Designed to Perfection

Technology or engineering teams are given a task to design, construct, and test the efficiency of a structure that will foster an even temperature throughout an entire sunny day. Intended as a long-term project, pupils research, plan,...

Do domed structures have advantages over their less-than-spherical counterparts? Junior architects explore the pros and cons of domes through a design challenge. Teams work together to plan, sketch, build, and test domes created from an...

Pupils learn the steps for basic constructions using a straightedge, a compass, and a pencil. Pairs develop the skills to copy a segment and an angle, bisect a segment and an angle, and construct parallel and perpendicular lines.

Shore up engineering knowledge with some building activities. Scholars design a foam beam, create a structure from playing cards, and construct a paper tower that won't topple over in the wind. Along the way, they learn about engineering...

Engineering enthusiasts are sure to explode in understanding as they practice the engineering design process (EDP). A container of "toxic popcorn" is placed in the classroom. Teams must work together to devise a method for removing it...

Using popsicle sticks and glue, groups must work together to design and build a bridge that can support weight and is aesthetically pleasing. The lesson begins by learners reading about different features of bridge architecture, followed...

This amazingly extensive unit covers a wealth of geometric ground, ranging from constructions to angle properties, triangle theorems, rigid transformations, and fundamentals of formal proofs.  Each of the almost-forty lessons is broken...

Design and construct buildings with rooftop gardens. Junior engineers work in groups to build two buildings and then perform experiments to determine whether or not a garden affects the building's temperatures. They graph and interpret...

How tall is your marshmallow structure? With limited supplies (including uncooked spaghetti noodles, masking tape, and one marshmallow), teams endeavor to support the marshmallow atop the tallest spaghetti structure they can build....

This resource page is the first of a series on relevant topics in building science. It is aimed at explaining the key concepts involved in building science, as well as the relationship of this discipline to the architecture / engineering...