Grade 4 Students Learn How to Build a Skyscraper from a Professional

On Thursday, October 2, Grade 4 students had the opportunity to hear from WIS parent Weijia Yu, an architect at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP (SOM), who presented: "How to Design a Skyscraper like an Architect." In their Design Technology classes with Primary School Design Technology teacher Gergana Genova, Grade 4 students are currently studying how "Architecture and engineering harmonize to create innovative structures that blend functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability, shaping the built environment and improving the quality of human life," so Mr. Yu's visit was well-timed!

During his presentation, Mr. Yu showed students actual architectural designs that he helped create for a new building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He explained all the different considerations that go into planning a new building, including location, pedestrian access, wind patterns, zoning, and more! He also showed the students three different design schemes for this project, explaining the reasoning behind each one.

Afterwards, students had the opportunity to ask Mr. Yu thoughtful questions relating to what they have learned in class and for their upcoming project, where they will build their own mini skyscrapers.

A huge thank you to Mr. Yu for taking the time to speak to our budding young architects!