The Ecology of the Architectural Model

Models are a designer's currency. They are so common in the exchange and development of ideas as to feature without attention and are used often without question. Architectural practice and its history are paralleled by a history of models, as varied in form as the buildings and ideas that they represent. For architectural educators models are not only as near to a realised building as one can get but for their students they are the means by which architecture itself, its processes, concepts, strategies and tactics are learned. Understanding the role played by an educational tool is important and a tool implies both a user and an environment in which to use it. Little has been said about the role the environment plays in the functioning of models in the learning process. This book describes the environment of architectural models in an educational context, adopting an ecological approach.