Lesson video

Hi, I'm Ms. Blue, and I'm really excited to be learning with you today.

I hope you find our lesson as interesting as I do.

Let's get started.

In today's lesson, it's all about developing a collaborative group design.

There are two lesson cycles for this lesson.

We'll begin by understanding collaboration in design and why it is important.

We will then move on to developing a collaborative group design.

Let's begin.

Our keywords are collaboration, which means working together with others to achieve a shared goal, design brief, which means a short description of what a design project should achieve, idea, a thought, picture, or image that appears in your mind.

Let's start with understanding collaboration in design.

What does collaboration mean? Pause the video here to decide.

Collaboration means working together with others to achieve a shared goal.

You can see here in this picture, people working in collaboration.

A great collaboration means that everyone contributes.

They listen and respect each other's ideas.

Architects rarely work alone.

They work in collaboration, like you can see in the picture on the left.

They plan, sketch, and build ideas together, sharing skills and making decisions as a group.

This is a great example of collaboration.

Teamwork helps us build stronger, more creative ideas than working alone.

Different people notice different things, and this can help everyone improve together.

You can see an example of people working in collaboration in this image on the left.

Personally, I always enjoy working with new people, and sometimes I even see it as a challenge, 'cause everybody has different strengths and different things, which I can learn from them.

I find it's really important to listen to people and not make any prejudgments.

Maybe you can have a think about the different strengths that you would like on your team, or if you know who you are working with already, start to think about some of their strengths, and where they might succeed in this task, as well as your own strengths and weaknesses that you want to work on.

Let's test your knowledge.

Fill in the missing word, working together with others to achieve a shared goal is known as A, position, B, direction, C, collaboration, or D, information? Pause the video here while you choose the correct word to finish the sentence.

The correct answer is C, working together with others to achieve a shared goal is known as collaboration.

I wonder if you can think of any other times in your life when you've collaborated on something, maybe at home or with your friends or family.

I love to collaborate with new people whenever I get the chance, 'cause I find that everyone comes from a different walk of life and has different knowledge that they can share with me.

Architects often work together towards a design brief.

A design brief is a short description of what the project hopes to achieve, what the design includes, who will use it.

You can see an architect's design layout plan in the image on the left.

You might have an existing design brief to work from, or you can build your own in groups by collaborating on ideas.

Discuss in groups an idea for a building that could be used in your local area.

Have a look at this landscape photo on the left, with nature and buildings.

Pause the video while you work on this task.

Laura says, "What if we designed a museum with objects from our local area?" Izzy says, "It could be connected to nature, with outdoor and indoor spaces." Alex says, "I like this idea of making a building that everyone can enjoy using." Looking at how other architects design their buildings may inspire you and your own group's ideas.

Frank Lloyd Wright, from 1867 to 1959, was an American who often designed buildings that connected architecture with nature.

Assemble Studio are a UK-based collective of architects who work collaboratively on designs which are community-focused.

Have a look at this colourful architectural building on the left.

Let's test your knowledge.

What is a design brief? Is it A, a short description of what you need to create, B, a drawing of a building that you wish to create, C, a list of colours to use for creating your artwork, D, a history of famous architects who create buildings? Pause the video here to decide on the correct answer.

If you chose A, you would be correct.

A design brief is a short description of what you need to create.

Discuss in groups possible ideas for an architectural building which you could design for your local area.

Pause the video here while you come up with some ideas.

Part two is to specify what your design brief is.

You could use this table below to help you think about the building name, what the design includes, who will use it, and what the design hopes to achieve.

Remember to work as a team in this task.

Pause the video while you work on it.

You might have said something like, Alex, he says, "We don't have a local library anymore, and I think we should have one." Izzy says, "I agree.

I used to visit the library all the time with my family on the weekends." Laura says, "I like the idea of designing a library too, as we definitely need one.

It would really benefit the local community." Have you visited your local library? They're so important in our communities, not just as a space for reading, but for researching, working on things, and as a way to strengthen our community and meet new people.

Let's have a look at this example of something you could have come up with.

Building name, Honeycomb Library.

What the design includes, a library space with lots of spaces and pods for people to read and relax in.

Beehives outside it.

Who will use it, families, individuals, pupils, and teachers.

What the design hopes to achieve, increase the amount of reading and learning for local people.

