Positioned between robust LEGO-style systems made for easy reuse and refined architectural models that are fragile but permanent, this modeling kit is both a design tool for professionals and rendering mechanism to convey space and materiality to clients.

Using 1:48 scale, the modular pieces that come with ARCKIT are compatible with conventional imperial measurements (easy inch-to-foot conversions) but also close to 1:50 for metric purposes and compatible with scale trees, furniture and figures already sold to architectural professionals. Different textures can be overlaid on surfaces to create realistic material effects, simulating wood panels, tile floors, stone walls and more.

Easy to attach then disassemble, the pieces strike a balance between process and product, letting users reshape them as a design evolves. The physical blocks also have SketchUp-compatible digital analogs, allowing designers to shift back and forth between 3D modeling software and physical construction.

Anyone who has spent time on an architectural model knows that so much effort goes into measuring, cutting, gluing and waiting – the idea here is to reduce that frustration but also free up designers from feeling too committed to a lovingly-crafted physical model, reducing incentive to iterate. At the same time, this system is also accessible to non-professionals, both kids and adults, already being compared by many to physical toys (like LEGO) and digital games (like Minecraft).

“ARCKIT is a freeform model making system that allows you to physically explore designs and bring your architectural projects to life. The system uses interconnecting components that are completely modular and based on modern panelled building techniques, making it possible to create a diverse range of scaled structures that can be quickly assembled and endlessly modified.”