The design process often involves making both scale and working models. Many models are now designed by means of computer graphics before they are built. This aids in setting exact specifications and gives the designer a chance to see what the model is going to look like before it is constructed. At this stage problems can be corrected on the computer screen and do not become part of the final design. Details of architectural design can best be studied by means of models because the element of three-dimensional space is vital in building construction.
Architectural models range in scope from the interior of a single room to an entire city.
They may emphasize the outdoor space between buildings on a site, the flow of space from one room to another within a building, or the color scheme of an interior. Scale can be made immediately apparent by the use of human figures proportional to the model. The plan for the redevelopment of downtown Philadelphia, Pa., was aided by a model showing the area as it then existed. The part representing the area under consideration could be turned over mechanically to reveal the projected improvement. Scale models of entire proposed factories are used to check location of machinery, stock rooms, loading docks, offices, and other features and to determine the efficiency of production-line assembly.