Cast Offs (Touchstones in Practice)

The working process of an architect is not often shown publicly, as the finished buildings, more particularly images and publications on them tend to dominate how architecture is communicated. In this there is something lost. The experience of the building, which is its most valuable aspect, is only possible by being there physically. Photography and other means of representation of architecture can tend to an overly perfected and artificial read of both the building and how the design was produced. In truth the design process for a building is a complex one, full of chance discoveries, multiple abandoned ideas, and refinement which is lateral as well as rational.

When we were asked to exhibit it struck us that we should address this deficit in some small way. These are models made as part of the design process for four projects (an arts centre, a womens refuge, a villa and four artists studios). An important part of our work method is to try to explore the material qualities of the buildings we are working on. To advance this we commonly make models to allow us to make discoveries and to advance the project so that the finished building is imbued with material and spatial character. These models are not made to show the final design of the building but to highlight an aspect that we are interested in exploring, in some cases this is about a space, in others about texture and its relationship to form. We chose these four models as all in some way allowed us to make discoveries about the project being explored. This discovery, once made, is what we value. The model itself serves only to produce this, and once made we can cast off the model and move on. We show them, not as architecture, but as touchstones for ideas out of which architecture may come.