Recent projects (e.g., ) have digitized physical models. However, interviews with model-makers reveal resistance: “The soul is in the uneven brick. A computer model has no baraka (blessing).” This tension raises a key research question: Can digital heritage replace haptic knowledge?
SANAA models often prioritize the horizontal plane. For projects like the House in a Plum Grove or the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, the models often appear as thin, white plates floating in space. This reflects the architects' obsession with the "plan"—the organization of daily life on a flat surface. The models are less about the tectonics of construction and more about the choreography of human interaction.
This circular, glass-walled building was developed through models that explored how to dissolve the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces. sanaa models
Often using ephemeral materials like paper, cardboard, and tape, these "working models" prioritize the exploration of light and transparency over polished presentation. Iconic Projects and Their Prototypes
SANAA Models: The Physical Language of Light and Space In the digital-first world of contemporary architecture, the Japanese firm (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) remains a steadfast outlier. Founded in 1995 by Pritzker Prize winners Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa , the studio is globally renowned for its ethereal, minimalist designs like the New Museum in New York and the Rolex Learning Center in Switzerland. Recent projects (e
, the architectural model serves as a site of relentless experimentation, where abstract concepts of light, transparency, and social interaction are tested and refined through tangible form. The "Sea of Models"
For the Pritzker Prize-winning duo Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, the physical model is not merely a representation of a finished building; it is the primary engine of their design process. In their Tokyo-based studio, SANAA models often prioritize the horizontal plane
| Scale | Representation | Craft Materials | Primary User | |-------|---------------|----------------|--------------| | | Whole neighborhood (e.g., Al-Talh market) | Cardboard, palm frond ribs, sand-tinted paint | Urban planners, UNESCO consultants | | 1:50 | Single tower-house interior/exterior | Baked clay bricks (miniature), real gypsum | Architects, wealthy families, museum display | | 1:10 | Detail: Qamariyya (moon window) & Mafraj (top-floor reception room) | Clear plastic (mica substitute), turned wood | Artisan training, heritage workshops |
Unlike many firms that use models only for client presentations, SANAA employs models at every phase of a project.