One Plan for Teaching and Learning About Architecture

Begin the study of architecture with practical science and math activities. Use a deck of cards to build primitive structures. What keeps them standing? What forces make them fall? Use a bird cage to demonstrate the building of more complicated structures like skyscrapers—metal frames with stuck-on walls. Focus on these key learning points during the first week:

• What makes something stand up or fall down?
  >> Why the World Trade Center Towers Fell on September 11
  >> Building Big on PBS
• Forces—tension, compression, etc.
  >> The Salvadori Center
  >> Forces Lab on PBS
  > >Tensile Architecture
• Structural Elements
  >> Engineering and Construction of Arches
  >> Trusses, buttresses, and columns
• History of how structures have been built
  >> Ancient Egypt
  >> Ancient Greece and Rome
  >> Mayan Architecture in Mexico
  >> Historic Skyscrapers and High-Rises
  >> World's Tallest Skyscrapers
• Bridges
  >> World's Great Bridges
  >> John Augustus Roebling, Man of Iron
  >> Bridge Construction and Engineering
  >> Design a bridge with free Engineering Encounters Bridge Design Contest software

More Sources:

• Mario Salvadori Books
• Building Big series by David Macaulay

Why do buildings look the way they do? The second week of study builds on lessons learned from Week 1. Buildings look the way they do because of technology, engineering, materials, and the architect's design vision. Focus on these architectural models:

• Architectural styles and how they developed
  >> Architecture Timeline
  >> Guide to American Homes, 1600 - Present
  >> History of Architecture
• Important World Architecture
  >> What makes these structures the Wonders of the World?
• Important U.S. Architecture
  >> Ten Buildings That Changed America
  >> 8 Super Bowls, 0 Roofs
  >> Stadium and Arena Pictures
• How computers have changed design
  >>Smart Geometry
  >> Blob Architecture (Blobitecture)
  >> Parametricism
  >> Buildings by Frank Gehry
• 3 Rules of Architecture - Firmness, Commodity, and Delight
• Readers Respond: What Is Architecture?

The third week moves from "what is" to "who does." Transition from structures to the people who make them. Be inclusive to all aspects of an architectural project and related career opportunities.

• Discuss the origin of the word "architect"
• Review famous architects and why they are famous
  >> Great Architects A-Z
  >> Top 12 Movies About Architects
• What are the jobs in architecture and the building trades?
  >> What Is an Architect?
  >> What Is a Building Designer?
  >> Landscape Architect: Career Information
  >> Careers in Engineering
  >> Building a Career in Construction
  >> Interior Designer: Career Information
• Learning to do the job—trade and architecture schools, apprenticeships, internships
• Be an Architect - What qualities make a great architect?
• Interview an architect -- what would you ask?

Broaden the scope of study during week four. Break away from individual buildings and their makers to communities and neighborhood living. Broaden the notion of design to include landscape architecture. Possible ideas include:

• Where do people live in the U.S.?
  >> The rise of suburbia
  >> Urban versus rural issues
• Where will people live in the future?
  >> Urban Planning and New Urbanism
  >> Smart Growth
  >> Colonizing Space
  >> Do Spaceports look different than Airports?
• Roles for Government
  >> Planning Boards, Zoning, Building Inspectors, Code Enforcement
• Urban Design - Planned Communities
  >> Celebration, Florida
• Planning and Designing Landscapes
  >> The City Beautiful Movement
  >> Teaching With the Olmsteds
• Computer Aided Design
  >> Cheap and Easy Architecture Software for Beginners
  >> Design your dream neighborhood, park, memorial, building, city, farm, space station, planet

As students work on unit projects, continue talking about environmental and social issues related to architecture. Focus on these big ideas:

• What Is Green Architecture and Green Design?
• Energy
  >> The 2030 Challenge
  >> Sun Energy - Photovoltics and Photovoltaic Systems
  >> Solar-Powered Houses
  >> Wind, water, and geothermal energy
• Green Roof Basics and Landscaping Choices (design and plant locally)
• Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life
• Organic Architecture
  >> Why is Frank Lloyd Wright America's most famous architect?
• Withstanding hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes
  >> Frank Lloyd Wright's Plan for a Fireproof House
  >> Storm-Proof Your Home
  >> Tsunami-Proof Building
  >> What is a Geodesic Dome?
  >> What is a Monolithic Dome Home?
  >> New Orleans Now
  >> Concrete Homes - What the Research Says
• How to Reclaim the Land - 12 Green Ideas from the London Summer Olympics of 2012
• Accessibility and Universal Design
  >> Michael Graves, Architect and Product Designer

The last week of the unit ties up loose ends and allows students to "Show and Tell" their unit projects. Presentation could simply be to upload renderings to a free website. Emphasize project management and the steps taken to complete any project, whether architecture or homework.

• How do you get a project complete? What are the steps?
  >> Assignment / Need
  >> Ideas and Design Plans
  >> Construction, inspection, revision
  >> Consensus, cooperation, and approval
• Examine the Design Studio
  >> What is the most important part of every architecture course of study?

At the end of this six weeks a student will be able to:

1. Explain and give examples of engineering's relationship to building structures
2. Recognize five famous architectural structures
3. Name five architects, living or dead
4. Give three examples for designing and building structures that are suited for their environment
5. Discuss three issues every architect faces in doing the job of architecture
6. Show how computers can be used in modern architecture