OVERVIEW

Founded by Richard Armiger, Network Modelmakers has an unsurpassed record helping our clients to win nearly 80 major international design competitions. 

Our models have featured in London's Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition every year since 1983, and helped define the 'model vocabulary' for many pre-eminent, now famous architects in the UK and Europe.

The works have been exhibited in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and MoMA, the National Gallery of Art, Washington; also Berlin, Prague, the Venice Biennale, the Pompidou Paris and many other venues throughout the European Union.

Armiger is the Consultant Model Co-ordinator for Crossrail, one of the most elaborate infrastructure schemes in the UK, overseeing the research, design and construction of the many models required for this remarkable £19bn venture.

We work with many innovative, emerging and established practices, imaginative developers, leading cultural institutions, as well as private individuals. 

A new strand, developed from our museum work, is the studio’s ‘Blindside Models’. These are charitably funded models built for the blind or visually impaired. 

Often made in timber, these are large, very high-detail models whereby a blind or partially sighted individual can explore and understand the circulation routes, interior spaces, structure, and majesty
of a building - simply by feel.

Timber models are our speciality. Our wood models in walnut, lime, sycamore, obeche, red and yellow cedar, beech or birch - these all have a place in Network's pedigree and our heart - even the ever-humble balsa.

OVERZICHT

Opgericht door Richard Armiger, Network Modelmakers heeft een ongeëvenaarde staat van dienst in het helpen van onze klanten om te winnen bijna 80 grote design Internationale competities.

Onze modellen zijn sinds 1983 in de Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in Londen geïntroduceerd en begonnen met een nieuwe woordenschat voor veel toonaangevende praktijken in het Verenigd Koninkrijk en Europa.

Wij werken met innovatieve, opkomende en gevestigde praktijken, fantasierijke ontwikkelaars, toonaangevende culturele instellingen, maar ook particulieren.

Richard Armiger is de Consultant Model-Coördinator voor Crossrail, een van de meest uitgebreide infrastructuur regelingen in het UK, het toezicht op het onderzoek, ontwerp en constructie van de vele modellen nodig deze 22€ miljard onderneming.

Een nieuw onderdeel, ontwikkeld op basis van ons museum het werk, is de studio's 'Blindside Models'.  Dit zijn liefdevol gefinancierd modellen gebouwd voor de blinden of slechtzienden.

Vaak gemaakt in hout, dit zijn grote, zeer high-detail modellen waarbij een blind of slechtziend afzonderlijke kunnen verkennen en begrijpen van de circulatie routes, interieur ruimten, de structuur, en de majesteit van een gebouw - gewoon op gevoel.

QUARTET

RICHARD ARMIGER
London / Rotterdam / Berlin / Washington

Armiger initially studied Painting and Sculpture at MICA, then later, in the UK, Industrial Design Modeling at UCA-KIAD, gaining a Distinction for his Diploma. In the 1980s, he opened his studio and settled in London.

Prior to this, he worked first in Boston for Cambridge Seven Associates, then, in London, for the architect Sir Hugh Casson and later at the inspiring timber Model Shop at Arup.

Alongside Arup’s design and engineering encouragement, were the talents of many others; the Shuttleworth brothers; Michelle Carter and Doug Hamilton at Wolff Olins; the ‘quintessential English gentleman’ Malcolm Fowler and surrealist Nancy Fouts, partners at Shirtsleeves Studio - all inspiring RA to build The Network.

Network Modelmakers was first established in 1983 in Spitalfields, before expanding to the southeast UK and Europe. The models have been published extensively and exhibited worldwide; most notably in the Victoria & Albert Museum’s permanent collection. His work has featured regularly at the Venice Biennale, the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition; in 35 years, 35 Network models are selected.

He and George Rome Innes have together built a reputation as the foremost authorities in Britain on the design, research, construction and restoration of historic, culturally important architectural models.

ENRICO BERGONZONI
Piacenza / Milan

Born Piacenza, Italy. Enrico studied architecture in his home country before heading to London to embrace modelmaking and photography. He is registered with the Ordine degli Architetti in Piacenza.

Signor Bergonzoni worked for two years at the family firm in his native Italy, then as Studio Manager at our Notting Hill modelshop. Enrico branched out from London to open the Italian workshop - and raise two handsome Japanese-Italian children.

His remarkable large-scale timber model of the Palazzo Farnese, measuring nearly 2.5M (nine feet), is on permanent display at the Palazzo Farnese historical museum.

GEORGE ROME INNES, MA
London

George Rome Innes has studied medicine, architecture and history of art, and is fascinated by science and theology; a true ‘renaissance man'.

Professionally he is a university lecturer in design and art history, and by trade an architectural modelmaker, initially working for many years at architects and engineers Ove Arup & Partners.

He now works for the 'Dead Architects Club' and his clients include; Inigo Jones, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Sir William Chambers, Robert Adam, and Sir John Soane.

His work can be seen in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert, the Soane Museum, the National Trust, and the Courtauld Institute.

HUMPHREY WATERHOUSE
Business Manager at Network Modelmakers

Born London. Studied English Literature at Oxford University. In Beverly Hills, he worked for the legendary producer of the James Bond films Mr Cubby Broccoli. Returning to the UK, he's organised many small and medium enterprises; including the setting up of London’s Ministry of Sound nightclub with James Palumbo.

More recently, as Network Modelmakers’ Business Manager, he has returned to a profession closer to his roots - his great great grandfather was the eminent architect Alfred Waterhouse, the designer of London’s Natural History Museum and the Manchester Town Hall. Lesser known, Alfred also designed Lyndhurst Hall, home of the famous Air Studios in Hampstead, North London.