Problem solving in architecture

 

I. Warming up (Разминка)

1. Group work. Reflect on the following questions and share your ideas with the class. Get ready to discuss different points of view persisting in your own opinion. (See appendix 1):

Do soft jobs exist in our life? Can you name them? Ground your answer.

Useful terms and phrases

2. Read the following terms and phrases, mind their pronunciation:

 

to get clients to agree	уговорить клиентов
to reach a compromise	найти компромисс
to face a challenge	стоять перед проблемой
to respect the client’s choice	уважать выбор клиента
to find a mutual understanding	найти взаимопонимание
to suit both parties	устраивать обе стороны
to develop a report	делать отчёт
to have a good grasp of something	хорошо разбираться в чем-либо
legislation	законодательство
to perform a сode analysis	проводить анализ законов
material science	материаловедение
to acquire a complete understanding	достичь полного понимания
to meet a deadline	успеть закончить работу к установленному сроку
to resolve unexpected issues	решать непредвиденные проблемы
ins and outs of the profession	тонкости професии

 

II. Evocation (Вызов)

Speaking and Listening

3. Group work. Discuss the following questions and report to the class. Get ready to discuss different points of view persisting in your own opinion (See appendix 1):

1. Is it hard to work as an architect?

2. What difficulties does a practitioner run into?

3. What is the secret of the architect’s success?

III. Realization (Осмысление)

4. Group work. Formulate several most actual problems which architects face in their work and describe these problems.

5. Group work. Set the problems on the upper bones of the fish skeleton and report about the existing problems to the class. Get ready to discuss different points of view persisting in your own opinion:

6. Group work. Discuss the following: What do you think the architects should change in their professional activity to begin solving these problems? Formulate your thoughts in your exercise books. Report your ideas to the class.

 

 

7. Group work. Find solutions to the problems. Set the solutions on the lower bones and report your solutions to the class. Get ready to discuss different points of view persisting in your own opinion:

8. Pay attention to the head of your fish and formulate the aim of your activity in class according to the problems and their solutions

9. Think over the result of your activity set it into the tail of the fish skeleton and report to the class.

IV. Reflection (Рефлексия)

  Writing

10. Write a short essay entitled “Architect’s challenges”.

               

Module 2

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Unit 4

THE STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSE

I. Warming up (Разминка)

1. Group work. Reflect on the following quote about a building, interpret it and share your ideas with the class. Get ready to discuss different points of view answering questions and persisting in your opinion. (See appendix 1):

“A building is hard to judge. It takes many years to find out whether it works. It's not as simple as asking the people in the office whether they like it.”   Helmut Jahn.

Useful terms and phrases

2. Read the following terms and phrases, mind their pronunciation:

wear proof	износостойкий
load	тяжесть, груз
load-bearing element	несущая конструкция, несущий элемент
structural element/part	часть здания, конструктивный элемент, несущая часть (здания)
footing	фундаментный блок, опорное расширение (стопы, колонны, сваи)
foundation	заложение фундамента, фундамент, основание
structural system	конструктивная система
concrete	бетон
to pour	заливать, укладывать бетонную смесь
trench	ров
floor system	конструкция перекрытия
masonry	кирпичная кладка, кирпич
brick	кирпич
to reinforce	усиливать, армировать
steel bar	арматурный стержень
pile foundation	фундамент на сваях
pile cap	оголовок сваи
slab-on-grade	бетонная плита на грунтовом основании, плита, уложенная вровень
basement	подвал, подвальный этаж, цокольный этаж
beam	балка
joist	балка перекрытия
plywood	фанера
floor joist	балка перекрытия
intermittent	перемежающийся
foam product	пенопластовый, пенистый материал
partition wall	перегородка

 

