Architect Alexander Gorlin has been possessed with model mania for 45 years. Beginning at age seven, he would wile away the hours by filling the floor of his parents' living room with model cities, complete with Matchbox cars and miniature people. Much has changed since Gorlin was a youngster. He has his own architectural practice in New York City, with projects that run the gamut from upscale houses to housing for the poor. But one thing remains the same—Gorlin's model mania.

There are models everywhere in his design studio. Iterations of buildings, punctuated by King Kong and other toy figurines, occupy bookshelves, window sills and nearly every other surface. "I use models almost like sculpture to explore a space," Gorlin says, "but at a very deep level I consider this play and a continuation of childhood activities."