К30 Engineering The Future: пособие по английскому языку. /Н.Г. Качановская, Л.М. Морозова, О.А. Шалай. – Минск.: БНТУ, 2009. – 128 с

 

УДК 811.111:69(075.8)

ББК 81.2 Англ.я7

К30

 

Рецензенты:

Зав.кафедрой английского языка №1 БНТУ кандидат фил.наук, доцент С.А. Хоменко,

Зав.кафедрой железобетонных и каменных конструкций БНТУ, кандидат технических наук, доцент В.Ф. Зверев

 

 

Качановская Н.Г., Морозова Л.М., Шалай О.А.

К30 Engineering The Future: пособие по английскому языку. /Н.Г. Качановская, Л.М. Морозова, О.А. Шалай. – Минск.: БНТУ, 2009. – 128 с.

 

Пособие написано в соответствии с типовой программой по иностранным языкам для неязыковых вузов.

Материалом для пособия явились оригинальные технические тексты по важнейшим проблемам в сфере строительства.

Структура уроков предусматривает как работу над новым материалом в аудитории под руководством преподавателя, так и самостоятельную работу студентов при подготовке к занятиям. Упражнения направлены на расширение словарного запаса по специальности, развитие умений и навыков полного понимания читаемого и адекватного его воспроизведения при говорении и аннотировании.

Пособие предназначено для студентов строительных специальностей, а также для магистрантов, аспирантов, нуждающихся в возобновлении своих базовых знаний по английскому языку при подготовке к сдаче кандидатского экзамена.

Пособие включает в себя цитатный и иллюстративный материал.

 

УДК 811.111:69(075.8)

ББК 81.2 Англ.я7

 

CONTENTS

 

Introduction

 

Unit I Sustainability and “green” building

 

Unit II Renewable energy and construction

 

Unit III From Pyramids to Skyscrapers

 

Appendix Texts for supplementary reading

 

References

 

 

INTRODUCTON (ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ)

 

Пособие предназначено для студентов строительных специальностей. Пособие подготовлено в соответствии с требованиями типовой программы по иностранным языкам для высших учебных заведений. Цель пособия – сформировать необходимый объем профессиональной лексики для чтения литературы по специальности, для ведения дискуссию и выступления с докладами на конгрессах, симпозиумах по проблемам строительства, а также создать мотивацию к дальнейшему изучению практики и теории проектирования и строительства.

Пособие состоит из трех разделов: «Устойчивое развитие и экологически чистое строительство», «Возобновляемые источники энергии и строительство» и «От пирамид до небоскребов». Каждый раздел состоит из четырех текстов. Уроки строятся по следующей схеме: предтекстовые задания, упражнения, направленные на понимание текста, на представление и освоение языковых моделей, дополнительные задания для творческой деятельности, темы для дискуссий и докладов.

В приложении пособия представлены материалы для дополнительного чтения, содержащие информацию по истории строительства с древних времен до наших дней.

Тексты заимствованы из специализированной литературы и предназначены для развития всех видов речевой деятельности. Пособие включает в себя иллюстративный материал. Авторы выражают благодарность всем специалистам, которые оказали помощь в подготовке и издании этого пособия.

 

 

UNIT I

SUSTAINABILITY AND “GREEN” BUILDING

Warming up

Read the following information about sustainability, matching questions to the answers.

1) What is sustainability in an ecological point of view? 2) What is the definition of sustainability in the broad sense? "What use is a sawmill without a forest?”   The dimensions of …

Now look at the two diagrams and try to explain their meaning.

 

1. Which diagram represents the three pillars of sustainable development?

2. Which of them shows economy and society bounded by the environment?

3. Read the following explanation and decide which of the two diagrams it describes?

The economy is, in the first instance, a subsystem of human society which is itself, in the second instance, a subsystem of the totality of life on Earth. And no subsystem can expand beyond the capacity of the total system of which it is a part.

4. Which diagram do you think expresses the idea of sustainability better?

 

Reading task A

1. Read the construction credo of eco-architects engaged in sustainable construction and comment on it. Do you share it? Which part has impressed you most?

 

2. Now read the text trying to grasp the idea of sustainability. Make sure you know these words:

 

Sensitive outline

Trigger halt

Imply holistic

Flexibility life span

Impact concern

Augment commitment

Spirits precious

Convention distinguish

Challenge anticipate

Witness evolve

 

Sustainability

“Our work embraces infrastructure, architecture and product design. We design by challenging – by asking the right questions. We believe the quality of our surroundings can lift the quality of our lives.

Reading task B

 

 

 

Read the following news and try to guess what ideas they have in common and what problems they deal with.