3. Match the words and phrases to their translation:

a)

wear proof	несущий элемент конструкции
to carry weight	фундаментный блок
load-bearing element	фундамент, заложение фундамента
footing	нести нагрузку
foundation	износостойкий
structural element	конструктивная система
concrete wall	заливать бетонную смесь в ров
structural system	конструкция перекрытия
to pour concrete into a trench	часть здания
floor system	бетонная стена

b)

pier	кирпич
conventional foundation wall	расставлять с промежутками
masonry	опора, свая
brick	примыкающий к стене
to space	обычная стена под фундамент
adjacent to the wall	кирпичная кладка
to reinforce a steel bar	слой почвы
pile foundation	вбивать в землю
layer of soil	усиливать арматурный стержень
to hammer into the ground	фундамент на сваях

 

c)

floor joist	подвал
slab-on-grade	пенопластовый материал
beam	фанера
flooring material	бетонная плита на грунтовом основании
basement	сложная стена
plywood	настилочный материал
foam product	балка
complicated wall	балка перекрытия

 

d)

wiring	каркас
to attach to	точка опоры
finish	сводчатый потолок
frame	шиферная плитка
bearing point	прикреплять
to truss	финиширование, отделочное покрытие
slate	электропроводка, прокладка электрических проводов
vaulted ceiling	опираться на
to bear on	укреплять, связывать

 

II. Evocation (Вызов)  

4. Pair work.   Agree (+) or disagree (-) with the following statements about the house or put (?) if you are not sure:

 

1. The structural elements of the house are often called load-bearing elements or load- bearing systems.

2. The structural elements of the house must support their own weight.

3. The footing is the structural element upon which the home rests.

4. The foundation consists of the foundation wallsand other vertical elements needed to support the floor (piers and steel columns).

5. A pile can be described as a fence hammered into the ground.

6. Load-bearing walls support their own weight and partition walls support the load of the ceiling and the roof.

7. The simplest ceiling is formed by a roof truss.

8. The primary function of a pitched roof is to shed water from a dwelling in poor weather conditions.

III. Realization (Осмысление)

  Reading

5. Read the following terms and phrases, mind their pronunciation:

crushed stone	щебень
siding	облицовка, наружная обшивка стен
sheathing	опалубка
drywall	стена сухой кладки; стена, сложенная без раствора,сухая штукатурка, гипсокартон
lumber	пиломатериал
roof truss	стропила
ceiling joist	потолочная балка
to be stick built	быть собранным на месте из комплектующих изделий
plywood decking	опалубка из фанеры
roofing shingles	кровельный гонт, асбестошифер
gable roof	двускатная крыша, щипцовая крыша
to frame a roof	сооружать каркас крыши
load carrying system	снаряжение для переноски тяжестей
pitched roof	двускатная щипцовая крыша
clay tile	керамическая облицовочная плитка
concrete tile	бетонная плитка, бетонная черепица
framework	каркас
rafters	стропила
batten	обрешётка
tar	смола, гудрон
roof sagging	проседание крыши
vault a ceiling	покрывать потолок сводом
secure	закреплять, укрепить
engineered slab	сконструированная плита
cable	напрягаемая арматура
cure	выдерживание бетона, затвердение
crack resistant	трещиностойкий
cable	напрягаемая арматура
to install	устанавливать, монтировать

 

5. Read the text and correct agree (+) or disagree (-) statements.

The structure of the house

The structure of the house is an extremely important part of the building as it makes the construction wear proof. The structure carries the weight of the house to its supporting element - the ground. The structural elements of the home are those which carry the weight or load of the home to the earth on which it rests. Hence, they are often called load-bearing elements or load-bearing systems. They include the footings, foundation, floor, walls, ceiling and roof.

It is important to design and construct these elements properly. The fact is that they must not only support their own weight, but the weight of the ceiling and the roof.

Let’s consider the component parts of the house.

Footings

The footing is the structural element upon which the home rests, and it is the first member of the load bearing structural systems of the home. It is also an integral part of the structure foundation upon which the first floor is built.

The footings are placed under all load-bearing parts of the foundation, i.e. piers, columns, foundation walls, etc.

And they are almost always made of concrete. The footing is usually formed by concrete poured into a trench and constrained by some kind of forms.

