Archetype 3D

We have developed a new website to help focus on efforts on all our clients that are not architectural in nature. Check out our new look here. Our new URL is http://engineering-scale-models.com/

Model making is about building shapes that sell products. Our architectural models have sold buildings and homes for nearly thirty years but many other industries use our work as well.

DEMONSTRATIVE EVIDENCE AND COURTROOM MODELS:

In the courtroom our models are used to demonstrate accident scenes or human organs. This is challenging work due to the need to fully understand the case and to create an acceptable model display that the judge will allow and jury will understand.

CIVIL ENGINEERING MODELS:

Many highway projects, bridges and other civil developments have used our models to demonstrate the work and win the bids. We also create models of industrial plants and products. In a trade show setting, there is nothing better than a model to show off your work.

These are just two of the many categories viewable on our new site. Visit us to see many more industrial museum and aerospace models.

I suppose that this is a sign that the economy is starting to turn. We just completed an elaborate sales model for a residential sales office. A few years ago we were building four of these a month but more recently these types of projects are fewer and farther between. East West Partners in South Carolina hired us to construct there new development called "7 Calhoun"

This model with internal lighting is a large project both physically and in the amount of detail included. It is always fun to work on scale models of commercial buildings that are out of state where we can build palm trees and let the ivy grow wild on the brickwork. 

Elements of Landscaping Scale Model

The building forms a triangle with an internal courtyard. Fountains and Lilly ponds accent this lovely, quiet hideaway. The residence is also adjacent to a public park that is designed with many paths and seating areas. 

The design of this project was lead by architect Stephen Ramos of LS3P Associates. A project of this complexity takes close communication during all phases of construction. The partnership between client, architect and scale model maker was very evident and successful in the construction of this spectacular display.

The time has come for a change. Archetype 3d has moved to a new location. First off here is our new address for you to update your records

Archetype 3D

1020 Carbon Ct. Unit F

Erie Colorado 80516 - 2435

Our phones have stayed the same. You can still reach us at 303-449-0878 and my cell number is also on the website if needed.

When the time came to find a new locations we looked far and wide for the best, most suitable site for our new shop. There were a lot of available spaces but not many of them would work for us. Living in beautiful Boulder Colorado, we did not want to have a marathon commute. We also needed a space with a flexible shop area, an attractive reception area and a separate space for our technical equipment.

We found everything we need to build the best marketing models and prototypes in Erie Colorado plus a few things that we did not expect. The best surprise is the natural light available from three large windows and four skylights in the shop. During the day there is practically no reason to turn on the lights. The town is centrally located within one half hours drive from Denver, Boulder, and Denver International Airport so it is easy to visit for all of our local clients. Another nice surprise is the beautiful views of the mountains. Traveling from Erie back to Boulder each day is a joy with the entire front range spread out before us in all of its many forms. Today we are seeing the snow covered mountain and the towering form of Longs Peak creating a dramatic white profile to the vast Colorado sky and unique cloud cover. I have never seen such interesting clouds as here in this state which give us the most beautiful sunsets I have seen anywhere.

We were quickly able to customize the space for our electrical and equipment needs. There is plenty of layout space for our architectural and engineering models as well as storage space for materials. Our spray booth, laser cutters and 3D printers are all up and running. We are now working on several projects so the shop is humming along as we speak.

Craig Martin

SALE    SALE      SALE     SALE
for
ICSC 2011 Vegas Tradeshow Scale Model Special

Archetype 3D is offering a special for updating, repairing and cleaning existing models for this years ICSC show. This sale will also apply to new construction as well. I am currently offering 20% off* or our normal shop rate for models to be displayed in the 2011 ICSC trade show in Las Vegas. Let us know if we can help you wow your customers at this years booth.

*Special Requirement: All projects will have to be bid and approved before the end of April to qualify.

Economic Indicators are Pointing Up for 
Shopping Center Business & Model Makers

Retail is on the rise. I am grabbing any good economic information I can find these days. If you believe the news reports or articles from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), people are retuning to the stores for some retail therapy. As one reporter described it, there is a "burn out of frugality". 

