Architecture has been a spring focus for Chicago City Day School's seventh- and eighth-graders. In recent weeks, the students have studied the works of past masters, talked to current professionals, and practiced a bit of architecture on their own.
This work flows naturally from City Day's curriculum and design-thinking approach, which encourage students to see connections between subjects and find creative ways to solve problems.
Classroom projects
In the classroom, students have gone through multiple stages of the architecture design process. During tech (City Day's "maker" class), students created floor plans and built physical models of dwellings in order to get a sense of how spaces inside a building have to work together.
Then, in computer class, students used the Home Designer software by Chief Architect to create architectural drawings and 3-D walkthrough videos of homes. Seventh-graders based their work on pre-existing home designs, while the eighth-graders used the original "dream house" plans they'd developed in tech.
City Day teachers said the students enjoyed seeing ideas and plans come to life via the software.
Architectural plans and designs created by a City Day eighth-grader.
Meeting a professional
Ms. Ray got to know City Day when she visited the campus with fellow architect Cynthia Weese, whose firm designed a key section of the school's main building. Both Ray and Weese have recently won awards from AIA Chicago, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Emily Ray and Cynthia Weese visit with City Day tech & design teacher Fonda Baldwin. (Photo by Tara White/Happy Hour Collaborative)
During her talk with students, Ms. Ray presented an overview of projects she's worked on, including the Howard Brown Health Broadway Youth Center and an expansion at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, both in Chicago. She explained the creative decisions behind each project, emphasizing the importance of creating spaces that are functional and reflective of the specific client's unique mission and priorities.
Our students loved seeing how Ms. Ray has created and transformed space during her career. We thank her for taking the time to meet with our students.
Architect Emily Ray meets with City Day students.
Frank Lloyd Wright tour
After seeing Wright's home, the students completed a short walking tour of an Oak Park neighborhood that features several examples of his striking work. The students noticed that many of the unique architectural elements found in Wright's home — for example, the intricate glasswork and use of geometric shapes — carried over to the homes he designed for others. Thank you to the staff of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio for being excellent tour guides.
Architecture involves many of the content and thinking skills that City Day helps its elementary students develop each day. Maybe the recent focus on this discipline will result in a future professional architect or two?
Below, see more photos from the Frank Lloyd Wright tour, and a walkthrough video created by a City Day seventh-grader.
- Want to learn more about City Day? Attend an admissions event.
