After learning the basics of architecture for an entire semester, students in Mr. Mark Lastova’s AED 1 class were tasked to take all of their skills and knowledge gained throughout the course and apply it to a single project: The Final House Design.

In Architectural Engineer Design 1, students are taught many basic architectural skills. Lastova focused on acquainting the class with how to draw a simple floor plan of different rooms of a house, as well as the many criteria and constraints that a blueprint must meet before construction.

The students also learned about the many different simple and advanced American house styles, and how to identify them by recognizing the features. Other topics covered throughout the course include Footings & Foundations and Elevations.

“I really wanted to challenge my students’ knowledge on the content taught in this course, so I assigned them a final project for which they have to use every single skill that they learned in the class,” said Lastova.

They had to search on websites like ePlans, The Plan Collection, and Amazing Plans to find the floor plan of a house style of their choice. Once they found one they liked, the design had to be changed in some major way, such as adding or taking away rooms.

This new floor plan was drawn using AutoCAD, a computer software that allows users to virtually create houses, by designing the walls, windows, appliances, and more. Once this floor plan was finished, the students took their knowledge of elevation plans to draw a front view of the house as if it were physically built.

Class of 2020 member and student in AED 1, Jack Dorman, said “This final project was stressful at times, but overall very enthralling. It was cool to see how far we had come since the school year began. None of us would have ever been able to completely redesign a floor plan and draw the elevation in AutoCAD at the beginning of the semester, and I enjoyed applying everything that I had learned into a single masterpiece.”

Upon completing AED 1, students can continue in the course study and take AED 2 & 3. These classes are meant to update the skills developed in AED 1, by completing more complex and more time consuming projects and tasks. Another architecture-based class offered at Linganore is Civil Engineering & Architecture, the fourth course of the Project Lead The Way program. These courses have proven to be a very useful asset if a student wishes to continue in architecture as a possible career field. Students who complete the course sequence can earn college credit.

“I have taught numerous students that have gone on the path to become great architects,” said Lastova. “Many of my more recent students are continuing their studies at Maryland University; whereas, others are currently working as multi-million dollar architects at very prestigious firms all across the state and the country. I feel that my AED 1 students are more than able to go down that same path, all starting with building the foundation by taking a simple high school course.”