B.Arch CurriculumFree, forever
A tribute to Amogh N P
Model Making & Architectural Delineation
How an idea becomes something you can see, hold and photograph. This elective is the craft of representation — both the physical model and the rendered drawing. Build models from card, foam, balsa, acrylic, clay and plaster; render in pen, charcoal and watercolour; diagram a concept and montage it into its site; choose the right scale for each design stage; and photograph the finished model so it carries the idea. A hands-on, visual companion to the design studio.
Course byAmogh N P· Architect & interior designer
The syllabus
5 units · 5 liveTranscribed from the official B.Arch syllabus. All 5 units are live as full interactive lessons — with original diagrams, a material explorer, a model-scale selector and a self-assessment quiz.
Unit 1 — Introduction to Model Making & Media
LiveWhy models matter and the types of architectural model and their purposes; freehand representation media for delineation — pencil, pen-and-ink, charcoal, watercolour, paints, mixed media, collage, lino-cut and print making.
Unit 2 — Diagramming & Delineation
LiveConceptual sketches and diagrams — the parti and bubble diagram; the drawing systems as delineation (plan, section, elevation, perspective, axonometric / oblique / parallel projection); and photography and montage, from study to presentation.
Unit 3 — Model-Making Materials & Techniques
LiveTraditional materials — mount board, foam, thermocol, clay, plaster of Paris, papier-mâché, balsa and wood — and new-age materials — polystyrene, AAC blocks, plastics, meshes; processes from cutting and casting to laser cutting; and generative, parametric and nature-to-structure explorations.
Unit 4 — Presentation Models & Scale
LiveScale and proportion in models; choosing the right scale for each design stage; topography and contour models, textures and landscape; and entourage — the human figures, trees and vehicles that give a model life and read its scale.
Unit 5 — Photographing & Presenting Models
LiveUsing study models as a design tool; photographing a model — backdrop, lighting and the human-eye viewpoint; depth of field and the scale figure; and bringing models into design presentations and the portfolio.
Course outcomes
What you will be able to doUnderstand and apply different model-making techniques and tools for architectural representation.
Create and analyse conceptual sketches and diagrams using various delineation techniques.
Use model-making materials and techniques to explore the design process and fabrication.
Develop and present architectural models at different scales for effective design communication.
Incorporate study models into presentations, enhancing communication through model photography.
The author
Amogh N P
Architect, interior designer, and creative polymath. Studio Matrx began in his notebooks — his vision of design made honest, useful, and open to everyone. Its Academy is written and taught in his memory, and free, forever.
More about Amogh →Make the idea something you can hold.
Media, diagramming, materials, scale and photography — read the five units, try the material explorer and the scale selector, and test yourself.
The curriculum is free, forever