Foundation
The foundation consists of the foundation walls and other vertical elements needed to support the floor (piers and steel columns).
The house foundation is the system on which the home sits. Sometimes the house foundation rests upon the footings and supports the floor system - as with conventional foundation walls and piers.

Sometimes the home foundation is also the footing - as with a home built on piles driven into the ground. Sometimes the footing, the foundation, and the floor system are an organic whole - as with the monolithic slab.

 

Types of Foundations
masonry  foundations
Many foundation systems consist of a masonry (brick or concrete block) perimeter wall sitting on a concrete footing. Inside the perimeter wall there may also be a number of piers, columns, or posts spaced within the area surrounded by the wall or immediately adjacent to and built into the wall itself.

Concrete  Foundations
Concrete foundation walls are popular in many areas of the country, and are almost always used where there is to be a basement.

Wood or metal forms are set on the footings, reinforcing steel bars which strengthen the wall, and concrete is poured into the forms. Before the concrete is "set," anchor bolts are pushed into the concrete along the perimeter of the home.

PILE FOUNDATIONS
A pile foundation is a special type of foundation that enables a structure to be supported by a layer of soil found below the ground surface. A pile foundation comprises two basic structural elements, a pile and a pile cap. The pile cap is a structural base that supports a structural column, wall, or slab.A pile can be described as a structural stilt hammered into the ground.

Piles are typically used where soils are unable to support the necessary loads with more traditional footings and they are supported with masonry or concrete foundation walls.

 

Floor
Floor systems are either wood or concrete. In residential construction, concrete floors are slab-on-grade (concrete poured on the ground). This type of floor system is usually used for the garage and basement, or for the main floor in southern areas. As a matter of fact, the wood floor is the standard. The wood floor consists of the supporting members - beams and joists - and the flooring material is usually a plywood product.
  Typically, there is a beam supporting the floor joists. The beam is supported by the foundation walls and intermittent piers or posts.

Slabs

Concrete slabs are common foundation/floor systems in many parts of the world, particularly in warmer climates with soils that are stable.

Typically, building a concrete slab consists of sand, gravel, or crushed stone. The edge of the slab is insulated, typically with a rigid foam product.

 

Walls
     The Walls divide the interior space into rooms and are subdivided into load-bearing walls and partition walls. Load-bearing walls support the load of the ceiling and the roof and partition walls support their own weight.

As far as exterior walls are concerned, they are pretty sophisticated systems! They are designed to keep the elements out, keep your conditioned air in, and provide support for your roof. Exterior walls as a system include not only the structural parts but also the siding, sheathing, insulation, and drywall, as well as the exterior doors and windows. It may also contain parts of other systems like plumbing or wiring. Most walls are constructed of lumber.

 

Ceiling
   Ceilings are supported by the walls below or by a ceiling beam. The ceiling does not actually support a vertical load. It is included in the load bearing elements of the home because it supports rather significant weight of the drywall attached to it. Ceilings are not as complicated as walls. The simplest ceiling is formed by a roof truss. In this case, there is no additional step to constructing a ceiling. The roof truss is simply set in place.

If trusses are not used, the ceiling is constructed much like the wood floor. In fact, in a two-storey house, the ceiling of the first level is the floor of the second. The members are called ceiling joists. They rest on the walls, or on beams which span between the walls.

There are some other kinds of floors. For example, ceilings can be vaulted in an infinite variety of ways. A vaulted ceiling adds volume to your rooms to create a space sense. Even flat ceilings can be adorned with a variety of textured materials and finishes.

Roof
   The Roof Structure will either be “stick built”, trussed, or a combination of the two. The weight of the roof, with the wood members, the plywood decking, and the roofing shingles, are significant. All of this weight must be carried down through the walls, floor, foundation walls, and footings to the ground.

Roof Trusses
Roof trusses are roof shaped frames which are engineered and shop built for each construction activity.

