but model-based critiques and theory workshops. This anthology illuminates why that pedagogy matters.
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Research Contribution: By merging reflective writing with richly photographed studies, the book enhances scholarly work on media in architecture. It challenges digital hegemony through an archival lens.
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Global Reach: Though published in Denmark, its English-language text ensures accessibility for international readers. Libraries in Europe and the US carry it, underscoring its reach and relevance .
Availability & Formats
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The Makings of an Architectural Model is a hardcover edition, ~28 cm tall, with 154 pages including illustrations.
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While not always stocked, it circulates globally via academic libraries and specialized design bookstores catalog.princeton.edu+10bokelskere.no+10arkitekturadok.blogspot.com+10.
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Paperback or e-book editions are not commonly listed; the primary print run appears to be this single 2012 hardcover release.
Who Should Read This
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Architecture Students & Educators: To deepen their understanding of modeling as pedagogy.
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Practicing Architects & Model-Makers: To reflect on craft, experimentation, and process.
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Researchers & Theorists of Design: For insights on material culture and media studies.
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Informed Design Enthusiasts: Anyone curious about how models function conceptually and materially.
A Snapshot of Deane Simpson’s “New Soviet Models”
One chapter explores how Soviet-era models not only conveyed technical information but also embodied ideological narratives. Simpson argues that material choices, scale, and display formats worked strategically to reinforce socialist modernism. The models themselves were communicative devices—bridging architecture and political messaging .
Conclusion
ISBN 9788770980098 leads to a book that’s more than a niche anthology—it’s a declaration of value for tactile design practices in an increasingly digital discipline. Through essays, visual portfolios, and theoretical framing, The Makings of an Architectural Model underscores the model’s capacity to awaken material imagination, ethical awareness, and design discourse.
For anyone engaged in the multifaceted work of architecture—whether hand-sketching ideas, building physical volumes, or theorizing media—this book remains a vital companion.
Further Resources & Catalog Listings:
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Danish central archive & Elsevier portal affirm publication details and contributions like Simpson’s chapter arkitekturadok.blogspot.com+9adk.elsevierpure.com+9catalogue.bnf.fr+9.
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National libraries (France, Sweden, Norway, etc.) confirm the ISBN, page count, format, and catalog presence arkitekturadok.blogspot.com+2libris.kb.se+2catalogue.bnf.fr+2.
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Bookshop listings show it as available via on-order in regional shops—e.g., UPI2M Books at €30+