     The role of CAD/CAM technology needs careful consideration as it becomes increasingly accessible to the architectural design process. Specifically, a determination should be made regarding possible unique capabilities CAD/CAM technology offers beyond simple automation. Efforts to understand, establish, and codify a new set of vocabularies which distinguish the capabilities of CAD/CAM from the manual tools and processes they are meant to replace will provide the key factors with which to make this determination. Our work investigates the issues that  digital design tools introduce by studying the current uses of digital and physical “models” in the architectural design and construction process, current means and methods of creating digital and physical models with CAD/CAM technology, and the degree of fidelity in data used to produce reduced and full-scale constructs.
Our research employs parametric design software to model a speculative façade system for a high-rise tower which was fabricated at a reduced-scale with two-axis CAM technology. The work is carried out by creating relational and constraint-based logics of reconfigurable parametric models the components of which are fabricated and assembled by hand relying solely on mechanical connections for stability, no adhesives are used.
     As the incorporation of digital fabrication technology increases among architects as part of their design toolkit some fundamental questions need to be asked: How do these new tools affect the role of design in construction projects? What is the impact on the use of physical models as manifestations of a design with regard to visualization, design development, and prototyping? Can physical models produced directly from digital information function as scalable constructs through which issues of structure, assembly, and appearance can be addressed?
     Physical constructs of any scale share the property of being tangible objects in a physical environment, and can therefore be used to study generalized behaviors based on their materiality, assembly, and aesthetics. Ultimately however, reduced-scale constructs can act as a catalyst for critical discussion of specific design and construction goals, but they cannot be considered as scalable to full-scale construction elements or systems. While CAD/CAM technology provides a closer integration of information between the digital and physical realms, it has not yet matured beyond methods of basic automation. Understanding the key aspects of the current relationship between design and fabrication technology will allow us to begin moving beyond these limitations to discover the unique capabilities CAD/CAM has to offer designers and contractors alike.
