Teacher's Choice for Activity One
Visiting Architect or
Learning About Architecture
Objectives
- to define architecture
- to find out about what architects do and why we need them
- to understand the importance of accuracy in architecture
- to learn basic architectural vocabulary (e.g., blueprints, section,
scale, elevation, treatment, roofline)
Description
If possible, arrange in advance with a parent who might be an architect or who knows of
one willing to speak to the class. Students should plan ahead of time what they want
to find out about architecture and create a list of some questions to ask. Ideally,
the architect would bring a set of blueprints. If having an architect is not
feasible, the teacher could use the set of blueprints in the appendix to see if students
can discuss and discover what an architect does.
Begin a list of vocabulary words and architectural terms that students may also want to
write in their journal.
Vocabulary
Architect -- a person who designs buildings and oversees
their construction.
Blueprints -- a set of different types of technical drawings,
drawn to scale, named after the original copying process that produced the prints in white
lines on blue paper.
Scale -- one of the external faces of a building; also, an
architect's drawing of a facade, set out to scale.
Section -- an enlargement or increase in detail in a particular.
Elevation -- various views of the building set in plans, giving
architects a look at what the finished product might look like.
Plan -- also known as blueprints, these can also be rough
sketches.
Draw
Ask students to do a detailed sketch of their house in class. Remind them to think of
the number of stories in the building, what the roofline is like, the placement of doors
and windows, the materials with which the house is constructed, and any decorative details. This is
not a graded assignment, but rather a comparison for the accurate "seeing" they
will learn to do. (Note tie-in with accurate drawing assignments of artifacts.)
Draw Again
Explain that there are several different ways to draw a building. There is a simple
sketch, a more detailed record, a cross section, an elevation, and a measured floor plan.
Ask students to take paper, pencil and ruler home and do a detailed, accurate drawing of
their house, with the house in front of them for constant visual reference. Graph paper
might help with accurate placement of windows, doors, etc. Encourage them to use a ruler
to help place and space doors, windows, etc. accurately. Pay close attention to the
roofline and chimney, styles of windows, decorative details. Where possible, detail the
building materials in your sketch.
If the house has siding it is possible to get an estimate of the height by measuring
the pitch (height) of one board or shingle and then counting the number of boards.
Compare
Compare the first memory sketch with the more sophisticated drawing. Which
provides the most information? Post all the drawings and look at the various styles of
housing. How many students live in apartment buildings? How many live in single
residences? Do any live in multi-purpose buildings (e.g., store plus residence)? Are
various styles represented?
Materials Needed
- architect
- blueprints of Roedde House
- drawing paper
- pencils for two sketches, ruler and graph paper (optional)
- architecture books to help define terms
Activity 1
- Activity 2 - Activity
3
Activity 4 - Activity
5 - Activity 6
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