Reading task С

 

Sustainable Architecture Questions and Answers

1. Read some information about Kelly Hart – a green building professional. Then think of some questions you would like to ask him.   Kelly Hart has been involved with sustainable building concepts for much of his life. Kelly spent many years as a…

Reading task D

Read what green building is and then discuss why it is one of the most topical environmental issues nowadays. Make use of the information given after the text.

 

The built environment has a vast impact on the natural environment, human health, and the economy. Green building is an approach to design and construction that respects the environment and conserves resources. It is a common sense approach that is available to all home owners. It is a set of informed decisions that considers the site and materials to reduce the cost, maintenance, and energy usage of the home. Green building techniques create a more cost effective, enjoyable and sustainable home to live in. Green construction methods can be integrated into buildings at any stage, from design and construction, to renovation and deconstruction.

By adopting green building strategies, we can maximize both economic and environmental performance.

 

Environmental benefits	Economic benefits	Social benefits
Enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems	Reduce operating costs	Enhance occupant comfort and health
Improve air and water quality	Create, expand, and shape markets for green product and services	Heighten aesthetic qualities
Reduce waste streams	Improve occupant productivity	Minimize strain on local infrastructure
Conserve and restore natural resources	Optimize life-cycle economic performance	Improve overall quality of life

In the United States buildings account for:   39 % of total energy use 12 % of the total water consumption 68 % of total electricity consumption 38 % of the carbon dioxide emissions

90% of their time people spend indoors.

2 to 5 times worse air quality inside than outside.

 

 

Heat with the Sun

 

Here are 10 principles of green building. Look through them and try to predict what each of them is about. Then read the extracts below and match them to the corresponding principles.

 

 

Use renewable and recycled materials materials

Use local natural materials

Build to last

Share facilities

Safeguard your home

 

 

 

 

 

Be energy efficient

Conserve water

 

 

Think of the house location

Small is beautiful and cost-effective

Heat with the Sun

 

 

1. The trend lately has been toward huge mansion-style houses. While these might fit the egos of those who purchase them, they don't fit with a sustainable life style. Large houses generally use a tremendous amount of energy to heat and cool. This energy usually comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, depleting these resources and emitting greenhouse gases and pollutants into the air. Also, the larger the house, the more materials go into its construction; materials which may have their own environmental consequences. A home should be just the right size for its occupants and their activities. Create multipurpose spaces. To save on construction costs, consider building more floors instead of a sprawling one-story home. Going up is usually cheaper than spreading out. A multistory home also reduces the impact on the landscape.

 

2. Use the sun to heat and cool the building. Passive solar heating, day lighting (using natural sunlight to light a room), and natural cooling can be incorporated cost-effectively into most buildings. As energy costs rise, it is critical to use building orientation, window placements, stone floors, roof overhangs, reflective barriers and other techniques to control natural solar energy. In colder climates, solar heat can be absorbed and stored by the surrounding thermal mass (usually masonry materials such as concrete or stone), so that the heat will be given back into the room when the sun goes down.

A well designed solar house is both warm when you want it, and cool when you want it; that is to say, the temperature tends to stay fairly even.

 

3. There are many ways to conserve the use of fossil fuel. Using the sun, wind, or water to produce electricity is one. If you choose to do this, you will be forced to be careful in the way you use your electricity because it is limited. Whether you get your electricity from alternative sources or from the grid, it pays to choose energy efficient appliances. Making an energy-efficient building is the easiest thing you can do to save energy. Use high levels of insulation, high-performance windows, and tight construction. You may think of the way your house will use renewable energy, consider solar water heating and photovoltaics or design the roof for future solar panel installation.

 

4. The average person in the U.S. uses between 100 and 250 gallons (378-945 liters) of water a day. It is possible to get by just fine on one tenth that amount. The use of low water capacity toilets, flow restrictors at shower heads and faucet aerators are fairly common now. More radical conservation approaches include diverting gray water from bathing, clothes washing and bathroom sinks to watering plants or flushing toilets, catching rain water from roofs and paved areas for domestic use or irrigating your lawn.

 

5. There are several benefits to using local, indigenous materials. For one, they naturally fit into the “feeling” of the place. For another, they don't burn as much fossil fuel to transport them, and they are likely to be less processed by industry. Naturally occurring materials often “feel” better to live with. A major reason for choosing natural materials over industrial ones is that the pollution often associated with their manufacture is minimized. For every ton of Portland cement that is manufactured, an equal amount of carbon dioxide is released into the air. And then there is the matter of your health; natural materials are much less likely to adversely affect your health.

