Green
High
On September 27, The Chicago Architecture Foundation,
a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the
public about architecture, published The Architecture
Handbook: A Student Guide to Understanding Buildings,
the first American textbook to teach sustainable design
and green architecture to high school students.
The book is being used in all drafting classrooms in
Chicago public schools and is under consideration for
curriculum in 15 states. “Our big goal all along
was very lofty: It was to change the way architecture
is taught in high schools,” said author Jennifer
Masengarb.
Chicago’s commitment to its public school architecture
curriculum has a long history. In 1982, state Senator
Richard H. Newhouse founded a program to help low income
and minority students train for careers in architecture
and building trades.
But by 2004, it was clear that the curriculum desperately
needed an update: “The materials that teachers
had been using were written in 1951. And in 1951, drywall
was just coming on the market,” said CAF textbook
program director Krisann Rehbein.
Thus began the three-year collaboration between CAF,
school officials, students, and local architects. The
result—a colorful, 400-page textbook with a comprehensive
teacher’s edition—is the first to standardize
a green architecture curriculum for high schools.
The book centers on the Factor 10 House, a local example
of green design. With the F10 House philosophy in mind,
students explore their own homes, schools and neighborhoods.
The textbook also surveys 10 architectural landmarks,
including Andrea Palladio’s Villa Rotunda, Le
Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation, and
Glenn Murcutt’s Magney House.Proponents of the
green curriculum hope that the textbook’s eco-friendly
approach will have a long-lasting effect on students,
regardless of whether they pursue a career in architecture.
“It’s so important to arm students with
information,” said Rehbein. “That’s
how they become informed citizens who can participate
in decisions about their own city and built environment.”
Posted by: Audrey Tempelsman on Oct 23, 07 at 01:50
PM PDT
www.dwell.com/daily/blog/10743106.html |
