creative design · general
When prototyping a custom installation is worth the cost
Prototyping pays for itself when the risk sits in a mechanism, a fit-up, a surface, a colour or a tolerance — things that are cheap to change while small and expensive to change once installed. It does not pay for pure form.
6 min read · updated 2026-10-24
The rule
Prototype where the answer is uncertain and the change is expensive. That is the whole test. If you already know the answer, or if a change would be cheap later, the prototype is a cost without a return.
Where it pays
Five categories of uncertainty account for most of the value. Note that none of them is "does it look good" — that is what drawings and renders are for.
- Mechanism — moving parts, pivots, wear points and what happens after two years of use
- Fit-up — the moment two manufactured parts meet, and whether the tolerance holds in the workshop, not on paper
- Surface and finish — colour, texture and gloss under real light, on the real material, at the real scale
- Tolerance against the site — an item that fits the drawing may not fit the building
- Load and safety behaviour — tested on a prototype rather than argued about in a meeting
Three levels of prototype, in increasing cost
Most projects need the first or the second. The third is expensive and should be a deliberate decision with a named question attached to it.
| Level | What it is | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Visual sample | Material and finish sample at real scale | Colour, texture, gloss decisions |
| Functional mock-up | One working element, not the whole item | Mechanism, fit-up and handling questions |
| First article | The first production unit, inspected against the specification | Release of the production run |
The mistake that costs most
Prototyping the wrong thing. A beautiful sample of a decorative element proves nothing about the mechanism that actually fails. Before commissioning a prototype, write the question it is meant to answer. If nobody can name the question, it is not a prototype — it is a maquette, and it will be admired and then ignored.
Sources
- Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC — safety and conformity requirements — consulted 2026-10-24