Investigation of site leads on to the making of small models. A consideration of form at the scale of landscape is embedded within an initial design methodology which assesses scale and function of the brief against cost, and which examines place, setting, topography and historical traces. A process emerges which produces freehand sketches at a range of scales from that of landscape to that of detail, and there will always be a consideration of form. Within this process we often make a maquette, a small scale model, where a simple judgement of form is made. Often they will include some particular idea or attitude towards view and light, say in the expression of a main opening or in an intended relationship of internal spaces to a roof plane, but at this stage these are merely intentions to the as yet unrefined project.

These models offer not only a process by which to work, but also an order, and an opportunity to ground the building both in its setting and in a developing narrative, and provide an accessible understanding of the project. In our practice these serve as an invaluable tool in our relationships with our clients, offering early confidence to an unfamiliar process. For some projects a series of models are made which respond to client input, and often these are used in discussions with planners and neighbours.

The outcome is a position, and at this stage we know that the form encloses the scale of the brief, although we may not yet know the particulars of the spaces within, and also that the project can be financially achieved. An example of this is our project at Tamnaherin, 2 houses and 3 yards for an extended family on the north coast of Ireland.

For some of our projects these small models support an ambition that the project is read as an object in the landscape, possibly influenced by images experienced and ingrained in our mental space, and it is in the craft of physically making these models, of few pieces, necessarily simplified as a consequence of scale (these models could be as small as 1:500) that a particular attitude to form and detail emerges, leading in some cases to an interest in the reduction of detail, the removal of the traditional projections and embellishments such as cills and gutters, and the development of details at an early stage in the design of a project which seek to facilitate this ambition. This reduction of detail is one example of the development of an architectural vocabulary which has started to become part of the spatial language of the practice.

Models are made in the studio by all staff. Some make more careful models than others, some are better at certain scales. Often, when modelling, we might start making before we have a resolved idea or plan, rather it might have a sense of where the project is going from sketching, and we allow elements of the design to emerge as decisions about form, scale and aperture are required of the model making process.

These models are made quickly, often within a compressed timeframe without significant interruption, which forces certain design decisions and judgements to be made as the forms emerge from the cutting mat, to then arrive at an object which records our thoughts at that time. This may not be the final design of the building, but it serves to be a motivation for the direction of the project.

We use the model as a touchstone for the project, common ground between our practice, the client and the site.

A reconfiguration of an existing period house in a mature garden in east Belfast. To give maximum respect to the integrity of the existing retained building, the new accommodation is assembled in a low courtyard arrangement which encloses a new garden. All of the new building is single storey and mostly behind the existing house (to the south), enabling the front view of the house to be largely unafAfected.

The intent of the model is to enable the scale of the building and enclosed garden to be understood, and how the elements around the courtyard could be arranged, considering the hierarchy of the functions within.

A modest dwelling in a rural area which employs an architectural language derived from historical typologies and arrangements, and casual building forms, modified to harmonise with its setting, creating a visual tension in comparison to conventional traditional forms.

The model indicates the primary elements, which are simple gabled forms with pitched or mono pitched roofs, the main roof being asymmetrically pitched with a chimney placed at the corner, primary openings and plinth. This is enough to capture the essence of the scheme at an early design phase.

A single level accessible home. The dwelling is proposed as a simple, crisp and elegant brick form, with enclosing courtyard walls, which can be only glimpsed from the main road through the mature trees on site. Private courtyards enclosed by high walls permit large areas of glazing whilst maintaining privacy. A masonry chimney will give the forms a sense of domesticity.

The model demonstrates the simple idea of walls enclosing spaces and roofs making rooms. Walls as a plinth to the lightweight roofs.

A sculptural object in a walled garden comprising 2 forms. A low form for meditation which is intimate, the space relating to a pond and reflection, a personal space with a low window. Also a larger form for exercise, taller, more airy and ventilated, with a high level window to the tree canopy and sky. A separate opening on the south provides access and views to a terrace. A small building but with gallery qualities, referencing the cubist work of sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

The intent of the model was to confirm a deceptively simple approach of 2 cubist forms sequentially joined.

The third house on a derelict farmstead set within a grouping of mature trees and hedging located in the hills north-east of Belfast. Based upon the forms of traditional and agricultural buildings found in the Irish landscape. Rather than a large single form dwelling, the dwelling is split into two repeated pitched forms, which step down the slope, and are offset from each other, presenting two simple solid gables to the access laneway. The dwelling is positioned to enjoy views of the reservoir to the northeast.

Again the model describes the design intent in terms of form, roofs and offset. It shows the main ground floor level openings only, and the key element of the solid gables.