Contribution by our art teacher Valerie Averie
‘ Wow’ and ‘ Very professional’ were the comments that Mr. Krajewski gave to our students for their work on what he stated as a ‘really difficult and important assignment’.
Guest speaker architect Piotr Krajewski joined MYP2 today during our art class. The unit the students are working on: Living without leaving. Design a house that would be sustainable for your family if we were never allowed to leave our house again. Corona turned armageddon.
Concentrating on public vs private spaces at home, the students made designs and turned them into 3d models. The ideas are created from their own experiences, needs and desires while they are at home during the corona virus.
During class we spoke of the greats and not-so-greats of being home all the time and what we want / need in a house. Some of the things that were mentioned as necessities for the design that were derived from their experiences while being at home:
– no common space close to your bedroom (so you can wake up late)
– lots of windows (not feeling stuck)
– everyone has their own space + bathroom (you need private space)
– plant you own food (greenhouse)
– place to walk the dog safely
– big garbage area for food that is a ‘baking mistake’
– area where you can decontaminate goods and people by the entrance
Check out the amazing video that was made by one of our students showing the design from drawing to 3d model.
We are very lucky that Piotr Krajewski (aka Adams dad) was able to talk about his work as an architect. He spoke of the design process starting from questions, to site specific, to rules to drawing ideas. He spoke of technology in architecture: Dynamic designs with 3d, VR and movie renders. Mr. Krajewski gave a software tip that we will be exploring after the May vacation.
Our MYP 2 students now know about why you would need more than one architect on a big project. Mr. Krajewski is currently working with a total of 40 architects on a new terminal at Schiphol. 6 of those architects are working on just the façade. Mr. Krajewski gave a surprising answer when a student asked what you need to be an architect. Not just to concentrate on maths or physics but a general understanding of all subjects including things like human behaviour. He pays specific attention to people feeling safe and comfortable in his creations. ‘No pink’ he says because it doesn’t feel right. Mr Krajewski always keeps a paper and pen nearby in case an idea pops into his head, so being able to draw well is important.
My goal to teach the students something new every time I see them has definitely been fulfilled today.