 

6. While wood is ostensibly a renewable resource, we have gone way beyond sustainable harvesting and have ruined enormous ecosystems. Use wood as decoration. Cull dead trees for structural supports. Design for alternative construction techniques. Use masonry, straw bales, cob, adobe, rocks, bags of volcanic rock, etc., instead of wood. Make the structure adaptable to other uses, and choose materials and components that can be reused or recycled. Consider an addition to your existing home instead of building new. Remodeling your home is a form of recycling. Before assuming you need to build something new, consider putting an addition on your home instead. Take the money you save and put it into more important things, like solar panels.

 

7. It’s just a common sense to choose healthy and non-toxic materials. At the beginning of your design, commit to using only healthy materials in your new home. Avoid products that contain dyes, ozone depleting chemicals, heavy metals, formaldehyde, or known carcinogens. Reducing the size of your lawn is a good idea as lawns require a great deal of maintenance, pesticides, and mowing. Avoid this high impact with native and natural landscaping. Make sure construction waste is properly disposed of, especially paints and solvents. Do not allow them to be buried on the site.

 

8. There is an attitude in this throw-away society that an old house might as well be replaced by a new one. Unfortunately this is often true, because of low-quality construction or poor choice of materials, or lack of maintenance. A well made house can last for centuries, and it should.

 

9. A basic principle of sustainability is to share what you have with others. Doing this can diminish the need for unnecessary duplication of facilities. In this way a group of people can not only have fewer tools or appliances or functional areas, but at the same time they can have available a greater variety of these facilities. This benefits both the environment (through less industrial activity) and the individual (by providing more options for living).

 

10. Locate your new home close to public transportation or bicycle paths, or within walking distance of shops and basic services so as to minimize dependence on your car. Include a home office in your design to reduce commuting; you’ll reduce your stress and save on fuel costs. Locate the house to minimize environmental impact. Design the home to preserve open space and wildlife habitats. Avoid sensitive areas such as natural wetlands. Try to keep as many of the existing trees, plants and birds as possible.

 

3. Answer the questions:

 

1. What is the main idea of green building?

2. What is your opinion of this construction approach?

3. Which of these principles would you like to follow if you decided to build green?

4. Are they followed in a typical construction process?

5. Do you think we can apply all of them in our country?

6. Do you know anything about the governmental support of green building in other countries? What about our country?

 

Divide into two groups and collect the arguments for and against the green building approach. Then discuss them in class.

 

Find the information about the application of this approach in our country.

 

Reading task E

 

Earth Cycle

 

1. Go over the vocabulary list. Consult a dictionary if you need:

 

Landscape hearth rugged

Awareness align ingrained

Response rectangle acquire

Shift hunker summarily

Punctuate swoop low-key

Commonality luminaire glitzy

Relevance grid verdant

Refuge framing member scar

Affinity fin rectilinear

Forage operable meander

Prospect rustic watchword

Sod interim subdued

Foil berm butt

Cantilever rugged buttress

Flank ebb overhang

 

Read the first part of the text and answer the questions after it.

Spanning 25 years in the work of Jim Olson of Olson Sundberg Architects, these houses illustrate the evolution of a sustainable design sensibility…   The relationship of architecture to the land – and to the water and the sun and the wind – has been a constant concern…

The beginnings.

Cantilevered over the hillside, the house is pointed directly at the mountain and is flanked by a pool. The master bedroom is against the bermed…

The Next Generation

The rear wing of the house is more refugelike in character, set into the sloping meadow and bermed, the planting continuing over the garage and the… The differences between the first, rather rustic house, and the second, more…  

Read the second part of the text and answer the questions after it.

 

The 1960s Revisited.

Like Olson, the client is a Northwest native with an ingrained respect for nature. She acquired the site for her house largely because of its fine… On the advice of an interior decorator she at first turned to a Los Angeles… When Olson saw the site he termed it “a scar” of brown earth in the otherwise verdant landscape. He determined not…

Keeping it Simple

The architects were devastated to have their favourite devices rejected. “It was as though she were the artist working through us,” Olson recalls.… The house is emerging as one of Olson’s favourites, as was the first. He hoped… Olson Sundberg has a loosely organized “eco-committee,” comprising a changing group of interested employees who…

Comprehension check

 

Decide whether the following statements are true or false according to the text.

1. These three houses are interesting both for their commonalities and their differences. 2. One thing the houses have in common is relevance to the theory of energy… 3. The first of the three Olson houses was designed in the early 1960s.

Make up the plan of the text.

 

10. Make a summary according to your plan using the following expressions:

 

The title of the text is…. The point under discussion is…. The text can be divided into …. The first part dwells upon…. The second part describes…. The third part reports on…. The main idea of the text is….

Language focus

 

Match the words to their synonyms.

