Architecture offers a unique entry point for better understanding a historical era. Early in my career as a museum educator, I worked with professional architects and engineers to teach middle and high school students. From these experts, I learned valuable techniques for analyzing architectural drawings and photographs.
Recently, the Picture This: Library of Congress Prints and Photos blog highlighted the addition of 400,000 new digitized records to the Historic American Buildings Survey/ Historic American Engineering Record/ Historic American Landscapes Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) Collection.
Browsing this incredible online resource reminded me of how closely architecture and history are intertwined. Here are a few strategies for teaching with architectural drawings and photographs using examples from the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection:
Challenge students to hypothesize about a structure’s function based on its aesthetics. Students often observe aesthetic elements, such as patterns or shapes, without considering function. They may not think of design as problem solving. Encourage them to examine a structure’s form or aesthetics for clues about its intended use or functional requirements: for whom was the structure designed and to address what needs? What can we infer about the time period of its design or construction?
For example, if students observe the pattern of triangles that make up a truss bridge, prompt them to reflect upon why the designer/s chose the triangle (the strongest shape) for this structure. What type of bridge traffic—pedestrians, horses and wagons, cars, or trains—would require a heavy load-bearing design? What other factors may have influenced the bridge’s design (budget, location, available materials, structural technology)?