Lappo_Anglysky_141_2014

*non-Euclidean hyperbolic geometry – неевклидова гипербо-

лическая геометрия.

Answer the questions:

1.How did Shukhov study at the gymnasium and at the Imperial Moscow Technical School?

2.Do you agree that a good education is a precondition of the future career? Give your reasons.

3.How would you characterize Vladimir Shukhov as a person?

4.What slogan did Vladimir Shukhov have? Do you agree with him? Why?

5.If not, which slogan would you make up?

6.Which of Shukhov’s works would you refer to the greatest achievements in engineering? Why?

7.What is your opinion in regard of the innovations introduced by V. Shukhov?

8.Do you think that hyperboloid structures have a great perspective in the future? Can you think of an example of its application at present?

Exercise 1

Find in the text the English equivalents of the following Russian words and word groups:

арочные конструкции, высшая точка (кульминационный пункт, совершенство), гиперболоидные конструкции, жесткий, изгиб (в конструкции), инновации, конструкционные формы с двойным изгибом, модификация (изменение), несущая конструкция, оболочечная конструкция, прорыв (в науке или технике), пространственно изогнутые решетчатые оболочки, растяжимая конструкция, решетчатая башенная конструкция, решетчатая оболочечная конструкция, решетчатые оболочки, решетчатые своды, широко образованный человек (крупный ученый).

Exercise 2

Match the words/word groups in section B with the definitions in section A:

A

1.to have a good reputation

2.the latest achievement in science or engineering;

3.alteration of a technical device;

4.upper point, perfect condition;

5.structures such as towers designed with hyperbolic geometry;

6.versatile scientist

7.attractive

8.bending (in a structure)

B hyperboloid structures; breakthrough; innovations; to be reputed; modification; the acme; polymath, alluring; curvature

Exercise 3

Write definitions to the following words/word groups:

novelty, shells, to get wide resonance, predecessor, to be put in operation, delight, to be renowned for.

Exercise 4

Translate the sentences paying attention to the infinitive and infinitive constructions:

1.In order to reduce the possible risk of ecological violations in nature on the scale of the Earth, several technical solutions are offered by the scientists.

2.We expect the builders to show good results.

3.The usual design technique is to check the footing stresses in order to assure the adequate thickness.

4.Galvanised steel bolts are used to connect the wall panel to the roof beam above.

5.To keep the masonry everywhere in compression is the main object of the structural design.

6.The method permits high-strength concrete to be used economically.

7.The purpose is to reduce shrinkage cracking.

8.The buildings have to be given additional bracing.

9.To enter the profession in Italy, individuals are required to first obtain a degree in Architecture, or a degree in Building Engineering/ Architecture, then to receive professional qualification, obtained by passing a state exam which consists of four tests (three written and one oral).

10.The purpose of our investigation was to study the effect of welding on the spatial deformations development and stability of construction elements.

11.It is impossible to erect modern buildings without the knowledge of new techniques.

12.A factor to consider is the space between the roof structure and the ceiling.

13.Reconstruction of the rural settlements distribution under new social – economic conditions should be done on the basis of realizing its planning structure hierarchy.

14.Graphic images allow to receive detailed data about the physical condition of the building, to trace sequence and sequence of repair works, and also to plan expenses for repair.

Exercise 5

Write an annotation to the text. Your annotation should be 10–12 sentences.

Home Task

1.Find more information about the life and creative activity of Shukhov and prepare a presentation in PowerPoint program devoted to this outstanding architect-engineer.

2.Find information about hyperboloid structures in the architecture of our days and make a short report about them.

Unit 4

Modernism in architecture

IBM Plaza, Chicago, designed by the American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Text A

Modernism

Modernism started out as a revolutionary movement in the wake of the industrial age. It was a way of embracing the ideology of functionalism, while simultaneously rejecting tradition and history. The Eiffel tower, which impressed everybody beyond words when it was erected for the Universal Exposition in 1889, can be regarded as a harbinger of modernism.

