Modern apartment block - what is this detail? What is its purpose in real life?

[TEAMYAKIMA]

Hello

 

After many years I am returning to finish off a kit-building project I had forgotten about. It is two HO building kits joined together of a modern(ish) apartment block under construction i.e. a building site.

 

I have long since lost the box and a google search today makes me think the kit is discontinued, but anyway my question relates to the real life building. The kit seems to have add-on parts which give the building some extra character but I don't understand what they are and there importance on a real life building. What I mean is that I am kitbashing and so I am moving everything around and because I don't know what these are I don't know how or why to add them.

 

 

Are they 'add-ons' in real life?  As you can see - the standard kit appears to have three in a row. I guess what it boils down to is that I have some unused ones in the boxes, but I don't know whether to add them or not because I don't understand them. 

 

I hope I've managed to explain my concerns

 

[Nearholmer]

They look as if they might be sun-shades, possibly with ventilators built into them.

 

Why don't you ask those blokes near that dumper? They look as if they might know.

[jonhall]

Brise soleil,is an architectural feature of a building that reduces heat gain within that building by deflecting sunlight (and therefore mostly seen on the sunny side of the building)

 

Jon

[andyman7]

14 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

They look as if they might be sun-shades, possibly with ventilators built into them.

 

Why don't you ask those blokes near that dumper? They look as if they might know.

"Not me mate. We just do what is says on the list" 

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by andyman7
Spelling

[TEAMYAKIMA]

2 minutes ago, jonhall said:

Brise soleil,is an architectural feature of a building that reduces heat gain within that building by deflecting sunlight (and therefore mostly seen on the sunny side of the building)

 

Jon

 

Hello Jon

 

Thanks for that.  So, The two kits are knitted together with each pointing in the other direction ie as you look at the whole building you are looking (in effect) at a front and a back. I had already 'removed' the details from the side facing away from viewers with a view to adding extra detail to the side facing the public as you can see (hopefully) in this photo.

 

The items you see in that photo are three moulding of three and one moulding of two.  I have managed to rescue two mouldings of three and one moulding of two from the none viewing side and so my real question is ? Where can/should I put them? I could cut them and put one over each of the single windows on the right hand side - OK???  I could then extend the three rows further along - YES?

 

I guess I was worried that I would do something like the above only to have an architect tell me I've messed up at my next show.

 

 

That photo was taken earlier this week, before 'restoration' began!

 

Jon - one more question if I may - do you agree that in effect the model shows the building at its full height? Looking at the top strip and comparing it with the ones below, I interpret that to be the final/top layer of the building.

 

Apologies for my use of non-technical terms.

 

Thanks again for your help in this matter

[jonhall]

I used to work in a building that had them added at the point it was re-clad about a decade ago, the idea is that it keeps the sun from shining on windows, therefore reducing the thermal gain, and requiring less energy to air condition the rooms within. I'm slightly skeptical, and we knew them as the 'pigeon shelves'. 

 

Its a pretty common retro-fit these day, so not necessarily 'structural', and therefore in your application on a building under construction not difficult to justify as incomplete.

 

In the UK I perceive they have only really come into fashion in the last decade or so, but that Vollmer hit has been around for decades, so I guess more popular elsewhere in the world - particularly places with lots of sunshine.

 

Jon

[Nearholmer]

I thought a brise soleil referred specifically to the shades with louvres. I've seen these more solid ones in Spain though.

[TEAMYAKIMA]

14 hours ago, jonhall said:

Its a pretty common retro-fit these day, so not necessarily 'structural', and therefore in your application on a building under construction not difficult to justify as incomplete.

 

Many thanks Jon. 

 

I had forgotten that they are VOLLMER kits and I have this morning searched for manufacturer's photos of it but failed so far - I had hoped the box art would give me some ideas.

 

Here is a more up to date photo of the 'restoration'. As I said, I think these features add a lot of interest to what otherwise would be a pretty boring model - just flat sides.

 

 

So, using the definition that the building has 11 of those features, I now have another 9 which I can add - in mouldings of three as shown in the photo. I'm thinking of cutting the groups of three into three singles and placing them above the single windows down the right hand side - is that a good idea?

 

 

 

But, as you can see, I have also found two mouldings which look very similar, but are longer, don't have the flat at the back and are slightly different in dimensions as you can see in the photo. Is it the same or something different?

 

On another theme, I plan to make two new floors out of plasticard so that the left hand building is about the same as the right hand one. I welcome comments and criticisms of the building as I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and ANY comments as to the design/concept are very welcome. 

 

Seriously, I would rather discover any obvious issues with the design now and at least have a chance to rectify them before my next show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DGO]

On 22/01/2022 at 19:25, jonhall said:

I used to work in a building that had them added at the point it was re-clad about a decade ago, the idea is that it keeps the sun from shining on windows, therefore reducing the thermal gain, and requiring less energy to air condition the rooms within. I'm slightly skeptical, and we knew them as the 'pigeon shelves'. 

 

 It's more that they keep the sun from the windows during the hottest part of the day when the sun is higher in the sky, during winter months when the sun is lower it angles in through the windows and helps heat the room, it's based on things like alpine chalets with their wide overhanging roofs, but obviously you'd need huge overhangs for the tallest buildings so instead they designed mini overhangs for each window. It's one of those things that you probably wouldn't notice as an individual in the room but would notice in a decrease in electricity bills for aircon in the building as a whole, typically in the Norther Hemisphere you find them on South Facing windows