Models & Prototypes

[Image: "Dome-shaped Architectural Staircase Model," courtesy of the Cooper Hewitt].

If you liked those two staircase posts from earlier today, a reader has pointed out that the Cooper Hewitt has a whole slew of "Models & Prototypes" on display that seem worth checking out.

More specifically, it's "a gallery devoted to exhibiting three-dimensional representations of ideas that demonstrate the design process; test concepts and resolve problems; enhance presentations; and display complex technical skills."

Take a look at the "Dome-shaped Architectural Staircase Model" from the mid-19th-century, for example, seen above, or this gorgeous "staircase model from France".

[Image: A "staircase model from France," courtesy of the Cooper Hewitt].

Freestanding and divorced from their ultimate architectural context, they become more like vertebrae or genetic helices spiraling in midair.

[Image: "Staircase Model, France," courtesy of the Cooper Hewitt].

See more over at the Cooper Hewitt.

(Thanks to John O'Shea for the tip!)