 

1) environment 6) buttress a) support f) method

2) ebb 7) fin b) background g) interrupt

3) punctuate 8) technique c) fade away h) simple

4) intend 9) rustic d) setting i) fill

5) foil 10) suffuse e) design j) rib

 

Match the words to their antonyms.

 

1) commonality 6) verdant a) front f) low-key

2) rear 7) reject b) strict g) twisted

3) enclosed 8) loose c) forget h) accept

4) awareness 9) recall d) difference i) leafless

5) glitzy 10) rectilinear e) open j) ignorance

 

Match the words to their definitions.

 

1. cantilever a) a narrow path or ledge at the edge of a slope, road, or canal

2. affinity b) a living room, especially one kept tidy for the reception of visitors

3. clerestory c) a rapid drawing or painting, often a study for subsequent elaboration

4. buttress d) a natural liking, taste, or inclination towards a person or thing

5. berm e) a view or scene, especially offering an extended outlook

6. refuge f) a construction, usually of brick or stone, built to support a wall

7. parlor g) a row of windows in the upper part of the wall

8. prospect h) the floor of a fireplace, especially one that extends outwards into the room

9. hearth i) shelter or protection, as from the weather or danger

10. sketch j) to construct a building member, beam, etc. so that it is fixed at one end only

 

Language development

14. Fill in the gaps with the words below:   a) inserted b) refuge

Think of not less than 5 sentences of your own using the words and word-combinations from the previous exercise.

 

Complete the sentences with the suitable preposition, if necessary.

1. respond … the images 2. affinity … a place 3. to be interesting … their commonalities

Follow-up

18. Look through some information about underground construction and answer the following questions:   1. Is it possible to build underground wherever you like?

Advantages of building underground

Houses can be built on steep surfaces and can maximize space in small areas by going below the ground. In addition the materials excavated in… Underground houses have less surface area so fewer building materials are… One of the greatest benefits of underground living is energy efficiency. The earth's subsurface temperature remains…

Read the unit again and make notes under the following headings. Then use your notes to talk about sustainability and green building.

 

1. Sustainability and its application in architecture.

2. The main principles of green building.

3. Sustainable building design and materials.

4. Examples of an interesting building design.

5. Possible benefits of living in such houses.

6. Underground construction.

 

Extra activities

Do this questionnaire to find out how green you are. Make use of the list of unknown words at the end of it. Then discuss the results in class.

  "Going green" has become as mainstream as baseball and apple pie,…  

Time for fun

Read the following jokes.

Builder in Hell

UNIT II

RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CONSTRUCTION

 

Warming up

Read the following news and try to guess what ideas they have in common and what problems they deal with.

Reading task A

Renewable Energy

1. Before reading the text try to answer the following questions:

What is renewable energy?

What renewable sources of energy are used nowadays?

Read the text and check your answers.

In 2006, about 18% of global final energy consumption came from renewables, with 13% coming from traditional biomass, such as wood-burning. Hydroelectricity was the next largest renewable source, providing 3% (15% of… Modern technologies, such as geothermal energy, wind power, solar power, and ocean energy together provided some 0.8%…

Fill in the table.

 

Types of energy	Advantages	Countries
1. Geothermal energy
2. Hydroelectricity
3. Solar energy
4. Wind power
5. Biofuel

 

Read the text again and make questions. Answer them.

How many…? Where can…applied? What is…?

When…? How much…? What forms of…?

 

Choose any source of energy and make a short presentation. Try to use additional information.

 

Reading task B

 

Read the text and answer the questions after it.

What is a passive house?   “Maximising the use of solar energy

Elements of passive solar design

1. An aperture or collector — the large glass area through which sunlight enters the building. 2. An absorber — the dark surface of the storage element that absorbs the… 3. Diagram 1: Elements of passive solar design, shown in a direct gain application.   …

Main features of passive houses design

· the air is fresh and very clean but dry (especially during winter).

· Due to the high resistance to heat flow (high R-value insulation), there are no "outside walls" which are colder than other walls.

· as there are no radiators, there is more space on the rooms' walls.

· inside temperature is homogeneous; it is impossible to have single rooms (e.g. the sleeping rooms) at a different temperature from the rest of the house.

· the temperature changes only very slowly - with ventilation and heating systems switched off, a passive house typically loses less than 0.5 °C per day (in winter), stabilizing at around 15 °C in the central European climate.

· opening windows for a short time only has a very limited effect - after the windows are closed, the air very quickly returns to the "normal" temperature.

Peculiarities of passive solar construction

Space heating

Passivhaus buildings make extensive use of their intrinsic heat from internal sources – such as waste heat from lighting, white goods (major appliances) and other electrical devices (but not dedicated heaters) – as well as body heat from the people and animals inside the building. Together with the comprehensive energy conservation measures taken, this means that a conventional central heating system is not necessary, although they are sometimes installed due to client skepticism.

