After looking at different types of buildings—from religious and retail to commercial and residential—and discussing the characteristics of each, students were introduced to drafting and what it’s like to work for an architectural firm. We discussed plan view (the view of a building from above) and elevation view (the view of a building from one side).
I was walking around the classroom and checking in with students when I overheard a girl say to another student, “You use math in art all the time.” This made me smile. I teach art to grades five through seven, and I always design lessons for students to make this connection.
My students were in the process of drafting elevations of buildings. Before becoming an art teacher, I worked as an interior designer for commercial architectural firms. I know firsthand that math and art go hand in hand.
The student turned to the girl and asked her to explain what she meant.
“As a matter of fact,” she replied, “you’re using a ruler to measure.”
Math and Art: A Brief History
Math and art are richly connected. Patterns, geometry, proportion, perspective, measurements, ratios, and shapes are some of the many ways that artists have been using math throughout history. Math has been instrumental in creating textiles, computer art, architecture, sculpture, painting, drawing, design, printmaking, and composition. I can’t think of one art discipline that hasn’t been inspired by math in some way.
An example of a famous artist who incorporated mathematics into his art is Leonardo da Vinci with his use of linear perspective, a technique to create the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface using parallel lines and a horizon line. Along with a vanishing point, the result is a more realistic image.
Skylines and Buildings
To begin this lesson, students discussed the term skyline in relation to buildings. Living near New York City as a child, when my father drove us into the city, my heart always leaped with excitement as the New York skyline came into view. I’ve always been captivated by how varied the buildings are in height, width, materials, and other details.
Drafting an Elevation View
After looking at different types of buildings—from religious and retail to commercial and residential—and discussing the characteristics of each, students were introduced to drafting and what it’s like to work for an architectural firm. We discussed plan view (the view of a building from above) and elevation view (the view of a building from one side).
Students learned how to draft an elevation view of a building using a ruler. Measuring out a rectangle and then adding details is the easiest way to get started. I gave each student a handout of architectural building materials and symbols for reference.
Architectural Drawings
Students were focused intently on their drawings, adding various details to personalize their buildings. One student drew the roof of a pizza parlor to look like a slice of pizza, while another debated how many panels he wanted for a church’s stained-glass windows.
My ability to be flexible is crucial when it comes to students’ enjoyment of art. I try to eliminate frustrations by teaching students how to turn mistakes into something meaningful.
One student drew his buildings a few inches away from the bottom of the paper only to notice the mistake later. After considering my suggestions, he settled on drawing what the basement would look like below the ground with the exterior walls removed. It added an interesting insight into what was happening behind the walls.
Extensions
As I walked around the room and viewed students’ drawings, I realized that this project could be a springboard to other subjects as well. Building materials could be discussed in science, students in second language classes could compare different types of buildings, writing a story or poem about the drawing could be an inspiration for English, and looking at different cultures through architecture could inspire conversations in social studies. Psychology, economics, sociology, and politics also play a role in architecture. There’s no limit to the connections your students can make between art and other disciplines.
Diane Hoff is an art teacher at Quinn Middle School in Hudson, Massachusetts. DFHoff@hudson.k12.ma.us
National Standard
Connecting: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.
Resource
Words That Architects Use
Art teachers share a variety of meaningful and engaging interdisciplinary lessons. Students create space suit helmets and souvenir photos of their imaginary journeys through the solar system, use architectural principles in a cardboard construction project inspired by abstract artist Elizabeth Murray, make STEM connections to origami and use unfolded paper figures to create geometric paintings, and more.
Browse This Issue