October 26, 2010

By: Nancy K. from San Diego, CA
Comments: 17

Posted By: Nancy Katz
On: 12/3/2006 9:46:08 PM

I have one 7th grade art class that is working on a special architecture project. The idea was to research a local building - the history and uses and then redesign the structure to have a new , possibly changed use that in some way would impact the community. There are many old buildings, and unused, empty structures in this community, around Binghamton, NY. As a class we decided on the Round Barn Farm in nearby Greene. It was built in 1916 but the family that owns it today are decendents of the Young family that settled on the farm in 1834. The Youngs that live there today have been very generous with sharing information and knowledge about the design of round barns and their place in agricultural- technological history. this was a very real and very big lesson in form and function. We also looked at other round or polygonal structures throughout the world, built for different functions- sports stadium, theatre(GLobe theatre-Shakespere), igloos, Colloseo- Rome, Guggenheim Museum- our list went on. This project has lead us to touch upon many issues- one is family history, since at least 4 of the students live on land that their families have been on for 100- 150 years. ONe of the families is currently reconstructing the barn into a living space. Another is living in a prefab house that was moved to the site of the old barn that was torn down. So the concept of preservation has been discussed and will be more this week. Last Wednesday we took a trip to the barn. We spent 2 1/2 hours having a tour and then drawing, photographing and measuring the barn. I just looked at all their photos which are great. They captured the roundness in so much of the sturcture. The trip was just so great also because so different from a very organized trip like to a museum when the kids are very structured and shuffled around they were really exploring and discovering all sorts of things- from how to design access to the hayloft to the skeletons of dead birds. The learning felt very genuine and motivated by the students. They had a great interesting resource and did not grow weary of learning about how it functioned and what makes it so intriguing. When we returned to school and I walked past kids sitting in other classes I felt like we had been on a journey to a wonderful planet.

Posted By: Lisa Verrilli
On: 12/4/2006 2:56:35 PM

That's wonderful, Nancy. It sounds like you had a great time. And when students are able to be that engaged and take part in their own learning, it becomes part of their lives. Your students will remember that trip for years to come!

Posted By: Lee Sappingfield
On: 12/12/2006 11:05:15 AM

Great activity! How many class hours were spent? The "Buy In" process is very important with design, especially when we are talking about Subjective vs. Objective lessons. We run a lot of project like these in firm simulations to have multiple opinions. Looks like a great tie to your community.

Posted By: Barbara Nikoomanesh
On: 12/14/2006 11:25:46 AM

This is a great lesson on preservation and restoration, since our students are the ones who will shape the look and set the trends for our future built environment.

Posted By: Aruna Arjunan
On: 12/17/2006 1:04:27 PM

This is such a great way to tie in other disciplines too! A lesson plan I actually posted here is similar to this - and asks students to analyze the architecture further in terms of how its funciton and form was dictated by tne needs of the society of the time it was created / looking at the history of the time. SO interesting and so much fun! I'm so glad you were able to have the wonderful experience you did.

Posted By: Nancy Katz
On: 12/19/2006 5:32:31 PM

Lee, about the classroom hours spent so far, I would say maybe 10 hours- that does not include the full day spent on the field trip. Things really began to come alive for most of the students when they began to build a 3 d model of their renovated structure. Some of the proposed ideas are an observatory, a carousel, a cafe- country store, a bungee jumping academy. We discussed whether the bungee jump academy should grant High School diplomas! In 3 other classes that did not visit the barn and are not doing the entire project- I showed them part of a documentary on barns of NYState which had a segement on the round barn we visited. We discussed the main points and looked at pictures of other round structures. Their goal was to design a round structure that took advantage of the roundness. They worked in groups, mostly 2s, constructing with heavy chinette paper(more like cardboard) plates. I thought this was going to be a quick- 2day construction project- but they go really involved. Not only did they look great, they really worked out how the form was affecting the function of what was going on . Some examples were a jail, aquarium, sports arena, amusement park, noodle shop,park with gazeboand a spaghetti factory. The jail was done in shades of apricot and light grey. The wire bars looked almost like jewelry. they were a lot of fun.

Posted By: Cassandra Kapsos-Scouten
On: 1/2/2007 7:37:54 PM

How did you get the ok from all the parents to take all the trips? Did you have extra parents come along on the field trips. It project sound like a wonderful experience. I would love to bring some of your ideas to my High school photography classes. How did you critique/ reflect on the artwork at the end? Could you send pictures? This is a great lesson.

Posted By: Nancy Katz
On: 1/15/2007 8:47:31 PM

Cassandra, we actually just took one trip which was to the barn, but it was essentially all day. THe other buildings that we looked at I had scouted out and photographed so the class saw them in school. It is such a breath of fresh air to go on a trip, especially one that is manageable with only 1 class. Just thinking of the learning that might take place in a school without a school. School architecture seems so often so confining. How about designing a school that doesn't have a building. The work- models of their renovation and round structures were looked at as a class group. Each student group spoke of their structure and their plan and how the round shape works with whatever the function of the structure is to add to it's efficiency or just make it work better.

Posted By: Tonya Adison
On: 5/9/2007 1:36:41 PM

It seems that the project went over well. The situation reminds me of my recent experience with a school trip. About one-third of the students visited the Queens Museum of Art which houses the largest architectural scale model of New York City. On the way to the trip, students seemed disinterested, but once we were in the exhibit, many students had their interest piqued. It was a great experience.

Posted By: Marianne Aalbue
On: 5/9/2007 8:53:40 PM

Tonya, I also went on a trip to the scale model of New York in the Queens Museum. It is amazing that every building in the city is represented in the model! Each student can actually find the building that they live in. This is a great resource for looking at our built environment from a bird's eye view. We often ask students to use their imaginations to create art from this view. This model helps them put this request in perspective.

Posted By: Cassandra Kapsos-Scouten
On: 5/10/2007 5:12:10 PM

I use the Form and Funtion activity in my lesson today, tomorrow and yesterday. I really enjoy useing the worksheet for "Why Design" Book. I took my 11th grade grade around the school in the Lower east side. They had fun looking at all the different type of buildings, which they never really looked at before.

Posted By: susanne donahoe
On: 10/7/2008 3:05:24 PM

At least twice a month I take my students on community outings to view the twin cities; it's architecture and landscapes. We are designing a map overview and inputting out student's information regarding certain structures and layouts.; the form and function is an important of this planning expedition. susanne