Building Construction through the Age
Building construction is an ancient human activity. It began with purely functional need for a controlled environment to moderate the effects of climate. Constructed shelters were one means by which human beings were able to adopt themselves to a wide variety of climates and become a global species. Human shelters were at first very simple and perhaps lasted only a few days or months. Over time, however, even temporary structures evolved into such highly refined forms as the igloo. Gradually more durable structures began to appear, particularly after the advent of agriculture, when people began to stay in one place for long periods. The first shelters were dwellings, but later other functions, such as food storage and ceremony, were housed in separate buildings. Some structures began to have symbolic as well as functional value, marking the beginning of the distinction between architecture and building. The history of building is marked by a number of trends. One is the increasing durability of the materials used. Early buildings materials were perishable, such as leaves, branches, and animals hides. Later, more durable natural materials – such as- clay, stone, and timber- and, finally, synthetic materials – such as- brick, concrete metals, and plastics – were used. Another is a quest for buildings of ever greater height and span; this was made possible by the development of stronger materials and by knowledge of how materials behave and how to exploit them to greater advantage. A third major trend involves the degree of control exercised over the interior environment of buildings: increasingly precise regulation of air temperature, light and sound levels, humidity, odors, air speed, and other factors that affect human comfort has been possible. Yet another trend is the change in energy available to the construction process, starting with human muscle power and developing toward the powerful machinery used today. The present state of building construction is complex. There is a wide range of building products and systems which are aimed primarily at groups of building types or markets. The design process for buildings is highly organized and draws upon research establishments that study material properties and performance, code officials who adopt and enforce safety standards, and design professionals who determine user needs and design a building to meet those needs. The construction process is also highly organized; it includes the manufactures of building products and systems, the craftsmen who assemble the workers on the building site, the contractors who employ and coordinate the work of craftsmen, and consultants who specialize in such aspects as construction management, quality control, and insurance. Building construction today is a significant part of industrial culture, a manifestation of its diversity and complexity and a measure of its mastery of natural forces, which can produce a widely varied built environment to serve the diverse of society needs.
Tex-based assignments: I. General understanding. Answer the questions: 1. Why did people begin to build shelters? 2. When did people begin to build more durable structures? 3. How many trends are there in the history of building? Name them by theses. 4. Why is the present state of building construction complex? 5. Is building construction play an important part of industrial culture? 6. II. Translate into English: Количество тенденций, контроль качества, строительная площадка, непрочные строительные материалы, влажность, смягчать влияние погоды, отдельные здания, глина, мощное машинное оборудование, мировой вид, функциональная ценность, более прочные структуры.
III. Match the synonyms among introduced words. There are two extra words: Precise, level, primarily, obtainable, degree, sort, craftsmen, shelter, need, exact, characteristic, species, part, available, cover, composite, necessity, quality, complex, originally.
IV. Match the terms and their definitions:
V. Read and translate the text, ask 4 questions to it: Residential and Industrial Buildings In technically developed countries the building industry, comprising skilled and unskilled workers in many trades, building engineers and architects, managerial staff and designers, employs a considerable proportion of the available labor force. Building industry including residential, public and industrial construction holds a considerable place in the national economy and is being carried on a large scale. The problems of construction have grown into major, political issues in most countries. Housing is prominent among the factors affecting the level of living. The improvement of the housing represents a concrete and visible rise in the general level of living. In many countries residential construction has constituted at least 12 per cent and frequently more than 25 per cent of all capital formation. The ever growing housing demands have brought to life new methods of construction with great emphasis upon standardization, new levels of technological advance utilizing such techniques as off-site prefabrication, precasting, use of reinforced concrete panels and large-scale site planning. At present, prefabricated structures and precast elements may be classified into two principal groups—for residential houses and industrial buildings.
Gerund
Words to the theme “My Speciality” (1):
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