What does this mean for us in the model making world. Surprisingly enough, shopping centers were at one point a good percentage of our business. Not much has been done with them in the last few years, and as of today I have yet to see a huge upswing in new shopping construction--but I do believe it is coming back even if it is slowly. 

With the giant ICSC show is opening in Las Vegas at the end of May, we are expecting to have new models represented on the shows floor as we have in the past. The Las Vegas ICSC show is the place were most major retail deals are made.  Attendees know, it is a great showcase for new construction. 

I would love to hear from the design and construction industry if you are seeing a change this year because personally, I am ready and looking forward to an economic boom any day now.

If I want your opinion, I'll ask for it. 
Regional Airport Under the Public’s Eye for Review

The Pierre Regional Airport scale model was built to ask for the public’s opinion. Our client’s at Coover Clark Architects were very particular about details and how their design were represented. Archetype 3D's expert team of model makers led by our art director worked with their airport architect & project manager to match the materials and colors on the model essential to their design specifications and requirements. 

Edward Balkin, Coover Clark’s architect & project manager describes the effect the model had after it was delivered. "The Model was presented to the City of Pierre with great excitement.  I think it was the first instance when the public actually understood the reality of a new Terminal, as well as its design.  Overall it enlightened the community as to the architecture of the Terminal, as well as its importance to the overall growth of the capital city and the State of South Dakota.  All were pleased with the use of regional granite materials, (Dakota Mahogany) and the references made to the area in the interior were used throughout the project."

The airport may be small but it was a meaningful project and a long time coming for the City of Pierre even though this in not an international terminal with thousands of jetliners coming in and out during the year. The Pierre, South Dakota airport is a regional hub for commuter flights and hunting trips featuring some unique amenities. The model features a dog enclosure to keep pets and hunting dogs busy while waiting for flights. Plus it features a special security sections where hunters are required to allow security to screen their hunting rifles. These unique features are an integral part of the airport--specifically designed for the location and the public that it services.

High School Musical “42^nd Street” gave us an opportunity to give back through Set Production

A few years back, I did a bit of acting and tech work while in high school. I was living in California then and I thought the shows we put on were pretty spectacular. Yet nothing compared to performances put on nearby Fairview High in Boulder, Colorado. With the huge talent pool they draw from at school and the amount of volunteer parents, they are able to put on a great show.  Honestly, I am flat out amazed with their production professionalism. I would be astonished to find another school with the dedicated commitment Fairview’s faculty and staff to their student’s theatrical program.  

These musicals play to packed houses with eager parents and friends of students acting in them. Like during my high school days the shows are performed for only two weekends each year about the same time. So even if I wanted there is no way I could ever find out how Fairview stacks up with other performances.  I have never lost my enthusiasm and love for acting and full on musical performances. Recently, I had an opportunity using our shop and talented craftsmen to help with the latest program at Fairview. It gave me a chance to be a part of Fairview’s set production.

"42nd Street" Set Design

"42nd Street" is a tap dancing extravaganza about a small time girl getting her big break in the big city. The set designer and artistic director were looking for five platforms to have the kids tap dance on for the number "I'm in the Money". Technically these were difficult platforms to make because they wanted them to light up and have images of dimes and quarters on the top. The artistic director came to me for help so I volunteered my time as long as they were willing to pay for the materials. This was not a cheap operation.

The Design Solution

My biggest concern were kids safety while dancing the platforms and that they felt secure as if they were dancing on something solid and not a spongy surface. Using polycarbonate for the tops, the shop created clear egg crate supports wrapped in wooden columns. The polycarbonate is a very dense and durable plastic and on the smaller platforms the egg crate supports were probably overkill. My feeling though is better safe than sorry when it comes to kids appearing to tap dance in mid-air. Some volunteers from the school to help for one afternoon but our office manager Bill Bercow and I ended up working over a weekend to finish them off as most of the kids and parent volunteers were working there own long weekends on the rest of the sets and the dozens of costumes. It is always fun to be involved in a large project that has so much support and commitment from so many people in our community. My own daughter graduated from Fairview High School years ago and I am happy to give a little back for all that she gained while attending there.

