Monuments are usually built to commemorate an important event or stand as a landmark at a sight of significance. These markers are often designed to both attract attention and convey meaning. Provide your architecture students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to create meaning in their designs by assigning a monument design project. Ask each student to select an event or place worthy of commemoration and create a drawing of a proposed memorial. Require the students to pair their drawings with a description of the memorial and an explanation of why they selected the design and what the design represents.
While your design school may already be attractive, your architecture students may be able to improve upon the current facade. Allow your students to attempt to perfect your school by engaging them in a design school redesign. Take a picture of the current school, and enlarge the image to 8½ by 11. Present each student with an image and a transparent sheet of film. Instruct your students to tape this film over the image and create their redesign on this sheet using permanent marker. Once your students finish their designs, you will be able to see the school as it is now with their adaptations atop the structure.
The houses of today look quite different from the abodes of the past. In all likelihood, future houses will look even more distinct. Engage your students' creativity by asking them to design a home of the future. Provide your students with several sheets of graph paper, and ask them to create an image of their proposed home from four different sides. Instruct students to finish their project by composing a written description of the home, including details about what the structure would contain.
Allow your students to play around with design by creating a playground structure. Visit an area playground and look at the structures it contains. Ask your students to try their hand at this specialized design type by drafting a design for a jungle gym or other playground structure. Hang the completed designs on a classroom wall and allow students to vote for the structure they would most like to spend time playing on. Reward the first, second and third place designs with ribbons.