Drawing and modelling materials and equipment: items provided by the department plus items to be purchased by the student
The study of architecture involves a lot of materials and equipment.
The department does not provide all the equipment that you require; you will need to acquire the majority of this, ranging from pencils and pens to an A2 drawing board. The information below clarifies the equipment you need to have for the start of term, as well as other equipment you may wish to purchase as you move through the course and develop a better understanding of what is required and expected.
The department does not provide all the materials you will need for drawing and modelling, however the department does provide core materials that are essential for completing assignments and making submissions. By way of example, a number of submissions require you to draw on A2, 90gsm tracing paper. We provide you with the tracing paper you need to make all submissions, but we also advise that you purchase your own ‘back-up’ supply in case you wish to use this material for other design development work. You will need to purchase sketchbooks, other sketching papers and other materials that you wish to use. You are required to make many models. We provide modelling card for this, but not an endless supply as this will not help you think about being sustainable. We also advise you to purchase your own supply of card, or better still, recycle card from home to use in your model making. We also provide modelling timber and other materials for core modelling tasks, but we do not provide any specialist modelling materials you may wish to explore using, such as metals or acetates or similar. Year 1 studies include the design and building of a bridge. This work is led by our fantastic workshop team and all materials and equipment are provided by the department, including health and safety equipment.
Purchase of equipment and materials prior to arrival
The information below indicates items that you must have on arrival with a double asterisk (**). Other items are not essential for the start of term but are items that you might choose to purchase before arrival or should anticipate buying during Year 1 studies, as and when you realise you need them, or wish to use or explore them.
The essential items indicated with (**) are not necessarily needed on the first teaching day but will be needed in the first few weeks. During Induction Week, Week 1, you will be directed as to which items are needed on the first studio day (Monday of Week 2, first week of teaching).
You may already own art materials and equipment – pens, paints, charcoals etc. We recommend you bring as much of this with you as practical to do so.
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** A2 drawing board with parallel motion/ rule
The costs range from approximately £75 upwards. Blundell Harling is a brand recommended by the school, but good, cheaper and more expensive brands are available. Ideally choose a board that you can position at more than one angle so that you have an option to use the board ‘steep’ and ‘shallow’ on the table-top; this will help you avoid back or arm strain.
Please note you will have to carry your drawing board to and from studio, so we highly recommend looking for one with a handle. Typically, a small handle is provided on the back or on the edge of the board. If for whatever reason you are concerned you will not be able to carry your drawing board to and from studio, please contact the Year 1 Studio Leader, Neil Stacey, prior to arrival (neil.stacey@nottingham.ac.uk) or speak with Neil, or your studio tutor(s), when you arrive.
- ** Draughting pens
You need a set of draughting pens in a range of widths. We advise a minimum of three widths: fine (0.1 to 0.2mm); mid (0.25 to 0.4mm), and thick (0.5 to 0.8mm), with a minimum of 0.2mm between each width. Extending this range is something you might consider once you are on the course and better understand the requirements.
You will use draughting pens to produce ‘final drawings’ on tracing paper on your drawing board. This ‘old school’ technique is the vital first step in developing excellent digital drawing skills: University of Nottingham graduates have excellent digital drawing skills founded on the understanding of key principles that they develop on the drawing board in Year 1.
Good brands of draughting pens include Rotring Rapidograph, Rotring Isograph and Staedtler Mars drawing pens. These are often available in student starter packs of two or three pens. Fine liner pens are the more affordable option, but it is highly likely you will have to replace them during the year. If you opt for fine liner pens buy a good quality set, for example by Staedtler, and be prepared to replace them in order to ensure you can consistently produce the high-quality line work required across the whole of year 1.
- ** A scale ruler
You must attend with a 30cm scale ruler. The Faber Metric Ruler is a brand we recommend but other good options are available. Some scale rules are ‘flat’, others are ‘three-pointed star’ shaped in section: either of these types is ok. Please ensure it includes the 1:100, 1:50 and 1:20 scales and is metric not imperial (US made scale rulers are imperial). Other scales, such as 1:200, 1:500 and 1:1250, are also useful: different brands will offer different combinations of scales.
- ** Adjustable Set Square
You must attend with one of these: without it you will not be able to complete drawing board tasks. They are available in different sizes; we recommend a 10” or similar. Faber Castell is a good brand but other brands to consider include Liquidraw, Artway, or Jakar. It is important that you purchase an adjustable set-square, not a set of fixed, rigid set squares.
- ** An array of pencils of different types –
You are to attend with pencils in a range of graphite weights, from hard (4H) to soft (9B) or similar, as well as a good quality pencil sharpener, although there is a very good quality wall mounted sharpener in the studios. A pencil rubber/ eraser is also needed, and possibly a ‘putty-rubber’; many people recommend these over ‘normal’ rubbers but it is not essential that you have one.
