QANDOREVI / SPATIAL PRACTICESTUDY SERIES — 001

Think with your hands.

SMALL
MODELS.
SPATIAL
IDEAS.

Make a space you can question. A fieldguide to scale, movement, light and the physical models that help you see them.

Enter the model room
01 / OBSERVE02 / BUILD03 / REVISE
Hands assembling a white-card pavilion on a blue cutting mat
MODEL IN PROGRESS / A question made tangible.
A timber-framed study model with translucent paper walls
DETAIL A / Light and enclosure
WORKING MODEL
NOT A FINAL ANSWER
Two designers moving a model wall and checking the view at eye level
A change in viewpoint can reveal a change in the idea.

Threshold

Study the moment of entering. Use two walls and an opening to test what is visible before, during and after the crossing. Keep decoration out of the first version.

02 / EYE LEVEL

Look through it.
Not just down at it.

A bird’s-eye view explains the arrangement. A low viewpoint begins to reveal the experience.

An eye-level view through the entrance of a white-card exhibition model
VIEW A / What becomes visible at the threshold?
Designer testing a lamp over a basswood room model
VIEW B / Where does light ask you to pause?

Use a consistent eye height. A simple scale figure can help you compare versions.

Move the camera, then the model. Keep the two changes separate so you know what caused the difference.

02 / Scale workbench

A big question.
A manageable model.

Translate a real dimension into a model measurement. The right scale is the one that lets you test the relationship you care about.

At your chosen scale
120 mm

6 m at 1:50 becomes 120 mm in your model.

Formula: metres × 1000 ÷ scale denominator. This is a design study aid, not construction documentation.

Hands cutting card on a blue mat with a metal ruler
MAKE THE NEXT CHANGE EASY.

03 / Build for revision

A useful model
can come apart.

Leave walls movable and connections visible while the question is still open. A model that is too precious to change can stop helping you think.

BASE

Keep a stable reference plane.

WALLS

Use removable tabs or a light temporary fixing.

DETAIL

Add only what changes the test.

Use a cutting mat, a suitable ruler and safe cutting technique. Match tools to the material and your experience.

04 / The working loop

Four steps. As many rounds as needed.

  1. 01

    State it

    Write one question about the space. Make the expected effect clear enough to challenge.

  2. 02

    Build it

    Choose a scale and material that expose that relationship without unnecessary detail.

  3. 03

    Look at it

    Compare plan, eye-level and light studies. Record what the model actually shows.

  4. 04

    Change it

    Move one thing. Keep a photograph of the previous state so the comparison survives.

05 / MODEL ARCHIVE

Different materials.
Different questions.

White card clarifies mass. Translucent paper reveals light. A rough working model can make the next decision easier to see.

Three different physical study models on workshop shelves
01 / Compare construction logics
An original architectural model study with carefully framed volumes
02 / Read the overall relationship
An original close detail of a spatial model and its materials
03 / Inspect the meeting of parts
KEEP A MODEL LOG

Question → scale → material → observation → next change.

A photograph without the question is only half a record.

06 / Trace a route

Where does
the body go?

Draw a route through the model on a sheet of tracing paper. Mark moments of choice, compression and release. Then check them from eye level.

  1. Place a clear starting point.
  2. Identify the first visible destination.
  3. Mark where the route asks for a decision.
  4. Change a boundary and trace the route again.

A conceptual circulation study does not replace access, safety or building requirements for a real project.

Hands tracing circulation arrows over a model plan
KEEP THE ROUTE VISIBLE WHILE YOU CHANGE THE WALLS.

07 / Study briefs

One afternoon. One spatial question.

01

Two walls and a pause

Arrange two freestanding card walls on a base. Make a place that invites a pause without enclosing it completely.

02

A borrowed opening

Cut a single opening in a simple enclosure. Move a lamp and compare how the opening changes the room’s emphasis.

03

The delayed view

Create an approach that reveals a focal point in stages. Use only three planes and check it from the model’s eye level.

04

A translucent boundary

Replace one opaque wall with tracing paper. Compare connection, privacy and the spread of light in the study.

4 entries shown.

08 / Model review

Does the model answer the question?

0 / 6 ready

Check the evidence in your model before marking an item. No review state is retained after reload.

09 / At the model bench

Useful
starting points.

Which scale should I choose?

Choose the smallest model that still reveals the relationship you want to test. A room study and a connection detail often need different scales.

Do models need to look finished?

No. A study model should make its question clear and remain easy to change. Finish becomes useful when it helps communicate a resolved idea.

Can I use found card and offcuts?

Yes. Check thickness and stiffness, keep the scale consistent, and avoid materials whose handling risks you do not understand.

Can the scale tool produce construction dimensions?

It performs a simple scale conversion for design studies. It is not construction documentation and does not verify structural, access or safety requirements.

10 / Studio correspondence

PUT YOUR
QUESTION
ON THE TABLE.

Describe the spatial relationship you are exploring and the part of the fieldguide you are using.

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