Massimals is a set of 1:1 design objects that serve as prototypes to examine how physical form can engage the public realm. These constructs are abstractions of animal forms built in the manner of massing studies produced in an architectural design practice. Like massing models, they are volumetric, devoid of details, and fabricated from one material such as chipboard, polystyrene foam, and foam core. The suggestive forms and their specific arrangement imply docile behavior similar to animals in a petting zoo augmenting the way visitors approach and engage built form.

Massimals were created as a demonstration of design research for a new faculty show at the University of Kentucky College of Design in November 2010.