Submitted by: Sarah Wegenast, Aurora Middle School
Architectural Facade - Artist Research Project
For Ages: 10 - 14
Summary:
The purpose of this project was to study and create an Architectural Facade using a master artist as inspiration for the gallery windows. Students designed a building facade of their architectural choice and filled the windows with famous artwork. Students selected a famous architectural building of their choice from the website greatbuildings.com and completed a worksheet with information that they then shared with the class orally. The average size of the facades range from 24" to 36" (61 to 91 cm).
They give an oral report using this site as they show their building on the projector screen.
They then have to design and draw their own facade of a building (with characteristics of the building they studied) using colored pencils.
In some of the windows and doors they must include reproductions or part of reproductions of one of their favorite artists (See Picasso Detail). They are about 24 -36" (61 to 91 cm) in size (18" x 24" (46 x 61 cm) paper could be used if you don't have the large size). The boys seem to enjoy the architectural drawings and the girls the windows. They glue them on two pieces of construction paper. One as a one inch (2.5 cm) frame outline and the other as the mounting back paper. I love it when there are about 40 of them on the walls of the middle school gallery. It is quite a show. I also have them display their report with rendered drawing. See building closeup details.
Materials
Reproductions of famous artists
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Submitted by: Marianne Galyk - Formerly Ridgemont Elementary, Mt. Victory, Ohio
Lesson: Victorian Splendor - Watercolor paintings
Grade level: Upper elementary - through middle school
Marianne is moving on to Ridgemont High School, Ridgeway, Ohio. She has this to say about her elementary architecture lesson. I did a lesson last year with fifth grade that turned out well involving Victorian architecture. We talked about houses in nearby towns (the county seat and the adjoining county seats - we live in a very rural area) where most had all seen these large ornate houses. I also made a handout for them to use showing some different basic architectural elements (arches, dormers, bay windows, gables, etc.) using the Illustrated Architecture Dictionary as a resource. This was enough to get them started. We first drew in pencil the basic shapes, and then went over those and added details (shingles, siding, etc.) with Sharpie markers. After that, they water colored if time permitted. I told them it was not unusual for the Victorians to use bright combinations in their color schemes. Some of the boys took on a more medieval castle theme, but that was okay, too.
Prior to this we had done a few days on 3-D art (cones, cylinders, cubes, etc.) so I was happy to see a few of those concepts reflected.
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This would be a nice lesson to tie in the colorful paintings of Hundertwasser, Austrian Painter
Use this idea with Linda Woods' Dream House Drawing Lesson Plan
Resources
Books
How to Read Buildings: A Crash Course in Architectural Styles
Victorian Gothic House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book
Links
You can study home architecture done by John Lloyd Wright on IAD's site.
You can see a long list of architects on IAD's Architecture page.
Carpenter Gothic Architecture- This page has some great pics students can use as reference.
