Explore Architecture: Tower Up Smart City (Flex)

Each Flex class features a Project Video (20-30 Minutes), a Demonstration Video (10-20 minutes) and a Scavenger Hunt that will be available each Monday. Here's the basic workflow:

Project 1: Build a Smart City Site Plan (vertical zones, view corridors, 8-minute loops)
Our project series begins with an introduction to urban planning concepts such as smart city design, sustainable city design, equitable city design and how to design for density and increasing populations. We will also introduce the walkable city model with a design strategy known as the 8-minute loop. Learners will plan and build a site plan as the base for the upcoming projects.

Project 2: Add buildings to your city (houses, skyscrapers, factories, stores, restaurants, offices)
With our site plan completed, it is time to add buildings. We will introduce learners to the history of skyscrapers, and tour of some of the world's greenest, ecologically game-changing skyscrapers today that are generating their own energy and contributing to a sustainable future. 

Project 3: Add Gardens and Parks
Our city is starting to look very real now. It’s time to develop a plan for greening our city by adding vertical gardens, community food gardens, green roofs, bioswales, porous pavement, and wetland ecosystems. We’ll also take a look at how gigantic metropolitan highways are being transformed into urban parks and take a little tour of the High Line in New York City.  

Project 4: Tower Challenge
Our city project is finished and now it’s time for some crazy fun.  Your challenge is to build a tower. But, unlike most tower challenges, the winner for this challenge will be the one with the most sustainable design.  Based on all you have learned, design one tower with as many sustainable design strategies as you can fit in – and make it look good! Submit 3-6 pictures and a short description of your sustainable strategies and the winner will receive an awesome prize (yes, for real).  Not feeling great about doing a design challenge?  No worries – just build a fantasy tower of your choice for your cat, a bumble bee, an Avenger who lives in the bubble realm…it’s all about your idea for this project.

Student Interaction: Architects & Clients
The philosophy behind all we do at Wicked Workshop is to mimic the studio culture of the architecture school and office - and bring that immersive experience to young people. Since this is a Flex class, students can participate during the days and times that work for them but will still be required to be an active participant in the process.  To foster a true architecture studio culture, learners will participate in an "Architect & Client" activity.  Each student will be paired with a classmate and be given the role of either the architect or the client.  "Architects" will present (at least) 3 images of their work in progress with a short, written explanation of the key features.  The "Client" will study the work, ask questions, provide one suggestion and one aspect of the work that they really like. We will do this through posts on our classroom page and all students will benefit from their personal role play as well as following the conversations of others. Don't worry - we'll guide you!

What Else Should I Know?
These classes are designed to be explored over 2-3 hours and potentially 2-3 days depending on your learner's age, crafting abilities, interest in the subject and personal attention span.  Some kiddos will dive right in and finish in an afternoon while others might take lots of breaks and work on one project over a whole week. The projects are all very flexible and designed for multiple ages.  Older kiddos will add more details and take longer to craft more precisely while younger learners might make bigger moves and embellish verbally rather than through making.