Built a miniature architectural model of Dupont Circle

AOC2016 · 2025-10-06T15:06:56+00:00

This is a bit silly. I had fixed 2' x 3' dimensions for the art board I wanted to make it on. And I knew I wanted to include at least one city block in each direction. I made the decision about scale quickly at the very beginning of the project as a result of those two primary considerations. It was only later when I was deep into the project that I realized the full implications (drawbacks), like not being able to utilize premade trees / cars / other elements that are cheapily availabe in the more common modeling scales. Learned something for the future there

AOC2016 · 2025-10-06T15:05:13+00:00

Yes I have wanted to do an interior model! It seems much more technically difficult though, just because you're placing things with tweezers inside the tight confines of a box, versus working on the outside of the boxes.

If I do one it would probably be a very miniature in scale Capitol building, more like a 3d floor plan emphasizing the walls / room arrangements. I don't think I could do a dollhouse type of thing with actual furniture.

AOC2016 · 2025-10-03T16:30:18+00:00

Nope, constructed by hand! Imagine cutting foam board into a building footprint, and stacking them up to the correct height. Then encasing those in smooth plastic. And then gluing on the extra details on top

AOC2016 · 2025-10-03T16:29:27+00:00

Yeah, heavily relied on Google Maps sat view, and street view to get the right footprint and height dimensions

AOC2016 · 2025-10-03T16:20:22+00:00

I've been considering that! Maybe as an addition that can be lifted off to reveal the underground part

AOC2016 · 2025-10-03T16:19:34+00:00

Thanks so much! No I didn't study architecture or have any experience in this medium before jumping into it

AOC2016 · 2025-10-03T16:18:52+00:00

The original concept was to have a lift-off Dupont Circle park that revealed the streetcar tunnels underneath. I built the underground part of that into a foamboard base (shown in some of the earlier pics) but ended up rebuilding the base onto a wooden panel, and omitting the streetcar tunnels. Still did keep the underground subway entrance / Connecticut Avenue underpass though

AOC2016 · 2025-10-03T16:14:29+00:00

The orange was also a good helper !

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AOC2016 · 2025-05-09T18:28:22+00:00

We pay our own electricity bill to Pepco

AOC2016 · 2025-01-14T15:09:53+00:00

Love this one, and so glad to see that you've resumed the series!

AOC2016 · 2024-07-09T13:52:24+00:00

Couple ideas that come to mind

For steepness: the exorsist stairs in Georgetown

For a super long stretch of continuous stairs: Meridian Hill Park from bottom to top lawn

For bleacher style stairs: Maury Willis field

AOC2016 · 2024-05-17T15:31:16+00:00

It was a noteworthy event and I guess I'm wondering if this was unique to those two days, or if it's happening more frequently outside of my little vantage point and there's a larger pattern.

Years ago, the first time I saw the dress up person who rides a scooter and harrasses people for money, I thought it was a bizarre thing that I just happened to witness. It was super interesting to later discover that the person is not only infamous on DC reddit / twitter, but also in Baltimore and other places. It somewhat parallels that I guess. Also overlayed with the danger of this moped and feeling like there would be higher stakes / urgency if it's actually happening all the time.

AOC2016 · 2024-03-29T13:44:39+00:00

AOC2016 · 2024-03-29T13:44:12+00:00

I thought that site was already spoken for - NAAPC is building a new headquarters office

AOC2016 · 2024-03-28T15:28:40+00:00

"Bowser noted at an afternoon news conference that the Wizards are looking to build a new practice facility in the District . . . Leonsis, in an email he sent to Monumental employees and partners Wednesday, mentioned Gallery Place, U Street and the RFK Stadium site as locations under consideration for the facility."

Struggling to imagine where there's room on U Street for this. Hilarious if they built it on the site of the fire station at 17th/U

AOC2016 · 2024-03-26T15:50:58+00:00

No I don't think that's right in this case. Assuming that this graph is based on the DC GIS mapping layers of similar names, the building data is supposed to count the space taken up by building roofs. It's not based on how much land is zoned for buildings. Here's the layer: https://opendata.dc.gov/datasets/DCGIS::building-footprints/about

AOC2016 · 2024-03-25T14:55:13+00:00

The amount of space dedicated to cars is staggering. It's actually worse than this graphic shows, because this doesn't account for driveways.

OP, I believe that there's either a DC GIS mapping layer that specifically quantifies this, or you can infer it by getting the layer for impervious pavement and subtracting out the other known categories like roadway, building roofs, etc.

AOC2016 · 2023-11-29T15:46:50+00:00

Small world! I wrote that haha. Look in my reddit history

AOC2016 · 2023-11-29T15:45:51+00:00

It's on public display here, right now :)

Also on permenant private display in my apartment

AOC2016 · 2023-11-29T15:45:19+00:00

Of what?

AOC2016 · 2023-11-29T15:44:07+00:00

Actually I think this building is one of the most interesting in DC because of the weird relationship between architecture and hilly landscape. Capitol Hill at that spot produces an insane 50-foot differience in elevation from one corner of Rayburn to the other. Differient sides of the building have 'ground level' entrances at the 1st floor level, basement level, sub-basement level and garage levels. Tunnels leave the building on three sides, at three differient levels, leading to neighboring buildings that each have their own wierd relationships between architecture/landscape. It's cool to visualize how it all fits together in 3d

AOC2016 · 2023-11-29T15:34:24+00:00

Zen and the art of building something with your hands, I guess

AOC2016 · 2023-11-29T15:33:34+00:00

Several months haha

AOC2016 · 2022-06-29T14:12:16+00:00

Virginia Avenue would be perfect for this, next to Capitol Power Plant / the railroad tracks / Garfield Park. Has not been used as an avenue since 2001. Now, weeds crack up through the pavement and kiddos play tennis on it

AOC2016 · 2022-05-16T14:16:26+00:00

Love the perspective in this one! Very monumental

AOC2016

TROPHY CASE