Buildings talk… structures teach!

Meera Bhuvanesh

Architecture plays an important role as a primary source for history. Each and every aspect of a building leads us to understand the nuances of a particular time period and delves into the depths of the unnoticed or the unknown. It surely helps one to learn so much more differently. Frank Gehry (architect, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, Dancing House, Prague) a Canadian-American architect says, “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness”. And isn’t it true that all architects leave behind their legacies with the buildings they create. Many a time, a monument has so much to give us than just be a reminder of the past. These structures are all around us. For a child, it is fascinating to look at a building and be awestruck in wonder.

Here are a few activities that students from middle and primary school can relate to. Educators can even explore their own school building and interrelate and correlate subjects beyond the structure. We will now take up a few buildings to achieve our learning outcomes in different subjects.

Language
Language and structures have a deep connect, as monuments have stories to recount. As a child, this lesson in Marathi on Hira had a lasting impact on me. I was awestruck by Hira’s courage, and the manner in which she climbed down the steep cliff in pitch darkness for the sake of her child. If one reads the legend, we will know why Shivaji wanted to make Raigad his capital.

In the context of language, the power of description is indispensable to any writer. Hira’s difficult climb down the fort is powerfully elucidated with fine details of the fort and the impact is everlasting. When we visit a monument, the impression that stays with us is not just the visual grandeur but even the strong narrative. A human narrative always allures a reader.

Class 5 to 8: ‘I Need’ – An audio-visual resource and/or handout can be used of the actual pictures of the monuments or a sketch or an outline of a fort on a blackboard will also suffice. Children love to listen to stories and teaching through stories is one of the best ways of attracting them.

‘Hirkani Buruj’
The Raigad fort rises 2700 feet above sea level and is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. The fort has a famous wall called Hirakani Buruj constructed over a huge, steep cliff.

The story goes that a woman named Hirkani from the nearby village often brought fresh milk to sell to people inside the fort. She used to come in by the main gate and leave before sunset. One evening she reached the gate late after sunset and therefore could not go out. She cried out loud asking that the gates be opened. But the soldiers who never defied the orders of the king did not open the gates for her. With a heavy heart she thought about her baby she had left home. Despite her pleas, the guards refused to oblige her. She could only think about her baby starving and in pain. She looked around and found that one part of the hill fort lacked a fence. Without further ado, she plunged down the steep cliff. She leapt in through the indefinite trail. The most valiant of men would not travel through this pathway even during daytime. The thorny bushes hurt her limbs and face. But this was a mother who was desperate for a glimpse of her baby. She reached home and passionately touched him and caressed him ardently.

In appreciation of her bravery and act of courage, the Maratha king, Shivaji built a wall around the Raigad fort and it now serves as a memorial. It will remain as a monument of a mother’s will and courage for ages.

Q&A:

1. Why did Hira take such a grave risk to reach home?
2. Given that Hira had never scaled a mountain before, do you think her decision to climb down the mountain was wise?
3. Why do you think the doors of the fort were not opened?
4. What dangers could Hira have faced while she climbed down the walls of the fort?

Here are a few activities that can be conducted in class for young English learners:

Word Tennis
This is a quick game that can be played at the beginning of your lesson or at the end.

How to play
For Word Tennis, you need a board that all of the students can see. Divide the class into two teams.

Write a category on the board. Here are some ideas.

• Parts of a house – (answers could be – chimney, powder room (a bathroom with no tub or shower), mudroom ( a place where shoes and slippers are kept), veranda, front yard, backyard, stairs, den
• (a private room to read or watch television or listen to music), attic, scullery, floor, driveway, laundry room, study, fence, door, shutters, porch, balcony, garage and so on)
• Parts of the school – (answers could be – portico, classroom, laboratory, playground, library, sports room, staff room, foyer or vestibule, portico, pantry, kitchen garden, sick-bay room, washroom, dorm, resource centre, multi-purpose hall, admin block, reception, conference room, store-room, Audio-visual room, activity room, kitchen, windows, basement and so on)
• Parts of school building – (answers could be ramp, parapet, walls, ramparts, balustrade, staircase, railing, corridor, spandrel, ridge, wall, roof, pathway, gallery, open air theatre or amphitheatre, hallway, domes, arches, keystone and so on)
• Words related to architecture – (answers could be – form, scale proportion, symmetry, design)
• Please note certain words would be overlapping in more than one category.

