| Architecture
It is said that civilization is what man leaves behind: cooking and hunting
tools; drawings and writings on stone or animal skin or cloth; weapons;
farming instruments. All these things provide a glimpse into the daily
lives and customs of past civilizations. Some of the most noticeable and
interesting things that man leaves behind are the buildings, homes, monuments,
temples, and other structures that reflect the time in which they were
built and in which they served their usefulness.
Architecture is the art of building in which human requirements and construction
materials are combined to provide practical use as well as an aesthetic
solution. In other words, architects use their imagination to create pleasing,
useful structures.
Sample some of the following activities to learn more about architecture.
Places To Go | People
To See | Things To Do | Teacher
Resources | Bibliography
Places To Go
The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out
about architecture.
The
Great Buildings Collection
Visit great buildings around the world. From this site, you can find out
about their architects as well as their architectural styles.
 Sydney Opera House
Virtually travel to the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Its imaginative
design is one of the most recognizable in the world. Jorn Utzon was the
architect.
National Parks Service
: Links to the Past
Visit historic sites throughout the United States. From the menu, choose
"Historic Buildings & Structures."
 My
Mission
Travel to the 21 missions that were founded in California during the 18th
and 19th centuries by Spanish explorers. Virtually stroll through the
mission gardens and cloisters.
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are a compilation of ancient architectural
and sculptural accomplishments. They are thought to have been originally
selected by a Greek writer named Antipater of Sidon. All of these wonders
are in the eastern Mediterranean part of the world with which this man
was familiar. The wonders are/were:
Versailles
Landscape architecture is the art of arranging or modifying the features
of a landscape, an urban area, etc., for aesthetic or practical reasons.
The gardeners at the palace of Versailles knew something about landscape
architecture. Virtually stroll through the gardens of this home of Louis
XIV, built in the mid 1600s in France.
 La
Torre di Pisa
Visitors can no longer climb to the top of this architectural wonder.
But, virtually, you can still experience the tower, learn about its ongoing
restoration projects, and find out about its history. It was built in
1194!
Visit your school or public library and check out the book The House
I Live In : At Home in America by Isadore Seltzer. It describes the many
kinds of houses that Americans have built and continue to live in. Have
students discover how homes built in 1750 are different from homes built
in 1850 or 1950 or why homes built in California look different than homes
built in Vermont. See examples of pueblo homes, Victorian homes, houseboats,
and more. Then have students complete the UEN activity, Vernacular
Architecture.
Humber Bridge
Travel to England to see the world's longest suspension bridge. The bridge's
main span is 4626 feet long, and its total length is 7283 feet. The main
suspension cables of the bridge are bundles of 41,000 miles of wire, enough
to stretch around the world one and a half times!
 Stonehenge
Stonehenge is one of the most famous and mysterious prehistoric sites
in the world. Visit it virtually and learn about its ancient architects.
CN Tower
Take a virtual tour of Canada's National Tower. It is the tallest building
in the world. It is 1,815 ft., 5 inches tall. By comparison, the World
Trade Center in New York City is and the Empire State Building.
Florence
Art Guide
This site features an aerial overview of Florence, Italy with a "clickable"
map of the city's landmarks. Click on the buildings to see details of
the historic art and architecture of Florence.
Fall of
the Leaning Tower
NOVA presents an engaging investigation of the famous tower of Pisa. The
site looks at why it still stands and examines efforts to preserve this
medieval treasure.
People To See
Sir
Christopher Wren
Meet Sir Christopher Wren. He was an architect in London in the mid 1600s.
His most famous design is Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. He also played
a major role in English history after the great London fire of 1666. He
replanned almost the entire city and supervised the rebuilding of 51 churches.
 Michaelangelo
Spend some time with Michaelangelo Buonarroti. Not only was he a painter
and a sculptor, he was also an architect. He designed the dome of beautiful
St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in Rome.
Frank Lloyd
Wright
Chat with Frank Lloyd Wright. He was one of the founders of modern architecture
and is regarded by many as the greatest architect of the 20th century.
He designed 1141 works - including houses, offices, churches, schools,
libraries, bridges, museums and many other building types. Of that total,
532 resulted in completed works, 409 of which still stand. Browse through
this digital
collection of photos of his buildings from the Library of Congress.
Masters
of Architecture
Meet 48 masters of architecture from I.M. Pei to Walter Gropius to Mies
van der Rohe and Le Corbusier.
Things To Do
Pei
Buildings
According to this site, "Ieoh Ming Pei has given this century some of
its most beautiful interior spaces and exterior forms." View his unique
architectural style at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell
University, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the John
F. Kennedy Library in Boston, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum
in Cleveland.
 Architecture
Through the Ages
Explore architectural styles since the time of the ancient Egyptians through
modern times.
Buckminster
Fuller
Virtually experience the unusual buildings designed by Buckminster Fuller.
He's responsible for geodesic domes around the United States.
 Termite
Page
Find out about termites. They are some of nature's most accomplished architects.
Termite nests may be over 20 feet high and contain more than a million
insects in a highly structured society. These nests are intricately built,
with a huge network of chambers and passageways, including ventilation,
drainage, and heating systems. Termites build their nests entirely out
of soil, using saliva to hold it together. Have students research other
animals that are amazing architects--beavers, bees, swallows, etc.
Be
An Architect!
This site allows students to design a house that meets their functional
and expressive needs. They can describe their house, draw the exterior,
and print the resulting design.
Teacher Resources
Online activities are a listing of internet
sites with fun, interesting, and educational tasks attached to each one.
(You can learn how to use this WWW
Activities tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Virtual Field Trips are teacher and student-created
tours of curricular topics. (You can learn how to use this UEN Virtual
Field Trip tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Lesson Plans/Webquests
Bibliography
- Adams, Robert. Buildings : How They Work. New York : Sterling Pub.
Co., 1995.
- Biesty, Stephen. Incredible Cross Sections. New York : Knopf, 1992.
- Caselli, Giovanni. Wonders of the World. New York : Dorling Kindersley,
1992.
- Corbishley, Mike. The World of Architectural Wonders. New York : Peter
Bedrick Books, 1996.
- Cox, Reg. The Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Parsippany, N.J.
: Silver Burdett, 1996.
- De Angelis, Therese. Wonders of the Ancient World. Philadelphia :
Chelsea House, c1999.
- Macaulay, David. Great Moments in Architecture. Boston : Houghton,
c1978.
- Seltzer, Isadore. The House I Live In : At Home in America. New York
: Macmillan ; Toronto ; New York : Maxwell Macmillan, c1992.
- Thorne-Thomsen, Kathleen. Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids. Chicago : Chicago
Review Press, c1994.
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