[CAM-CAD note]
"SHoP designed the exterior of the building in CATIA, which allowed them to deconstruct the model into its fabrication elements. The weathering steel panels were unfolded and exported into a program that “nested” (generated a material-efficient layout) the parts and produced the cut file that was delivered directly to the CNC machine via USB stick for production. All 12,000 weathered steel panels were cut from 3/16-inch thick, 62-inch by 156-inch A588 steel sheets. Months before the first panel was to be hung on the weathering line, the architects provided the facade contractor with a fully nested facade for purposes of the early procurement of the A588 material, which was essential due to the time period required for the pre-weathering process prior to unit assembly. In all phases tracking the components was essential. SHoP linked 4-dimensional (schedule) models with a database, prototyping a functional iPhone interface. This allowed the architects to not only track the individual panels as they were processed, but to also coordinate the installation sequence of the assembled megapanels with the design build team."
http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6284