The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory hired us to build a topographic model of part of their campus. Usually, a 3d model is used to clarify the design of a new building or device. However, for this model, its main purpose is for emergency preparedness. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory occupies 76 buildings spread over and around Grizzly Peak, which is east of Berkeley. Roads snake narrowly through canyons to connect the various labs and are frequently clogged with traffic. Because of this, they wanted to conduct studies and create a topographic scale model of the Lawrence Berkele ..read more

We were contacted by the celebrated Washington DC architect Hartman-Cox to create an architectural model of a new Beijing Financial District building. This building’s design is very traditional, in contrast to the cutting-edge, innovative architectural designs that we are accustomed to seeing built in China these days. As it turns out, this building was intended to serve as a visual bridge between the Soviet-era architecture of the east and the more contemporary designs of the west.   Constructed without the usual surrounding sidewalks and streets, this model was designed to fit into a l ..read more

Celebrated Seattle architecture company GGN (Gustafson Guthrie Nichol), is known for designing the amazing National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. They recently created a new solution for Detroit’s West Riverfront Park and had us build a large terrain model to showcase their new design. The most prominent features of their design are the translucent all-season pavilion known as the Meeting Place, and the dramatic Fishing Barge, the long pier jutting out into the river. Prominent colors were utilized to designate various activity areas. Their thinking centere ..read more

Discovered in 1900, Kennecott got its start as a copper mining operation in 1911. It shut down 27 years later after extracting over one billion pounds of copper. The site laid idle for decades before the National Park Service acquired it in 1998. It is now known as the Kennecott (or Kennicott) Mines National Historic Landmark.   The Park Service contacted us to create a large topographic scale model of the landmark to benefit the visitors and give them a sense of the place. Over 50 of the original buildings remain in various stages of repair. The National Park Service is restoring the si ..read more

This model depicts the National Memorial to the location of the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers. It is one of many we have done for visitor’s centers all over the country. With the recent news about commercial flights into Earth orbit, it’s easy to forget that powered flight, meaning airplanes, is less than 120 years old. And the birthplace of the age of flight is in Kittyhawk, North Carolina, right next to the Outer Banks, some of the best beaches on the East Coast. But the brothers were wanting isolation, not a day at the beach. At the site, they started with glider experiments ..read more

We just added a project the Rauda Scale Models portfolio! It’s one we did a couple of years ago of the north end of Central Park in Manhattan. Harlem Meer and Lasker Rink and Pool occupy the space. Harlem Meer, the lake, was designed as part of the original Central Park Project. The Lasker Rink and Pool opened in 1966 and had since fallen into disrepair. The City engaged Susan T. Rodriguez Architecture Design, known for sensitively integrating design with its environment, to develop a new alternatives for renovations of these important community facilities. The architecture studio developed ..read more

  Check out our latest architectural scale model! We just delivered it. This is a great example of an architectural massing model, representing a fast-growing area of Seattle and featuring a focal building designed by our architectural client, Gensler. Over fifty mass buildings in all, with over twenty of the actual buildings being built in just the last five years, including about a half-dozen currently under construction.   The focal building is a beautifully detailed model of a 45-story, mixed-use, mostly residential structure designed by Gensler in the middle of that forest of w ..read more

Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. Please check back often for updates on fun and exciting events happening at our office, important and interesting information about the scale model industry and the latest news about us. Feel free to leave a comment or question for us – we hope this will be a valuable resource for our clients, their families, and friends! The post Welcome to our blog first appeared on Rauda Scale Models since 1960 ..read more

We were contacted by the celebrated Washington DC architect Hartman-Cox to create an architectural model of a new Beijing Financial District building. This building’s design is very traditional, in contrast to the cutting-edge, innovative architectural designs that we are accustomed to seeing built in China these days. As it turns out, this building was intended to serve as a visual bridge between the Soviet-era architecture of the east and the more contemporary designs of the west.   Constructed without the usual surrounding sidewalks and streets, this model was designed to fit into a l ..read more

This ship model was damaged in shipping and the client hired us to repair the scale model. It is a common occurrence for models to get damaged during shipping, especially if they are fragile with delicate parts such as this ship model. We’ve taken on quite a few projects repairing collectible models such as this and we take great care in restoring the scale model to its original condition. We also carefully package our models for shipping to ensure that the model arrives safely at its destination. The post Ship Model Repair first appeared on Rauda Scale Models since 1960 ..read more