by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
There are many definitions of “model” in Webster’s dictionary.
Here’s one: “An organism whose appearance a mimic imitates.”
Another: “A system of postulates, data and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs.”
While rudimentary in nature, the definition of a model is important. More important, for the sake of discussion regarding scale models, is the imperative nature of attention to detail.
So let’s add our own definition: “A little building that looks exactly like a big building.”
When the Hines Company, which has a portfolio of more than 500 building projects around the world, unveiled one of its newest undertakings on the Southbank of Jacksonville, they were naturally prepared with floor plans, layouts, conceptual design and, of course, a scale model.
The St. John will emerge as a 51-story condominium complex with amenities and lighted center core. You can now visualize it through a model, and it’s big, too. It’s more than five feet tall and cost “six figures,” according to Hines Company Vice President Walter O’Shea.
The cost of a model is worked into the marketing budget and is an invaluable tool, according to O’Shea.
The St. John model shows each floor with its staggered balconies and windows, an outdoor pool deck with people sunbathing. There’s a miniature car in front of the main entrance and little people standing on the soon-to-be extended Riverwalk. It’s elaborate. It’s complex. And, said O’Shea, it’s necessary.
“For a building like the St. John, where the architecture is so unique, a model allows people to visualize the building in three dimensions which is hard to do from a picture or hand rendering,” said O’Shea. “People can really understand how the building curves and how the balconies articulate the building.”
For the prospective buyer, O’Shea said, a model is even more imperative because the buyer can look for his or her particular unit and see the view he or she might have.
The scale model of The St. John, along with another Southbank icon, the Peninsula, were both made by G. T. Scale Models Inc. of Miami.
Both are on display at their respective sales centers and you can’t miss them. The Peninsula’s model sits on a large table in the main room of the center and it, like the St. John, has the tiniest of details included.
So, what is G.T. Scale Models and how do they made modern-day toys that can cost in six figures?
Let’s visit with Guillermo and Ricardo Tinoco, the president and business director, respectively, of the company.
As children growing up in Venezuela, they played with model trains, boats and other widgets. As adults, the brothers construct scale models of buildings to showcase architects’ newest designs.
G. T. Scale Models was commissioned for the St. John in part because of their relationship with the architect, Arquitectonica, which is also based in Miami.
“We evaluate different companies and compare pricing. We receive several proposals so we evaluate the relationship with the architect also,” said O’Shea. “There is a lot of coordination between the architect and the model maker.”
G. T. Scale Models and its staff of 11 have done models for buildings all over the world. One of the most recent and most challenging was the creation of the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The first phase of the project took four months to complete.
The usual time frame for a model is 7-12 weeks, according to Ricardo.
One of the biggest projects the brothers made was Biosphere 2 in the early 1990s. The scale was 20-by-20 feet in diameter.
Biosphere 2 was an experiment studying life in a man-made ecosystem built in Arizona. Scientists were secluded inside Biosphere 2 for several months; the model had to be extremely detailed because outside scientists needed to have an idea of what was going on inside, according to Ricardo.
Models can weigh 5,000 pounds and are usually crate-shipped by truck to their destination. The Atlantis model, of course, was shipped by boat.
When the models are moved, the model makers are usually on hand for quick fixes, if necessary.
“We always carry a kit with an assortment of miniature trees, cars, scale figures and other gidgets and gadgets for particular repairs,” said Ricardo. “We put thousands of man hours into these projects.”
All of the models created by G. T. Scale Models use “the latest advance technologies including: advanced laser cutting techniques, metal etching process and stereolithography,” according to a company statement.
However, all the assembly of parts is done by hand, making their work very specialized.
“I’ve been doing this all my life,” said Guillermo, who also teaches the craft to others in his shop. “You don’t find many model makers around.”
Guillermo said most people hear about his company through word of mouth.
“Eighty percent of our business comes from word of mouth. When we do a model, the client is satisfied and recommends us,” he said. “Thank God we are very obsessed with the quality of our models — that has us sticking out from the rest. We have a particular feel for quality in our models.”
Guillermo said a background in architecture is essential in model making, but a knowledge of computer aided design is also needed.
As each creative medium fights technology and obstacles associated with progress, so does model making. But Guillermo said he isn’t worried about his industry’s future yet. He said his shop has state of the art equipment to continue making the most realistic models possible in the industry.
“I think the closest thing technology would bring would be a hologram and even that’s 15 or 20 years away,” he said. “People love to see a model. It’s better than a picture. When you can see a project from the top, you can really have a good idea of what the project’s about.”
O’Shea said there are certain times when a scale model is not as effective as other visuals. The Hines Company didn’t have a model commissioned for the master-planned community Palencia in St. Johns County, but opted instead for a vertically mounted illustration that hangs on the wall.
“We decided it (the illustration) would provide more flexibility because that was a project we knew we would be adding to over time. We can glue on another section of tapestry that adds detail that wasn’t there before,” he said.
Ed Bondi, an architect with Renaissance Creative, said the virtual models and sight plans are becoming a new trend because they are more flexible.
“Virtual models can show more and there is an endless amount to what you can display,” he said, adding that with virtual models there is zoom capabilities. “It’s not just static, plus it’s easier to update.”
According to Bondi, virtual presentations probably cost more, but allow for more information than a traditional table-top scale model. He does add that larger models are more interesting.
“You can walk around them and pretend that they are real,” he said. “People like to see high-rise models because they’re fun.”