Two Dordogne residents have just finished a scale model of the controversial London Bridge Tower which is set to become the tallest building in the European Union. The glass skyscraper in Southwark is known as “the Shard” because it resembles a 300-metre sliver of glass.

Olivier and Agnès Doizy were commissioned to build a 1.8-metre scale model by the architect, Renzo Piano.

Construction of the tower began last year; it has been criticised by some as being inappropriate for the area, and hailed as an architectural masterpiece by others.

Mr Doizy said the designer “wanted it for his office to show prospective clients. It was an interesting project to work on because the tower is so unusual.”

So, was it a big challenge? “It took the two of us around six weeks to complete. But it wasn’t too complex, really. There was quite a lot of glass involved, as well as a lot of wood. We were very pleased with the result.”

The six-week time period taken to make a model of the London Bridge Tower is modest compared to their most ambitious project – a scale model of a large area of Marseille ear-marked for regeneration. That took six months, with six assistants helping.

An average model takes about five weeks to complete and Mr Doizy said the craft involves a lot of patience. Dexterous fingers are needed as well as an eye for detail; every model needs to be an exact replica of the full-size version.

To achieve this, they use photographs, architects’ drawings and aerial photographs.

They use wood, with lime and fruit tree wood being favourites, and each piece is crafted and cut to shape.

Mr Doizy trained at Ecole Boulle art college in Paris and the couple specialise in scale models for architects, town and county councils.

They also worked with Renzo Piano (the co-designer of the Pompidou Centre in Paris) on a model of the Chicago Museum of Modern Art.

After living in Marne-la-Vallée and the Auvergne, the Doizys moved with their two children to Puybely, Cherveix-Cubas in 2004.

“The Dordogne is a very calm and tranquil place to work, ideal for model making. We are happy to make models of landmarks and buildings from around the world, or closer to home for that matter but it is nice to be able to work in such a relaxed environment.”