The Center for Architecture Foundation (CFAF) brings built environment awareness to kindergarten through twelfth grade audiences.
CFAF's Learning By Design:NY in-school residency program began in 1991 and serves 2,100 students each year.
Building Connections 2011 brings together a selection of student work from the diverse communities the foundation serve.
Led by CFAF's team of professional Design Educators, the hands-on, interdisciplinary programs meet learning standards in the arts and aim to increase students' understanding and appreciation of architecture and the design process, develop students' visual literacy and problem-solving skills, enrich schools' curricula by extending learning beyond the walls of the classroom into the students' own communities, and introduce students to careers in design, engineering, historic preservation and construction.
Building Connections achieves these goals by building on students' existing knowledge of the built environment and introducing new images, ideas and vocabulary to broaden their understanding of the topic and to strengthen observation skills.
Through guided neighborhood walks, discussions and real-world analysis, students are taught to ask questions and think critically to gain a better understanding of the elements of design and the design process.
Hands on activities such as drawing, 2-Ddesign and 3-D model-making equip students with the skills and sensibility needed to create their own designs. Presentations and reflection encourage students to communicate and refine their design ideas.
more: cfa.aiany.org (138)