Architectural and Structural Engineering Teacher Resources

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,...

"By the hair on your chinny-chin-chin, I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in," says the big, bad wolf! Engineering hopefuls are challenged to design and construct a hurricane-proof building from simple office and craft...

While architects and engineers don't often build with plastic straws and foam board, the same principles still apply. Challenging both the creativity and critical thinking of students, this engaging design project is perfect for art and...

An award-winning architect speaks about the need to rehabilitate underused parking lots, past-their-prime shopping malls, and other structures. She gets us to take a look at successful retrofits and proposes plans to give others a...

Creating buildings that reach hundreds of feet into the sky is no easy task. The third instructional activity in this series begins with four activities that engage young architects in exploring the major challenges that are faced when...

Skyscrapers are amazing feats of architectural design that create the iconic skylines of the world's biggest cities. Young architects explore the defining characteristics of these monstrous towers with the first lesson in this four-part...

The construction of skyscrapers is no simple undertaking, involving the careful coordination and planning of many different people. The third lesson in this series explores this detailed process by first teaching children about the main...

Sometimes bridge building is a family business. An enlightening video describes the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge and the engineering principles behind suspension bridges. Viewers also learn about the people who led the project,...

Mix up your lessons with a resource on mixed-media structures. Scholars design a structure out of paper, balloons, and string that will lift a pencil to the greatest height; they construct the structure at a later time. 

It's important to make sure houses can withstand winds. A hands-on activity has learners create a structure out of household materials. They use a fan to simulate hurricane-force winds to see if their structures can withstand the...

Students build and test structures that can best withstand earthquakes. They create their structures from playdough, cornstarch, grape-nuts and popsicle sticks and place their structures on a "shake table."

Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this 10-lesson...

Middle and high schoolers explore the concepts of architectural rigidity. They analyze a variety of polygons, and explain why some shapes add more strength to structures than others. The PBS video, "Building Big," is utilized in this plan.

Students study the various shapes engineers choose to make structures strong -- in particular, triangles, arches, and domes. They construct a variety of forms, and discuss how tension and compression are distributed by triangles,...

Can your pupils build a roof that stands the test of time? Use an insightful engineering design project to highlight both materials science and architecture. Scholars either team up or work as individuals to design, create, and test a...

Imagine building a 49 foot dam with no cranes, trucks, or earth-movers. Narrated by Peter Weller, part one of a 10-part History Channel series on the feats of early Egyptian engineers, looks at the first dam in recorded world history....

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...

Students attempt to design and build the most stable "earthquke resistant" structure. They create model buildings and test them on a shake table to see which design holds up the best.

Students develop a creative building design. In this technology lesson, students create a model of their building using a computer software. They present their final product in class.

The artistic intricacies of the Hagia Sophia are highlighted and creatively woven together with illustrations of its rich history in this engaging, animated video. Viewers will take a close look at highlights of the engineering marvel,...

Students investigate the ways in which ancient technologies - six types of simple machines and combinations - are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern...

Students explore geometry by completing a marshmallow activity in class. In this architecture lesson, students identify the jobs of civil engineers and architects while identifying different geometric shapes as well. Students utilize...

Young scholars face the challenges of building big, functional structures, like bridges, domes and skyscrapers. They turn their talents to satisfying clients who have hired them to design their new home.

Students engineer their way through a hands-on science activity. In this architecture lesson, students examine dead loads and wind loads as they participate in the Skyscraper Challenge.