Each team has to say a word in the category, one after the other. If someone says a word that doesn’t fit the category or repeats a word, the other team gets a point.

It’s important to be fast with this game to keep it moving! Allow five seconds to answer. This helps in building vocabulary and students can surprise us at times.

Descriptive drawing activity: Pair up students and give each student a picture of a monument, placing it face down so partners cannot see each other’s cards. They must describe the picture for their partner to draw. It can be the school building, a famous local monument, a prominent structure and so on. Here the use of appropriate technical words for describing the building will be a challenge.

Role play of a guide at a tourist spot: Each student can choose a monument and turn into a tourist guide for the other students who can ask questions and clarify doubts. Here the student guides can also narrate folklores and legends about the monument.

Mathematics
The chapters on construction in geometry books have always been theoretical. If the examples given in the books can be applied to make 3D shapes it would indeed be fun for children.

Mathematics and architecture are definitely allied as architects need mathematical knowledge to design buildings. For instance, geometrical shapes are a part of any building. Look at Mughal architecture or for that matter any building modern or old.

Origami can be used for the construction of pyramids (triangles), domes (semi circles), minarets (cylinders), arches (chords and tangents), symmetry and so much more. Also, any geometrical construction can be applied for making a 3D shape, like cubes and cuboids. Within these 3D shapes one can find symmetry, hidden triangles and angles. Students can solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, volume and surface area of two and three-dimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, cubes and right prisms.

Moreover, before one gets to the construction, one first needs to sketch or draw the building on paper and this is not possible without mathematical constructions. Basics such as measurements, weights, volume and area can be applied mathematics in this domain.

Let us use origami to make 3D shapes.
‘I need’ – A square shaped paper.

1. Find a square piece of paper. To make a pyramid, you need to start with paper that has equal dimensions in length and width. The thicker the paper, the more durable the pyramid, but if you go too thick, the pyramid will be difficult to fold. Good paper choices include: Origami paper, Construction paper and Cardstock.
2. Fold and unfold the paper. First, fold and unfold the paper diagonally through the centre from top right to bottom left, and then diagonally through the centre from the top left to bottom right.
3. Lay the paper flat on a table. Look at the folds you’ve made (the paper will be folded into four triangles). Either with a pencil or in your mind, label the four folds that divide the paper into quarters as A, B, C, and D (in order, going counter-clockwise).
4. Orient the paper. You want the paper in front of you so that the triangle labelled side D and A has its bottom edge facing you.
5. Fold the paper into a smaller triangle. Start by folding the left side of the triangle in half, so the outer edges of sides C and D meet. Repeat on the other side, so that the outer edges of sides A and B meet.
6. Fold the triangle into a square. Start on one side, and fold the bottom corners in toward the centre, so that each bottom corner comes to meet the top corner. Repeat on the other side.
7. Fold the square into a kite. Orient the square so it looks like a diamond, with all the folded flaps at the top and the neat bottom point facing you. On each side of the paper, fold the two side points of the diamond to the centre so the bottom edge of the diamond lines up with the centre edge of the square.
8. Anchor the folds. On each of the four kite faces, open the folds one at a time until you get a small right triangle sticking out the back of your fold. Fold this little triangle down over the front, and then refold all the original folds. Repeat with each kite face.
9. Fold down the tip of the kite. Fold it back and forth to create a nice crease. Now, stand the kite up on the bottom tip, and gently press the centre tip at the top. The paper should begin opening up and unfolding at the base at the last crease you made. Once it unfolds into a triangle, you can square off the edges of the base and the sides of your paper pyramid.

Video link: How to Make a Paper Pyramid: 15 Steps (with Pictures) – wikiHow https://www.wikihow.com›Make-a-Paper-Pyramid.

Making a cut-out paper pyramid
Print or draw a pyramid template as shown below. A proper pyramid template pattern will have a square base, and off each side of that base there will be a triangle. Two or all four of these triangles will have tabs on them. Once cut out, the four triangles will come together and join at the top to form the pyramid faces.

Cut out your pyramid pattern. The tabs on the side are important (so don’t cut them off) because these will be used to glue or tape the sides of the pyramid together.

