On Friday, November 1st, grade four students were visited by Masters students from the Dalhousie School of Architecture for a double period art class. Throughout the morning, our guest instructors (Chris Friel, Adrienne Gerrits, Janelle Fillion, Damon Hayes Couture) explained to students several introductory concepts of design. Grade Four quickly realized that every element of their classroom had been carefully designed, from the chair they sat on, to the placement of the smart board, to the pencil in their hand.The next part of the lesson dove straight into architecture with a slide presentation showing original tree houses from around the world. The visiting architects demonstrated how to draw an elevation (the exterior), a section (a cross section of an interior), and a plan (a floor plan), using a tree house as an example. Students noted safety precautions such as railings, and various entry points to get into each structure. Some examples were attached to a tree, some were inside a tree, and some were hanging from the trees.
Following a recess break, grade four students had the opportunity to design their own tree house. They learned how to use tracing paper to alter their drawing, and they each imagined a unique structure. They used plans, sections, and elevations to show the interior and exterior of their tree
We bid goodbye to the MArch students, and said thank-you. Next art class, we will finish the good copies of our designs to be revealed in a pin up at our upcoming art show in February 2014!