Roof truss design is done by engineers, specializing in this area of expertise. If your construction will be inspected by a local building official, they will want to see the truss plans before construction begins.

Trusses are designed to concentrate the entire roof load at the ends of the truss. This means that the trusses actually span the distance between their two end bearing points.

Although there may be walls under the trusses, they are "partition" (non-load bearing) walls. The advantages of using trusses are cost and speed and ease of installation.

Trusses can be constructed to accommodate almost any roof configuration, but in a practical sense, the simpler the roof, the more attractive trusses are to use. They are ideal for a gable roof.

Stick Built Roof
The alternative to using trusses in framing a roof is to "stick build" the roof. It means that all of the roof members are cut and installed on the site.

The photo (right) shows you some of the members involved in a stick built roof. One advantage is the additional storage space you'll have in the attic.

A disadvantage may be a more complicated load carrying system throughout the house.
Pitched roof

A pitched roof is a roof for which one or more roof surfaces is pitched more than 10 degrees, and alternately a roof with two slopes that meet at a central ridge.

The pitched roof is the most common type of roof construction used in new dwellings today. The primary function of a pitched roof is to shed water from a dwelling in poor weather conditions.

Most pitched roofs are covered with either slate, synthetic slate, clay tiles or concrete tiles. They are usually laid upon a framework of timber rafters across which are fixed timber battens.

Flat Roof

A flat roof is a type of covering for a building. In contrast to the more sloped form of roof, a flat roof is horizontal or nearly horizontal. Materials that cover flat roofs should allow the water to run off freely from a very slight inclination. Traditionally flat roofs would use a tar and gravel based surface which is sufficient to prevent penetration. However, these surfaces tend to fail in colder climates, where ice dams and the like could block the flow of water.

 

7. Read the text once again and answer the following questions:

1. What are the structural elements of the house?

2. What is the footing?

3. What is the house foundation?

4. What types of foundations can you name?

5. What types are the walls divided into?

6. What is the ceiling formed by?

7. What is a stick built roof?

 

Vocabulary Focus

8. Match the words from two columns to create a phraseand make sentences to use them in your own text entitled “The house structure, its footing and the foundation”. Share your ideas with the partner:

 

to make	under all load-bearing parts
to carry	part of the structure foundation
to support	wear proof
an integral	into a trench
to constrain	upon the footings
to place	the weight of the ceiling and the roof
to pour	the weight to the supporting element
to rest	by some kind of forms
conventional	within the area surrounded by the wall
to build on	steel bars
to space	foundation walls and piers
to reinforce	the construction piles driven into the ground

 

9. Match the words from two columns to create a phraseand make sentences to use them in your own text entitled “The floor system of the house”. Share your ideas with the partner:

 

to consist	by the foundation walls
to use	soils
to support	concrete floor
common	of the supporting members
stable	for the garage and basement
to insulate	foundation system
slab-on-grade	with a rigid foam product

 

10. Match the words from two columns to create a phraseand make sentences to use them in your own text entitled “The walls and the ceiling”. Share your ideas with the partner:

 

to divide	support for the roof
to subdivide	volume to the room
to support	by a roof truss
to provide	the interior space into rooms
to form	into load-bearing and partition walls
to adorn	between the walls
to span	the load of the ceiling and the roof
to vault	a space sense
to add	with a variety of textured materials and finishes
to create	in an infinite variety of ways

 

11. Match the words from two columns to create a phraseand make sentences to use them in your own text entitled “The roof structure ”. Share your ideas with the partner:

 

roof shaped	the distance
to lay	any roof configuration
to concentrate	frames
to span	the roof
to accommodate	water from a dwelling
to stick build	the roof load
to install	load carrying system
additional	on the site
complicated	with clay tiles
to meet	upon a framework
to shed	at a central ridge
to cover	storage space

 

Reflection (Размышление)

Writing, Listening & Speaking

12. Individual work. Create a text about the house structure

1. Discuss the following points:

a) subject;

b) a role;

c) audience;

d) a form of presenting information;

e) details concerning a plotline;

f) details concerning your projecting into a chosen character.

