Ben - Model Makers Bristol / Amalgam Model Making

Interactive Exhibition for Glasgow Science Centre

February 28, 2013

Interactive Exhibition displays for the upcoming Body Works Exhibition at the Glasgow Science Centre form one of the latest projects for Amalgam's Display Team. We have been making a series of sculpted and electronic interactive exhibits for this prestigious exhibition which is being supplied mainly by Huttinger Exhibitions. The displays being created at Amalgam include a cut-away heart valve model displaying a life size heart, sculpted and art worked in house, showing the position of an artificial heart valve with alternative heart valves also on show. A scale model of an artery system will show the position of a stent, and we are creating a display for a bionic hand developed by Touch Bionics. The largest and most complicated display is a life size human torso, show casing the Total Artificial Heart system made by Syncardia. This exhibit will show the position of the heart within the torso, nestled between…

Hydrate for Health inventor Mark Moran introduces Dr Philip Hammond to The Hydrant

February 23, 2013

Hydrate for Health inventor Mark Moran could be heard this morning in a radio interview with well-known TV & radio broadcaster and GP Dr Philip Hammond. Since finding himself frustrated by not being able to reach a drink following a spinal operation Mark has dedicated his life to the solution, forming his own company Hydrate for Health to develop and promote his Hydrant idea. It has been several years since Mark first approached Amalgam to help him design The Hydrant but we are still in contact and follow the progress of Hydrate for Health and The Hydrant in particular. Our original case study can be read here. https://amalgam-models.co.uk/projects/the-hydrant-water-bottle. describing how we used a combination of 3D scanning to design the screw cap with its combined clip /handle feature, which was followed by rapid prototyping of the design and resin vacuum casting to produce a batch of trial parts. You can…

Pourty Potty Review

February 21, 2013

The Pourty has been another of Amalgam's prototyping success stories. We developed the original working prototype with John & Lucy Rathbone, the designers of the product, and produced several colour variants as working prototypes and marketing tools. The Pourty potty won Best New Product to Market 2010/11 and is consistently rated 5/5 in potty reviews for quality, value for money and ease of use. It has gone on to be stocked world-wide by the vast majority of high street retailers. You can read a mother's review here: http://creativelycheapconstantlycrazy.blogspot.co.uk/.

SeaGen featured on BBC TV’s Countryfile

February 15, 2013

MCT's SeaGen tidal system, located in Strangford Lough, has featured on the BBC 1 television programme, Countryfile (Sunday, February 10th) for a second time. Comments were made on the massive potential for tidal power in the British Isles. Watch the video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qsl55/Countryfile_10_02_2013/. We have provided a number of models for MCT and the SeaGen project; head to Our Work to see a 1-metre demonstration model and a small-scale desktop miniature.

Hammerson and Westfield announce £1 billion Croydon redevelopment project

February 14, 2013

Developers Hammerson and Westfield have reached a joint venture agreement and are set to begin a massive redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre in Croydon. Following the announcement, other development proposals began to flood in, making the announcement a 'tipping point' in the Council's efforts to revitalise the area. Following the 2011 summer riots, the council landed £23 million from the Greater London Authority to fund regeneration schemes. Croydon has a legacy of failed regeneration and the £1 billion joint venture promises to be the beginning of a process which will see the creation of new retail centres, leisure and public spaces, and over 7000 new homes in Croydon's centre. Firms involved include Studio Egret West, Allies and Morrison and HawkinsBrown.

Perfume bottle display for Thierry Mugler at Selfridges

January 28, 2013

Amalgam Display have just created some large white perfume bottle shapes for the latest Thierry Mugler Display in Selfridges, Oxford St. The eye-catching display entitled 'No Noise' is comprised of three large, light-weight bottle shapes which are suspended from a square archway, as well as some smaller illuminated bottle shapes set into the front counter. This was a project for Thierry Mugler and the Clarins Fragrance group, in conjunction with Design 4 Retail. Amalgam have a history of creating high profile displays in the famous Oxford Street store for this and other clients, and having worked with these specific shapes many times we were already on home territory.

New Architectural Model for 3bd Architecture + Design

January 22, 2013

Amalgam model makers have recently finished a 1:1000 model for 3bd architecture + design, an international firm with offices in vibrant Stokes Croft. Small, simple conceptual models such as this one can often be more effective and economic than larger high-detail builds, since they focus on overall forms and the relationships between buildings. The scope and content of the project will remain undisclosed until further notice; to see more of their work head to www.3bd.co.uk

Architecture Centre Olympic Exhibition

January 22, 2013

The Architecture Centre on Bristol's waterfront is presenting an exhibition of some of the architectural models used for last year's Olympic Games, notably the London 2012 Olympic Stadium by Populous, London Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects, London 2012 Velodrome by Hopkins Architects and The Copper Box (Handball Arena) by Make Architects. The exhibition also explores the lasting impact of the games and their architecture on the social and economic landscape, and how these structures are to be sustained. The exhibition runs from Wednesday 8th Jan to Sunday 7 April, and is a fantastic opportunity to see the models used in the process of creating modern icons. Head to http://www.architecturecentre.co.uk/exhibitions-after-the-party to find out more.

Olympic Torch arrives at Amalgam

January 17, 2013

Last week the Amalgam team were very excited to receive a 2012 Olympic Torch which has been donated by one of the Torch relay participants to be displayed at the EDF Dungeness Visitor Centre. Amalgam have been collaborating with EDF over the last year to design and build the Visitor Centres and Interactives for all of their power stations, and we are currently designing and building a display stand for the iconic aluminium 2012 Torch.

The Hydrant to trial at Scunthhorpe Hospital

January 11, 2013

Follow this link to see a BBC 1 video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUFAv_1m-AY&feature=youtu.be - on The Hydrant, a product which has been shortlisted for the Queens Award for Innovation and which Amalgam Modelmaking had a hand in designing. Severely bed-bound patients and individuals are faced with the very real danger of becoming dehydrated if they are unable to lift a heavy jug of water; The Hydrant, designed by Hydrate for Health, allows patients to keep themselves hydrated without the assistance of a nurse.