Temporary Buildings: Where are They Going, Where Have They Been?

Abstract

Abstract There's a whole lot of movement going on out there! This paper looks at the theme of movement in the human landscape as it is expressed by the phenomenon of temporary buildings. Temporary buildings, for whatever their use, come and go like the wind. But they contain a signature that nearly always conveys information about who made them and why. Through their composition or structural appearance, clues can be derived about the people who construct them and the intentions for their use. The article may serve as a guide for teachers interested in researching temporary structures with their students. It poses a simple inquiry model that can be used to identify the main characteristics of temporary buildings and provide a scaffold for further study. Location and environmental interaction play robust role in understanding the nature of these structures. Temporary structures are wonderfully ubiquitous! From the moveable all-aluminum espresso bar and the lemonade stand on the beach to the bright red plastic port-a-potty out by the new highway construction site to the Fourth of July fireworks stand; we even build our houses with a temporal idea in mind, these structures are everywhere. The recent National Geography Standards encourage students to observe the human landscape and interpret how geography is expressed in the manipulation of environments. The teacher is encouraged to consider looking at the wandering geographic nature found so interestingly expressed in these structures. A word of caution however, do your observations and analysis quickly, because tomorrow your building may be gone!