Measurement Using Architectural Drawings

Students will use real world examples of mathematics to determine the measurements of historic Tennessee buildings.

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Students will use appropriate materials to measure architectural drawings.
Students will evaluate the measurements of drawings by evaluating proportions and ratios.

Essential and guiding questions: 
  • What can architectural drawings tell you about buildings?
  • How do architects use building measurements?
  • How are measurements and ratios used outside of the classroom?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding
Extension suggestions: 

Find out more about the history and visitor information for this building by visiting the following Web sites:

Students can examine photographs of the inside and outside of Rock Castle from the Web sites listed above can compare them to the historic photographs listed on the surveys for each building. Have the buildings changed at all? You could even take a field trip to one of these locations, so that students can compare the drawings to the pictures and the actual site!
Ask your students what they would have done differently, had they been the architect for Rock Castle. Thicker walls? More chimneys? More floors? How would that affect the measurements of this building? 

Helpful Hints

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:

  • Set of class rulers
  • Set of class calculators
  • “Measurement with Architectural Drawings:
  • North Elevation” worksheet and drawing
  • “Measurement with Architectural Drawings:
  • East Elevation” worksheet and drawing