Flip the paper over and decorate. Now that the pattern has been cut, you have the basic shape for your pyramid, and it can now be decorated any way you like. Remember that the faces on the underside of the paper will become the outside, so be sure to decorate the right side!

Try drawing an overlapping grid pattern to make it look like the bricks of an Egyptian pyramid.

Crease all the pyramid edges. After decorating, flip the pyramid back over to create creases so that the faces come together nicely. Make sure to direct the creases inward, and don’t forget to crease the tabs as well.

If you are using thicker paper, such as cardboard, consider using a hobby knife or scissors to gently trace the lines where the pyramid will bend and fold.

Form the pyramid. Apply glue or tape to the outside edges (the decorated side edges) of all the tabs. Bring the four faces of the pyramid together, securing them to each other by positioning the sticky tabs on the inside of the pyramid faces. Gently press the sides to the tabs and allow the glue to dry.

More ideas for making 3D shapes can be found at www.easyorigami.com, https://www.origami-resource-center.com/pyramid-tree.html. Each time a complexity can be added for the higher classes. The link between mathematics and architecture is unfathomable. For comprehending the connection, the following site might be of help. https://www.thoughtco.com/free-lessons-architecture-for-kids-178445.

Who will disagree that all the great structures of the ancient and present world are nothing less than mathematical marvels?

History
The facilitator can select any monument but it will help if they choose a local monument so that you can visit it if necessary.

As a teacher in Coimbatore I would choose the Perur Pateeswara Temple, it is a 2^nd Century Common Era (AD) temple of Lord Shiva built by Karikala Chola (early Chola dynasty). The story goes –

The divine cow, Kamadhenu, performed severe penance to Lord Shiva seeking to create new things in this world, a job that Lord Brahma was doing. It was pouring its milk on the Shivalinga, which was hidden in an anthill. However, its calf, Patti, in a playful mood, hit the anthill and demolished it. Shocked, Kamadhenu fell at the feet of Lord Shiva and sought his pardon. Appearing before the divine cow, Shiva said that he was only pleased with the calf. He added that Perur would from now on be called Pattipuri and that he would stay in the place as Pateeswara.

There is a tamarind tree in front of the temple whose seeds don’t germinate thus indicating that those who pray to Lord Pateeswara will attain salvation and be free from the cycle of births and deaths. The temple is close to the river Noyal and it is believed that the bones of those dead, when placed in this river turn into white stones.

This temple has several attractions, the most famous is the golden statue of Nataraja. The pillars have mythological carvings.

Teaching local history is significant as folklore, oral history and mythology can be cited while learning about monuments such as places of worship. These help children understand the social fabric of their city/village.

The history of the building will help in not only understanding its origin and existence, but also whether it has influenced a section of the society. For example, the communities that live around the temple and assist in the affairs of the temple earn a livelihood from their work in the temple. Senior students can be introduced to the idea that temples are not merely religious places but also economic entities.

For instance, let’s discuss in detail one more structure – the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay, now known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS).

Origin: The museum took almost a decade to be built. Initially, when it was ready it was used as a military hospital during World War I. Therefore, it has huge ventilated windows and metal partitions to separate wards. The tall pillars are indication of upper air circulation which help the artefacts to be kept intact.

Historical insight: The teacher can give a background of the First World War and its impact on India.

Purpose: The museum was founded in early 1900 and is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions of the country. Many prominent personalities insisted on the need for a museum and it was built with public donations and keen interest shown by the likes of David Sassoon (a prominent British treasurer and patron of Indian arts on whose name the famous David Sassoon library still exists in Mumbai) and many others. It has a well-planned garden and though many things have changed with time, the original plan of the garden has still been retained.

And the 50,000 odd pieces from history which are preserved here bring the artefacts back to life to narrate a gamut of stories.

Historical insight: The rise of the wealthy Indian middle class and the philanthropic works of the Parsi community of then Bombay, the British historians and their contributions can be included in discussions.

Gallery on the Buddha: When one walks through the corridors of all the floors and the aisles of the majestic verandah on the ground floor, one can see in between plant pots, busts of the Buddha from all over the world. The facial features of the Buddha change with the country, a Tibetan, a Nepali, a Sanchi, an Indo-Iranian and so on. The features are clear and prominent and anyone can guess the country the Buddha belongs to. The spread of Buddhism can be deliberated here.

