UNIT 25 New Construction Trends

Read, translate the following text and be ready to fulfil the tests:

Modern home builders are getting creative about their craftsmanship and focusing on what their customers are looking for. These days, it’s not about lavish amenities, rather new modern home buyers are looking for efficient homes with room to grow. The latest new homeowner trends focus on quality and include the following sound strategies: In-House Single-Design Model. Traditionally, home construction included the services of separate engineering and construction firms. To save time and money, modern home builders have firms that do the engineering and contractor coordination all in-house. This trend helps speed up the construction process by up to six months, allowing firms to focus on additional projects.

Energy Efficient and Eco-Friendly New Modern Homes. As new homeowners accept the reality that energy costs aren’t going to decrease, they seek long-term energy efficient solutions. Examples include the installation of occupancy sensors, systems that recover energy, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, and solar energy solutions. Health-conscious clients seek advanced filtration systems and materials with low VOCs, while the eco-friendly ones look for the use of sustainable or recycled materials like bamboo, cork and re-purposed building materials (e.g., crushed concrete in place of gravel). Those who are particularly energy-savvy, seek smart passive house designs with a tight building envelope, smart roofs and energy efficient windows.

Appealing to the Genders. Modern home builders find that among new home shoppers, women generally have the last say. To appeal to the female consumer, the latest trend is to construct dwellings that make homemaking simpler with larger kitchens, more storage spaces and bigger washing areas. Men tend to gravitate toward homes with bigger garages with a shop area and a space in the house to entertain friends. Men also prefer bathrooms that have a water closet and bathtub that is separate from the shower.Today’s new homeowners aren’t looking for houses that they can sell for a profit in the near future. Instead, they’re looking for homes that their family can grow in for several decades. New construction trends allow homeowners to easily convert spaces as the needs of their family change. These spaces are innovative and allow for the simple integration of new technologies and building additions.

Connectivity. Modern homeowners want to interact with their houses with a simple touch of a button, even when they are away. The latest trends include the installation of standby generators that a homeowner can turn on or off from a computer or mobile device. They also seek smart programmable thermostats that they can adjust remotely using a mobile device.Smart appliances are in demand. In addition to being energy-efficient, the latest dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers tap into areas that have smart grids, evaluate the local utility company’s time-of-use rates, and operate when electricity rates are the lowest. In the kitchen, Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators let homeowners display their favorite pictures as well as seek and share recipes from a built-in touch-screen monitor. Another hot trend that consumers seek are power outlets with USB ports that make it simple to plug in a lamp and charge a phone at the same time without the need to purchase a power strip.

Read and memorize the active vocabulary to the text:

Active Vocabulary

1. amenities бытовые удобства

2. in-house design собственная (внутрифирменная) разработка

3. occupancy sensor датчик присутствия людей в помещении

4. additional дополнительный, добавочный

5. energy efficient энергоэффективный

6. health-conscious заботящийся о здоровье

7. VOC (здесь) volatile organic compound - летучее органическое соединение

8. advanced передовой, прогрессивный, современный

9. re-purposed с новой практической целью, назначением

10. energy-savvy (здесь) грамотно, разумно потребляющий энергию

11. building envelope наружные конструктивные элементы здания, включая стены, окна, двери, кровлю и полы, находящиеся в контакте с грунтом

12. to appeal апеллировать, взывать, призывать

13. storage spaces места для хранения (вещей и т. п.)

14. to gravitate тяготеть, стремиться

15. standby резервный, аварийный, вспомогательный

16. to convert превращать, преобразовывать

17. remotely дистанционно

18. smart умный, интеллектуальный

19. device устройство, приспособление, прибор

20. time-of-use rate тариф, дифференцированный по времени суток

21. Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity, вай-фай, беспроводной доступ в интернет (по названию торговой марки)

22. USB Universal Serial Bus, универсальная последовательная шина компьютерного интерфейса

CONTROL TESTS

TEST I

Decide whether these statements are true or false:

1. a). Modern home builders try to install advanced filtration systems and use materials with low VOCs.

b). Modern home builders are getting creative about their craftsmanship and focusing on what their customers are looking for.

c). Modern home builders offer dwellings with more storage spaces and bigger washing areas.

2. a). Traditionally, home construction has firms that do the engineering and contractor coordination all in-house.

b). Traditionally, home construction seeks long-term energy efficient solutions.

c). Traditionally, home construction included the services of separate engineering and construction firms.

3. a). Men tend to gravitate toward homes with bigger garages with a shop area and a space in the house to entertain friends.

b). Men tend to gravitate toward homes with more storage spaces.

c). Men tend to gravitate toward homes that they can sell for a profit in the near future.

4. a). Modern homeowners want to interact with their houses using new technologies and building additions.

b). Modern homeowners want to interact with their houses remotely using mobile devices.

c). Modern homeowners want to interact with their houses with a simple touch of a button

5. a). New construction trends allow homeowners to easily convert spaces as the needs of their family change.

b). New construction trends allow homeowners to use sustainable or recycled materials like bamboo, cork and re-purposed building materials.

c). New construction trends allow homeowners to install occupancy sensors, systems that recover energy, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems.

TEST II

Match words in columns A and B (synonym match):

A B

1. craftsmanship a). acquaintance b). connection

c). relationship d). mastery

2. lavish a). regular b). rich

c). habitual d). ordinary

3. to speed up a). to compose b). to elaborate

c). to accelerate d). to establish

4. additional a). surplus b). precise

c). definite d). considerable

5. to seek a). to treat b). to aspire

c). to belong d). to cultivate

6. solar a). heliac b). easy

c). tranquil d). gentle

7. to appeal a). to resume b). to proceed

c). to evolve d). to attract

8. to prefer a). to select b). to mark

c). to distinguish d). to discern

9. to interact a). to perceive b). to cooperate

c). to observe d). to respect

10. to enable a). to worship b). to spare

c). to regret d). to allow

TEST III

Select the best possible answer out of the choices from the list to the statements (multiple choice):

1. New modern home buyers are looking for .… .

a. the simple integration of new technologies and building additions.

b. houses that they can sell for a profit in the near future.

c. efficient homes with room to grow.

d. with bigger garages with a shop area.

2. The latest new homeowner trends … .

a. are extremely provident.

b. focus on quality.

c. are exceptionally eco-friendly.

d. differentiate in conformity with the gender.

3. Those who are particularly energy-savvy, … .

a. seek smart programmable thermostats that they can adjust remotely using a mobile device.

b. evaluate the local utility company’s time-of-use rates, and operate when electricity rates are the lowest.

c. seek smart passive house designs with a tight building envelope, smart roofs and energy efficient windows.

d. seek power outlets with USB ports that make it simple to plug in a lamp and charge a phone at the same time.

4. To appeal to the female consumer, the latest trend is to construct dwellings … .

a. with Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators, that let display favorite pictures as well as seek recipes from a built-in touch-screen monitor.

b. that make homemaking simpler with larger kitchens, more storage spaces and bigger washing areas.

c. withenergy-efficient dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers tap.

d. which could be managed with a simple touch of a button, even when the homeowner is away.

5. Men tend to gravitate toward homes … .

a. with installed standby generators that a homeowner can turn on or off from a computer or mobile device.

b.where it iseasy to convert spaces as the needs of their family change.

c. which include the installation of high-efficiency heating and cooling systems and systems that recover energy.

d. with bigger garages with a shop area and a space in the house to entertain friends.

TEST IV