House Building

THEME: House Building

“Architecture is really about well-being. I think that people want to feel good in a space… On the one hand it’s about shelter, but it’s also about pleasure.” 

                                                                                                               Zaha Hadid 

Read, write and learn the following words and word combinations:

to approve затвердити

to intend призначатися  для

to occupy займати

the main parts головні частини

one-storey одноповерховий                                                        

appropriate відповідний

fitments пристосування

boards дошки

trenches траншеї

prefabricated concrete blocks збірні бетонні блоки

Read and translate the text.

House building is the process which normally starts with a planning stage in which plans are prepared by an architect and approved by the client and any regulatory authority. Then the site is cleared, foundations are laid and trenches for connection to services such as sewerage, water and electricity are established. If the house is wooden-framed then a framework is constructed which will support the boards, siding and roof. If the house is of brick construction, then courses of bricks are laid to construct the walls. Floors, beams and internal walls are constructed as the building develops, with plumbing and wiring for water and electricity being installed as appropriate. Once the main structure is complete then internal fitting out with lights and other fitments is done and the house is decorated and furnished with furniture, cupboards, carpets, curtains and other fittings.

Complete the dialogue with the replies.

a)  Do you mean the main parts of a building?

b) We need many good houses.

c)  What do you call a house then, Pete?

d) And what about houses with plastic sections?

e) What are they made of?

Pete: Don't you know, Ann, that not all buildings are houses?

Ann: Is that right?  1___

Pete: A house is usually a building for human habitation.

Ann: I see now. And it can be intended for one family only to live in, or sometimes, if it's big enough, for several.

Pete: Certainly. Depending on its size small houses are generally occupied by one family, in big ones the number of flats can be large.

Ann: What are the main sections of a house, Pete?

Pete: 2 ___

Ann: Yes. That's what I meant to ask you.

Pete: Well, any building consists of the foundation, walls and partitions, floors and the ceiling and, certainly, the roof section.

Ann: And the set of rooms on the level of one floor is called a storey, isn't it?

Pete: Yes, Ann, it is. And, accordingly, we speak of one-, two-, three- and so on storey houses. In England, the storey closest to the ground is known as the ground floor.

Ann: Most houses in our town are four- or five-storey houses.

Pete: And, I wouldn't say they are low.  3_____

Ann: Mostly bricks and concrete blocks. They are prefabricated, certainly.

Pete: 4___

Ann: Oh, plastic houses are our future. How beautiful and light they are going to be!

Pete: Yes, and we shall build them. 5 ___ Just look, there is not a single town in our country without hundreds of building cranes rising all above it, hoisting bricks and panels.

Ann: Yes, and new towns spring up everywhere like mushrooms.

Choose the questions to the underlined words that are grammatically correct.

1. The first houses in many parts of the world were made of wood.

a) What were the first houses in many parts of the world made of?

b) What did the first houses in many parts of the world made of?

c) What was the first houses in many parts of the world made of?

2. The roof was flat because there was very little rain in Egypt.

a) Why was flat roof?

b) Why did the roof flat was

c) Why was the roof flat?

3. Modern architectural styles differ from those of the past.

a) What differs modern architectural styles?

b) What are modern architectural styles differ from?

c) What do modern architectural styles differ from?

4.The column has played an important role in the history of building.

a) What role has the column played in the history of building?

b) What role does the column play in the history of building?

c) What role has the column play in the history of building?

5. Men began building houses out of stone very long ago.

a) When did men began building houses out of stone?

b) When did men begin building houses out of stone?

c) When was men begin building houses out of stone?

Watch the video "Components of Building"