Two models at the same base dimensions can cost very differently — and the gap is usually widest between a single-building model and a masterplan model. A masterplan model doesn't just show a proposed development; it has to show that development in accurate relationship to everything around it. That extra layer of work is what moves the price.
This guide breaks down what actually drives masterplan pricing, using a real project as a reference point.
What Makes a Masterplan Model Different
- Context accuracy, not just the proposal: A sales gallery model can stylise the surrounding landscape. A masterplan model built for planning approval has to show the real built environment — the heights, massing, and proximity of existing buildings — verified against actual survey data, not approximated.
- Larger physical footprint: A masterplan spanning multiple city blocks needs a base large enough to keep the scale legible to a planning committee or investor. That's more material and more fabrication time than a single-building model at the same scale.
- Transport engineering: Large-format bases often can't move through a standard doorway in one piece. Multi-section construction with a precision alignment system — so the model reassembles without a visible join line — is its own engineering task.
- Material differentiation: Distinguishing the proposed development from its context (for example, white acrylic for the new scheme against grey acrylic and painted MDF for existing buildings) takes deliberate material planning, not just one finish across the whole model.
- Timeline: Masterplan models with this level of context work typically run toward the longer end of our production timeline — 7 to 16 weeks depending on scale and complexity.
A Real Example
We built a 1:500 urban masterplan model for a developer whose scheme spanned multiple city blocks — residential towers, commercial ground-floor retail, a central public plaza, and underground parking — shown in relationship to existing buildings, road infrastructure, and a waterfront edge, for a planning-committee submission.
| Scale | 1:500 |
| Base dimensions | 2400mm × 1600mm, two-section, joinable |
| Proposed development | White acrylic — all buildings, towers, retail podium, plaza |
| Existing context | Grey acrylic and painted MDF — verified against actual building heights and footprints |
| Transport | Steel dowel alignment system — reassembles in under 15 minutes with no visible join |
| Production time | 10 weeks |
Every existing building shown in the model was verified against its actual height and footprint before fabrication began — that verification work is exactly the kind of context accuracy that separates masterplan pricing from a single-building model. The result: planning approval was granted at the committee meeting, and the model was later retained by the developer for a subsequent investor presentation to secure equity funding.
"Committee members who had struggled to read the drawings immediately understood the scheme when they saw the model. The questions shifted from 'what does this mean?' to 'how does this relate to the building next door?'"
Where Masterplan Pricing Falls
Real Price Range (NGN)
A fully-detailed masterplan model with LED lighting and landscaping falls in the same ₦1.5 million to ₦8 million or more range as our large residential estate models — the exact figure depends on site size, scale, base construction (single or multi-section), and detail level. Share your brief for an accurate quote.
One Model, Multiple Uses
A masterplan model built to satisfy a planning requirement doesn't have to stop working once approval is granted. The same model that helped secure planning approval in the example above was retained and used in a subsequent investor presentation to secure equity funding for the construction phase — amortising the production cost across two distinct commercial purposes.
If you're commissioning a model primarily for planning submission, it's worth discussing with your model maker at the brief stage whether it should also be built to double as an investor or sales tool later — the specification (finish level, base design, transport engineering) can differ depending on how many uses you want to get out of it.
Getting an Accurate Quote
Send your architectural drawings, site context data, and intended scale, and we'll return a detailed scope and fixed-price quotation. See our masterplan model page for more on what we build, our full pricing guide for the complete price breakdown, our guide on choosing the right scale, or the full case study for this project in detail.