Opening up Architecture: Expert architectural insights captured in over 50 videos about 3 unique buildings in London.
How often do we consider the influence that the built environment has on our daily London lives? How do the materials, use of light, layout and construction methods impact on our work and leisure?
LGfL has been working in partnership with Open-City since September 2011, supporting the Open-City Education programme. This highly regarded programme incorporates architecture into the Primary and Secondary curriculum, helping London teachers and students to better understand the built environment.
During 2012, LGfL and Open-City created a resource called ‘Opening up architecture’ that offers an insight into 3 unique buildings in London. With help from three architects that have a deep understanding of each building, they unlock the vision behind each one and how it meets the needs of the clients and daily users.
Materials used, use of light and sensitivities of the needs of clients and daily users are all analysed and presented in a accessible way for the non specialist to incorporate into a wide range of curriculum areas including
- Art & Design
- Design technology
- Science
- Geography
- PSHE education
- Citizenship
- English
- Mathematics
Designed with a new interface offering a fully filtered resource bank and the latest online video technology, Opening Up Architecture provides a unique resource that seeks to develop a better understanding of the environment in which we all live our daily lives.
Please note:
The Maggies centre building featured in this resource is designed to offer a sanctuary for anyone affected by cancer. The video footage of the Maggies centre sensitively places the buildings use within this important context. Teachers using this resource will need to be sensitive when using this material with students that may have had some experience of cancer within their family or friendship network.
“Architecture is the one thing that affects us all every day, and yet it is often the one thing we don’t learn about. At the same time, it is the perfect vehicle to bring to life so many core subjects on the curriculum: beyond Design & Technology, it also provides a good method through which to teach a wide spectrum of subjects, including Maths and Geography.
Open-City has for many years recognised the importance and value of young people being given an architectural understanding and education, enabling 3000 young people each year to have this opportunity through direct experience of our architecture in schools programme. Therefore, we were delighted when LGfL approached us to develop this interactive film resource. It will allow exemplary design and expert architect knowledge to be accessed by all young people, directly in to their classrooms - a wonderful step forward for this generation who will go on to be tomorrow’s advocates of good design, with some perhaps even becoming the architects of the future.”
Victoria Thornton, Hon FRIBA, OBE
Founding Director
By working in partnership with Open-City, this unique new resource allows London’s teachers and learners to discover the significance of architecture and the influence it has on us all, each day, in London. Our carefully created video insights are supported by tried and tested curriculum material that offer relevance to a wide range of curriculum areas. We hope that schools will welcome this important addition to the LGfL Learning Resources portfolio available to all LGfL connected schools.
Bob Usher (LGfL Content Manager)