2. Superinsulation

Passivhaus buildings employ super insulation to significantly reduce the heat transfer through the walls, roof and floor compared to conventional buildings.

Airtightness

Building envelopes under the Passivhaus standard are required to be extremely airtight compared to conventional construction. Airtightness minimizes the amount of warm (or cool) air that can pass through the structure.

Ventilation

Mechanical heat recovery ventilation systems are employed to maintain air quality, and to recover sufficient heat to dispense with a conventional central heating system All ventilation ducts are insulated and sealed against leakage.

5. Typical Passivhaus windows

Windows normally combine triple-pane insulated glazing with air-seals and specially developed thermally-broken window frames.

Lighting and electrical appliances

  2. Answer the following questions:  

Read the following information and try to guess what type of house is described in each paragraph.

  a) ultra-low energy buildings b) a near-zero energy building

Reading task C

  2. Notice the pronunciation of the proper and geographical names from the text.   Hubert Fritz Arbeits-gemeinschaft Holz Erkheim …  

Read part 1 and answer the questions after it.

Building for the future

  Hubert Fritz’s best ideas always come to him in bed. Between four and six… The proprietor of the Baufritz construction business feels: “We ought to use our brains more when we build.” He…

Read part two and answer the questions after it.

In conjunction with the local college and other businesses, Fritz is attempting to combine high-technology and ecology in an “intelligent house” in… The eco-manager has worked with the wood technologists in Rosenheim for many… On this point, Hubert Fritz is on exactly the same wavelength as Rolf Disch, the Freiburg-based solar pioneer. In…

Comprehension check

9. Decide whether the following statements are true or false according to the text:   1. Hubert Fritz is a famous German economist.

Make up the plan of the text.

14. Make a summary according to your plan. The following word-combinations will help you:

The title of the text is…

Such problems as… are touched upon in the text.

The first part is devoted to…

The second part enumerates/ illustrates/ gives examples of/emphasizes…

The final part draws our attention to/ proves that/ stresses the necessity of…

The main idea of the text is …

From my point of view the text is rather helpful/ useful/ informative/ interesting.

The article is provided with pictures/ drawings.

 

Language focus

  1) proprietor 6) breakthrough a) overlook f) support 2) estimate 7) squander b) stable g) evaluate

Language development

  a) to fulfill low-energy standards b) to lay off c) to gain ground d) to put one’s faith in

Follow-up

 

Study the information below and then try to give a reasoned explanation to the fact that wood is a favourite building material of Hubert Fritz and his followers.

 

 

 

Simply put, manufacturing wood is energy efficient. Compare the amount of energy it takes to produce one ton of cement, glass, steel, or aluminum to one ton of wood:

· 5 times more energy for one ton of cement

· 14 times more energy for one ton of glass

· 24 times more energy for one ton of steel

· 126 times more energy for one ton of aluminum

Wood products make up 47% of all industrial raw materials manufactured in the United States, yet consume only 4% of the total energy needed to manufacture all industrial raw materials. Wood's manufacturing process alone makes it the environmentally friendly choice in building materials.

 

24. What is the best summary of the previous extract?

1. Wood is the most ecologically friendly material.

2. Wood is the lightest material.

3. Wood offers more product for less energy.

4. Wood is the cheapest material in production.

5. Wood is the most energy efficient in production.

 

25. Read the news dating May, 2000 and check whether Rolph Disch’s ideas have been realized. Were your predictions about the chances of the new type of houses to get ground correct?

 

One of the most modern housing estates in Europe is being built in Freiburg which was named Environmental Capital of Germany in 1992. The so-called surplus energy houses on the estate produce more energy than they consume. In his design for the houses, the renowned solar architect Rolf Disch has united modern energy-saving technology with centuries-old solar construction skills.
The houses are positioned with architectural precision, each strictly lined up with the sun. Their terrace-like south-facing facades are designed to soak up the heat, especially in the winter when the sun is low in the sky. Their northern facades, which are three or four storeys high, are closed off, shutting out wind and inclement weather. A refined ventilation system keeps the houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter. "We’ve used 460 kilowatt hours since May," says the architect, gesturing towards the mouse-grey interior of the meter box. "And we’ve produced more than 4,000 kilowatt hours" — without gas or oil. These days, it’s not only journalists who take one of Disch’s guided tours through the first finished row of terraced housing in Europe’s most modern solar construction project, at the foot of the Schlierberg in Freiburg. Fellow architects, engineers, house-builders and whole bus-loads full of tourists travel to Germany’s solar capital to see this first financially feasible housing project that produces more energy on average than it consumes.