It is recommended that you explore using (and possibly purchasing) propelling type pencils and/or ‘clutch pencils’. Both of these require you to purchase leads separately. ‘Clutch pencils’ are better if you also purchase a ‘special’ clutch pencil sharpener. Use of these or other ‘specialist’ pencils is not essential, but many architects and students find them useful
- ** A5 and A4 sketchbook –
You must attend with two hardback bound sketchbooks, one A4 and one A5. Both should have plain pages of reasonably good quality paper: avoid lined paper and spiral bound sketchbooks. You will be directed to write your full name and contact details on the inside front cover. You will need to scan many pages in your sketchbooks to submit them digitally (more will be said about this at the start of the course).
You will use both sketchbooks. It is anticipated the A5 sketchbook, which is relatively small, will be something you carry whenever visiting anywhere: you will be encouraged to regularly sketch. Sketching skills are very important: however good your skills are now, and you may think they are not that good (!), you will be guided to improve them during the year.
You may need to purchase additional sketchbooks as and when you fill/ complete them. How quickly you do this depends upon the number of pages in the sketchbooks you use and how quickly you use up those pages. If you do not need to purchase additional sketchbooks in year 1 you will need to do so on in year 2.
You will be required to formally submit your sketchbooks for review and assessment by your tutors.
- Other sketching paper –
If a particular assignment/ submission requires use of a particular type of sketching paper we will provide this, but otherwise the department does not provide sketching paper. However, we do provide high-quality paper for ‘final drawings’ required for submissions (see ‘tracing paper’ below).
You will be undertaking a lot of sketching and developing your designs through sketching. This will require using both your sketchbooks and using loose paper. By way of example, you will need to create ‘draft’ plans and sections, and other orthographic drawings, on loose, ‘sketch’ paper, prior to neatly tracing those drawings on high-quality ‘tracing paper’ that we provide for submissions (see below).
Detail paper is very useful as a ‘sketch paper’. We highly recommend using detail paper. Detail paper is a ‘low-grade’ tracing paper that you can see through. It is available in loose sheets, in pads and in rolls. We highly recommend that every student attends with a roll of detail paper. It is cheaper than loose sheets and is also more versatile and robust than buying it in pads. We recommend purchasing a Tervakovski 25gsm 300mm wide, 100m long roll, or similar. Other brands exist, but ensure the roll of paper you purchase is translucent and it is not white/opaque. Rolls are usually available in ‘white’ or ‘yellow’: either is ok, both will be see-through if they are 25gsm or a similarly low weight.
- A2 90gsm tracing paper –
This weight of tracing paper (90gsm) is high-quality and ideal for producing ‘final drawings’ in ink using draughting pens on your drawing board. The course will provide you with tracing paper for your final drawings. We identify how many A2 sheets you need, based upon the drawings we require you to submit, and provide these for you.
Nevertheless, partly because paper occasional gets ripped, lost or misplaced, or indeed because you might decide to produce your final drawings using tracing paper in a slightly different way to how we anticipate, we highly recommend that you attend with an A2 pad of 90gsm tracing paper, or purchase one soon after starting the course. Having your own supply of A2 90gsm tracing paper is highly recommended.
We do not recommend you use this high-quality paper for sketching or design development work, this is best done on other paper, such as the detail paper noted above (see ‘Tervakovski’ roll notes above). We recommend you keep your personal ‘safety net’ supply of A2 90gsm tracing paper purely for ‘final drawing’ submissions or similar.
- Draughting/ masking tape –
Whilst this is essential, it is not asterisked as we will provide you with a roll of masking tape at the beginning of the year. This is needed to use your drawing board. This roll should serve you well through much if not all of the first year. Nevertheless, you may have to purchase an additional roll or rolls. Masking tape is also useful for model-making and other drawing/making processes.
- A3 or A4 graph paper (5mm grid) –
We will provide you with a sheet of graph/ grid paper when we require you to use it for certain tasks. You will be using it underneath detail paper to help you develop skills in sketching orthographic plans and sections. As and when you need to replace this, or use graph paper for other drawing or modelling you choose to undertake, you will need to purchase it.
- ** Steel ruler for model-making –
This is essential for model making. We recommend a 300mm or 450mm safety ruler that lifts your fingers away from the blade, rather than a flat steel ruler. A ruler with cm/ mm is essential; US made rulers have imperial measurements are not as useful.
- A3 or A2 model-making cutting mat –
This is not asterisked as an essential item as there are a number of them available within the studios, and you can use thick card as a cutting mat. However, it is highly recommended that you purchase your own. Many current students recommend purchasing A3 size rather than A2. Whilst the A2 clearly offers a larger cutting area, the A3 is significantly easier to carry from home to studio etc. If you have the funds, you may wish to purchase an A3 and an A2, using the former to take to studio and the latter in your room for home working.
