Exercise 1. Read extracts A-E about modern construction technologies and techniques and match them to the pictures 1-5.
A.
| 1ю |
The construction workers of the future could be robots. The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences designed termite-inspired bots which can perform construction tasks. B. Italian engineer Enrico Dini said: “We might print not only buildings, but entire urban sections.” This may be true, with architects already producing the first 3D-printed houses.
C. Malama Composites has started producing foam material from plant materials like hemp, kelp and bamboo which will be used in insulation and furniture. The foam can provide high resistance to heat and give protection against molds and pets.
D.
| 2ю |
In Indonesia, Owings & Mills has shown its design for a 99-story Pertamina Skyscraper that is shaped like flower’s petals. What’s interesting to note here is that to harness wind energy, the skyscraper will slightly open its peak to allow its wind funnel to convert high speed winds into energy sources. E.
| 3ю |
| 5ю |
Exercise 2. Write the technologies these inventors have developed.
1. Owings & Mills.
2. Malama Composites.
3. VS-A and Chartier-Corbasson.
4. The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Exercise 3. Discuss in small groups.
1. What is the most useful invention (choose from A-E in ex.1)? Why?
2. Do you know any other modern technologies in construction? What are they?
3. Do you agree that skyscrapers will play a vital role in the coming decades?
Text A
Exercise 4. Match the words with their definitions.
| 1. To bolt | A. How high something is. |
| 2. To complete | B. A set of stairs between one floor and the next. |
| 3. To damage | C. How heavy something is. |
| 4. Currently | D. To move from one side to another. |
| 5. To swing | E. Very thin piece of metal that is used to transport electricity. |
| 6. Wire | F. At the moment, now. |
| 7. To dig (- dug, - dug) | G. Machine that takes people from one floor to another. |
| 8. Solid | H. To nail two things together. |
| 9. Elevator | I. System for making a building or a room warm. |
| 10. Weight | J. To put. |
| 11. Flight of stairs | K. To finish. |
| 12. Heating | L. To make weaker. |
| 13. Height | M. Very hard. |
| 14. To lay (-laid, -laid) | N. To go up. |
| 15. Landmark | O. To put something up. |
| 16. To rise (-rose, -risen) | P. Something that is easy to see and that helps you know where you are. |
| 17. To raise (-raised, -raised) | Q. To make a hole in the earth. |
Exercise 5. Read the text and match each part of the text (A-D) with the correct heading (1-4).
1. History of Skyscrapers
2. Building Techniques
3. Service Areas
4. To Be the Tallest One
SKYSCRAPERS
A skyscraper is a tall building higher than 50 m. One common feature of skyscrapers is a steel framework that supports curtain walls. Some early skyscrapers have a steel frame that enables the construction of load-bearing walls taller than of those made of reinforced concrete. The walls of modern skyscrapers are not load-bearing and most skyscrapers are characterized by large areas of windows made possible by the steel frame and curtain walls. Modern skyscrapers often have a tubular structure, and are designed to act like a hollow cylinder to resist lateral loads (wind, seismic).
A._____________________
A skyscraper needs careful planning before it can be built. First a big hole a few stories deep is dug into the earth. Sometimes this foundation reaches into solid rock. Then steel, concrete beams and columns are placed into it. They carry the weight of the superstructure.
When the foundation is finished cranes are used to raise a steel frame up into the sky. The pieces of this frame are bolted together. As it moves upward other workers lay floors.
A skyscraper must be able to hold off strong winds. Modern buildings are able to swing a few metres in each direction, like a tree, without damaging the structure.
B._____________________
Corridors, staircases, elevators, heating systems, air conditioning and electrical systems belong to the most important inner elements of a skyscraper.
Pumps bring clean water to all parts of the skyscraper, the drainage system carries away water and waste materials. Air conditioning and heating systems control the temperature in the building the whole year round. Electrical systems provide power throughout the building and wires carry electricity to each floor.
C._____________________
Two discoveries in the middle of the 1800s made it possible to build modern skyscrapers. Before the Industrial Revolution brick and stone walls carried the weight of buildings. As each floor was very heavy, it was impossible to build very high houses. In the middle of the 19th century steel became an important building material. This metal was strong and light. Architects could now construct a steel skeleton to support very tall buildings.
Skyscrapers would have been useless if people had to walk up and down many flights of stairs. In 1853 an elevator safe enough to carry passengers was invented by Elisha Graves Otis.
During the early 20th century major cities, especially in America, began to fight for the tallest buildings in the world. For four decades the Empire State Building in New York was the world’s highest structure. The 381 metre high landmark has 102 stories and was completed in 1932.
D._____________________
Today the world’s tallest buildings no longer stand in America. Other countries, mainly in Asia, have entered the prestigious race for the tallest structures in the world. The 452 metre high Petronas Towers in Malaysia, completed in 1996, became the first skyscraper outside the US to climb the top of the list. The Burj Dubai, at the height of 828 metres, is currently the tallest building in the world (Fig. 26), but the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia which is expected to be completed in 2019 will be over 1000 metres high (167 floors). The list of the World's tallest buildings includes 130 buildings which are higher than 300 metres. The Federation Tower in Moscow, at the height of 374 metres, is 34th in the list.