 

Look through the unit again and make notes under the following headings. Then use your notes to talk about ecologically-friendly architecture and construction.

 

1. Alternative sources of energy and their application in construction industry.

2. Passive solar design and its benefits.

3. The appearance of new types of houses in Germany.

4. Famous names in eco-friendly building.

5. Construction materials of the future.

6. New technologies employed in new types of houses.

7. The examples of such houses.

Reading task D

 

1. Look at the pictures of these six houses. Do you think they have anything in common? Read the descriptions below and match them to the corresponding houses.

Villa Girasole

2) Everingham Rotating House This Australian house rotates around a central pivot point. “It also… The Everingham model is a 24 m (79’) diameter octagon with a 3-metre (10’), 360-degree verandah. It weighs 50 tonnes,…

Time for fun

Three men and a genie

The Cathedral Construction

  An Engineer and a Construction Worker are sitting next to each other on a long flight across country. The Engineer leans over to…

Unit III FROM PYRAMIDS TO SKYSCRAPERS

 

Warming up

1. Work with a partner. Which of these people have you heard of? Why are they famous? 2. Read their quotations. Which do you agree with?   1. “What is the chief characteristic of the tall office building? It is lofty. It must be tall. The…

Reading task A

Work in groups and answer the questions.

 

SKYSCRAPER QUIZ   1. What was the tallest building built in the 26th century BC?   a. the Lincoln Cathedral b. the Great Pyramid of Giza c. the Washington Monument d. the Great Pyramid of Khufu   2. Which 16th-century city entirely consisted of high-rise houses?   a. Fustat b. Chicago c. Edinburgh d. Shibam   3. Which building is considered to be the first skyscraper in the world?   a. the Grand Midland Hotel b. Home Insurance Building c. Wainwright Building d. the Empire State Building   4. Which cities known as the "the big three" are recognized as having the most compelling skylines in the world?   a. Chicago, Hong Kong, New York b. London, Manhattan, New York c. Chicago, New York, Dubai d. New York, Dallas, Dubai

Read the text and check your answers

 

The History of Skyscrapers

The word skyscraper often carries a connotation of pride and achievement. The skyscraper, in name and social function, is a modern expression of the… Modern skyscrapers are built with materials such as steel, glass, reinforced… The tallest building in ancient times was the Great Pyramid of Giza in ancient Egypt, which was 146 metres (480 ft)…

Follow-up

 

5. Look at the Top-10 of tallest buildings in the world. Have you known all these names before? What other famous skyscrapers do you know?

Choose any of them to describe. Use additional information.

 

Look through some additional information about skyscrapers.

Give the main points using the following phrases:

It is believed that…

It has been proved that…

It has been mentioned that…

On the other hand

On the one hand

But in spite of this…

Some people claim that…

It could be argued that…

 

 

Sustainability

Tall skyscrapers are very heavy, which means that they must be built on a sturdier foundation than would be required for shorter, lighter buildings.… Furthermore, a skyscraper consumes a lot of electricity because potable and… Despite these costs, the size of skyscrapers allows for high-density work and living spaces, reducing the amount of…

Reading task B

 

 

Read the following news and try to guess what ideas they have in common and what problems they deal with.

Reading task C

 

1. Work in groups. Which world famous buildings do the pictures illustrate?

 

1 2 3 4 5 6

 

a) The Petronas Twin Towers (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

b) The Empire State Building (New York City, USA)

c) The iconic World Trade Center twin towers (NYC, USA)

d) 30 St Mary Axe (London, Great Britain)

e) Taipei 101 (Taipei, Republic of China)

f) The Sears Tower (Chicago, USA)

 

Translate the following word-combinations from the text. Consult a dictionary if you need.

To rise majestically, to enjoy breathtaking views, to express concern, to whisk up, to come up with something, to lead the way in skyscraper…   3. Read the text and put these phrases in the correct place:

Buildings that Scrape the Sky

One of the wonders of the modern Ameri­can city is that architectural marvel called the skyscraper. From New York to Miami from Chicago to Dallas,… As skyscrapers transform the cities of America, some people are expressing… Every day visitors from all over the world line up on the ground floor of the World Trade Center in New York City.…

Give your personal reactions to the text using these phrases.

 

I didn’t think/I already knew that… What surprised me was…

It’s hard to believe that… I wonder what can be done to…

 

7. Louis Sullivan favored simple, straightforward buildings. Other architects preferred fancier buildings with details like Greek columns and Gothic arches. Which style do you prefer?

 

The author mentioned several problems associated with the skyscrapers in cities. Try to find possible solutions to these problems. Work in pairs.

