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 conservation and sustainability, developed by the British geographer Jay Appleton.

3. The first of the three Olson houses was designed in the early 1960s.

4. It bursts cheerfully from the landscape instead of hunkering into it.

5. Cantilevered over the hillside, the house is pointed directly at the mountain and is flanked by a lake.

6. The second house in project architect Tom Kundig’s words “celebrates light”.

7. The differences between the first, rather “mechanic” house, and the second, more rustic building, reflect how time, tastes, and Olson’s ideas changed in the interim.

8. The third and the second houses are very much alike in character.

9. Once densely wooded, the site of the third house was cleared for development that never occurred.

10. When Olson saw the site he liked it at once.

11. The images the client responded to when making collages were of imposing houses attracting everyone’s attention immediately.

12. The living room, from the architects’ point of view, should be a seemingly open pavilion facing the lake view.

13. The client wanted simplicity.

14. The architects were surprised to have their favourite devices rejected.

15. The architects and the client collaborated to make the house still more naturalistic.

16. Olson sees the most basic kind of conservation as the use of recycled and recyclable materials.

 

What is not mentioned in the text?

 

1. The theory of refuge and prospect.

2. The necessity to be environmentally aware.

3. The idea of returning to our roots.

4. The idea of sustainability.

5. The economic benefits of building to last.

 

8. What do you think:

 

1. Which of the three houses described in the article do you like most? Can you explain your choice?

2. Do you prefer simplicity and blending with nature or an imposing style striking the people’s eye?

3. What is your opinion on Jim Olson’s architectural ideas and his credo?

4. Can you work out your own credo that will guide you in your future professional work?

5. Do you know any examples of houses with some interesting building techniques in our country?

6. Can you explain the title of the text?

7. Which principles of sustainable architecture have been implemented by Jim Olson in building his houses?

 

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 with 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 with 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 with 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. parlour 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

c) elaborate d) low-key

e) ingrained f) watchwords

g) a scar h) in the interim

i) in common j) conservation

k) feel l) framing members

m) devastated n) buttresses

 

1. One thing the houses have ____ is relevance to the theory of refuge and prospect, developed by the British geographer Jay Appleton.

2. The house is a weathered cedar object _____ into the landscape.

3. At the same level, a small parlor with a large hearth is a ______ with view.

4. The clients, a family with small children, wanted the house to seem like a pavilion in the meadow, and that is exactly its_____.

5. The prospect of meadow and water is seen through the south wall’s grid of wood _________, horizontal metal fins, and round concrete columns.

6. The differences between the first, rather rustic house, and the second, more “mechanic” building, reflect how time, tastes, and Olson’s ideas changed _______.

7. Like Olson, the client is a Northwest native with an ______ respect for nature.

8. She told him that she was more interested in a garden than a house, and that the house should be _____, natural, and anything but glitzy.

9. When Olson saw the site he termed it “___” of brown earth in the otherwise verdant landscape.

10. Olson tries to make “private worlds”, using perimeter walls as _______ and creating a quiet interior space, sometimes enclosed and sometimes open.

11. Once the basic scheme was established, Olson and associate Kundig began to _____ on it.

12. Weightlessness and illusion were the_______.

13. The architects were _______to have their favourite devices rejected.

14. But Olson sees the most basic kind of ____as building to last.

 

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

4. to burst … the landscape

5. suffused … light

6. refugelike … character

7. to act … a luminaire

8. a demand … simplicity

9. to elaborate … the project

10. to clear … development

11. … the advice of a decorator

12. a respect … nature

13. to make collages … … architectural images

14. to blend … nature

15. to butt … the walls

16. to apply this approach … the site

17. to divide the house … two wings

18. to take … the look of a temple

19. to take us … to our roots

20. to advise … diverse aspects

21. to be responsible …

22. to face … the lake view

 

17. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English:

 

1. Уважение к природе, забота об окружающей среде и отказ от потребительского отношения к природным ресурсам являются принципами жизни разумного человека.

2. Из окна гостиной открывается потрясающая панорама лугов и лесов у подножия холма.

3. Дом нависает над склоном холма и составляет неотъемлемую часть окружающего пейзажа.

4. Клиент склонялся к строительству простого дома из прямых линий и отклонил проект вычурного бросающегося в глаза особняка.

5. В результате был построен небольшой дом, находящийся в гармонии с природой и как бы притаившийся среди окружающего пейзажа.

6. Изгибающаяся тропинка проходит через основную часть дома и делит дом на два крыла.

7. Крыша была поднята настолько высоко, что, казалось, плыла над стенами.

8. Полностью застекленная сторона дома создавала иллюзию невесомости.

9. Тем временем угас спрос на яркие броские дома и возрос интерес к простому сельскому стилю строительства.

10. Группа архитекторов давала консультации по различным аспектам экологически устойчивого строительства.

 

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?

2. In what way is underground construction connected to green building approach?

3. Do you think it is a widespread construction technique? If so, give some examples of it.

4. What are the main advantages of subterranean homes

5. Can you think of any disadvantages of building such houses?

6. Would you like to live in such a house or would you prefer a conventional one?

Underground housing (sometimes called earth sheltered housing) refers specifically to homes that have been built underground, either partially or completely. These subterranean homes have grown increasingly popular over the last thirty years and are an important sector in the green building movement.

Factors determining the design of an underground home:

1. soil type

2. topography

3. precipitation

4. ground water levels

5. load-bearing properties

6. slope stability.

7. availability of waterproof, durable construction materials strong enough to withstand underground pressure (concrete is frequently used).

 

Several methods of building for subterranean living:

· Constructed Caves - made by tunnelling into the earth. Although popular around the world, this can be an expensive and dangerous procedure.

· Cut and Cover - also called culvert homes, these are made by assembling precast concrete pipes and containers into the required design of the living space, and then burying them in the ground.

· Earth Berm - house is first built on flat land or a small hill, and then buried, leaving a wall or roof open for light.

· Elevational - house is built into the side of a hill with the front of the home left open.

· Atrium - also called courtyard homes, the rooms are built below the ground around a sunken garden or courtyard that lets light in.

· PSP - stands for post, shoring and polyethylene. House is built by excavating the ground, sinking in posts, placing shoring (boards) between the posts and the earth, and placing polyethylene plastic sheets (for waterproofing) behind the shoring.

· Shaft - an ambitious project in Japan called Alice City plans the construction of a wide and deep cylindrical shaft sunk into the earth with a domed skylight covering, and different levels for business and domestic use built around the shaft.