Detailed Architectural Paper Model (E5): An Artistic and Educational Hobby for Architecture Lovers

During his studies in Architecture, Charles Young discovered a love of paper and crafting miniature model buildings featuring the tiniest detail, and even bringing his sculptures to life by animating them to create delightful stop motion shorts. His ongoing Four Colour Houses has since captured the attention of leading clients, giving Young an unexpected career path.

Detailed Architectural Paper Model (E5)

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Charles Young studied Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art and graduated from the post-graduate course in 2014. But he never completed the qualifications he needed to become an architect and instead began working as an artist and animator, immersed in the world of papercraft. "Making models out of paper was something that I started doing at university," he tells Creative Boom, "after graduating, I found that it was a quick and simple way to make something every day."

The colour models take up to four hours to complete, depending on the complexity of the structure and how much cutting is needed. "I do all of this by hand with a scalpel," he says. "If a piece includes animation, then this is built in from the start. To get smooth movement on the moving parts, paper sliders and wheels have to be included during construction."

Looking at some of Young's other work, there's an incredible project for The Music Hall in Aberdeen that presented quite a different challenge. Commissioned by New Media Scotland's Alt:W fund, the animation was made in a scale paper model of the area of the city surrounding The Music Hall, one of the oldest concert halls in Scotland.

Looking at another recent project, one for Toyota, Young uses a combination of white paper models that he already had and pieces made specially, including bridges, boats, cows and a stadium. The film was about the possibilities of battery technologies and featured ideas that the company wanted to highlight in advance of the Tokyo Olympics. 2ff7e9595c