by Mary Lib Schmidt
This fall, the Center for Architecture’s After-School program investigated “Places We Live.” This eight-week program focused on designing places to live and introduced students to architectural drawing and model-building as we investigated different types of homes.
The course had twelve students in grades 3-5 and was led by Design Educator Breanna Katsman with assistance from Youth Programs Coordinator Mary Lib Schmidt. Throughout the program, students explored solutions for living in different places while meeting the needs of different inhabitants. Projects included creating micro-unit container apartments, underwater homes, and haunted houses. Students ended the course by designing and building a model of an apartment for a favorite animal. Dogs, pigs, and penguins would all find NYC comfortable in these custom-built apartments!
In the spring, our After-School will continue with a new theme, “Exploring Structure!” During this eight-week program, students will investigate the structural elements that help buildings stand up. Working at different scales, from beams and columns to bridges and skyscrapers, we will test structures to discover the underlying forces at work, and see how design choices affect a structure’s strength. Students will have an opportunity to apply this new knowledge by creating a scale model of their own design!