Jess+Scott

Gather/Organise
I know that I need to make a historical castle in Google Sketchup Historical, Castle and Google Sketchup Can the castle has to be a “real” castle, or if it can be a copy of a castle? My Google Sketchup skills and my knowledge on castles I am allowed to email Ms Beadle with questions and also I can research the castle on the internet.
 * ** What do I know about this topic? **
 * ** What keywords will I use? **
 * ** What questions have I got about the theme? **
 * ** What skills and knowledge will I be using? **
 * ** What specific resources are available for this topic? **

Identify
I have to make a historical castle on Google Sketchup by researching it and then making it from scratch. I looked at castles on 3D Warehouse.  I really liked the castles I found on 3D Warehouse, however some of them look really unrealistic which I don’t like. However, I know that it can be hard to make castles look realistic. I think my project can be successful if I can make it look realistic, but not too complicated.
 * ** Explain the task in your own words **
 * ** Investigate some examples **
 * ** Discuss and list qualities of examples **
 * ** Agree on evaluation criteria – what will make this a successful project? **

Generate
UK- Tower of London US- Cinderella’s Castle Germany- Neuschwanstein Castle
 * ** Research three different types of castles - could be from Europe, UK, Asia.... **

Germany- around 1886 in Bavaria UK- First tower built in 1078 in London US- 1971- Florida Germany- UK- Stone US- Concrete and plaster Germany- Neuschwanstein was originally built as a home for King Ludwig II but after he died (before the castle was finished) it was opened to the public. US- Cinderella’s Castle was built as an attraction in the Magic Kingdom, Disneyworld, Florida. There is a restaurant inside of it, and it is lit up at night. UK- the Tower of London was used by many kings and queens of England. William the Conqueror built the first tower, however Henry the 3rd built more of the castle and made it into a royal palace. Other kings built parts of the tower and stayed at tower too. US- Up to 6 people can stay in the “Royal Bedchamber” inside of the Castle. Walt Disney also built a penthouse for his family to stay inside of, but he died before this was built. It is now a changing room for Disney characters. UK- Entire kingdoms stayed at the tower all at one time. The exact numbers are unknown. Germany- There are up to 6000 visits in Neuschwanstein in one day- 1.3 million annually.
 * ** Approximately when was the castle built and where. **
 * ** What types of materials were used. **
 * ** Find the castle on Google Earth and paste a snap shot into your research notes. **
 * ** What purposes did the castle serve. Give details. **
 * ** How many people typically stayed within the castle. **

Decide
1 Cinderella’s Castle 2 Neuschwanstein 3 Tower of London I chose Tower of London to be last as because there are so many different buildings in it, I think it would be very hard. I chose Cinderella’s Castle over Neuschwanstein, because I love Disney and I have visited Disneyland many times and it has always been my dream to travel to Disneyworld to visit Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom.
 * ** Prioritise your ideas **
 * ** Explain your reasons for choosing one of them. **

