Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 18th 2008, 12:00am By West Coast Perspective

LGM, a Colorado-based architectural model shop, has opened a Buffalo office in the Craven Dickinson Seed Co. Building, 567 Exchange Street in the Larkin District. The new office, called LGM East, will function as a full-service model shop specializing in color sales models and 3-D printed models for use by architects and real estate developers.

LGM East has positioned itself to service the tremendous growth in architectural services by East Coast architecture firms. The model shop will create sophisticated full-color sales models for clients both domestically and internationally. In addition, through parent company LGM, LGM East has access to highly developed software systems produced specifically for 3-D design. This software translates existing 2-D CAD data into 3-D digital geometry for a seamless presentation pieces for developers or design review boards.

By showing clients a detailed visual aid, a developer can illustrate the potential value in any given project. A physical model allows clients, project reviewers, or potential occupants to see three dimensionally, a task many people find difficult, especially when the design is complicated or intricate.

Each model made by LGM is carefully detailed with accurate topography and landscaping. In addition, elements such as water features, roads, paths and rock formations are integrated into the site followed by trees, bushes, people and animals. Models can even portray a particular season such as winter or summer to highlight resort activities like snow skiing or golfing.

The Buffalo office recently completed a full-color sales model for a Player Real Estate development in Greenville, South Carolina and an interior model for Grand Timbers Resort in Breckenridge, Colorado (image below).

“I chose to set-up a model shop in Buffalo because of its central location, low cost of doing business, lack of direct competition and my wife was born and raised in the area,” According to LGM Assistant Director Sean Nowicki.

Sean and his wife were working in New York City and just had a baby, so they decided to move back to Buffalo "to be closer to family raise our child with a sense of community." After moving to Buffalo, Sean was hired by LGM on a temporary basis to create models for resort developments in California and Colorado. Impressed with Sean's work, LGM offered him a full-time job at their offices near Vail, Colorado.

"My boss gave me a great offer to stay on permanent basis," says Sean. "With Buffalo being a great place to raise a family and all of my wife's family being here, I had to decline the offer. I suggested that my boss open an office in Buffalo to get a foot on the East Coast and grow the business. With the business being technology-based, I could, with a few pieces of equipment, set-up anywhere. So my boss agreed and we are now open in the Larkin District with about 850 square feet of space."

“We are hoping to change some minds locally about the use of physical models as a tool in the design and permitting process,” he says.

The models are priced based on scale, materials, topography, file data and extras such as programmable lighting. A typical scale for a model you would find in a real estate sales office is 1/16th or 1/8th and usually start at $12-15,000 with some of the larger models costing as much as $80,000. Many developers find it a small cost to pay when marketing large or high-end properties. According to Sean, the lead time to complete a model is usually dependent on file data, model complexity and scope of project. A typical model can be completed in one or two months and taking as long as three to four months.

The office also offers a service called RapidArch that is a quick turnaround 3-D printed model for architects and developers to use for design reviews and client meetings.

The new office is a one-man show for now, but is likely to expand if business warrants it. "I think we would start some sort of internship with UB so that students have an opportunity to learn traditional model making and 3-D printing," says Sean.

Sean is willing to provide tours of the shop and will have a sales model to show as well as some samples of their 3-D print process.

Get connected: Sean Nowicki, LGM East, 800.448.8808 x203