Historical insight: Actually, any gallery can be taken, but the Buddha is a primary source for reconstruction of history. The spread of Buddhism and the apostles of Buddhism can be brought to light. The reflections of various face features across the globe can be identified.

The architect: George Wittet, the architect, was carefully chosen after a competition held in 1909. He is famous for his Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. This museum is a fine instance of it. This style of architecture is an incorporation of Hindu and Sarcenic forms. This means it is a revival form of architecture mainly used by British architects to bring about a merger of Indo-Islamic style.

For the British, the Indo-Islamic amalgamation was an ideal example of Indian style. Also the fusion of temples and Islamic architecture is what British architects found amazing.

Amalgamation of architectural style: The main building has three storeys. The museum has typical features from western and Indian architecture, such as the Indian pillared hall, the arched pavilion, the domes adorning the intersection of arches which form an amazing geometrical pattern. The domes are from the Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur. And it also has been inspired from the Taj Mahal. Thus, the Mughal palaces are redolent of Indo-Islamic architecture. It has extended balconies with ornate brackets which are engraved with intrinsic floral designs. The small jalis for well-lit halls and the wind inlets just below the ceilings hark back to the Rajasthani forts. This is synthesis architecture, an example of which is the horse-shoe shaped arch that comes from Spain. The museum is constructed of basalt stone. Undoubtedly it adds to the opulence of the building.

Historical insight: The various styles and their origins can be studied.

Process and outcome: It is recorded that Wittet expertly assimilated materials from different ancient buildings in and around Bombay. The original wooden arch pavilion was procured from the royal house (wada) at Nasik, Maharashtra, especially, the circular balustrade on the first floor of the building. In fact, Wittet was on a tour in India to study architectural forms. This brilliant structure is the outcome of the experimentation architecture which India witnessed during the latter half of 1900. This style of architecture became the archetype of British architecture in India.

Art and design
What else can buildings teach? Structures cannot be created without having some aesthetic sense, or an eye for beauty and form. People like to live and work in places that are beautifully designed and are pleasing to the eye.

The task at hand here for a teacher would be to make students identify 2D shapes in a 3D structure. They should be able to develop suitable principles individually or in groups to evaluate and analyze works of art. They can use different mediums to create a sketch or outline of the building. Medieval castles, domes, temple architecture or even skyscrapers can be the theme. Different types of perspectives can be used to show the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface.

To develop tools to consolidate data, to list out constraints and pragmatic obstacles and to come up with possible solutions can be the basis of learning outcomes. The impact of a building on the natural environment can be a scientific approach to the concept.

Tile Making: Another hands-on activity could be designing patterns on tiles made of clay. Any pattern noticed in buildings can be recreated on different shapes of tiles. These tiles can be a part of a mural which can then be put together to make one large work of art or an art puzzle. It can be the class mural. Students can discuss why a particular pattern and colour has been chosen for the mural design and how it is significant for the same.

Art and architecture are inseparable. Architecture is a small part of art. Without art, architecture will look bare. For example, a painting or a statuette is a piece of art and interior design gives the sculpture a focus. Architecture uses art to improve the interior and exterior of a building. When children design, they should also think of the interior design of the structure in detail. That could be a separate project in itself.

Buildings and architecture offer a world of learning possibilities. When children learn to study about buildings, they can draw upon different fields of knowledge – from maths and history to art and design.

We still have teachers, parents and students who stack subjects hierarchically and believe that mathematics or pure sciences are the only subjects to be pursued.

Being a student of liberal arts and as a teacher of the social sciences, I constantly see this discrimination or ill-treatment among school communities. Therefore, such activities will send a strong message that no subject is devoid of the other and neither is any subject superior or inferior to another.

References

• www.sahapedia.com. The UNESCO website on historical buildings, culture and communities. (All kinds of heritage) Bombay-Art-Deco-Navin Ramani
• https://www.amazon.in›Heritage-Buildings-Bombay-Sunil-Vaidyanathan
• www.artdecomumbai.com›research›on-bombay-deco

The author is a UNESCO Fellowship holder and teaches at Delhi Public School, Coimbatore. She can be reached at meera.bhuvaneshdpscoimbatore@gmail.com.