Topic: Local architecture - Form and function of buildings
[NB. The activities listed below relate to a set of photos the headings at the start of each set of questions correspond to the photo of the same name]
Objectives:
· To consider the relationship between the external appearance of a building and what takes place inside the building.
· To gain an awareness of why buildings are built in particular ways for particular purposes
· To be able to offer reasons for observations
· To imaginatively respond what it would be like to live in different types of buildings
NC links:
Design Technology – KS 2
1d
1a
2a
2d
Materials:
-Architecture pictures (1-9) from East End Talking website (either on line or printed out)
-Plain & lined paper
-Glue
-Coloured pencils/pens
-Rulers
-Card and other materials that can be used to make a scale models of buildings
ACTIVITY 1: PLACES TO LIVE
Tower block
1. What kind of building is this?
2. What you think it feels like to live on the top floor?
3. Using words or pictures describe what you think the people living on the top floor can see when they look out of the window.
4. Estimate how many people live in this building.
5. Why do you think there are often these kinds of buildings in cities where lots of people live?
6. Do you think that this kind of building is a good idea? If you were designing a town would tell the architects to build this types of building? Remember to give a reason for your answer to this question.
7. If you were going to design a building for lots of people to live in what would it look like? Draw a picture/plan of your building (use a ruler)
8. Think about what sort of materials this building would be made out of. Now label your design showing which parts of your building will be made out of which product.
9. Make a scale model of your building
Section of flats
1. Would you like to live in these flats – why/why not?
2. Where do you think the people in the bottom left of the picture are going?
3. What do you think the rest of this picture looks like – print out the picture stick it on to a piece of plain paper and draw what you think is happening outside the frame of the picture.
ACTIVITY 2: PLACES TO VISIT (pictures 1&2)
Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood
1. What is written on the front of this building?
2. Explain what you think the word museum means?
3. What kinds of things do you think are in this museum?
4. If you could choose a toy to put in this museum what would you chose?
5. Explain why you would choose this toy?
6. Why do you think this toy would be interesting for other people to look at?
River and Tower of London
1. Do you know the name of the building with four towers in the background of the photo?
2. When do you think this building was built?
3. Do you know anything about the history of this building
4. Describe what you think it might be like inside?
5. There is a river in this photo –
6. Do you know what it is called?
7. Why do you think the building was built close to the river?
Space age office building
1. What is the first thing that you think of when you look at this building?
2. What do you think happens inside this building?
3. Draw a picture of what you think one of the rooms inside this building might look like.
London Hospital
1. What do you think this building might be use for?
2. Describe what you imagine a hospital to look like?
3. Does the building in this picture correspond to what you imagine a hospital to look like?
ACTIVITY 4: OUT AND ABOUT
Whitechapel mosque and road
1. What do you notice about the two styles of architecture in this picture?
2. At the side of the road there are two large rectangular boards. Do you know what these boards are used for?
Old George & market outside
1. Do you think people live above these shops? (Remember to give a reason for your answer)
2. Look at the bottom right hand side of the picture – you will see a circular metal object what do you think this is used for? Why do you think it is in the street?
3. What do you think it would be like to live above these shops?
4. What sort of things do you think happen in this street?
5. Print out the picture and stick it on to plain paper - draw in the bottom section of this picture, what do you think is happening in the street?
Reflection of Christ church (Spitalfields) in the window of a sports shop
1. Do you know the name of the church in the picture?
2. Where do you think the person was standing when they took this photo?
3. Why does the Chelsea team logo appear on the spire of the church?