BA (Hons)

Staff Research

The course team keep up to date with current trends through research, collaboration and interaction with our contacts in the modelmaking industry and related disciplines. We work together with others, here at AUCB and beyond, to broaden our knowledge and that of our students.

We are interested in the possibilities for our techniques to be applied outside of traditional scale modelling and effects industries. Graduates have applied there skills in the creation of original sculpture, character development etc. Modelmaking can be a means of expression in itself and we recognise this in what we do.

We are interested in the benefits of describing ourselves as ‘Makers’, to encourage the respect for our skills that is often overlooked. Quite wrongly, the term ‘modelmaker’ is associated with hobbyist or amateur pursuits. We see ourselves as professional makers and always try to describe ourselves as such.

We are interested in the development of rapid-prototyping and rapid-manufacture. Far from being a threat to the modelmaker, these technologies offer a way to achieve more than we have been able to before. The effective combination of new digital techniques and traditional methods is always our goal.

We are interested in encouraging the responsible use of materials in our work. In the University College we can experiment with materials and techniques that will reduce our impact on the environment. The reduction of waste will compensate for much of the resources we use, so we strive to be as efficient as possible.

We are interested in the use of scale models as an integral part of the design process. The potential for design to be developed through the process of making is interesting. We work with architects and designers at all stages of the design process, from initial sketch models and maquettes.