Architecture Archives - Beaver Country Day School

Mathematics, Design, and Art

Interests: Architecture, Art, Design, Graphic Design, Math

Discover the beauty where mathematics, design and art intersect. Students will explore mathematical concepts and their applications in artistic fields, including geometry, symmetry, patterns, and proportions. Through hands-on projects and creative problem-solving, students will work with a variety of media to study and create connections between math, architecture, design, visual art, and more. This course provides a unique opportunity to deepen mathematical understanding while fostering creativity and innovation.
Students can opt to take this class at the Honors level
Prerequisites: Integrated Math 2 or Algebra 1

11th

12th

Global History & Social Sciences

Urbanism + the Built Environment

Interests: Architecture, History

Using Boston’s landscape, students in this course will investigate the role of cities in shaping ecological and cultural systems that will influence the built environment in future design. Students will examine key moments in the city’s growth, including the impact of industrialization, immigration, and urban renewal on Boston’s physical and social landscape. Students will also research and examine the history and legacy of social, cultural, and economic inequalities as they consider how today’s built environment addresses contemporary issues by reinventing, reimagining, and planning design spaces that will impact the relationship between people and their environment. Students will meet with experts to discuss, question, and critically analyze the issues facing metropolitan areas. Travel may be an opportunity that exists as part of taking this class. Students will engage in the design process by constructing their ideas and solutions for conceptualizing future cities using physical materials and digital technologies to create 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional models to showcase their work.

10th

11th

12th

Visual Arts

Graphic Design

Interests: Architecture, Business, Design, Education, Film, Media, Psychology

How does design impact how we think, learn, and interact? In this course we will investigate these questions as we explore how graphic communication is woven into our daily lives. Students will gain insight into a range of graphic design applications such as branding and advertising, illustration, typography, information design, and editorial publication. Working primarily with Adobe Illustrator, students will develop their digital drawing and design skills while establishing a workflow between Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.

10th

11th

12th

Visual Arts

Installation Art

Interests: Architecture, Design, Engineering, Environment, Hands On, Psychology

How does place affect and define our sense of being? How can we intentionally and artistically alter these places? This course pulls from a history of artists changing our surroundings indoors/outdoors and in physical community space and virtual spaces. You’ll work collaboratively to create these installations/interventions and collaborate with the participants/audience. Regular discussion of The World of Art and Art History will provide context for our work. Critiques, documentation, and presentation will be essential elements of the class, with an emphasis on both process and product. Prerequisites: Sculpture or by the recommendation from the Visual Art Department Head.

10th

11th

12th

BVR-X

English

Global History & Social Sciences

Mathematics

Modern Languages

Performing Arts

Science

Student-Directed Projects

Visual Arts

Student Directed Project – SDP

Interests: Architecture, Business, Design, Engineering, Film, Hands On, Health, Law, Literature, Politics, Psychology, Research, Social Justice, Social Sciences, Sports

A Student-Directed Project empowers students to do an in-depth exploration of a topic of interest throughout the term. The student designs, plans, and leads their research project in collaboration and with the guidance and support of a coach (faculty advisor). It allows students to delve deeper into their passion and to be the designer of their own learning. There is a wide range of Student-Directed Projects; they are multi-disciplinary, non-linear, and most importantly, student-created and led. That’s what makes them so interesting. Here are some examples of past projects:

Creating an architectural model using 3D architectural software
Through their eyes: Photo and interview series of veterans
Robosub electromagnetic linear accelerator
Acoustic pinger for Robosub
Virtual Reality game for visually-impaired persons
Creating a concept album
Dispute: Landlord-tenant board game
Multimedia journalism: Producing a podcast series
Perplex: English and Theater Study
Sensors and fiber optics: Building a fiber optic dress
Haptic technologies: Force-Feedback Virtual Reality
Applications of integrals to analytical continuation of functions

11th

12th

Performing Arts

Advanced Design & Tech (Honors)

Interests: Architecture, Art, Coding, Design, Engineering, Film, Hands On, Programming, Storytelling, Theater

Advanced Design & Tech is a one-term, process-to-production course designed to prepare students for 2 public performances at Beaver. The course begins by focusing on script analysis and design, and then students work as theater technicians and designers to bring the play to fruition with the Advanced Theater Acting and Advanced Costume Design classes. Technical theater roles encompass areas such as stage management, set, light, and sound design as well as technical direction and engineering. Students entering this class should be highly motivated and interested in an intense and exciting experience that requires a great deal of commitment. This course involves two weeks of rehearsal outside of the regular school day at the end of the process so that the play can be performed in its entirety while adding technical elements and costumes. Recent productions include She Kills Monsters and Humpty Dumpty. One Term Course: Winter Term Prerequisites: Design & Tech Studio or permission of the instructor.

11th

12th

Science

Advanced Engineering Design – Project Studio (Honors)

Interests: Architecture, Design, Engineering, Research

This course is intended to give students a more challenging and demanding environment to apply the skills they learned in either Engineering Applications: Robotics (formerly Engineering Design Foundations) or at NuVu and allow them to continue to wrestle and build on solutions to real problems. This course is largely project-based, and students areexpected to use class time to research and design solutions to engineering design challenges. All projects are teacher guided but student led, with the goal of learning and using the tools and approaches of the engineering mindset. Prerequisites: Engineering Applications: Robotics or NuVu. Departmental permission required. Offered at the Honors level only.

10th

11th

12th

Performing Arts

Design & Tech Studio

Interests: Architecture, Art, Coding, Design, Engineering, Film, Hands On, Programming, Storytelling, Theater

Design & Tech Studio is a course for students interested in Technical Theater and/or Theatrical Design. Drawing from many disciplines and utilizing a variety of skills and technology, students will learn to research and communicate their ideas through a series of student-driven individual projects and mainstage shows, allowing them to learn and utilize design and production tools as well as carpentry, scenic painting, props, lighting, and sound. Students will explore how theater artists use these tools for creative problem solving and to communicate with audience members. The successful student would gain an understanding of shop and theater safe working practices, basic construction skills, knowledge of lighting and sound instrumentation and rigging, as well as how communication, planning, and collaboration are central to the health of a theater production. This course can be taken more than once and at the Honors level with permission from the instructor. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Three Term Course No Prerequisites.

12th

Mathematics

Calculus – Derivatives & Integrals

Interests: Architecture, Engineering, Math

The Derivatives course includes all of the topics of an introductory Calculus course including limits, derivatives and their applications. The Integrals course includes all of the topics of an introductory Calculus course including definite integrals, indefinite integrals and their applications. Prerequisite: Precalculus. Offered at the Honors and Standard levels. Honors level requires departmental recommendation.

11th

Mathematics

PreCalculus – Trigonometry

Interests: Architecture, Engineering, Required Course

Students in this course will learn about angle measurement, periodic behavior, and a range of applications related to both right triangle and circular trigonometry. Analytic geometry and polar coordinates are often included in this course, as well. Prerequisites: Algebra II and Geometry. Honors level requires departmental permission. Prerequisites: Integrated Math 2 and Integrated Math 3. Offered at the Honors and Standard levels. Honors level requires departmental recommendation.

12th

Mathematics

Advanced Calculus – Derivatives & Integrals (Honors)

Interests: Architecture, Engineering, Math

This course covers all of the topics of an introductory Calculus course, exploring concepts in depth with a greater emphasis on both the abstract aspects of calculus and its various applications in the real world. Students will be expected to enter the class with a firm grasp of all concepts covered in previous math courses. Prerequisite: Precalculus and departmental recommendation. Offered at the Honors level only.