For the first hour that we were at Clayton South Primary School today, we met with a new class - 3/4A! After quick introductions where we heard everyone's name and favourite colour, we spoke briefly about what an architect does. We then heard Mrs. Roberts read out the homework that everyone had done last week. They were asked to write about their favourite place at home using the 5 senses.
After that we started to talk about the idea of 'site analysis' and why we need to think about and understand the places that we are designing in. We talked about the differences between designing a cubby to be located in the middle of the oval as compared to building a cubby under a tree. As a group we discussed ideas of light/shade, building a roof to block out rain, hail, wind, and sun, and what some of the issues of building too close to a tree would be.
We then split up into three groups and went outside to find a spot in the school grounds that we could analyse. We talked about the five senses as we sat in our spots and we wrote a list of opportunities and constraints that the site had. We found that some places were too windy and too cold. Others were too sunny and not protected from any of the elements very much. Some were peaceful and comfortable amongst the trees and birds, while others were too close to trees. Some of the groups even measured their sites by pacing out their steps!
