Supermodels – a delightful exhibition of architect’s models in Kings Cross

Dotted around the dark interior of a gutted office building are small moments of delight as architectural models come alive when you approach them.

These are architectural supermodels, born from the idea that while buildings are usually static structures, how they react to the environment or people using them is anything but, and the architectural practice, Piercy&Company has added movement to the models.

The exhibition takes place in an office building that’s been stripped back to its raw concrete frame ahead of being refurbished, so to walk into the exhibition is to step into a rough builders site of a space dotted with small patches of light where the models are shown.

Each one is animated, to show off some aspect or other of how the building responds to being used.

One standing surrounded by spotlights looking not unlike the time-slice special effect camera set up used in The Matrix shows off how the sun’s movement during the day will alter the building’s appearance.

A series of cuckoo clocks are there on a side wall, because why not.

A church comes alive as the vicar walks in and starts a service.

A camera moves through a model showing what it sees on a large screen so a future homeowner can walk through their house.

A house expands when you press a button to reveal the basement spaces below.

And, I won’t say what happens in a small side room with Model 8, but if you visit and other people are in there, turn around and look the other way until they leave to avoid spoiling the surprise. Then go in and press the button for something quite marvellous to happen.

Each model is based on a building or building concept by Piercy&Company, and made by the studio’s architecture team to explore and test experiential aspects of architecture. Some alive as you approach others need a button to be pressed. Several have front door eyeholes to peer inside and see the model or the mechanism from a fisheye perspective.

It’s all loads of fun to wander around pressing buttons and seeing what happens.

Oddly enough, for me, one item brought back strong memories, and that’s the glass display case that used to be commonly used in haberdashery stores to show off their wares, and is now used for similar storage by the architects for their model components. I used to work in a department store selling model racing cars and we used to use these very same display cases scavenged from a warehouse to store the model components we used to sell.

To see that here, in a building site and illuminated like a little jewel was an unexpectedly nostalgic moment.

The rest is pretty good as well – and will delight anyone who likes models, automata, architecture, or simply wandering around derelict buildings.

The free exhibition, Supermodels runs until Sunday 11th December 2022. It’s open daily from noon and closes at 5pm at weekends or 7pm during the week.

The venue, Jahn Court is signposted with a sign for the exhibition outside, but the easiest way to find it is to walk up the side of King’s Cross station along York Way, and look for this recessed courtyard.