Model Making in the Digital Age (September)

About

Atelier La Juntana, in collaboration with the Architecture Official College of Cantabria and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, is organising the fifth edition of the summer workshop ‘Model Making in the Digital Age’ for architects (both students and professionals) and makers willing to investigate and discover different techniques and materials, while developing an architectural model. The workshop will particularly observe the relationship between traditional craft and digital design. Led by architects Armor and Nertos Gutiérrez Rivas, along with interdisciplinary artist Daniel Gutiérrez Adán, the next workshops will take place at Atelier La Juntana, located in Santander, Spain. Both beginners with little prior experience and those with specific professional interests are invited to participate.

The workshop is a full-time course, starting at 09.30am and finishing at 5.30pm each day, with a total of 56 learning hours. Each participant will have his or her own working space; access to Wi-Fi and the library, printer and plotter; a resting area in the garden; and access to a small kitchen. The booking fee includes all practical materials, an instructional publication and pick-up service from Santander. Accommodation in the surroundings of the workshop can also be provided upon request. The course is recognised by the Polytechnic Architecture University of Madrid as part of the University Programme, and students are granted 2 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) upon completion.

The course is taught across a series of short exercises combining theory and practice, through which students are challenged to solve a given brief by means of making. Varying in scale and duration, the exercises will be conducted through direct experimentation and manufacturing, and will include techniques such as embossing, etching, carving, moulding, and casting, making the students aware of the production time and process.

Course leader

Armor & Nertos Gutierrez Rivas

Target group

Architects, Art and Design

Course aim

Far from being overshadowed by the digital era, physical models reclaim, today more than ever, their place as a key element during the architectural process: from urban to interior design, public consultations and exhibitions, and even for interaction with the visually impaired.Utilised throughout all the phases of the design, from the early stages to final 1:1 scale mock-ups, physical models help us to visualise ideas, explain concepts, foresee problems and investigate solutions. Understood as an element on the borderline between craftsmanship and digital production, architectural models combine art and technical skills, reaching a result which is not a mere reproduction of the idea, but a unique creation itself.

This workshop is an introduction to the world of Model Making, embracing its different applications, scales, materials and techniques, while encouraging the research and discovery of new ways of making and representing the architectural model through a combination of fine arts and digital production.

Fee info