scratchbuilt office building

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking about building a modern office building. Like the ones that look like they are made completely out of mirrored windows. Would the little 1/2" square mirrors that you can get at Walmart look right for this? They only have 1/2" and 1" mirrors. I'd make the rest of the building out of styrene strips so that it wouldn't just be mirror next to mirror.
What do you guys think?

BTW... don't expect pictures any time soon of this. I tend to get ideas that won't go into use for a little while.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like an interesting project but you might want to be careful that the mirrored building doesn't reflect something it shouldn't - undetailed "behind the scenes" areas, giant human hands invading the miniature world...etc.

[Anonymous]

Well I was going to test this first before doing it to the whole building, but actually using a very light coat of dullcoat or flat finish, so that it's not perfectly shiny. Where I live, the windows don't get cleaned daily so they're actually a little dirty all the time. I think that would help with the reflecting unwanted things

[steveblackledge]

you could try with a full mirror and stick styrene strips of various sizes directley on it to form pillars and floor sections

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't even have to use an actual mirror, you could use a full sheet of the clear plastic you already use for window glass. Back it with the darkest window tinting you can find (at Walmart or at a local auto accessories store). It should have a reflective finish more realistic that way. Build the interior framework of your building, glue sheets of your tinted plastic on the outside, and then you can use small styrene strips to define the floors of your building. This way, if you want, you have the ability to light the building for night scenes.

[jrbarney]

Chewie,
Don't know if you're already aware of this, but Plastruct:
http://www.plastruct.com
has a laminated plastic mirror sheet. It's 0.040" thick and comes in a variety of hues such as silver, gold, bronze, etc. It is their stock code MPSS-n, where n equals 1 to 4 digits. It might be easier to work with than the Walmart mirrors. You might have to order direct if your LHS doesn't carry the full line. Don't know if it would be as translucent as the approach that was suggested in the previous post.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543

[METRO]

Using real mirrors would be a bad idea in my book. I've scratchbuilt a few modern (and post-modern) office buildings and the mirrored look is a lot easier to produce with the laminated plastic sheet.

It sounds like you are trying to build one of the office buildings that were commonly built between the 1970s and 1990s in the modernist minimal style. (Examples include everything from the Sears Tower in Chicago and GM building in Detroit to the Peachtree Center in Atlanta and World Trade Center in NYC)

These buildings did not actually use mirrors but instead very highly polished one way glass that would reflect a certain amount of incoming light and heat saving the building on cooling costs. (Newer ones actually have a type of glass that contains liquid crystals and can be made to reflect more or less light & Heat depending on weather conditions)

Another way that this could be modeled is with automotive adhesive window tinting over acrylic sheets or clear plastic. This would produce a more realistic effect and be a lot less troublesome than working with mirrors. Also you wouldn't have to worry so much about the errant thumbprint or scuff.

~METRO

[Anonymous]

I think it would be quite heavy with real glass.

[Anonymous]

Well it looks like it's a pretty good idea that I didn't buy those mirrors. It was one of those spur of the moment ideas that I got while placating my wife by walking through the scrapbook/craft aisles.
The Plastruct stuff sounds like it's a good idea. Now I just have to find a dealer that has them. I'd hate to buy the stuff online without ever seeing it.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by chewie8han

....The Plastruct stuff sounds like it's a good idea. Now I just have to find a dealer that has them. I'd hate to buy the stuff online without ever seeing it.

I don't blame you. I have a bunch of stuff I might not have bought if I could have seen it in person.
If your Local Hobby Shop has a Plastruct display, but not the item, ask if they could order one. Let them know it may not be what you want, but you will buy it from them if it is. If it is not to your liking, they can hang it on the display rack and they know someone else most likely will buy it.

[Anonymous]

Now you're on a "roll" Chewie. Definitely stay away from bath/bed room mirrors. Any effect of distance or depth as percieved by the viewer will be utterly destroyed. The "Plastruct" route will capture that impression of distance from the "subject" so neccessary in the smaller gauges. This will avoid the direct reflections from unplanned sources and also, visitors won't be tempted to comb their hair instead of enjoying your work. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Try some wrapping paper

[jrbarney]

Chewie,
If you want to delve into this topic further, there are two books on architectural models you might be interested in. I'm afraid they're OP, unless there have been more recent editions, but you could try using Inter Library Loan at your public library, or search Alibris. They are:
Architectural and Interior Models, Design and Construction,
Sanford Hohauser,
1960,
Van Nostrand Reinhold Company,
ISBN 0-442-23479-1
and,
Architectural Models,
Rolf Janke,
1962,
Frederick A. Praeger
LCCCN 68-10688

Bob
NMRA Life 0543

[jrbarney]

Chewie,
A third book on this topic, that I had overlooked, is:

Model Building for Architects and Engineers
John Taylor, AIA
1971
McGraw-Hill Book Company
ISBN 07-062938-2 LCCCN 73-136189

I would rate it better than the Janke book, but not as good as the Hohauser book. Again, try Inter Library Loan or Alibris.com
Bob
NMRA Life 0543