Implement
Cinderella Castle opened when the Magic Kingdom debuted on October 1, 1971. Painted in grey, blue, and gold, the Castle represents the Walt Disney Imagineers' concept of a French palace-fortress. The base of the Castle is medieval in nature, while the turrets and graceful spires on the the upper level represent the architecture of a more Gothic era. The Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction. No bricks were used, and, contrary to a popular legend, the Castle can NOT be taken apart in the event of a hurricane. It was, however, built to withstand hurricane winds of at least 90 miles per hour. The inner structure is steel covered with fiberglass, secured to a concrete foundation. The turrets and towers also have internal steel framing and were lifted by crane, then bolted permanently to the main structure. Measuring 189 feet high, the castle is the tallest structure in the Magic Kingdom. The moat surrounding the castle holds approximately 3.37 million gallons of water. There are 18 towers with their corresponding spires on Cinderella Castle. They were pre-fabricated near the site, then slated, gilded, and hoisted into place. There are 13 gargoyles on the outside of the castle. A decorative portcullis (iron grating suspended by chains hung over a gateway of a fortified place, normally used to prevent passage) that is permanently raised is located above the gateway to the main hall. Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction, and reaches to a height of 189 feet (57.6 m) tall -- more than twice the size of [|Sleeping Beauty Castle] at [|Disneyland] in [|Anaheim, California]. An optical trick known as [|forced perspective] makes the Castle appear even larger than it actually is. As it becomes taller, its proportions get smaller. For example, using this method, the top spire of the Castle is actually close to half of the size it "appears." Major elements of the Castle were scaled and angled to give the illusion of distance and height, a method frequently used in Disney theme parks around the world. Cinderella Castle appears to be made of white and grey stone with royal blue roofs on their turrets; the tops of several towers and two of the tallest spires are made with real gold and gold leaf. Despite appearances, no bricks were used in its construction; the inner structure is constructed of six-hundred tons of steel braced frame construction, and a ten inch thick reinforced concrete wall encircles the structure to the full height of the outermost "stone" walls. All of the steel and concrete works are supported on a concrete drilled caisson foundation. In spite of the fact that this is not a genuine fortress, it is the next best thing structurally speaking. Much less fiberglass is used than is popularly supposed. Rather, most of the exterior is a thick, very hard fiber-reinforced gypsum plaster that is supported by light gauge metal studs. Most fiberglass work is reserved for the exterior walls of more ornate upper towers. The roofs are not fiberglass, either. They are shingled in the same type of plastic that computer monitor shells are made from, attached to a cone of light gauge steel sheeting over the steel sub-frame. These towers were lifted by crane, then welded and bolted permanently to the main structure. Contrary to a popular legend, the Castle cannot be taken apart in the event of a hurricane. It would take months to disassemble, it would be too dangerous to operate the 300 foot (91.4 m) crane required in windy conditions, and there would have to be a safer building to keep it in; it was simpler to design it to handle a hurricane. It can easily withstand the 110 mph (175 km/h) design wind speeds in Central Florida with a great deal of strength in reserve. Cinderella Castle is also surrounded by a moat, which contains approximately 3.37 million gallons (12.76 megaliters) of water; however, unlike the drawbridge at [|Sleeping Beauty Castle] in [|Disneyland], Cinderella Castle can not raise its drawbridge. There are a total of 27 towers on the castle, each numbered 1-29-- tower numbers 13 and 17 were deleted before construction when it was realized that they could not really be seen from anywhere in the park, due mainly to the other Fantasyland buildings. The tower with the clock in front is 10, the tallest is 20. 23 is the other golden-roofed tower. Originally, a suite was built for the Disney family and executives, but since Roy Disney died shortly after the park opened, it remained unfinished, and eventually was turned into an office. There are three elevators inside the castle. One is for guest use and goes between the lobby of Cinderella's Royal table, and the second floor where the restaurant is. The second is for restaurant staff use, and is located in tower 2 to the left of the drawbridge. It has landings in the [|Utilidors], the mezzanine level in a break room, and on the second floor in the kitchen. The third elevator is in tower 20, and services the Utilidors, the breezeway, the kitchen of Cinderella's Royal Table, and the Cinderella Castle Suite. The suite is about 30 feet below the level where the cable is attached to tower 20. Access to the cable is by ladder. Since January 2007 the suite has been used as a prize for the Disney Dreams Giveaway at the Walt Disney World Resort during the Year Of A Million Dreams Celebration. Guests have an opportunity to spend a night in the castle if they win the Giveaway. Guests could be approached by a Disney cast member at any time in one of the four theme parks and informed that they have won a prize. The chance to stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite is just one of the many prizes. Cinderella Castle was designed so that it was tall enough that it could be seen from the [|Seven Seas Lagoon] in front of the Magic Kingdom, where many guests took ferries from the parking lot to the gates of the park. In theme park jargon, Cinderella Castle was conceived as the primary [|visual magnet] (known in Disney parlance as a 'weenie') that draws new entering guests through [|Main Street, U.S.A.] towards the central hub, from where all other areas can be reached. The castle was repainted in the Fall of [|2006], and now is a slightly off white, brown and pinkish color, and the turrets are a much darker blue.
 * ** Do in-depth research on your chosen castle. **

NOTE- All information taken from the official castle websites or wikipedia.