Unit IV The Greek Architecture
Remember the following words and expressions:
acropolis, n. акрополь; e.g. The National Geographic Society made a generous contribution toward the excavation of the acropolis and the theater.
comprise, v. включать, заключать в себе, содержать; e.g. comprised by. The house comprises two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.
create, v.создавать, творить, задумывать; e.g. to create an impression, to create conditions, to recreate, to create an illusion. Prior to the mid-19th century, metropolitan areas were created as existing towns spread out; creative, adj. творческий, созидательный; e.g. Intellectual aspects are infused with creative energy and crowned with success.
curve, 1) n. кривая, выгиб, закругление; e.g. curve in the road. The parapet wall sweeps down in a bold curve. 2) v. гнуть, изгибать; e.g. In some cases, a building is entirely designed around curved lines.
enduring, adj. длительный, продолжительный, стойкий; e.g. enduring value. Even if her previous style may prove more enduring, these raw paintings will find many enthusiasts.
fail, v. потерпеть неудачу, не иметь успеха; не исполнить, не сделать, подвести; провалиться (на экзамене); e.g. to fail in negotiations, to fail in one’s object, to fail an examination. Don’t fail to let me know. He failed in his attempt to make his project more attractive.
height, n. высота, вышина; e.g. ten feet in height, at the height of one's success, to attain / reach a height, construction height, buildings exceeding .... stories in height.
match, v. подбирать, подходить, соответствовать; e.g. to be well/ill matched, to match the landscape. These colours don’t match. We try to match your desires with our possibilities
precise, adj.точный, определенный, четкий; e.g. precise definition; to be more precise; to make smth. more precise. Renaissance space was passive and invited contemplation of its precise symmetry.
residential, adj.жилой (о районе города); e.g. residential area, residential building, residential construction, residential settlement.
scale, n. масштаб, шкала, размер; e.g. on a large / small scale, natural scale, enormous scale, moderate scale, large-scale project, full-scale model. When you visit Tokyo you are immediately struck by the scale, size and intimacy of the things and environments around you.
scheme, n. план, проект, рисунок, схема, чертеж; e.g. building structural scheme, development scheme, door scheme, colour scheme. These architectural schemes offer solutions for living with water, whether it be in a single community, in a wide flood zone or in a drastically flooded world. succeed, v. преуспевать, достигать цели, следовать за кем-либо, чем-либо; e.g. to succeed in life, to succeed in doing smth. How to succeed in architecture?
suit, v. подходить, удовлетворять требованиям, устраивать ; e.g. little suited. He is not suited to be an architect. That suits me.
urban, adj. городской; e.g. urban renewal, urban area development plan, urban design, urban extension. And the new cities have a way of looking brighter and fresher than the old urban areas, which are often seen as jumbled and decaying.
valid, adj. действительный, имеющий силу, веский, обоснованный; e.g. valid for one year , statistically valid, legally valid. Damascus has a valid claim to be the world's oldest inhabited city.
visual, adj зрительный, визуальный, зримый; e.g. visual image, visual memory, visual effect. Experiments in visual perception have shown that the mind has a great influence on what we see.
width, n. ширина, широта, расстояние; e.g. width of views, width of wallpaper, storey width. Typical blocks were fabricated to measurements of three feet in length and 1,5 feet in width and height.
2. Give the definitions and the Russian equivalents of the following architectural terms.
1. entablature; 2. base; 3. shaft; 4. temple.
a) lower part of a column or pier, wider than the shaft, and resting on a plinth, pedestal, podium, or stylobate;
b) an impressive edifice for a particular public use;
c) in Classical architecture and its derivatives, an elaborate horizontal band and molding supported by columns;
d) the portion of a column, colonette, or pilaster between the base and the capital.
3. Form new words with the help of the following suffixes and translate them:
a) -ness: fresh, kind, sad, dark, happy, lazy, bitter, faithful, stubborn.
b) -er: design, plan, engine, bank, work, swim, run, read, make, mix.
c) -ar: column, scale, Luna, molecule.
4. Give the English equivalents of the following words and expressions:
Высота строительного объекта;
кривая линия;
продолжительный эффект;
содержать;
135 метров в высоту;
создавать;
градостроительное проектирование;
схема застройки;
зрительная память;
потерпеть фиаско;
вписаться в ландшафт;
на вершине успеха;
макет в натуральную величину;
Вас устраивает мое предложение?
обоснованное возражение;
городской район;
ширина этажа.
5. Read the text and answer the question «What were the most important achievements of the Ancient Greek architecture? »
Of all the ancient architectural styles, Greek architecture has proven to be the most enduring. Commenting on the buildings on the Acropolis at Athens, Plutarch remarked: “They were created in a short time for all time. Each in its fineness was even then at once age-old; but in the freshness of its vigour it is , even to the present day, recent and newly worked (=made).
The ambition of the ancient Greek architects was to discover eternally valid rules of form and proportion; to erect buildings human in scale yet suited to the divinity of their gods; to create a classically ideal architecture. It should be said that they succeeded in it. Greek architecture is important for several reasons: The first reason is its logic and order. Logic and order are at the heart of Greek architecture. The Hellenes planned their temples according to a coded scheme of parts, based first on function, then on a reasoned system of sculptural decoration. Mathematics determined the symmetry, the harmony, the eye’s pleasure. There had never been architecture in just this sense. Egyptian pyramid architecture had been an early attempt, but Greek building art offered the first clear, strong expression of a rational, national architectural creed. It is the supreme example of the intellect working logically to create a unified aesthetic effect. Greek designers used precise mathematical calculations to determine the height, width and other characteristics of architectural elements. These proportions might be changed slightly, and certain individual elements (columns, capitals, base platform), might be tapered or curved, in order to create the optimum visual effect, as if the building was a piece of sculpture. The second reason is its invention of the classical "orders": namely, the Doric Order, the Ionic Order and the Corinthian Order - according to the type of column, capital and entablature used. The third reason is its influence on other schools. Although Greek architects rarely progressed further than simple post-and-lintel building techniques, and failed to match the engineering techniques (arch, vault) developed in Roman architecture, they succeeded in creating the most beautiful, monumental structures of the Ancient World. Their formulas - devised as far back as 550 BC - paved the way for Renaissance and Neoclassical architecture, and had the greatest possible influence on the proportions, style and aesthetics of the 18th and 19th centuries. Modern architects, too, have been influenced by Greek architectural forms. Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), for instance, a leading figure in the First Chicago School, based a number of his skyscraper designs on the Greek template of base, shaft, and capital, while using vertical bands (reminiscent of the fluting on Greek columns) to draw the eye upwards. It is necessary to note that the Greeks derived much from other Mediterranean civilizations - the plan of the temple from Crete, the columnar form from Egypt, the capital from Assyria.
O
ne
more important achievement of the ancient Greeks is their conception
of the city. The Greek city with its clearly defined limits, compact
urban form and integrated social life often represents unparalleled
achievement to modern planners. The basic elements of the typical
Greek city plan comprise the acropolis, the enclosing city wall, the
agora or market place, residential districts, one or more leisure and
cultural areas, a religious precinct (if separate from the
acropolis), the harbour and port, and possibly an industrial
district. Moreover, Hellenistic (after 323 BC) cities contained
public fountains and theatres; specially devised council chambers;
gymnasia, schools and libraries. Cities like Alexandria and Corinth
had a limited form of street lighting.