Bigger and Better: The story of the Chicago Model

When the Chicago Model first debuted at the Railway Exchange Building in 2009, it quickly became an icon beloved by locals and tourists.

By Jessica Cilella

More than 100,000 people have visited the model each year since, and it has played a critical role in youth education and adult programming. Now, after a four-month hiatus, a new, improved and expanded Chicago City Model Experience is coming to the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC).

Building blocks

The model was the brainchild of CAC President and CEO Lynn Osmond, who was inspired by several city models she saw during her travels in Paris, Shanghai and Beijing.

“People were captivated by them and I became obsessed with developing one for Chicago,” she said.

Originally created to last three months for a temporary exhibit, the Chicago Model has endured, due to the way it was created and the intense care given to it by its creator: Columbian Model & Exhibit Works. Every six months, the Model is cleaned and updated with new buildings, and demolished buildings are removed.

“Had we made it with traditional methods (hand-crafted wood), no matter how good we were, things would be popping, things would be warping,” Cathy said. “The stereolithography is an amazing tool because this model is almost 10 years old now and it looks as good today as it did when we first installed it.”

When the buildings come off the 3D printer, they are plain, translucent shapes. They are delivered back to Columbian Model, where they are painted various shades of white and gray and given more detail.

ONE OF A KIND

Stereolithography, a process by which drawings are turned into tangible objects through the use of 3D printing, was a new technology in 2009.

In Elgin, a far west suburb, DSM Additive Manufacturing makes the specialty materials used for stereolithography. They generously agreed to 3D print the buildings for the Chicago Model for free, as they needed items on which to test their different acrylic resins.

“We’re happy to have a partner who has been instrumental in the creation of this model,” Cathy Tinker, owner of Columbian Model, said of DSM. “It wouldn’t get done without them. It’s more than $1 million worth of 3D printing that has been donated.”

The printing process starts when Columbian Model provides DSM with thoroughly researched data, gathered from satellite images, architecture firms and some of their own research.

“Had we made it with traditional methods (hand-crafted wood), no matter how good we were, things would be popping, things would be warping,” Cathy said.

“The stereolithography is an amazing tool because this model is almost 10 years old now and it looks as good today as it did when we first installed it.”

When the buildings come off the 3D printer, they are plain, translucent shapes. They are delivered back to Columbian Model, where they are painted various shades of white and gray and given more detail.

Amazing improvements

Aside from the material it is made from, the Chicago Model is unique because of its scale. 1 inch equals 50 feet, which allows visitors to see details on the buildings while also taking in the density of the Loop and surrounding neighborhoods.

“A lot of other city models are much smaller scale, like 1 inch equals 1,000 feet, because they want to include the entire city,” said John Schnell, a designer at Columbian Model. “With this model we wanted to include a lot of architecture details.”

The new Chicago City Model Experience has been expanded to 630 blocks, stretching north to Oak, south to Cermak and west to Sangamon, with new community areas and attractions like Navy Pier and Northerly Island.

The base has also been altered to include simple but accurate topography, with slopes down to the Chicago River and elevation changes throughout.

But the biggest change is the interactive and cinematic elements that have been added.

Visitors will be able to activate the Model through touch screens and view data about a variety of subjects, like changing land uses, train lines and new building projects.

“It will be in a darkened room so we can project lighting and tell stories on it,” Lynn said. “It will be very dramatic and exciting!”