 

9. Give the main points of the article “Buildings that scrape the sky” in 6-10 sentences. Use the following clichés:

 

The text deals with … . The author points out that ... . Attention is drawn to the fact that … . It should be noted that … . The importance of … is stressed. There is no doubt that … . The author comes to the conclusion that … . I find the text rather / very … .

 

ADD EXERCISES

Reading Task D

 

Read the dialogue and fill in the blanks using the words from the box below.

  John: Hey, it's really nice of you to show me round New York like this, Uncle… Uncle Harry: It's my pleasure, John. I thought our next stop could be the Empire State Building.

Skyscraper

by Rachel Field

Do skyscrapers ever grow tired
Of holding themselves up high?
Do they ever shiver on frosty nights
With their tops against the sky?

Do they feel lonely sometimes

Because they have grown so tall?

Do they ever wish they could lie right down

And never get up at all?

 

 

Diagrams

by Thom Gunn

Downtown, an office tower is going up.

And from the mesa of unfinished top

Big cranes jut, spectral points of stiffened net:

Angled top-heavy artefacts, and yet

Diagrams from the sky, as if its air

Could drop lines, snip them off, and leave them there.

On girders round them, Indians pad like cats,

With wrenches in their pockets and hard hats.

They wear their yellow boots like moccasins,

Balanced where air ends and where steel begins,

Sky men, and through the sole's flesh, chewed and pliant,

They feel the studded bone-edge of the giant.

It grunts and sways through its whole metal length.

And giving to the air is sign of strength.

Skyscraper

by Paul Sutton

Shaft of steel and stone standing forbidding

Dark and dead pointing to a brilliant moon

Black and brooding so bleak and unbending

Peak of the island, a gigantic tomb.

That tip of the shaft, a column of fire

A flame between earth and the moons cold light

Below cement swaths the island entire

The catacombs of man in dead of night.

The rock sea swells, avenue and canyon

And wave crests of agitated neon,

Flesh-filled capsules crawl and beetles surge on

Remote from this pinnacle of cold stone.

What are you? Sign of that which will have gone

Or blade of shining steel, symbol of dawn?

Skyscraper

by Jerome Dehnert

A driver pounds a pile of steel down
Until the alloy strikes a rock below.
No farther does the steal alloy go,
Since bedrock checks the progress of Motown.
A Lattice-work of steel embraces dawn,
While heavy cables, winches, and men work
To lift up slabs of cement like clockwork,
As metal, stone, and glass give way to brawn.
Amid the blood and sweat and cheers goes up
A building raised by those who understand
That from the ravages of time and sand,
A race that takes a part builds up and up.
God bless America and keep her safe,
The skies above her free from sin vouchsafe.

Reading task C

Reading task E

 

Go over the vocabulary list. Consult a dictionary if you need.

Walk-up(s) affiliate u-shaped pattern Predecessor partner townhouses Crowd-pleaser neighborhood of impact ring

Adding a Notch to the City Skyline

Commercial-residential complex in Manhattan steps down to nearby walk-ups   Introduction. The developers of a $545-million complex on the west side of Manhattan hope their project, like its…

Read part III and answer the questions after it.

Demolition. A three-story brick building in a corner of the site was quickly demolished in two days. But when excavation of the rest of the 200 x… The excavation process also uncovered all of the mechanical equipment that had… To excavate the site's rocky subsurface, explosive charges had to be kept very small because blasting was so close to…

Read part IV and answer the questions after it

Bracing. Gary R. Steficek, SOM's project engineer for the commercial tower, adds that not all of the core bracing continues to the top of the… The steel framing that surrounds the tube in a wedding cake pattern at the…  

Read part V and answer the questions after it

Wind forces. Most skyscrapers have an impermeable envelope. This building project is unusual because both the arcade at grade level and the… Round dormers that let air in and out through copper grilles are located at… The actual wind loads on the building will be higher than they are on some nearby skyscrapers because it is "away…

Comprehension check

15. Decide whether the following statements are true or false according to the text:   1. The commercial-residential complex in Manhattan is an added notch to a city skyline.

Make sure you can explain the following terms and word combinations from the part called Bracing

Project engineer

Core bracing

Tight bay spacing

Chamfered corner

Shop-welded (on to one side) beam stubs

To splice on at midspan

To form Ts

Field-welded

Wedding cake pattern

Gravity load

Curved masonry

 

Make sure you can explain the following terms and word combinations from the part called Wind Forces

Impermeable envelope Wind forces Research director

Make up the plan of the text.