It is always fun to be involved in a large project that has so much support and commitment from so many people in our community. My own daughter graduated from Fairview High School years ago and I am happy to give a little back for all that she gained while attending there.

Craig Martin

 Study in Park City, UT

Showroom Scale Model of Park City at 

Slifer, Smith & Frampton Office

“The scale model Archetype 3D delivered is our office center piece—saving time and money to get to know what our clients want in  property.” 

–John Calhoun, Managing Partner                                                                                                        Slifer Smith & Frampton, Park City, UT

Today’s real estate offices are prepared for almost anything. 

Often realtors anticipate prospective clients are going to run before they step through their door and they have a chance to build rapport with them.  Strategies to overcome buyer resistance to engage are as different as  the real estate broker’s personalities. Here is one realtor's success story when it comes to winning people over as they walk into their showroom,  and getting them to open up to  talk about what they are looking for in a property. His name is John Calhoun at Slifer, Smith and Frampton in Park City, Utah. He prefers a scale model of the greater Park City area to any other tool to capture people’s attention and to start a sales conversation.

Calhoun has been in the business a long time and realized something about potential buyers above all else—they have very little time while on vacation to spend looking for property. John suggests, “You better know what they are looking for before you hit the MLS pages or  the big screen in the conference room or  venture out to drive around.”  Sound familiar to what you are exper

iencing in your office? 

 

 

Looking over model Opening Evening 

Slifer, Smith & Frampton Office

According to Calhoun, “It is much easier for a client to wrap their arms and minds round where they  are by standing over a model and looking at the landscape as if they were flying over it. Having a physical model as the centerpiece of our office reduces the amount of time needed to help a client understand the lay of the land and the properties they are interested in seeing. There is a lot of inventory on the market, and immediately, the model helps us identify exactly what area best suits the client. ”

 

 

Aerial View of Park City at 

Slifer, Smith & Frampton Office

Calhoun goes on to extol the advantages by pointing to two specific reasons, “physical models stand above anything else as a sales tool in their office.”  He went on to explain, “First, models give a place to help us get to know somebody. It opens conversation and is a safe place compared to a closed door meeting in a conference room or sitting in front of a computer browsing through available properties. Second, a scale model eliminates a lot of wasted travel time  needed  to define the exact neighborhoods or properties they are truly interested in previewing.” Models help identify where they want to buy, while  in the comfort of Calhoun’s office. Before venturing out the client knows the neighborhood and living style best sutited to them.

Archetype 3D delivers show room scale models that highlight the geography and development density in vivid 3-d detail.  Contact us today for an estimate for a scale model for your office.

Park City Model Under Construction

Archetype 3D's Model Shop

 

 

 

 

We are talking about secrets; your secrets to be exact.  Hush now, don't tell anyone. Your privacy is our top priority.

We take your project’s trade secrets and projects that require non-disclosure agreements seriously at Archetype 3D. Our clients come back to us time and again because they trust we respect their right to maintain a cloak of secrecy to protect their intellectual property. As much as we work to build scale models based on your drawings’ specifications we work to deliver them on your terms for confidentiality as well.  

The images here vaguely represent some secret projects (or not). We are disappointed we can not show you some of the most interesting models that we have built—they are top secret after all. We only take pictures  for future bragging rights when there will be a time that "secret" project will become public. Then and only then, with your permission do we present the model expertise that went into building it. Until then we quietly go about our business and never to say a word. 

There are two types of models we work on that often require confidential protection. First there are scale model projects from inventors or companies with new products. We understand why people don't want us to show images or discuss this work as competition can be fierce and the roll out of a new product must be carefully orchestrated. The second are the type of clients who takes secrecy very seriously, especially with military and aerospace engineering clients – secrets are no joke to them. We have done work for military training camps, military field equipment and space craft like satelites.

Recently, we have begun work with a client project where the model maker working on one section cannot see what the rest of the shop is building. We have constructed a separate workspace with access to the model making tools that are needed but not to the rest of the shop in order to complete the work. 

If maintaining confidential integrity surrounding your trade secrets and intellectual property are vital to your success—we are the model makers for you.

