Like an airplane runway? No. A fashion runway, as models of buildings strut their way to show off how beautiful a structure will be if it gets built. There is an exhibit in a museum in San Francisco, California right now that is showing off some beautiful examples of models. See some examples at the Museum of Craft and Design.
Architects build models to show a client (the person who is paying for the building to be built) an idea of what the building will look like in 3-D. So instead of just showing drawings, the client can get a better sense of how the building feels since a building is a 3-D object, after all.
Some architects and architecture firms make their own models. Some businesses just make models for architects. There are some fascinating tools used by model makers, including computers that attach to lasers that cut the materials very precisely, and then there are old-fashioned materials like balsa wood or cardboard that are used by other model makers.
Have you ever made a model car or airplane, from a kit? Making a balsa wood model for a building is similar to build.