Check Out This Huge Collection Of Architectural Models

Will Noble
By Will Noble Last edited 30 months ago
Check Out This Huge Collection Of Architectural Models
St Paul's in jelly form, as imagined by Bompas & Parr © Greta Ilieva

A jelly St Paul's Cathedral, Empress Josephine's bedroom crafted from paper, and a cork model of the now-destroyed ancient temple of Bel in Palmyra go on display in London this September.

"Er, why?" might be your first question. It's part of a collaboration between the Building Centre and the V&A, bringing together one of the largest and most diverse collections of architectural models exhibited in the UK.

Dieter Cöllen's cork model of the Temple of Bel Palmyra

Shaping Space - Architectural Models Revealed — on at the Building Centre in Bloomsbury from 24 September-28 January — highlights the role models play in shaping and recording the landmarks that appear around us.

Among the eclectic range of historical and contemporary models on display are a mock-up of Empress Josephine's bedroom from 1804 (crafted so Napoleon could approve interior design proposals while on the battlefield); a geometry study for the Sydney Opera House by its architect Jørn Utzon; set designs from the recent heartbreaking Save Ralph animations, and a model of St Paul's Cathedral moulded in jelly by gastronomic pioneers Bompas & Parr.

See set designs by Andy Gent for the stop motion Save Ralph campaign against animal cruelty

Other contributions come from eminent architects including David Adjaye and Charles Holland (creators of A House for Essex), and Livio de Luca — digital model researcher at the construction site of the damaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

Shaping Space - Architectural Models Revealed, Building Centre, Bloomsbury. 24 September 2021-28 January 2022. Free entry.

Last Updated 20 September 2021