- A cutting tool for model-making -
We will provide you with a basic modelling knife (scalpel type) plus a number of ‘10A’ blades. We will also provide replacement blades. However, current students report that purchasing your own supply of replacement blades is advisable: if your ‘last blade’ snaps when you are model making at home and you cannot access a member of staff who can provide a replacement blade, it can be very frustrating.
Partly for this reason, but also because of the demands of model-making, we recommend you augment the knife we provide with your own purchases. Purchasing a heavier duty cutting tool, such as a Stanley Fatmax or other similar heavy knives with a lock-blade function, is recommended.
- White, grey, brown modelling card / other cards
This is not asterisked as essential as we provide you with various cards for all ‘final models’ required for submissions. If the assignment requires it, we will also provide wood, straws, etc.
Whilst the card that the department supplies might enable you to complete ‘final models’, and also have some left-over for ‘rough-modelling’ or design development modelling, we do not supply model-making card for all ‘rough-modelling’. We expect and require you to use pre-used card wherever possible for ‘rough-modelling’. This is the more sustainable thing to do. Using recycled card from home, such as cereal boxes, home delivery boxes and so on, or pre-used card available in the architecture studios, will be encouraged and indeed required in some tasks. We also advise that you purchase some new modelling card and thereby have your own supply. However, this is something you might do once you are here and have a better understanding of requirements and expectations.
If you wish to use any specialist cards, including acetates, perspex or coloured card, you will need to buy these.
- Balsa wood and other modelling timber –
Some tasks require you to use modelling timber. When a task or assignment requires this, we will provide it. In other model-making, including ‘rough-modelling’, you may choose to use balsa wood or other modelling timber. If so, you will need to purchase your own balsa wood or modelling timber. This is something we recommend you do when you are on the course and better understand the possibilities and requirements.
- PVA glue and other glues -
We will provide you a pot of PVA glue at the beginning of the year. This should serve you well for much of the year. When applied correctly, that is as a thin layer such that drying time is minimised and adhesion is strongest, PVA is a good glue. However, other PVA glues are available that are stronger and quicker drying that the PVA we supply. For example, many branded PVA ‘wood glues’ are stronger. When on the course, you may choose to purchase additional PVA glue, as well as other solvent-free glue, such as co-polymer based UHU (other brands are available).
- ** Steel, metric measuring tape –
You will need a measuring tape to complete survey tasks in the first few weeks. A measuring tape will also prove useful in many other circumstances, particularly on course site visits and trips. You need to get into the habit of measuring things to better understand how to design things well and draw them well (eg. stairs !).
Stanley is a good brand, but other options are available. 10m length tapes are good for surveying rooms etc but are more expensive, bigger and heavier than 3m or 5m tapes, so not ideal to carry with you ‘all the time’. A 3m tape is easiest to put in your pocket; having a lightweight 3m tape for your pocket and a 10m tape for ‘surveys’ is worth considering
The items listed below are additional ‘possible buys’, during the course of the year, you may choose to purchase other specialist equipment such as:
- Circle templates (Staedtler, Rotring or Faber Castell);
- Faber Castell Compass set (or similar/ other brands)
- Small scissors/snips – 35-80mm blade length
- Small pliers – for wire bending and cutting, and for cutting wooden dowels
- Modelling sandpaper – for sanding balsa, dowel etc.
- Portable lightbox – for tracings (you can make your own by following instructions on YouTube!)
- A2 or A1 portfolio case – This is not a requirement as your portfolio submission will be digital. However, they can be very useful for storing materials in your room and for carrying materials to and from the studio (particularly in the rain). You don't need an expensive portfolio case as long as it is waterproof and robust enough for storage and carrying. A drawing tube with straps will also be useful and durable for many years.
And last but not least:
Laptop
If you wish to buy a laptop or new laptop, UoN webpages provide general advice.
This web-page includes a link to specific advice for architecture students. Ensure you open and read this prior to making any new purchase. However, it is important to note that in Year 1 the design focus is upon analogue/hand techniques. Therefore, we recommend that if you have a laptop, you bring it with you and wait until you better understand the course, and the requirements of digital drawing in later parts of the course, before purchasing a new one. Other students, including students in other years, will prove a valuable resource for better understanding what types of laptop are preferable, as well as the offers that are available from various suppliers.
Software
In Year 1 the design focus is upon analogue/ hand techniques. Therefore, we do not require you to have any particular software. The University provides a ‘Remote Desktop’ through which you can access a variety of software via a laptop, or directly via a UoN PC (available in libraries and elsewhere, but availability is subject to demand). This includes access to software needed for the architecture course.
You will be directed to ‘Remote Desktop’ use of the ‘Affinity’ suite of softwares. You will be required to use ‘Affinity’ in year 1. It is a suite of graphic design, drawing, illustration software.