Learning By Design:NY

Our classroom residency programs introduce K-12 students to architecture and design through a series of hands-on workshops, developed and taught by our Design Educators in collaboration with classroom teachers. We use architecture and design as vehicles for fostering learning and discovery across core subject areas, cultivating students’ observation skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.

Programs are customized to enrich and extend existing classroom studies and address core subject standards. All residencies include art materials, a planning/professional development session with participating teachers, and a series of 90-minute classroom workshops. Program length varies from 6-10+ sessions. Activities include hands-on art and design projects, scale model building, engineering challenges, and neighborhood walks.

Learning By Design:NY programs are available in-person or virtually during school year 2022 – 2023.

For prices and more information please contact Rachel Serkin, School Programs Manager at rserkin@centerforarchitecture.org or 212-358-6132.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Neighborhood Architecture, 2nd Grade. Photo: Center for Architecture.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Neighborhood Architecture, 1st Grade. Photo: Center for Architecture.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Neighborhood Architecture, 2nd Grade. Photo: Center for Architecture.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Amusement Park Design, 4th Grade. Photo: Center for Architecture.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Architectural Design, 11/12th Grades. Photo: Center for Architecture.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Native American Architecture, 3rd Grade. Photo: Center for Architecture.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Building Design, 7th Grade. Photo: Center for Architecture.

K-12 Learning By Design:NY, Scale Models, 6th Grade. Photo: Center for Architecture.

Sample Residency Topics

Custom programs can also be developed around a particular theme or curriculum area.

Neighborhood Architecture grades K-4; 8 sessions

Students learn fundamentals of architecture and design by exploring the buildings in their city neighborhood. As a culminating project, students design their own buildings to create a classroom streetscape or model neighborhood.

Architecture of Other Cultures and Time Periods grades 3+; 8- 10 sessions

Students learn how culture, technology, climate and environment help shape the architecture of people and places they are studying, and create scale models of typical buildings and structures from this culture or time period. Sample topics include Native American Architecture, Ancient Greek & Roman Architecture, Traditional Architecture of Japan, China, or Islamic Middle East, Architecture & Climate Around the World.

NYC’s Historic Architecture grades 2+; 8- 10 sessions

Students learn to “read” the city’s streetscapes and buildings for information about their design and history, and create their own scale models depicting the city in the past. Programs can focus on a particular time period, or trace the development of the city over time through its residential architecture or landmark structures.

Green Architecture grades 4+; 8-10 sessions

Students learn about a variety of sustainable design techniques used to create environmentally friendly buildings. Working with our modified version of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) checklist, students create models of their own green structures or redesign their neighborhood as a sustainable community.

Bridge Design grades 2+; 8-10 sessions

Students learn about four different types of bridges: beam, truss, arch and suspension through hands-on experiments and design activities that help them understand the forces at work in each bridge type. Students then design and build their own bridge models.

Building Design grades 4+; 8-10 sessions

Students learn how to create scaled architectural floor plans, elevations and models as they design their own model apartments, stores, or other building type. This motivating design project provides substantial practice with math topics of measurement and geometry, and can be done individually or in small groups.