Stacked Vertical 3D Projects

Building

• Most architecture involves stacking slabs, floors and roofs to create a building. Skyscrapers are an excellent example of stacking -- each level or story is a separate space and the multiple levels create a community of tenants intersecting at various times of the day.

  Other examples of stacking in architecture involve the individual building elements. Stones and brick are stacked to create three-dimensional walls, and plumbing assemblies are stacked to allow water to flow to and away from bathrooms and kitchens. Other stacked elements include window panes, subflooring and stud frame blocking.

Shelving

• Shelving is a vertical series of stacked containers or shelves. Whether the shelving is freestanding or attached to the wall, shelves add three-dimensionality to a space and its walls. Some modern and contemporary designers, such as the Eames, have stacked old cases and containers to create patchwork shelving. In addition, libraries use fabricated shelves to stack books, using less space to display the library's collection. Another example is the shadow box, which is stacked shelving presented within a frame.

Scenic Views

• Designers model scenes by stacking layers of material and scenery to create views, such as dioramas. These scenes offer rich, three-dimensional points of view, and they stack not only vertically but horizontally, offering depth cues with a foreground, middle ground and background.

  Similarly, landscape architects create real scale scenic views by stacking masonry or stone to create points of visual interest, such as a folly, in the landscape.

Sculpture

• Many sculptors create stacked, three-dimensional works of art. Andy Warhol did this with stacks of Brillo boxes and Campbell soup cans. Another sculptor, Andy Goldsworthy, stacks found objects in the landscape to create environmental art. Furthermore, sculptors have stacked throughout history; ancient examples of stacking include Stonehenge and Skara Brae in the United Kingdom.

Toys

• Many construction toys require stacking. Building blocks and Lego bricks are the most famous stacking toys. With these toys, children can make buildings and vehicles that can be altered simply by moving the blocks or bricks into other configurations.

  Games, such as Jenga and pick up sticks, require the participants to stack and remove elements in a pile. Furthermore, card houses are classic challenges that require stacking.