Winter Holidays: Oikodome: Building Architects
Oikodome: Building Architects, the Powerhouse Museum’s popular interactive building experience will return for the Winter school holidays.
This year we take inspiration from American architect Frank Lloyd Wright who reflected on the influence of playing with blocks as a child “That early kindergarten experience with the straight line; the flat plane; the square; the triangle; the circle!. . . These primary forms and figures were the secret of all effects . . . which were ever got into the architecture of the world.” Many of his buildings, such as The Guggenheim, are notable for their geometrical clarity.
Oikodome: Building Architects will still feature the same building materials of cardboard rolls and flexible nodes, but there will be a stronger emphasis on the creation of geometric structures. Children, much like Wright, will first be encouraged to create three dimensional shapes such as cubes, pyramids and prisms. Then they will be given the opportunity to combine these shapes to create a variety of geometric structures either by following templates or creating their own by free-forming.
Volunteer at Oikodome: Building Architects
Architecture & Engineering Students we need you!
Part of the success of Oikodome: Building Architects is the involvement of volunteer architecture and structural engineering students from various universities and TAFEs in NSW. Below is a collective response from the student volunteers summarising their experience of being part of Oikodome:
“Working as volunteers on the Oikodome: Building Architects program has been a great experience. Given the opportunity to work with young creative minds, we were able to extend our architectural interest into the younger community. It was great to see the enthusiasm as parents and grandparents worked together with their kids to build structures out of cardboard tubes. It was interesting to see the kids’ varied responses to the brief. Some worked flamboyantly and haphazardly, others worked very carefully and logically. Some were speedy, others were diligent and slow. One day maybe, these will be the architects of the future.”
To see what the experience is like check out:
Applications close 14 June.
For more information and an application form please click here.
All Day Science Workshop
Science of Architecture!
In this hands-on workshop, budding young scientists and engineers will explore some of the scientific principles that underpin architecture by creating structures from newspaper and then running some simple scientific tests. The workshop culminates with the construction of a Geodesic Dome.
Ages: 8-13.
Dates: 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 July
Times: 9.30am – 4.00pm
Cost: $80 per child, $70 members. Bookings essential.
Bookings & Further Information (available from 27 May)
Thinkspace Workshops
Thinkspace is the Powerhouse Museum’s digital learning centre offering learn-by-making workshops with science and design themes.
Learn the essentials of video game design and create your own game. Use Minecraft to make a short story or music video. Use Scratch and LEGO to create your own Pacman game. Learn to build electronic circuits using Arduino. For ages 7 and over.
Click on the image to be taken to Thinkspace website and further information about the workshops.
Sydney Observatory and
Powerhouse Discovery Centre
For more fun holiday activities why not visit Sydney Observatory or the Powerhouse Discovery Centre.
Visit ‘Go Play’ to browse NSW school holiday activities from a range of organisations, including the Powerhouse Museum. More…