Modernism is the term used to describe the simplified, unornamented building styles which came into being at the turn of the XX century with efforts to reconcile the principles underlying architectural design with rapid technological advancement and the modernization of society. However it was not until after the Second World War that it gained mass popularity, after modernist planning was implemented as a solution to the previous failure of architecture and design to meet basic social needs.

Gaining popularity after the Second World War architectural modernism was adopted by many influential architects and architectural educators. Modernism is a term applied to the whole movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely. These building styles are also known by other labels like International Style, Neue Sachlichkeit or New

Objectivity, and Functionalism. There were numerous movements, schools of design, and architectural styles, some being in tension with one another, and often equally defying such classification. The concept of modernism is a central theme in these efforts. Modernism eventually generated reactions, most notably Postmodernism, which sought to preserve pre-modern elements, while Neomodernism emerged as a reaction to Postmodernism.

Proponents of the modern style wanted designs that were more in keeping with the social and political developments of a new age. It also became possible to implement these new design ideas as a result of new technological and engineering developments.

Materials like glass, steel, iron and concrete began to be widely used in construction. The architects who designed in this style were mainly inspired by machine aesthetics*. They determined the form of a building according to its functional requirements and the materials to be used. Simplified forms were preferred and all unnecessary details were banished.

Style icons of Modernism like Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the US, Otto Wagner in Vienna, Victor Horta in Brussels, Le Corbusier in France, Alvar Aalto in Finland made brilliant contributions to our heritage in the name of Modern Architecture, which also had the names of the International style and Functionalism, among others. Under slogans like «Less is More» and «Form follows Function» Modernists promoted ideals like simplicity in design, rationalism in use of materials, and functionalism* in planning. Although some of their buildings were said to be uninhabitable, like beautiful pieces of abstract art, they were certainly symbols of the new world.

Modern architects were also concerned with city planning, with Le Corbusier designing the city of Chandigarh in India and being involved in designing Brasilia in Brazil. The principle problem with modern architecture was its uncompromising focus on functionality and rectilinear forms. Although people sometimes use the terms «contemporary» and «modern» architecture interchangeably, they technically are not synonymous. The era of Modern Architecture is said to have come to its end in the mid 1970-s, when it was replaced by the postmodernist movement, but the impact of this epoch is still spreading its ripple effects in the world today. Modernism continues as a dominant architectural style for institutional and corporate buildings into the XXI century.

Notes:

*machine aesthetics Машинная эстетика.

[Имеется в виду концепция в искусстве, особенно в архитектуре 1920-х –30-х гг., согласно которой инфраструктура и предметы должны создаваться как единая среда, строго соответствуюет бытовым и производственным условиям жизни человека и совместно формируется инженерами и художниками в соответствии с социальными, техническими и эстетическими требованиями. Все элементы этой среды должны быть эстетически полноценными по своей сути, а не за счет украшательства.]

*functionalism функционализм.

[Функционализм — направление в архитектуре XX века, требующее строгого соответствия зданий и сооружений протекающим

вних производственным и бытовым процессам (функциям). Возник

вГермании (школа «Баухауc») и Нидерландах (Якобс Йоханнес Ауд). Используя достижения строительной техники, функционализм дал обоснованные приёмы и нормы планировки жилых комплексов (стандартные секции и квартиры, «строчная» застройка кварталов торцами зданий к улице).]

Answer the questions:

1.What does the term «Modernism» imply?

2.When did it gain mass popularity?

3.What were the architects who designed in this style mainly inspired by?

4.What movements followed Modernism?

5.What building materials were mainly used?

6.Which of the architects were the most prominent figures in regard to Modernism?

7.What were ideals and slogans of those architects?

8.What other names for Modernism can you remember?

9.What is the slight difference in using the words «contemporary» and «modern» interchangeably when speaking about architecture?

10.How great is the impact of Modernism epoch?

Exercise 1

Find the Russian translations in section B for the English words and word groups in section A:

Aideology of functionalism; reject (v), reconcile (v), previous (adj), defy (v), proponent (n), implement (v), inspire (v), banish (v), slogan (n), uninhabitable (adj), rectilinear forms, interchangeably (adv), impact of this epoch.

