Large-scale physical model of Reading launched

Students at the University of Reading’s new School of Architecture are benefiting from a large-scale physical model of Reading town centre as part of a new partnership with Broadway Malyan.

The 1.7-square-metre model covers two square miles of Reading town centre and the surrounding area and is the most up-to-date detailed model of Reading town centre.

The carefully crafted timber model has been built in sections so it can be taken apart and have new sections added to it as the town centre evolves. Strategic development sites in Reading can be removed and replaced with proposed schemes and seen in the context of the whole townscape.

It also enables the model to be used as a learning tool for the students as well as town planners who will have access to a new ‘urban room’ for discussions on the future development of Reading.

The wooden model, which was built across 16 separate bases and then bolted together, was built by the team led by Chris Davis in Weybridge and is one of the practice’s most ambitious with almost 1,000 pieces in total.

Broadway Malyan director David Anderson said the relationship with the new School of Architecture reflected a long-standing culture in the practice of supporting the next generation of architects. "Broadway Malyan is a well-established practice in the Reading area and it has been fantastic to have been able to contribute to the new school of architecture from its inception and we are very excited about being able to deliver this model, which will not just be aesthetically beautiful but also a significant tool for learning.”

The model was launched alongside a public lecture given by design director Jeff Brooks and associate Sean Cleary, both from Broadway Malyan’s London studio, which looked at the practice’s design philosophy as well as the scale of the projects that the architecture firm works on - from single buildings to large cities.

Watch the video to see how it was put together