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Junior
Open House - Open House is an educational charity
that promotes architectural awareness through direct
access, experience and debate. The scheme gives
school children the chance to visit some of London's
more notable buildings and chance to talk to the architects
who shape our cities.
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Meetings
with Buildings - a London
Open House site - a progressive list of buildings
of architectural note from 1900 onwards plus details
of how to 'meet' these buildings.
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| Papertoys.com
- this site contains a large number of model templates
to cut out and construct 3-dimensional objects such
as cars and buildings. Many of the plans are available
as downloadable .pdf files. |
| Big
Ben Model Kit -
a kit designed for Key Stage 2 Design & Technology
projects. |
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A
basic guide foamboard modelling
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| Foamboard
modelling is a technique used throughout the model making
industry to construct quick and easy models of proposed
buildings. Many architectural practices use this method
to illustrate ideas they have about a proposed development.
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1.
Setting out the elevations
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plot out the different elements of your design
that will make up the 3 dimensional model. This
can be drawn on computer and printed out or by
hand onto paper which is then spray mounted onto
the foam board. Alternatively the design can be
drawn directly onto the foam board. Drawing the
design on computer easily allows extra detail
to be added such as brick patterns. |
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2.Spray
mounting
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If
your elevations are on paper it is best to spray
mount them onto the foam board. Spray a light
even coating onto the back of the design, let
the glue become tacky then apply the paper to
the foam board working from one end smoothing
out any trapped air. For a very strong adhesion
of the paper to the board use the spray mount
as a contact adhesive by spraying both the paper
and the board allowing the glue to become touch
dry before sticking together.
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| 3.
Cutting out the elevations |
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| Place
the foam board onto a cutting mat then cut out
the elevations by holding the steel rule firmly
on board and holding the scalpel fairly upright.
Make a cut through the top layer of card then
repeat several times until you have cut all the
way through the board. You are much less likely
to cut yourself by making gentle cuts rather than
trying to cut all the way through in one go. Remember
to try and keep the scalpel as vertical as possible
so your cut leaves a right angle between the top
surface and the cut edge. Repeat until all the
elevations are cut out. |
| 4.
Gluing the elevations together |
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| To
glue the elevations together use the UHU glue
as a contact adhesive. Run the glue down one surface
touch it onto the other surface then quickly pull
apart. Allow the glue to become touch dry then
firmly place the elevations back together. This
will form a strong joint. Repeat this process
until you have completed your design. |
| 5.
Tip for a stronger and neater joint |
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| When
you cut out the elevations on one side of the
joint cut away the thickness of the board but
only cut through the top board and the foam leaving
the bottom board uncut. Then glue together as
before. This will give a greater gluing area and
a concealed joint. If you are using this method
an allowance needs to be made on the elevations. |
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A
basic guide to hot wire cutting - using a template
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1.
Making a template
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You
can either draw your template directly onto
stiff card or draw your design on a computer,
print out the design and glue it onto the card.
f
gluing the template onto the card spray glue
is usually the easiest method of gluing. Spray
a light even coating onto the back of the design
and onto the card, let the glue become touch
dry then apply the paper to the card working
from one end smoothing out any trapped air.
Using spray glue as a contact adhesive will
give a very strong adhesion of the paper to
the card.
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| Cut
out the template using a steel rule and craft
knife on a cutting mat for the straight edges
and scissors for the curved edges. |
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2.Using
the hot wire cutter
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Before
you start you need to check the hot wire cutter
is set up correctly.
- Make
sure that the wire is under tension and not
loose.
- Make
sure that the wire is set at right angles
to the cutting bed.
- Set
the temperature control to the correct setting
for the thickness of the material you are
cutting.
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Then
using the guide on the hot wire cutter cut the
styrofoam to width, length and height required.
Now
pin your cardboard template onto the foam and
cut out the details of the design.
note:
When cutting the foam try and make sure that
you use one smooth movement as you pass the
wire through the foam. The temperature of the
wire will determine the speed that you can cut
through the foam, you need to find the optimum
cutting speed.
Cutting slowly will melt the foam too much causing
uneven edges, where trying to cut too fast will
distort the wire and could also cause it to
break.
Use some scrap pieces to get the feel of the
cutter before start.
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| 3.
Finishing the foam |
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| You
can now tidy any uneven areas on the styrofoam
using a craft knife and a sanding board.
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