Successful Scale Models for Large Civic Projects and Public Review

 Successful Scale Models for Large Civic Projects as a title alone, this is a mouthful but civic models are what we making these days. More often than not, the economy determines the kind of work and scale models we build. Many of the developers and engineers we normally count on to keep us busy are themselves scrambling for work. When a project does go forward though, scale models are still the most effective way to explain to the public what is needed. Going through a cone zone on the highway is not something I enjoy nor do most of the drivers I know. It is hard to imagine when you are stuck in traffic how wonderful things will be when the construction is done. Our models are being used to spark the imagination to how exquisite the highway will be once the construction is done.

 Case Study: Presidio – Doyle Street Drive Project

 Recently we completed a scale model of the Presidio--Doyle Drive project in San Francisco, California. The drive off the Golden Gate Bridge and through the Presidio is used by tourists, residents and commuters alike. The highway was built a long time ago without the benefit of a model illustrating traffic flow solutions. When looking toward the bay, the existing busy highway is a bit of an eyesore bisecting vital parks, and open space, plus cutting off thoroughfares to neighborhoods and business areas.

The Solution shown in a Scale Model

The solution is to lower parts of the highway through tunnels and redesign the interchanges using modern designs and engineering. As in many cases the best-laid plans aren’t so easy to understand conceptually and often times even harder to sell. Working closely with Parsons Brinkerhoff Engineering, the lead engineering firm directing the project, we came up with a 4’6” X 9’6” model design that takes a slight arc and is divided into 4 distinct sections. Each section demonstrates a different location along the planned drive and offers a clear engineering solution. Each section is enclosed in its own crate with casters so they can be wheeled around with ease and taken to separate meetings involving specific focus areas being considered for redevelopment.

This civic engineering scale model is being hauled all over San Francisco Bay Area for display to explain how the different phases of build-out are planned and to ease the public concerns over having been inconvenienced for as long as it takes to get the job done.

 

What makes the Client/Model Maker Relationship Special?

As much as the purpose of the Presidio model is clearly defined by the team of engineers, city planners, and public input, from a scale model builder’s perspective this was an interesting scale model to build. Along the way, we learned a bit about the history of the Presidio area and the politics at play affecting the project’s direction. One the coolest things for us was building the ramp leading up to and structure replicating the entrance to the Golden Gate bridge, and the elegant Palace of Fine Arts Buildings. We were able to solve problems associated with detaching and transporting the separate sections of this engineering scale model. On top of that, we had to figure out how to build hundreds of buildings and place the massive military cemetery.

Our passion is making models and solving problems for clients like Parsons Brinkerhoff, who were the lead engineering team for the Presidio—Doyle Drive project. It was challenging, and historically fascinating even though it wasn’t the biggest model we’ve ever created. Projects like these push model makers to engage with a project beyond just reading the plans and building the scale model to suit the client.  The special collaborative and cooperative juice between client and model maker often make the difference in a projects success like the Presidio—Doyle Drive.

Craig Martin

Craig Martin -President                                                               Many new things are afoot here at Archetype 3D. I have hired Bob Castellino as my marketing manager who immediately took it upon himself to change how we do things. The most apparent change to those who care about model making is the new look to our website. I was told that the home page of our old website did not pass the 10 year old test. That is, my web guru showed our home page to his 10-year old and asked him to explain what we do for a living. His answer might have been "they build condos?" but it sure wasn't "Cool, they build models!"

Now when you look at our website "Archetype 3D" We I am hoping that model making jumps immediately to your mind. Let me know if it doesn't because the other nice thing about our new website is that it is easily changeable. The site is not complete by any means. Hopefully we will be updating it constantly and we are currently reorganizing the portfolio pages so that samples from our vast collections of models will be easier to access. The purpose of these changes are two fold. We are making it easier for our existing clients to see samples of our work and progress on the projects that are in our shop. We also are raising our status with the search engines to broaden our appeal and introduce us to a whole new market of designers and developers. I welcome any feedback from our clients, send me any compliments that you have and feel free to forward any criticisms to Bob Castellino, bob@archetype3d.com or dial direct 303-449-0878 (he has thicker skin than I have). I hope you all are having a great summer.

Bob Castellino