2. Individual work. Create a text.

Help each other to improve your texts

13. Present your text to the class.

14. Write a reflection on the text «The house structure” (See appendix 3.)

 

Unit 5

BUILDING MATERIALS

I. Warming up (Разминка)

1. Pair work. Read the three building material quotes and discuss the following: Which of the three quotes attracts your professional attention? Why? What is the importance of building materials in building construction in your professional opinion?

 

a. When we build let us think that we build forever. John Ruskin.

b. “An architect must begin at the beginning… Architects must exercise well trained imagination to see in each material, either natural or compounded plastics, their own inherent style. All materials may be beautiful, their beauty much or entirely depend upon how well they are used by the architect.” – F.L. Wright.

c. “Each material has its own message, and to the creative artists, its own song…. Every new material means a new form, a new use if it is used according to its nature.” – F.L. Wright.

Useful terms and phrases

2. Read the following terms and phrases, mind their pronunciation:

residential building	жилое здание
availability of resources	наличие вспомогательных средств
floor board	доска для пола
hardwood	твёрдая древесина
structural material	конструкционные материал
finishing material	облицовочный материал
functional material (utility)	функциональные материал
natural stone	природный (строительный) камень
waterproofing	водонепроницаемость
insulation	изоляция
to withstand the pressure and moisture	противостоять, выдерживать давление (нагрузку) и влажность
concrete	бетон
earth-sheltered construction	глубинное сооружение
floor slab	панель перекрытия
to absorb and store heat	поглощать и сохранять тепло
temperature swing	скачок температуры
precast concrete	железобетон в готовых изделиях, сборный железобетон
cast-in-place	уложенный на месте, бетонируемый на месте
watertight	водонепроницаемый
masonry	кирпичная/каменная кладка
steel bar	арматурный  стержень
high stress	тяжёлая нагрузка
structural work	строительная работа
to treat with preservatives	пропитывать сохраняющим составом
framing material	каркасный материал
to make use of	использовать, применять
to expose to	подвергаться воздействию

Vocabulary Focus

3. Match the words and phrases to their translation:

a)

residential building	наличие вспомогательных средств
structural material	облицовочный материал
availability of resources	твёрдая древесина
durable building material	природный (строительный) камень
hardwood	выдерживать нагрузку
finishing material	характерные свойства
natural stone	сборный железобетон
floor slab	жилое здание
characteristic properties	прочный строительный материал
precast concrete	панель перекрытия
to resist load	конструкционный  материал

b)

masonry	строительная работа
steel bar	поглощать и сохранять тепло
floor board	тяжёлая нагрузка
to withstand the pressure and moisture	арматурный  стержень
to absorb and store heat	кирпичная/каменная кладка
high stress	доска для пола
structural work	выдерживать давление (нагрузку) и влажность
cast-in-place concrete	принимать вертикальную и горизонтальную нагрузку
to receive vertical or lateral pressure	водонепроницаемость
insulation	уложенный на месте, бетонируемый на месте
waterproofing	изоляция

c)  

to increase pressure	заливать и укреплять
earth-sheltered construction	делать стыки водонепроницаемыми
to pour and reinforce	служить защитным барьером
to prevent temperature swings	обрабатывать пропиточным составом
to make the joints watertight	каркасный материал
strength	глубинное сооружение
to treat with preservatives	предупреждать скачки температуры
framing material	увеличивать нагрузку
to make use of wood	подвергаться воздействию грунтовых вод
to expose to the groundwater	прочность
to serve as a protective barrier	применять дерево

II. Evocation (Вызов)

Listening & Speaking

4. Group work. Make assumptions about the content of the text. Answer the following questions and report your ideas to the class.

1. What types of building materials do you know?

2. Can you describe these materials?

3. What are their characteristic properties?

 

Writing

5. Individual work. Fill in the first column of the “logbook” (бортовой журнал):