Bотвергать, взаимозаменяемо, предшествующий, прямолинейные формы, сторонник (защитник), претворять в жизнь, вдохновлять, влияние эпохи, отгонять (изгонять), примирять, лозунг, непригодный для жилья, игнорировать (пренебрегать), идеология функционализма.

Exercise 2

Read the text and find the terms associated with architectural styles and movements.

Exercise 3

Find in the text the English equivalents of the following Russian verbs:

вдохновлять, отвергать, производить впечатление, определять, конструировать, претворять в жизнь, порождать, сохранять, пренебрегать, варьироваться, примирять, рассматривать, отвергать, возводить.

Exercise 4

Match the words/word groups in the B section with the definitions in section A:

A

1.prevalent, main, having the biggest significance

2.to ignore, to have a negative attitude to

3.to originate, to start one`s existence;

4.to satisfy needs;

5.to coincide with smth., to be in accordance with smth.;

6.individuals, who support or have a positive attitude to smth.;

7.to do an action or a service that helps to cause or increase something

B

to come into being, to meet needs, to make contribution, defy, proponents, to be in keeping with something, dominant.

Exercise 4

Find examples of Infinitive and Participial Constructions in the text.

Exercise 5

Translate the following sentences paying attention to Participial Constructions:

1.Having interconnected four corner columns by edge beams the builders formed a rigid framed structure.

2.The site being with limited open space, there was used an off-site construction method for erecting the building.

3.The project having been completed, they could undertake another task.

4.Architects control a project from start to finish and work with a number of construction professionals, including surveyors and engineers producing drawings and specifications.

5.He was heard discussing construction problems with the chief engineer.

6.The ends comprise two panels, the uprights being spaced at 3.90 m centres.

7.The floor panels have different spans, the different slab strengths being provided by post-tensioning.

8.The project having been approved, they started working at it immediately.

9.The Stata Complex includes two towers sitting on a wide base, the roof of the base being the heart of the Stata Complex.

10.Architectural modernism was adopted by many influential architects and architectural educators, its popularity increasingly spreading.

Exercise 6

Translate the following sentences paying attention to Infinitive Constructions:

1.Oscar Niemeyer was a Brazilian architect who is considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture.

2.Stone and solid concrete are said to have less tensile strength than fibrous wood.

3.Niemeyer’s handling of scale, proportion and program allowed him to resolve several complex problems through applying simple and intelligent plans.

4.The architect wanted this project to be really unique.

5.Wood is expected to have low strength under long term loads and at high temperatures.

6.His report is said to have impressed the audience.

7.Steel is known to be widely used in building.

8.The operational reliability of reinforced concrete bridge structures is considered to increase through the use of carbon fiber.

9.A rational number of workers’ teams are intended to do the works taking into account the output reached by the teams and specialization of contract organizations.

10.The period from 1724 to 1732 was regarded to be the time characterized by the absence of results for the Saint-Petersburg town planning and architecture, the time when all architectural and construction creative processes led to destruction and withering.

11.Architects are required to be licensed before they can practice architecture.

Exercise 7

Write a plan to the text.

Exercise 8

Write an annotation to the text. It should contain 10–12 sentences.

Home task

Study the contents of Visual Appendix to Unit 4 and do the tasks.

Text B

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) was a German-American architect. He served as the last director of Berlin's Bauhaus, and then headed the department of architecture, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where he developed the Second Chicago School. Along with Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, and Frank Lloyd Wright, he is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture. Mies was born in Aachen, Germany. He worked in his father’s stone-carving shop and at several local design firms before he moved to Berlin. He began his architectural career as an apprentice at the studio of Peter Behrens from 1908 to 1912, where he was exposed to the current design theories and to progressive German culture, working alongside Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, who were later also involved in the development of the Bauhaus*. Mies served as construction manager of the Embassy of the German Empire in Saint-Petersburg under Behrens.

