Architecture

What is Architecture?

Architecture is the art and technique of designing buildings. It’s the art form that we inhabit on a daily basis. Architecture is used to express an artist’s visions through buildings. It is essential for an architect to know art, math, science, and some history to assure the building is aesthetically pleasing, functional, and safe. 

Biographys

About the students

Gabriel Jewart

I have always liked things that are challenging. My favorite sport is baseball. I love how it is a mental game and how it challenges your physical skills. Another thing I like is school. Getting a good education is challenging, so I work very hard to do well in school. Architecture is so fascinating and I know becoming an architect is challenging. When I was younger, I wanted to follow my dream and become an architect. I like the idea of designing structures and the work you have to put in to make the structure look unique. As I got older, my mind changed a little bit, from being an architect to becoming a real estate agent or a real estate attorney. Those occupations are kind of in the same category. Architecture and real estate are similar because they both have something to do with structures and houses. I am still very interested in the design of buildings and how the buildings are constructed! My friends and I got together and decided to choose architecture for our 8th-grade projects. We knew it would help us in the near future and that some of the kids would find architecture very interesting!

Rodrigo Dominguez

When I think about me when I was younger, all I remember is playing with Legos. Legos were a big part of my childhood. Every Christmas I always wanted the same thing. As I got older I realized that being a professional Lego builder wasn’t a job, so instead, I turned to be an architect. I believed that if I could build a Lego set, I could build anything. That is what inspired me to have my eighth-grade project be architecture. I just hope I’m as good at building Legos as I am at teaching you all about architecture.

Colin Stedtfeld

I am a fourteen-year-old who is passionate about baseball, but I love all sports. My eighth-grade project topic is Architecture. I have been around construction most of my life. My aunt is an architect and some of my uncles are construction workers. When I was younger, I was fascinated by how Lego could really imitate a building’s features. Lego Architecture sets were always the sets I wanted. You could build the Burj Khalifa or even the Louver Museum. The sets show some history; for example, there is the old White House and the new White House. With those two sets, you could see the difference in style, and you could see how the style of architecture has changed through generations. So yeah, hope you enjoy my friends and my eighth-grade project.

Activities

Activities for the classroom.

Activities for Older Kids

4th-6th grade.

The video above will show you some concepts on how to place the Keva blocks. The primary force that affects a structure is gravity. Different parts of the structure support different weights. When you build a structure the building gets divided into layers. A top layer, middle layer, and a bottom layer. The top does not support anything, and the middle supports the top, and the bottom supports the top. Since the bottom supports the all of the building it needs to be have a strong foundation. 

Activities for Younger Kids

Kindergarten-3rd grade.

Architects Use 6 visual design elements when creating a structure. One of the elements is line. Vertical, Horizontal, diagonal, and curved are the 4 types of lines. In this activity, students will use their imagination to construct their own buildings with Legos. They have to make sure their building has horizontal and vertical lines. Students must also include either diagonal lines or curved lines. 

This activity will help you think like an architect and use one of the design elements that they use on a daily basis.

Activity for All Grades

Blueprints are vital pieces of information in architecture. Blueprints are the layout and measurements of the building. We’d be lost during the construction of buildings if we didn’t have blueprints. Blueprints require lots of attention but the one you’ll be making doesn’t have any sorts of measurement labels. Instead it’s just the layout of a house. If you want you’ll have the option to add extra furniture and labels.

In this video it teaches you how to draw Notre-Dame. Nortre-Dame is one of the most famous historic buildings. Notre-Dame was created 1163 and is located in Paris. Nortre-Dame is a gothic architectural structure.