Cardboard Architecture
Free to teach, adapt and share in your classroom.
- Grade 7–8
- Subject Visual Arts
- Duration 4 sessions · 45 min
- Instructor Mr. George
Overview
Unit Context: Sculpture in the round from recycled cardboard · a whimsical architectural structure that stands on its own
Big Idea
A flat, thrown-away material can become architecture. Students sketch, deconstruct and join recycled cardboard into a whimsical structure in the round that stands on its own and has both inside and outside space.
The central question is: How can a flat material become a structure you can walk around?
The guidelines: a maximum of 12 inches tall; recycled cardboard only with no printed text showing; at least two kinds of joins; it must stand on its own; it must show inside and outside space; it is built in the round so it works from every side; and it has a title. It can be functional or not, abstract or representational.
Planning note: Built from KC George’s 2021 3D design exploration (cardboard sculpture inspired by Frank Gehry, Henry Moore and early sculpture). Students do not use box cutters or craft knives; an adult pre-cuts thick board.
Unit at a Glance
| # | Session and goal | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Look and sketchStudy structures and make four sketches for my own. | 45 min |
| 2 | Deconstruct and test joinsTake cardboard apart and test joins that will hold my structure. | 45 min |
| 3 | Build in the roundBuild my structure so it stands on its own and shows inside and outside space. | 45 min |
| 4 | Test, revise, titleTest and revise my structure, then title it and document the process. | 45 min |
| 4 sessions | 180 min |
Artists for Looking
Frank Gehry, whose idea sketches for buildings such as the Dancing House in Prague look like loose scribbles before they become structures, and who also made furniture from layered corrugated cardboard. Henry Moore, whose sculptures are made to be walked around, with openings that let space pass through the form. Ask: where is the inside space, and how does it change as you walk around?
NYS Visual Arts Standards Alignment
- VA:Cr1.2.7a–8a Creating: developing ideas through sketches.
- VA:Cr2.1.7a–8a Creating: experimenting with materials and structure.
- VA:Cr2.2.7a–8a Creating: safe and responsible use of tools.
- VA:Cr3.1.7a–8a Creating: testing and revising a structure.
Instructional Outcomes (Objectives)
- Studio / Experiential Students will build a free-standing cardboard structure in the round, using at least two kinds of joins and showing inside and outside space.
- Cognitive / Analytical Students will explain how their joins and balance choices keep the structure standing.
Key Vocabulary
- In the round Sculpture made to be seen from every side.
- Positive / negative space The solid form, and the open space inside and around it.
- Corrugated Cardboard with a wavy inner layer that makes it strong in one direction.
- Score Pressing a line so cardboard folds cleanly.
- Slot joint / tab and slot Joins where one piece slides into a cut in another.
- Brace A piece that stops a wall from leaning.
- Scale Size compared with something else.
Materials & Resources
- Recycled cardboard: boxes, tubes and thin card, with printed text turned inward or covered.
- Cutting: scissors for thin board; thick board pre-cut by an adult. No box cutters or craft knives for students.
- Joining: white glue, glue sticks for paper layers, and low-temperature glue guns only at an adult-supervised station.
- Planning: sketchbooks and pencils; rulers and dull points for scoring.
- Documentation: a school device for at least four process photos (photograph work and hands, not faces).
Safety: adults handle any blade and the glue-gun station. Carry cardboard flat; no cutting toward hands.
Differentiation
- Fine-motor supports Pre-cut slots and tabs to start with, thinner card, and a partner who holds pieces while glue sets.
- Multilingual learners The joins diagram and guidelines are posted with icons; students point to the join they used.
- Choice Functional or not, abstract or representational, inspired by Gehry or another architect.
- Extension A cardboard mask or a Cubist-inspired cardboard sculpture as alternative routes.
Anticipated Misconceptions
Misconception More glue makes it stronger.
Intervention Strength comes from the join and the brace. Test a slot joint with no glue at all.
Misconception It only needs to look good from the front.
Intervention Turn it on the table. A structure in the round has no back.
Instructional Sequence
Four 45-minute sessions: entry (0–5), demo (5–12), studio (12–33), share (33–38) and reset (38–45).
Session 1Look and sketch
45 min
Today, I can… study structures and make four sketches for my own.
Materials today: Sketchbooks, pencils, images of Gehry sketches and buildings and Moore sculptures.
Do Now: inside or outside?
Show one Moore sculpture.
“Point to the space that goes through it.”
Look: from sketch to building
Show a Gehry idea sketch beside the finished building.
“How does a scribble become a structure?”
Studio: four sketches
Students make four sketches from different angles, including one showing inside space.
“Draw it from the front, the side, above and inside.”
Check: Four sketches per student.
Share: pick one
Partners choose the sketch most likely to stand.
“Which one has a strong base?”
Reset
Sketchbooks returned; images collected.
Session 2Deconstruct and test joins
45 min
Today, I can… take cardboard apart and test joins that will hold my structure.
Materials today: Recycled cardboard, scissors, rulers, glue, the joins diagram.
Do Now: tear it open
Each student gets one scrap.
“Peel back a layer. What is inside?”
Demo: four joins
Demonstrate a slot joint, tab and slot, scored flap and triangle brace, testing each by pulling.
“A join should hold before the glue is dry.”
Studio: join tests
Students make at least three of the four joins and test each.
“Which join is strongest for a wall? For a roof?”
Check: Three tested joins.
Share: strongest join
Tables show their strongest join.
“Why does it hold?”
Reset
Scraps sorted for reuse; tools counted.
Absent last time? Make two joins from the diagram before you start building.
Session 3Build in the round
45 min
Today, I can… build my structure so it stands on its own and shows inside and outside space.
Materials today: Cardboard, scissors, glue, glue station, sketches, a 12-inch measuring card.
Do Now: base first
“Draw the footprint of your structure. Where does the weight sit?”
Demo: build from the base up
Start with a wide base, add walls with slot joints, brace them, then open a space through the form.
“Turn it every few minutes.”
Studio: build
Students build from their chosen sketch, using at least two kinds of joins and checking the 12-inch limit.
“Does it stand on its own yet?”
Check: The structure stands without support.
Share: walk around
Partners walk around each other’s structure.
“Which side surprised you?”
Reset
Structures to the shelf; glue station closed by an adult.
Absent last time? Start with a wide base from pre-cut pieces, then add one wall with a slot joint.
Session 4Test, revise, title
45 min
Today, I can… test and revise my structure, then title it and document the process.
Materials today: Structures, repair materials, a device for photos, title cards.
Do Now: the wobble test
“Gently nudge your structure. Where does it lean?”
Demo: fix with a brace
Add a triangle brace to a leaning wall and test again.
“Fix the cause, not the symptom.”
Studio: revise and document
Students fix weak joins, refine the inside space, and photograph at least four process stages (work and hands only).
“What changed from your first sketch?”
Check: A stable structure and four process photos.
Share: title and tour
Each student titles the structure and names the join that holds it up.
“Which join is doing the most work?”
Reset
Final display and cleanup.
Exit Ticket Prompt
Name the join that holds your structure up, and the place where space passes through it.