Tom Jones
(Manchester - United States)I am a retired high school principal in my 3rd year of post-retirement re-employment teaching high school English.
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- From: Open Architecture Challenge
- Contributed By: Sandhya Naidu
Introduction:
Drawings done in this lesson will be valuable for the rest of the unit. They will be good for a reference in classroom design and placement, and they will be valuable resources for the architects that are partnered to work with your class for the Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom. This lesson will also introduce students to measurements. The outcome of this lesson will vary, depending on resources available (i.e.: drafting tables and scales) and grade level.
Group Size: Any
Learning Objectives:
Understand space and graphic 2D representation. Each student will end up with a scaled plan. Begin to understand building sizes and how architects and designers use architectural scales to represent large spaces, buildings, and site plans.
Guiding Question:
• How does the classroom fit into the larger context of a school? • Why is location important for architects? • Why do architects use scales? • What can scaled drawings be used for?
Materials:
Blank paper, pencils, architectural scales, triangle, measuring tape, masking tape, (a clipboard or something hard to draw on while outside the classroom is also recommended (i.e. hard-cover book, notebook etc.)
Procedures:
Choose a space for the students to measure: classroom, building, whole school grounds. Locate objects within the space.
Send the students out with pencil and paper. Have them sketch the plan of an area of the school grounds. This can be hand drawn and estimated. If the school grounds are quite large, focus them in groups on different parts of the campus. Major structures, trees and roads should be recorded.
When they have finished sketching, give them tape measures and have them measure key distances (building size, path width and length, distance between structures and from roads).
Ask them also to record which direction they think North is.
Teams of 2 or 3 students can be made, each student having a role or task (example: one student draws the plan and records measurements, while two take measurements with the tape measure). This can be useful for teamwork exercise and scheduling time).
The teacher could also divide up the school into different areas, and have each team choose an area to measure up. In this way, a full map of the school or a section of the school can be mapped out as a group effort.
Back in the classroom, students will compare measurements and draft a more formal version. Encourage students to share measurements. Ideally, they will have architects’ scales and be instructed to prepare a drawing at ¼”=1’-0” scale. Record on these maps the important dimensions and North arrows. They should each end up with similar maps, presenting similar information (scale and recorded distances).
Tips for measuring
Measure along the floor (rather than holding the tape measure in the air) whether outside or against a wall. This will improve accuracy.
Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on accuracy and presentation.
Drawings done in this lesson will be valuable for the rest of the unit. They will be good for a reference in classroom design and placement, and they will be valuable resources for the architects that are partnered to work with your class for the Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom. This lesson will also introduce students to measurements. The outcome of this lesson will vary, depending on resources available (i.e.: drafting tables and scales) and grade level.
Group Size: Any
Learning Objectives:
Understand space and graphic 2D representation. Each student will end up with a scaled plan. Begin to understand building sizes and how architects and designers use architectural scales to represent large spaces, buildings, and site plans.
Guiding Question:
• How does the classroom fit into the larger context of a school? • Why is location important for architects? • Why do architects use scales? • What can scaled drawings be used for?
Materials:
Blank paper, pencils, architectural scales, triangle, measuring tape, masking tape, (a clipboard or something hard to draw on while outside the classroom is also recommended (i.e. hard-cover book, notebook etc.)
Procedures:
Choose a space for the students to measure: classroom, building, whole school grounds. Locate objects within the space.
Send the students out with pencil and paper. Have them sketch the plan of an area of the school grounds. This can be hand drawn and estimated. If the school grounds are quite large, focus them in groups on different parts of the campus. Major structures, trees and roads should be recorded.
When they have finished sketching, give them tape measures and have them measure key distances (building size, path width and length, distance between structures and from roads).
Ask them also to record which direction they think North is.
Teams of 2 or 3 students can be made, each student having a role or task (example: one student draws the plan and records measurements, while two take measurements with the tape measure). This can be useful for teamwork exercise and scheduling time).
The teacher could also divide up the school into different areas, and have each team choose an area to measure up. In this way, a full map of the school or a section of the school can be mapped out as a group effort.
Back in the classroom, students will compare measurements and draft a more formal version. Encourage students to share measurements. Ideally, they will have architects’ scales and be instructed to prepare a drawing at ¼”=1’-0” scale. Record on these maps the important dimensions and North arrows. They should each end up with similar maps, presenting similar information (scale and recorded distances).
Tips for measuring
Measure along the floor (rather than holding the tape measure in the air) whether outside or against a wall. This will improve accuracy.
Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on accuracy and presentation.
Collaborative for High Performance Schools, for improved learning environment. Site planning for schools. High Performance School Recognition and Rating Programs.
Watch Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan's first woman architect talk to students about contextual and cultural response through architecture. Watch full video here.
