How do you go from architectural drawings to scale model kits? Little Building Co. modeler and founder Marcus Bree answered this question (and others) in our recent webinar.
Watch highlight clips of this fascinating discussion at the new Model Landmarks Youtube Channel!
Getting to Know Artist Marcus Bree
Artist and Little Building Co. Founder Marcus Bree studied engineering and three-dimensional design in college, and has worked in Japan, Hong Kong, the USA, and across Australia. Bree now runs his own design company in Brisbane, Queensland.
The Little Building Co. felt like a natural extension of his career, and each model kit is inspired by his love of making things and mixing textures and materials.
When people see the models - either as kits or finished models - they are always surprised at three things:
- The amount of time that goes into a model kit development,
- The accuracy and detail of the designs, and
- The quality of the materials and kit itself.
Design Development Process
The design process is not a straight line!
Marcus spends hours studying photos and construction plans of the architectural masterpieces he is modeling in order to capture and translate the spirit of the design into a miniature and countless more hours creating step-by-step instructions and drawings to ensure the models are a pleasure to build.
Material selection and sourcing are critical steps to make sure the beauty and integrity of the original design is apparent in the model - and sometimes, material availability (or lack thereof) can send him back to the design and development process.
A number of examples of Little Building Co.'s early prototypes and model development can be found on our YouTube channel.
Architectural Scale Model Kits
Since founding the company, Bree has created finely detailed, accurate scale model kits of some of the most famous architectural landmarks designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, and other legends, as well as some iconic period architecture, such as those in the Frontier Town Streetscape seen below.
Model kits are available for Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings including:
- The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, a NYC landmark and Mid-Century Modern Masterpiece
- The Prairie Style Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL
- Wright's first Usonian home, Jacobs I, and
- The Johnson Wax Headquarters, a Streamline Moderne design that changed our office spaces
Other model kits of famous buildings now available include:
- Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, another icon of Mid-Century Modern design
- Jørn Utzon's award-winning design of the Sydney Opera House and
- London's Tate Modern Museum
In addition to their well-recognized, beautiful and innovative architectural designs, all of these buildings have fascinating stories. The Little Building Co. scale model kits that Bree has carefully crafted capture each in stunning detail, and building each one is a joy. (See customer testimonials.)
These finely crafted replica kits are designed and manufactured by Australia-based Little Building Co. Model Landmarks LLC is their exclusive distributor in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Find the next architectural scale model that you'd like to build and display (or give as a meaningful gift) here.