How to teach ... architecture

It easy to forget how much the buildings around us affect our mood. But think about it – would you feel happier against a skyline of bleak, grey blocks or somewhere like Barcelona, where the architectural imagination of Antoni Gaudí created a city that feels like a dream? His birthday this year falls on Saturday 25 June 2016, and offers an opportunity to look at his work and the importance of architecture worldwide. So how can you explore the topic with your students?

Primary

Start by getting your class excited about the awe-inspiring possibilities of buildings with this collection of colourful display posters from Twinkl. It includes such architectural wonders as the Taj Mahal, Notre Dame and the Shard – for an extra challenge, see if your pupils can tell you where each building is.

For a more local look at the built environment, try this checklist. It introduces several different types of buildings – including hotels, mosques and thatched cottages – and asks pupils to tick off how many they can spot in the local area. Then your explorers can use their findings in this lesson, which introduces key geographical terms and asks them to create an interactive map of the neighbourhood.

You can take an architectural trip through time with this indepth resource on historic buildings. It details key points for comparison – such as windows, lintels, doors and the materials used for construction – and helps pupils work out how to date buildings by analysing these features.

There is more historical insight on offer in this lesson on Roman architecture from the Hamilton Trust. It features creative, hands-on activities using everyday items (tins, cardboard tubes from kitchen roll and so on) to help children understand key features of Roman buildings and their construction techniques.

You can explore less successful approaches to building an abode with the cautionary tale of the Three Little Pigs. This lesson plan uses the story to introduce the characteristics of different building materials, while this fun activity from Teachit Primary tasks pupils with building their own home for the porcine trio and seeing if they can blow the roof off.

Your pupils can flex their architectural prowess and imaginations with this lesson plan on fantasy buildings. The task asks them to design their dream buildings, show their understanding of the building process and justify their choices.

Secondary

Architecture, both good and bad, is never far from the news, as demonstrated by this collection of articles and related activities from The Day. Topics covered include how the historic buildings of UK parliament could be abandoned as they become unfit for purpose; how the popularity of skyscrapers can affect the inhabitants of a city; and how future generations could find themselves living in cities under the sea.

There are more examples of futuristic cities in these fact sheets from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The first explores the planned Masdar City project in the United Arab Emirates, which will run on renewable energy and feature roofs designed to encourage air flow in the desert heat. The second looks at the plans for Liuzhou City in China, in which vast green spaces were designed before the buildings to prioritise sustainability.

Meanwhile, this eye-catching animation looks at the science of what makes an attractive city. It examines six key features that make for a pleasant metropolis, including a balance between chaos and order; creating monuments that aren’t too tall; and ensuring there are visible signs of activity on the streets.

Get your students to unleash their architectural creativity by designing their ideal school. This activity asks them to think about the big questions first – does the school system work effectively? How could it be improved? – and create innovative buildings and schedules to meet the needs they identify. The final task is a role-play in which your class can explore how different groups (such as parents, teachers and students) would respond to the plans.

Finally, why not use architecture to bring out the poet in your students? This activity pack from the Scottish Poetry Library encourages them to take a stroll and look at historic buildings, using their observations about the changing face of the local area to create poems, chants and ballads.

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