Pictured above: Tim Page

The skilled job of architectural model making demands an unusual mix of old-fashioned craft and technical understanding of blueprints. But for Tim Page, doing the job well also requires soul and a heart-felt sympathy for the design.

Tim's business, SB Modelmakers, was the company that designed the model of Blueprint's stylish and sustainable Green Street in The Meadows housing development.  

The 1:200 scale illuminated model, complete with tiny trees and cars, has been on display in two estate agents for four weeks and is known to have directly led to the sale of at least one of the development's houses.

Now the model can be seen at the new Green Street in The Meadows show home, which is open at weekends and by appointment on weekdays.

The high level of detail in the model is a reflection of the eight weeks' intensive labour that went into its production. Most models take five to six weeks to complete.

Tim, whose company has been based in The Meadows for 20 years and is just a few minutes' walk from the 38-home scheme, said: "The model was a lot more complicated than we anticipated, and that was because there was much more detail in the architectural scheme than we had thought. That tells you that the architect put a great deal of thought into the overall design of the scheme and the individual homes.

"Green Street in The Meadows is a good housing development and an unusual one in its high level of quality and detail. The scheme is also local to us, so it's part of our community and that meant working on the model was that little bit more special.  We do put a lot of our heart into making models and our clients and the other people who view the models appreciate that."

The architect for Green Street in The Meadows was the Nottingham practice Marsh Grochowksi, whose co-founder Julian Marsh also lives a few minutes' walk from the new development.

The model equivalent first went on display at estate agents Royston & Lund in West Bridgford and then Savills' Fletcher Gate office in Nottingham. And according to staff, the model has led directly to the sale of some Green Street in The Meadows homes while the scheme was still 'off plan.'

Val Shakespeare, senior valuer at Royston & Lund, said: "Having the model in our window generated an incredible amount of interest in Green Street in The Meadows. Many people enquired about the development after seeing the model - some of them were just curious, but many people were genuine prospective buyers and these included one lady who eventually reserved one of the properties."

Tim Page, who employs half a dozen people at SB Modelmakers, said models were invaluable in giving people a 3D sense of what real-life buildings will look like before they are built. Although Computer-Aided Design allows designers to create virtual models of buildings on screen, he believes that 3D models, in their styrene, acrylic and modelling board glory, remain the superior option.

"They just attract people to them," says the man who made dozens of Airfix models in his youth. "They give you to get an overview of the whole scheme but also allow a focus on the architectural details. Models like this bring out the child in us and that is especially true with finishing touches such as the cars and the trees. They create the sense of scale and help bring the models to life."

What happens to models after they have served their purpose? Some go to architects' offices for display while others go into dusty storage. Other, inevitably, get binned. However, one model that was created by Tim and his team over ten years ago has recently been sent back to them for changes to be made, reflecting changes to the real buildings the model represents.

"Learning architectural model-making is a hands-on experience more than anything else," he adds. "There's an ability to it which can't really be acquired in a classroom. It's a mixture of craft and engineering - quite a special blend of skills."

Built by national building contractors Lovell, Green Street in The Meadows is located next to the Victoria Embankment and adjacent to the fountains and neatly laid out planting beds of the Victoria Gardens.

The houses include many of the latest sustainable, energy-efficient features ensuring that owners enjoy low energy bills. These include roof-mounted solar panels, very high levels of insulation, maximum use of natural daylight and efficient water use. 

The homes are priced from £175,000 and are being sold nationally by Savills and locally by West Bridgford-based Royston & Lund.