Give them spaces to read and relax in.

Provide bees a space for shelter.

That sounds like a great idea, which is well thought out and organised.

Now, let's look at developing a collaborative group design.

Architects often have different roles.

You might find that somebody draws, somebody builds ideas, someone writes notes.

Discuss in your group which role you'd most like to do based on your strengths.

Don't worry if more than one person wants to do one role, as you'll all have the chance to try out each role later on.

Pause the video here while you allocate your roles.

Each person has a key role to play in the collaborative group design, but everyone should still contribute ideas.

Sam says, "We could design a bee and bug hotel space for nature." Andeep says, "What about a new library space for people to read in?" Jacob replies, "What if we had lots of areas for people to relax inside and out?" These are all great ideas.

Did you come up with anything similar? In a great team, we listen to everyone and try to combine our ideas, not just pick our own.

Can two ideas become one brilliant idea? Let's decide.

Sam says, "I think a bee hotel would look best." Andeep says, "I'd prefer to design a library." What do you think Jacob will reply? Let's find out.

"What if we designed a library which is inspired by bee hotels?" That's a great combination of both ideas.

On the left is a person on sticky notes.

Just as you might have an idea that you want to share with a group, you should also make space to listen carefully to the ideas of others.

Sharing ideas is really important in collaboration, so that stronger designs can be created together.

I often find that when I work with different people, especially people that I may not speak to usually, I learn new things, and I formulate ideas which wouldn't have been possible on my own.

It helps me think outside the box, because you're combining all these different viewpoints together.

So let's decide why is sharing ideas important in group work.

Is it A, so you can win a prize for your design, B, so you can create a stronger design together, C, so you can get the design created more quickly, or D, so only one person has to think of a design? Pause the video while you have a think on your answer.

If you chose B, you would be correct.

Sharing ideas is important in group work, so that you can create a stronger design together.

Once your group has agreed on a shared idea, it's time to develop your sketches and notes into a labelled drawing.

This should show what your building might look like and some of its key features.

On the left is an image of somebody designing onto paper.

Remember to take turns with each of the architect design roles, so that everyone has a chance to draw and sketch the idea.

Everyone can add notes or labels.

Everyone's ideas are included.

On the right is an example of this task, two architects designing together.

Are you enjoying collaborating with your peers? Remember to use a combination of techniques to create a refined drawing which responds to your design brief, including shading, line work, perspective.

You can see all of these elements in the architectural sketch design on the left.

This is a really strong outcome.

You can see how shading really lifts the image and creates more of a 3D effect, like how they're shading under the hexagonal windows.

The line work is impressive also.

Clearly, they've used a ruler.

Do you have a ruler you can use for your sketch? Think about the type of perspective that they've used in this drawing.

We are looking at the drawing face-on, which makes it easy to understand, as if you are walking into it.

You can add labels to your drawing to point out the key features of your design idea.

For example, you can see here, hexagon honeycomb rooms and pods, balconies and large windows for lots of light in the middle, recycled cardboard, glue to stick together, and a beehive on the right.

Your final collaborative design should show a shared design which combines the best of your group's ideas.

This is a really interesting idea, which has been showcased in a very clear design sketch.

Let's test your knowledge.

What should your final collaborative design show? Is it A, only one person's idea, B, every single idea, even if it doesn't fit, C, a design made by the teacher, or D, a shared design which combines your best group ideas? Pause the video while you decide on your answer.

If you chose D, you would be correct.

Your final collaborative design should show a shared design that combines your best group ideas.

Responding to the design brief created in task A, create a sketch of your group's architectural design idea.

You should add labels to highlight the key features and add labels to identify possible materials you could use to make a 3D model of it.

Pause the video while you work on the task.

Do you remember this sketch? It had hexagon honeycomb rooms and pods, recycled cardboard, glue to stick everything together, balconies and large windows for lots of lights, and a beehive.

You can see how this example is clearly sketched and labelled, so that the idea is communicated effectively.

To summarise, collaboration means sharing your ideas respectfully and building on each other's strengths.

A design brief is stronger when it's shaped by the inputs from multiple people.

Planning and designing roles helps a team to succeed in a group project.

Sketches and models help bring shared ideas to life.

Thank you so much for listening in this lesson and paying attention.

I hope you learn something new and had fun along the way.

See you next time.