We are now starting to sculpt the model's details and there is plenty of discussion about each one. We try out the best ideas - adjusting them or even scraping the sculpt off and starting again as needed until we are satisfied. As we plan we are considering what each suite will look like but we are also concerned with practical matters like traffic flow, sight lines and ease of maintenance.
The model is coming along nicely. The rooflines and overhangs are in place and the garden walls are beginning to get blocked in. These secret gardens are going to be very special. As a friend reminded us of walled gardens:
...when a thing is enclosed, the mind does not willingly regard it as common.
- C.S. Lewis
We can hardly wait to begin adding detail to these hidden gems.
We made great progress on the model today, bulking out most of the building shapes and rooflines. The model is a good size measuring five feet long overall. It will allow us to sculpt a lot of detail throughout. It is fabulous to see the building which we have been dreaming and designing on paper come to (tiny) life. This is going to be a very fun build! Stay tuned for more progress...
There is only one way to work out the myriad of details for the project as complicated as the Hazelnut Inn - a detailed scale model. Today, we started with a massing model built with various geometric shapes which are taken directly from the blueprints. We cut these shapes using our CNC router to ensure accuracy. We then assembled and fine tuned these shapes using hand tools. Over this massing model we will hand sculpt the final form and detail as far as is practical at this scale. We can then use this model to look at the project from every angle in order to see how things work together; ensuring we are able to faithfully tell our story when we build the real thing. Changes on a model are quick, easy, and cost effective - much more so than on a real building! It is going to be very exciting to see the dream we've only sketched to his point, now take on a three dimensional shape.
The story of the North Star suite will include elephants and plenty of them - enough in fact to form a good sized herd. We decided to use elephant icons as roof brackets on the front 'power tower.' Other creative elephant ideas will be used in various trim details on this piece as well. With the decision in hand we fired up the CNC plasma cutter. More than a hundred pieces of steel were cut and welded up to form the tower roof structure. This in turn will be welded to the tower structure before the sculpted concrete and paint is added. The lower tower structure is in process at the other end of the shop. It is very exciting to be starting to actually start the prefabrication process on the inn!
Our day job (theme park construction) involves telling stories visually. As we consider the elements for the detailed designs for the inn we are talking about the story as much as the art we are creating. The big question is always: 'What story are we telling?'
The explorer's suite, the North Star was ‘built' by a world traveller, who experienced many great adventures. Many of the artifacts in her care will be on display throughout the suite and garden. Her travels have also informed the design of the suite's architecture. A small detail like the brackets under the eaves of the front tower are a prime example. So the question is do we focus on a maritime theme (after all the suite's bedroom is a tall ship) or instead explore her travels and adventures? Stay tuned for the answer...
