B.15 Royal Albert Hall model added to the Hall’s new £1m Archive Collection


Back in 2021 a collaboration between B.15 and the V&A’s research institute aimed to recreate a long lost stage of Royal Albert Hall architectural history.

Dr. Simona Valeriani’s research into the history of the hall had paid particular attention to the role of models which led to the involvement of B.15 model making workshop.

The workshop made a significant unique contribution to the project that has helped researchers better understand the design process behind one of the UK’s most iconic buildings. Records of planning meetings that took place during the Hall’s development made mention of a model being used to inform design decisions. It was assumed this model was lost until 2019 when it was rediscovered in a heavily damaged state in a room at the Hall itself. Efforts were made to restore the piece and subsequently, a replica of the fragment was produced including it’s missing pieces to illustrate part of what might have been

B.15 team interpret the surviving material

B.15 staff took on the task of analysing the fragment in order to replicate the model in a more complete form as it might have appeared in the mid-1800s. This involved the comparison of reference images and original plans. The initial goal was to complete the replica in time for feature in the 2021 Building Centre Exhibition; Shaping Space – Architectural Models Revealed’ which was in part sponsored by the workshop.

Workshop Technical Manager Scott Miller and assistant Saul Parker-Backhouse began the task alongside Manchester School of Architecture students Ruben Greyson and Cezara Mișca to produce a faithful interpretation of the original in time for the exhibition opening.

Workshop Technician Scott Miller said: “It was a pleasure to collaborate on such a prestigious project and a truly insightful experience for me, Saul and our student assistants.

After the conclusion of the exhibition an agreement between the collaborators led to the models being accepted into the newly established Royal Albert Hall archive.

A new home in the hall’s first ever archive space

After years of development by archivist Liz Harper, the first dedicated archive to the hall’s 150 year history was officially opened on Thursday October 12th 2023. We were honoured to be invited to the opening event where the model was presented alongside the original and other items from the hall’s collection. Future plans for the model will see it displayed to the public in one of the hall’s main entrances.

The Making of the Royal Albert Hall Model – Documentary short

To coincide with the opening of the archive we’re pleased to share this documentary short which was produced alongside the project. Featuring narration from Dr Simona Valeriani and B.15 Technical Manager Scott Miller, the film was shot and edited by videographer Chris Jackson in 2022.

The RAH archive can be searched online and contacts to arrange to visit in person can be found here: https://catalogue.royalalberthall.com/ More information about the Architectural Models Network here: https://archmodelsnetwork.com

More information about Dr. Simona Valeriani: https://www.rca.ac.uk/more/staff/dr-simona-valeriani/  and the V&A Research Institute: https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/the-va-research-institute-vari


Thank you to Dr. Simona Valeriani for inviting B.15 to take part in this project and to Liz Harper for ensuring the model found a permanent home in the RAH collections.

‘The Value of The Studio Workshop’ via the V&A’s Architectural Models Network

The V&A museum has a research group focused on the history, present and future use of Architectural models in practice and education.

The ongoing project has looked at a variety of model case studies and perspectives which are published on their blog. Most recently we have contributed a technicians perspective from our experience here at B.15.

You can read our article and find the other ongoing publications at the AMN blog here: https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/projects/the-value-of-the-studio-workshop

Scott

Isometric Drawing of St Paul’s Cathedral

During our recent store clearance we came across this amazing print packaged away. This famous isometric drawing of St Paul’s Cathedral in London was originally drawn over a period of 5 years in ink by hand between 1923 and 1928 as is described on the drawing itself. These kind of drawing skills are a real dying art and I find them captivating to see particularly when printed at this scale.

St Pauls Picture (1)

On taking the frame out of the store we found the antique print to be very dirty so spent some time cleaning it and repairing the frame to put it out on display where it should be. We saw the original larger scale print of this drawing earlier this year on display in the V & A museum in London. I’m glad we now have our own copy to marvel at complete with natural ageing!

Pavilion Project (30) St Pauls Picture (2)We hope to have the picture on display somewhere near the workshop soon so be sure to have a good look at the staggering detail it shows.

Scott

Grand Designs Live, ExCel, London

Yesterday myself and Jim travelled down to London to visit the Grand Designs Live show at ExCel. The show presents hundreds of suppliers from various design industries inspired by the hit TV series. Of particular interest to us was the use of models as sales pieces for show participants. This was not limited to scaled down architectural pieces but full size 1:1 constructions and prototype details. Throughout the day we were able to meet a variety of people and spread the word about the workshop, this blog and the courses we are involved with here in Manchester.

Several weeks ago we posted about the dwelle project that was completed in the workshop. This project was and continues to be very successful for dwelle in demonstrating the construction behind their eco house design. The model made a starring appearance at the show next to the Grand Theatre which hosts many design related lectures over 10 days.

As well as visiting ExCel we stopped by at the V & A to have a quick look at their Architecture gallery. The gallery features a good selection of model types and styles and is well worth a visit if you are in the area.