Interior of the Pantheon in Rome” by Giovanni Paolo

 

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/interior-of-the-pantheon-rome/1AHJFNF8OkfG9Q

MAN-MADE STRUCTURES AND STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

Shared by Mª del Mar Mañanes:

The work of art “Interior of the Pantheon in Rome” by Giovanni Paolo Panini will be used to introduce the topic of structures types and structural elements in technology. 

We will focus also our work in the uses of the different tenses – past present and future – to explain how buildings were made in the past, how they are made nowadays and how students think they will be made in the future.

Warming (activity 0):

Students will start by answering the following questions about the work of art chosen:

- What kind of structure can you see in the picture? 

  A vaulted structure

- What different elements can you see on the picture? Try to locate them in it.

Arches, vaults, columns, dome,…

- Why do you think they used these structures?

The Romans used round arches to build bridges and aqueducts and they used barrel vaults and domes to cover basilicas and pantheons. With arches and vaults, builders could cover larger spaces and have bigger gaps in the structures. Vaulted structures are formed by arches and vaults using stones that are cut in such a way that the only stress they support is compression – no problem for hard stone.

Activity 1:

Students will be divided into eight groups and each group will study a different type of structure:

1. Solid and lintel

2. Vaulted structures

3. Triangular structures

4. Suspended structures

5. Reinforced concrete structures

6. Laminated structures

7. Pneumatic structures

8. Spatial and geodesic structures

They have to look for a picture of a building which is an example of this type of structure, and they have to find out, among the vocabulary learned in the unit, the structural elements used in each type of structure (column, arch, vault, beam, buttress, foundation, cable, suspender…). They have to upload the results of their researches in the class blog.

They will ask and answer the following question in pairs:

- What type of structures were used in the past? 

- How do you think structures were built in the past (Egypt pyramids or roman temples for example)?

- What type of structures are used nowadays? How do you think we built structures now? Does technology help?

- What type of structures do you think will be used in the future? 

- How do you think they will be built then? 

- Will technology be important in the future constructions?