What it's like to be an architect?
Within the Design and Science interdisciplinary unit 'Energy Efficiency ‘the MYP1 students are presented with an interesting design situation:
'International Energy Agency and Ministry of Ecology have designed an energy-efficiency action plan. The plan covers significant energy efficiency improvements and mobilizes investments in energy-efficient buildings. The MYP1 students are the architects specialized in energy-efficient house designs hired to lead the house constructions.'
The summative task is to design an energy efficient house design using the computer program for 3-D modelling. The house can be built anywhere in the world, but the building site and its climate should be carefully evaluated to determine the optimum design.
In the Inquiring & Analysing Stage the students investigated how the environment influenced the design and construction of houses, rated the energy efficiency of their homes, reviewed the energy bills, explored the features of an energy-efficient house and investigated the architectural symbols and floor plans (blueprints) – everything they need to know to be able to construct the house on their own.
In the Developing Ideas Stage the students formulate the design specification of an energy-efficient house based on the data collected and drew the house along with its scaled floor plans using architectural symbols. The ability to create floor plans is a vital part of what it means to be an architect.
The students' reflection have shown that this was a challenging task, but enjoyable. In the Creating the Solution Stage the students will, based on their blueprints, design an energy-efficient house in the 3-D modelling software such as SketchUp, RoomSketcher or Minecraft Education Edition after exploring their pros and cons.
Teacher Linda











