Villa Volga. Models

Models play a crucial role in the invention process of architecture as they serve as visual representations of a design concept. They help architects and designers communicate their ideas to clients, colleagues, and construction teams. There are many techniques for the implementation and presentation of architectural models, but our interest always is in so-called operational explorative models. Here let’s say that exactly these models aid in the design process by allowing architects to explore different design options and test ideas before committing to a final design. Inventing architecture of Villa Volga, we repeatedly went for this kind of models, attempting, even though on a small scale, to verify conceptual, spatial and compositional ideas. Moreover, it was important for us to see in the physical model structures which are hidden in the body of the roof. It was important for us to feel the beauty of the structural skeleton, because it was the hidden structures in the roof that solved the problem of stiffness and stability of the vertical structures. The simultaneous and calculated operation of the perimeter beams linking the vertical columns and the horizontal trusses in the two roof belts ensure the stability and spatial rigidity of the entire wooden structure.