14. Make a summary according to your plan. The following word-combinations will help you:

The title of the article is… .The article touches upon … . The article consists of … parts. The first part deals with such problems as… . The second/third part reports on … . Such designs as…are described. The advantage of this design is… . The article is provided (illustrated) with (photoes, diagrams, tables). The final part of the article gives the information about… .

 

Language focus

  1) walk-up 6) surround a) access f) tenement 2) design 7) adjacent b) beam g) reflect

Language development

  a) to fulfill low-energy standards b) to lay off c) to gain ground d) to put one’s faith in

Follow-up

 

1. Read and learn the poem. Say, whether 26 storeys is enough to qualify a building as a skyscraper?

 

Questions Regarding Skyscrapers

a SKYSCRAPER's a VERY TALL BUILDING. Why, howtall, then, is VERY TALL? What rule to apply? Would twenty-six storeys qualify?

Texts for supplementary reading

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

· The Pyramids, tombs for the Egyptian pharaohs, are the oldest and best preserved of all the ancient wonders. The three most famous pyramids were… · The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built by King Nebuchadnezzar… · The Temple of Artemis (ɑːtɪmɪs) was built about 550 в.с. in the Greek city of Ephesus…

Working with Concrete

window.google_render_ad(); But it is only in its most rawest and natural state that concrete could be described as green, and only as a powder can… This industrial use of concrete is the essence of all building projects: when…

Disposing of Concrete

There are other green materials that can be used for some building and construction purposes – more wood can be used in house construction, for…    

Concrete facts

· Global cement production in 2007 = 2,690 million tonnes · Global cement production by 2012 = 3,370 million tonnes · Chinese cement production in 2007 = 1,240 million tonnes, a threefold increase from 1995. It is predicted that by…

The Bed ZED Project, London

window.google_render_ad(); The houses are equipped with key features, both technological and common sense - for example, designed in south facing…

Slateford Green Housing, Edinburgh

A second public housing eco-project is the Slateford Green Estate, in Edinburgh. The project, consisting of 120 homes, was developed by a housing association together with the Scottish housing agency, in 2000, at a cost of £9.5 million.

It is a car-free estate, with the space that parking would have consumed, instead being used for gardens, allotments and a large children's play area, around a large central pond with environment-friendly reed beds. The reed beds filter the quality of surface and storm water. This artificial wetland area has been planted with native, low maintenance species, chosen to encourage wildlife. Some of the features in the houses include insulation from recycled newspapers, photovoltaics, a recyclable aluminium roof, and a breathing wall membrane, layered upon an engineered timber structure.

The Findhorn Foundation Eco-Village

It is a wonderful place, well worth a visit, and the ecovillage project is a tremendous resource or education and information about building… These 3 examples are just the larger examples of eco-building in the UK. It is…  

Sustainable Architecture Can Help Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions

By Roger K. Lewis Saturday, June 10, 2006; F05  

GKK Design Corporatist Frankfurt Skyscraper

  Approval has been given for a conservatively designed twin towers to be… The project comes from the sketchpads of architects GKK and was originally named Kaiserkarree. The project has now…

Milan Convention Centre Offers Glacial Roof

  Plans are afoot in Milan to build what will be Europe's largest ever indoor… The internal figures for the plans are massive and entail 18,000 seats, an additional 1,500 seat auditorium that…

Artotel Eyes Up Shoreditch Hotel Site

  Scott Brownrigg has designed this futuristic glass clad hotel to stand in… The site stands near the eastern end of Old Street overlooking the junction that sees Paul Street, Great Eastern…

Skinny Tower Nears Completion In Paraguay

  Construction is currently underway on an insanely skinny skyscraper which will… Located in Asuncion City, the project named Icono Loft is the handiwork of architect Carlos Jimenez and when complete…

REFERENCES

1. New Dictionary of Civil Engineering. Penguin Reference. David Blockley, 2005. Clay Ltd,.St. Ives, England.

2. Building and Construction Dictionary, English-Russian Moscow International Publishers with L&H Publishing Co., Copenhagen, Denmark, 1994.

3. Arnold V.A., Smith C.B. Wonderworks. Macmillan Publishing Company, N.Y., USA, 1989.

4. Alex Praill United Kingdom. A modern Tradition, Belmont Press, UK, May 2002.

5. Forum, volume 32№2, April 1994

6. ENR/ January 5, 1989 vol. 222 №1

7. Deutschland, 2/2002

8. Deutschland, 6/2005

9. Deutschland, 3/2007

10. Sun at Work in Europe, vol. 14, №4, December 1999.

11. Civil Engineering, March 2002

12. skyscrapernews.com

13. bbc.com

14. greenbuilding.com

15. wikipedia.org

16. sustainablebuild.co.uk

17. contractorcity.com

18. greendaily.com