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      Becoming inspired: developing an architectural design

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can develop my own personal architectural design

      Key learning points

      1. Architects gain inspiration from many sources including personal experiences and the world around them.
      2. Architects play with materials to generate and visualise ideas.
      3. Architectural designs can be made out of any material that allows the creation of form.

      Keywords

      • Inspiration - the spark that starts the creative process, leading to unique and innovative designs

      • Scale - the relationship between the size of the building in a design and its actual size

      Common misconception

      All buildings have straight lines and are built out of box like shapes.

      Buildings can come in many different forms, with influences coming from a range of different sources.

      Teacher tip

      This lesson can be adapted to different influences that you have available and to reference buildings in your local area.

      Equipment

      Paper, pens, pencils, glue, scissors, tape, paper straws, figures of different sizes

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What does sustainable mean when we are talking about building materials?

      It is very heavy.
      It is strong and can last forever without breaking.
      Correct answer: It is good for the environment and doesn't run out easily.
      It is cheap and easy to throw away.

      Q2.
      Which of these is a sustainable building material?

      plastic foam
      Correct answer: bamboo
      regular concrete
      timber from a rainforest

      Q3.
      Why is recycled wood considered a good building material?

      It is not very strong.
      It is a man-made material.
      Correct answer: It helps reduce waste.
      It is colourful.

      Q4.
      What do we mean when we talk about the form of a building?

      The colour of the walls.
      Correct answer: The shape and structure of the building.
      The number of people that live in it.
      The materials used for the roof.

      Q5.
      Why do buildings have different shapes?

      Just to look interesting.
      Because the builder chooses randomly.
      Because the shape of the building doesn't matter
      Correct answer: To match the weather, location and purpose of the building.

      Q6.
      What is the main purpose of good building design?

      Correct answer: To make a building useful, safe and nice to look at.
      To spend as much money as possible.
      To provide a habitat for birds.
      To provide shelter only.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Architects find from lots of different places to help them with their ideas

      Correct Answer: inspiration

      Q2.
      Architects often develop design by sketching, painting or playing with materials.

      Correct Answer: ideas, thumbnails

      Q3.
      Match the keyword to its meaning.

      Correct Answer:Inspiration,Spark that starts the design process

      Spark that starts the design process

      Correct Answer:Scale,Size of the design compared to real life

      Size of the design compared to real life

      Correct Answer:Materials,Things used to explore design ideas

      Things used to explore design ideas

      Q4.
      Which of these is not a reason architects play with materials?

      To test ideas
      Correct answer: To photograph the final outcome.
      To explore design possibilities
      To find inspiration

      Q5.
      Architects often experiment with different to help develop design ideas.

      Correct Answer: materials, techniques, processes

      Q6.
      Match the word to how it helps in the design process:

      Correct Answer:Design Brief,Helps define design goals and needs

      Helps define design goals and needs

      Correct Answer:Playing,Explores ideas through fun experiments

      Explores ideas through fun experiments

      Correct Answer:Drawing,Sketches ideas before building

      Sketches ideas before building

      Correct Answer:Model making,Tests and shows 3D design ideas

      Tests and shows 3D design ideas


      To help you plan your 8 art and design lesson on: Becoming inspired: developing an architectural design, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...