Atelier AMOD — scale model builders
Scale

Scale
calculator

Enter the real size of your building or site, choose a scale, and see exactly how large the finished model will be — in centimetres, before anything is built.

01The calculator

Real size,
model size

IReal size

The real dimensions of the building or site. Leave any box blank to drop it — width and height alone describe a single facade, all three describe the whole building.

IIScale

Every tile updates live — the figure under each is your model's size at that scale.

IIIThe arithmetic

Model size in centimetres = the real size in metres × 100, divided by the scale denominator. A 20-metre facade is 20 cm at 1:100, 40 cm at 1:50 and 10 cm at 1:200. A standard door — one metre wide, two metres tall — is 1 × 2 cm at 1:100.

AMOD builds at scales from 1:25 to 1:1000. A framed Slice is capped at 90 cm on its longest side; a full commissioned model has no limit.

02Scale samples

Three models,
built at every scale

What those centimetres look like on a shelf. Each row is one project, photographed at each scale we built it — click any frame to open the set.

The school

Facade Slice · 1:50 → 1:500
One brick school facade built as four AMOD Slices at 1:50, 1:100, 1:200 and 1:500, standing in a row from largest to smallest The school entrance at 1:50 — individual bricks, ornamental brick arches and window mullions all separately modelled The same entrance at 1:100 — brick coursing and roof tiles still modelled, ornament finer but intact The same entrance at 1:200 — brickwork now reads as painted texture and the ornament is simplified to its silhouette

The villa

Full building model · 1:100 → 1:500
A villa built as a full three-dimensional scale model at 1:100, 1:200 and 1:500, the three models side by side with model trees The villa at 1:100 — modelled roof tiles, brick coursing, individual window frames and a dormer The same villa at 1:200 — window frames and roof ridges still crisp, brick texture reduced The same villa at 1:500 — a small solid object where windows are recesses and the roof shape carries the building

The tower

High-rise Slice · 1:100 & 1:200
A residential tower built as two AMOD Slices, at 1:100 and 1:200, with a playing card standing beside them for size reference The same two tower Slices seen from an angle, the 1:200 standing in front of the 1:100, showing how far the balcony slabs project from the facade One tower Slice in three-quarter view — cantilevered balcony slabs, glazed balustrades, stone podium and timber base
03Choosing a scale

The right scale
changes everything

I

1:25 to 1:50 — the museum piece

Individual bricks, mullions and ornament, each modelled and casting its own shadow. The scale for heritage pieces and detail studies, where people lean in close.

II

1:100 — the workhorse

A standard door is 1 × 2 cm and roof tiles are still modelled. The scale most single buildings and facades are built at, and the default for an AMOD Slice.

III

1:200 to 1:300 — the sales model

Large buildings and towers at a size that still fits a boardroom table. Texture becomes surface rather than relief; volume and rhythm carry the building.

IV

1:500 to 1:1000 — the masterplan

Urban blocks, campuses and districts, where the relationships between buildings matter more than their brickwork. Zagreb Airport was built at 1:1000.

04Questions

On scale

How do you calculate the size of a scale model?

Multiply the building's real size in metres by 100 to get centimetres, then divide by the scale denominator. A 20-metre-wide building at 1:100 is 20 × 100 ÷ 100 = 20 cm wide. The same building at 1:200 is 10 cm, and at 1:50 it is 40 cm. The calculator above does this for every scale at once.

How big is a 1:100 scale model?

At 1:100, every metre of the real building becomes one centimetre of model. A 20 × 15 metre facade becomes a 20 × 15 cm model. A standard door of 1 × 2 metres becomes 1 × 2 cm. At this scale individual roof tiles and bricks are still modelled, which is why 1:100 is the most common scale for a single building.

Which scale should I choose for my model?

Choose by what you want people to see. 1:25 to 1:50 is for museum pieces and detail studies, where brickwork and ornament are individually modelled. 1:100 is the workhorse scale for a single building or facade. 1:200 to 1:300 suits larger buildings and towers, where texture becomes surface rather than modelled relief. 1:500 to 1:1000 is for urban blocks, campuses and masterplans, where the relationships between buildings matter more than their materials.

What is the largest model you can make?

A framed AMOD Slice — a single facade elevation — is capped at 90 cm on its longest side, because it ships as a framed piece. Full building models commissioned directly have no such limit: models have been built at 1:25 for museums and at 1:1000 for entire airports and city districts.

What detail is lost at smaller scales?

At 1:50 individual bricks, window mullions and ornamental brickwork are separately modelled and cast shadows. At 1:100 brick coursing and roof tiles are still modelled but finer. At 1:200 brickwork becomes painted texture rather than relief, and ornament is simplified to its silhouette. Below 1:500 a building reads as massing: roof shape, window rhythm and volume. The photographs above show exactly this progression on one building.

Bring us your drawings

Commission a model