{"product_id":"reading-ictower","title":"Reading Town Centre 3D Printed City Map — 9×9cm Relief Model","description":"\u003ch3\u003eWhat this model shows\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReading town centre rendered as a 3D-printed topographic model, covering roughly one kilometre square around the Forbury and the Abbey Quarter. The model captures the dense urban core between the River Kennet and the Forbury Gardens. Reading sits at the confluence of the Kennet and the Thames in Berkshire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe footprint includes the ruins of Reading Abbey, founded by Henry I in 1121, along with the surviving Abbey Gateway and St Laurence's Church on the edge of the Market Place. The Maiwand Lion in Forbury Gardens, cast in 1886 to commemorate the Berkshire Regiment, anchors the green space at the centre of the model. St James's Catholic Church, designed by A. W. N. Pugin in the 1830s, sits adjacent to the abbey ruins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Reading plate prints at 1:11,000 on a 9 × 9 cm base, so a 100 m city block is about 9 mm across and a single street is a fraction of a millimetre wide — the relief is the real measured shape of one square kilometre, with no vertical exaggeration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA new-home gift for anyone settling in the Thames Valley — central Reading where the Kennet meets the Thames, one square kilometre at 1:11000 on a 9 × 9 cm plate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e9 × 9 cm · 1:11,000 scale · matte PLA · black ribbed base (white free on request) · stainless-steel laser-engraved label\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFAQ\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does the model show?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBuilding footprints, building heights measured from LIDAR rather than estimated, and the underlying topography of the ground itself. Roads are engraved as shallow grooves, water is cut hollow below the surface, and bridges carry across as solid decks rather than free-standing spans. Everything is held at true 1:11000 scale with no vertical exaggeration, so the relief is the real measured shape of that square kilometre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow are bridges and fine structures printed?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach plate is one continuous 3D print, so anything that would hang in mid-air is filled in for strength. A bridge prints as a solid deck joined to the ground on each bank — the open gap beneath it, and the cables or piers that hold a real span, are closed in rather than left floating. Fine features such as railings or a single narrow footbridge can merge into the surface. Footprints and positions stay true to the survey; only the unsupported structure underneath is solidified, so the model survives handling and shipping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long until it ships?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach model is printed to order in Sheffield, so production takes up to 7 working days before dispatch. It then ships by Royal Mail Tracked 48, which is 2–3 days within the UK, and a tracking number is emailed when the parcel is handed over. UK delivery is free. International shipping isn't available at launch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I request a different area or city?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. The \u003ca href=\"\/products\/commission-your-city\"\u003ecustom-coordinates listing\u003c\/a\u003e covers any UK location at the same 9 cm × 9 cm format and 1:11000 scale, so you can centre the square kilometre wherever you like — a childhood street, a university, a harbour. You can also message the shop with an area you'd like added to the standing catalogue, and it may become a ready-to-ship model for everyone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy black and white?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe black ribbed base gives the topography enough contrast to read at a glance, while the white relief shows the building geometry without competing with the base beneath it. It is a deliberate, restrained palette that keeps attention on the measured shape of the city rather than on colour. A white base is free on request — just message before ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere does the data come from?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBuilding heights and ground terrain come from national aerial LIDAR — the Environment Agency in England, the Scottish Remote Sensing Portal in Scotland, and Natural Resources Wales in Wales — accurate to a few centimetres. Building footprints, water, and the street grid come from OpenStreetMap. Both are open data, released under the Open Government Licence and the ODbL respectively, and the required attribution is printed on the thank-you card inside every order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the model include the Abbey ruins and Forbury Gardens?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes — the bbox is centred to include the Abbey Quarter, Forbury Gardens with the Maiwand Lion, and the Market Place around St Laurence's Church.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cityform","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":61899491737930,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1045\/8254\/5738\/files\/Gemini_Generated_Image_4m72vk4m72vk4m72.jpg?v=1780848411","url":"https:\/\/cityform.co.uk\/products\/reading-ictower","provider":"Cityform","version":"1.0","type":"link"}