Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Architecture and Design

A semester of architecture: how architects think, sketch and draw to scale, the elements and principles that make a space feel calm or dramatic, how loads travel through beams, arches and trusses to the ground, five thousand years of buildings from the pyramids to the skyscraper, planning a building around its site and the sun, and designing places that save energy and welcome everyone. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the High school electives library, $119 for 66 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 13 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: How architects think and draw

    Explain the architect's design process and Vitruvius's three qualities, and read and compute with scale drawings, plans, sections and elevations.

    • Architecture as art and science
    • Drawing to scale
    • Plans, sections, elevations and perspective
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: The language of design

    Analyze buildings using the elements and principles of design, and lay out a stair and other features from human dimensions.

    • Elements of design
    • Principles of design
    • The human body as measure
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: How buildings stand up

    Trace loads to the ground, explain how beams, arches, trusses and frames work, and compare building materials.

    • Loads and load paths
    • Structural systems
    • Materials of building
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Five thousand years of architecture

    Identify and compare major periods of architecture, from the pyramids and classical orders to Gothic, Renaissance and modern buildings.

    • Ancient and classical architecture
    • From Gothic cathedrals to the Renaissance
    • Modern and contemporary architecture
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Designing a building on its site

    Analyze a site's sun and wind, total a building program, and plan daylight and acoustic comfort.

    • Reading the site
    • Program and space planning
    • Light, sound and comfort
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Sustainable, accessible and shared places

    Design for climate, accessibility and community, sizing overhangs and ramps and comparing densities.

    • Designing with climate
    • Universal design and accessibility
    • Cities, communities and careers
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 6 · Designing with climate

Worked example: an overhang at 40 degrees north

  1. Summer noon altitude is about 73.4 degrees, and tan 73.4° ≈ 3.35. Winter noon altitude is about 26.6 degrees, and tan 26.6° ≈ 0.50.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · High SchoolAlso for Enrichment · Arts & Creativity$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of architecture: you can read and convert scale drawings and tell a plan from a section and an elevation, describe a building with the elements and principles of design, lay out a comfortable stair, trace a load path and explain how arches and trusses work, recognize the classical orders and Gothic, Renaissance and modern buildings, compute noon sun angles and size an overhang, total a building program, and design a ramp and compare neighborhood densities. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who love drawing, building models or looking at buildings, are taking or preparing for an art, design, drafting or engineering class, or are thinking about careers in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, interior design or construction; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. Activities need graph paper, a pencil, a ruler and cardboard; free 3D modeling software is optional.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 146 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 13 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the High school electives library ($119) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The High School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the Arts & Creativity space in Caveat Enrichment (the same course serves the Architecture & Creative Design title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

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Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. Francis D. K. Ching, Architecture: Form, Space, and Order, the standard introduction to the elements and principles of design (any recent edition)
  2. U.S. Access Board and Department of Justice, 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design: ada.gov
  3. U.S. Department of Energy, passive solar home design: energy.gov
  4. Smarthistory, free essays on the Parthenon, the Pantheon, Gothic cathedrals and Brunelleschi's dome: smarthistory.org
  5. Vitruvius, The Ten Books on Architecture, translated by Morris Hicky Morgan, public domain at Project Gutenberg: gutenberg.org

Architecture and Design is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester high school architecture and design elective but does not replace a school course and awards no credit. Dimensions, loads and rules of thumb are typical example values for learning; real buildings are designed by licensed professionals and checked against local building codes. Accessibility figures follow the federal 2010 ADA Standards in general terms. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.