YOUTH INITIATIVE HIGH SCHOOL
Waldorf Initiative in Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA
COURSES AND CLASSES
Architecture Main
Lesson
January 2007—Grade 12
Instructor: Annie Brennen
When you walk into a room or a structure, there are often aspects of the space inside which direct you to behave or act in a particular way. For example, we know to speak softly in a library or to look for things to buy when in a store. Some of these behaviors come from social conventions, but others are directed by the arrangement and appearance of the spaces themselves.
This class is about understanding architecture through identifying what differentiates one type of space from another in terms of these types of behavioral cues; that is, beginning to look at architecture from the inside out. We will begin by analyzing a number of buildings and spaces in the community and trying to understand what makes one different from another. How are we “supposed” to act in a certain place and how do we know that? What factors are inherent in the architecture, or the physical place itself, and which ones are communicated to us through other means like social conventions?
We will focus on four central aspects in our analysis: building context, form, layout/organization, and lighting, and discuss the architectural conventions often used to communicate these aspects: mapping, perspective drawing, plans and sections, and architectural photography. The students will work in groups of two to document a building in town using these four conventions.
The third week of class will focus on the school as a case study. We will analyze the current Youth Initiative facility and brainstorm what a new Youth Initiative High school might be like. What sorts of places might it include? What kind of environment could it be? What could it look like? How might it be different from or similar to the current high school?
