Text 8. The construction of a building

1 Read the text and retell it in Russian.

A building is a construction which is raised on a foundation and is generally made of stone, concrete blocks, bricks and mortar or cement. Bricks and concrete blocks are held together by mortar. Walls made of bricks and those built of concrete blocks are suitable both for small buildings and multistorey structures. Nowadays houses are often built of complete concrete structural units which are factory-made and assembled on the spot.

Every detail of a house must be carefully planned. The working plan itself is called a blueprint. Without a blueprint the workmen would make all sorts of mistakes and waste a lot of time.

Plans for building a house are drawn by an architect. The architect draws a separate plan for each individual floor. He shows all the parts of the house exactly as if the house were already built.

It is from the blueprint of the architect that the workman sees where to place the walls, the windows, the doors, the staircases, etc. The size of the rooms, the width of the doors, and windows, the height of the ceilings are also marked on the plan by the architect.

Different workmen are employed in building a house. The stonemason builds the foundation. The bricklayer builds the walls and other parts made of bricks. He lays the bricks one on the top of another and puts mortar between them with a trowel. The slater or tiler is employed for putting slates or tiles on the roof. The plumber fixes all the baths, water pipes and the sanitary fittings of drains and lavatories in the places marked for them in the plan drawn by the architect. The electrician runs electric wires and makes connections all through the house from the cellars under ground to the attics under the roof. All the doors and window-frames are made by the carpenter and put into their places by the joiner. The latter also lays down the floor. Then the plasterer puts plaster or cement over all the walls and ceilings and makes them smooth. The walls are then painted, papered or whitewashed as the case may be.

Vocabulary:

mortar – строительный раствор

blueprint – наметка, проект, план

stonemason – каменщик

trowel – мастерок, кельма, лопатка

slater – кровельщик

tiler – мастер по кладке черепицы, плиточник

plumber – водопроводчик

sanitary fittings of drains – сборка сан. узла, канализационных труб

cellar – подвал, погреб

carpenter – плотник

joiner – столяр

plasterer – штукатур

as the case may be – в зависимости от обстоятельств

2 Give definitions to the following words in English: architect, workman, stonemason, bricklayer, slater, tiler, plumber, electrician, carpenter, joiner, plasterer.

Text 9. Types of buildings

1 Read the text carefully and then render it in Russian:

The majority of building codes divide buildings into classes based upon the manner of their construction, use, or occupancy.

The following division into classes applies to the manner of construction:

1 Frame construction.

2 Nonfireproof constructions:

(a) Ordinary construction;

(b) Slow-burning construction.

3 Fireproof construction.

Frame construction embraces all buildings with exterior walls of wooden framework sheathed with wood shingles or siding; veneered with brick, stone, or terra cotta; or covered with stucco or sheet metal. Such buildings naturally have floors and partitions of wood and are considered as comprising the most inflammable type of construction.

Nonfireproof construction includes all buildings with exterior walls of masonry but with wood floor construction and partitions. Slow-burning construction designates heavy timber framing designed as far as possible to be fire resistant, the heavy beams and girders of large dimension proving far less inflammable than the slender joists of ordinary construction.

Fireproof construction includes all buildings constructed of incombustible material throughout, with floors of iron, steel, or reinforced concrete beams, filled in between with terra cotta or other masonry arches or with concrete slabs. Wood may be used only for under and upper floors, window and door frames, sash, doors, and interior finish. In buildings of great height the flooring must be of incombustible material and the sash, doors, frames, and interior finish of metal. Wire glass is used in the windows, and all structural and reinforced steel must be surrounded with fireproof material, such as hollow terra cotta and gypsum tile to protect the steel from the weakening effect of great heat.

Vocabulary:

manner – способ, метод

occupancy – временное владение, аренда

frame construction – сооружение каркаса, сруба

framework – сруб, корпус, каркас; рама, обрамление

to sheathe – обшивать

shingle – кровельная дранка, гонт

to veneer – покрывать тонким слоем (чего-л.), облицовывать

stucco – отделочный, штукатурный гипс

sheet metal – лист металла

partitions – разделение; перегородка, переборка

inflammable – легко воспламеняющийся; горючий

masonry – каменная кладка

to designate – предназначать

dimension – размеры, объем

slender – тонкий; слабый; небольшой, незначительный

joist – брус, балка; стропило

incombustible – невоспламеняемый, огнеупорный

reinforced concrete – железобетон

sash – оконный переплет; скользящая рама в подъемном окне

2 Make up your own sentences with the given words and use the following Passive constructions: …are considered as…; …is used…; …may be used…; …must be surrounded…etc.