Constructing domes

At Greenwood Elementary School this year we had a combination 4th/5th-grade class for whom I devised a new curriculum that focused on three-dimensional form in art. We modeled, constructed and carved a variety of sculptures, and had instruction on how painters use light and shadow to depict three-dimensional form.

In this lesson students learned about architectural domes and then constructed papier-mache domes. I had found a great videotape on domes, narrated by the architect/author David Macaulay, from PBS' "Building Big" series (visit www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/) and showed it to the kids to introduce them to a variety of domes, including the Houston Astrodome, the Pantheon in Rome, Hagia Sofia in Turkey, The Washington Capitol building's dome and the Buckminster Fuller's Geodesic domes.

Since we live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., my students were fascinated to learn the Capitol building's huge dome is a false one. Constructed with a network of steel beams over the rotunda one sees from the building interior.

On the first day of the lesson, students sketched domes while they watched the videotape, which I intermittently paused to illustrate other considerations, like how windows are arranged in rows that correspond with the number of stories the structure has. I had a list of the architectural features they could consider including on their dome: a circular oculus opening at the top of the dome for natural light inside, columns, a base, windows, a cupola or other sculptural form at the top.

In the second class session, students were instructed in how to apply layer of papier-mache to a spherical balloon to form the shell of the structure. The balloons supported the papier-mache as it dried. Students found the going to be slow, so we spent another class applying more layers of papier-mache to the balloon armatures.

We found a simple way to remove the balloons; by snipping with scissors at the point where they were knotted. The air was released without a pop and the balloons quietly collapsed. Then we spent the next two 50-minute classes attaching various building materials to their domes temporarily with tape. We used corrugated paper to form columns, assembled small wood scraps and pipe cleaners for sculptures, rails, fences and ramps.

We cut pieces of cardboard for windows (for those students who chose not to cut them out). We cut oculi, doors and windows, and taped the domes to 8" x 12" pieces of EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam. Once the armatures were complete, we used papier-mache to cover and more permanently attach all the architectural forms to the dome.

This was a long process, but the kids were very motivated and many of them put in extra time and work on their domes during recess times. They thought of all sorts of uses for domes; like a horse stable, a gym, soccer and other playing fields, and religious structures. Students used our building materials to construct gymnastics equipment, people, animals and other details for the interiors of their domes. Some students brought in dried flowers to use for landscaping.

Once the buildings were complete, we painted them with tempera. First we applied a base coat to cover the newspaper print on their structures. Those students who used white decided to paint two coats of paint to better cover the newspaper print. We discussed the unique purposes of their structures and students chose colors that reflected the materials with which such domes would be built.

On the last day of this lesson, we painted details on the dried base coast and ended the lesson with a critique. Students love to build and in this lesson they learned a lot about architectural history in a way to which they could truly relate!

MATERIALS

* Large round balloons

* Papier-mache paste

* Newspaper strips

* EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam bases

* Tempera paints

* Construction paper

* Wooden craft sticks

* Pieces of silk flowers

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* gain increased awareness of architecture.

* learn about the form and various functions of domes.

* experience building a round form with papier-mache.

* conceive of a function for their domes.

Sue Newman teaches art at Greenwood Elementary School, part of the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

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