Mies began his independent professional career designing upperclass homes. He admired the broad proportions, regularity of rhythmic elements, attention to the relationship of the man-made to nature, he rejected the eclectic and cluttered classical styles so common at the turn of the twentieth century as irrelevant to the modern times. After World War I, he joined his avant-garde peers* in the long-running search for a new style that would be suitable for the modern industrial age.

While continuing his traditional neoclassical design practice, Mies began to develop visionary projects that rocketed him to fame as an architect capable of giving form that was in harmony with the spirit of the emerging modern society. Boldly abandoning ornament altogether, Mies made a dramatic modernist debut with his all-glass Friedrichstraße skyscraper in 1921, followed by a taller version in 1922 named the Glass Skyscraper. He continued with a series of pioneering projects, culminating in his two European masterworks: the temporary German Pavilion for the Barcelona exposition in 1929 and the elegant Villa Tugendhat in Brno, Czech Republic, completed in 1930.

He was also one of the founders of the architectural association Der Ring*. He joined the avant-garde Bauhaus design school as their director of architecture, adopting and developing their functionalist application of simple geometric forms in the design of useful objects.

Commission opportunities dwindled with the worldwide depression after 1929. Starting in 1930, Mies served as the last director of the faltering Bauhaus*, at the request of his colleague and competitor Walter Gropius. In 1932, Nazi political pressure forced the state-supported school to leave its campus in Dessau, and Mies moved it to an abandoned telephone factory in Berlin. By 1933, however, the continued operation of the school was untenable (it was raided by the Gestapo in April), and in July of that year, Mies and the faculty voted to close the Bauhaus. He built very little in these years, for the Nazis rejected his style as not «German» in character.

Frustrated and unhappy, he had to emigrate to the USA in 1937, accepting a residential commission in Wyoming and then an offer to head the department of architecture of the newly established Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT)* in Chicago. One of the benefits of taking this position was that he would be commissioned to design the new buildings and master plan for the campus. All his buildings still stand there, including Alumni Hall, the Chapel, and his masterpiece the Crown Hall, built as the home of IIT’s School of Architecture. The Crown Hall is widely regarded as Mies’ finest work, the definition of Miesian architecture.

In 1944, he became an American citizen. His thirty years as an American architect reflect a more structural, pure approach toward achieving his goal of a new architecture for the twentieth century. Mies, like many of his post-World War I contemporaries, sought to establish a new architectural style that could represent modern times just as Classical and Gothic did for their own eras. He sought a rational approach that would guide the creative

process of architectural design, but he was always concerned with expressing the spirit of the modern era. He is often associated with his quotation of the aphorisms, «less is more» and «God is in the details». He created an influential twentieth century architectural style, stated with extreme clarity and simplicity. His architecture, with origins in the German Bauhaus and western European International Style, became an accepted mode of building for American cultural and educational institutions, developers, public agencies, and large corporations.

Notes:

*The Bauhaus – Баухауз́ (нем. Bauhaus — Высшая школа строительства и художественного конструирования) — учебное заведение, существовавшее в Германии с 1919 по 1933, а также художественное объединение, возникшее в рамках этого заведения, и соответствующее направление в архитектуре, известное как интернациональный стиль. Это была архитектура индустриального общества, которая не скрывала своего утилитарного предназначения и способности экономить на «архитектурных излишествах». Неофициальным девизом движения был предложенный Мис ван дер Роэ парадокс: «The less is more» («Меньше — значит больше»).

*peer ровня, равный [= a person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person].

*architectural association der Ring имеется в виду ассоциа-

ция архитекторов «Дер Ринг» (Der Ring), основанная в 1926 в Берлине. Это был коллектив молодых архитекторов, объединенный общей целью продвижения архитектуры модернизма.

*Illinois Institute of Technology Иллинойский технологиче-

ский институт, основанный в 1940 году. Общую концепцию кампуса института, расположенного на юге Чикаго, и отдельные здания спроектировал в 1938 году Людвиг Мис ван дер Роэ. Некоторые здания кампуса охраняются государством как памятники неороманской архитектуры.

Answer the questions:

1.Where did Mies start his career as an architect?

2.Which of his two colleagues were also involved with the Bauhouse? What do you know about them?

3.What kind of experience did Mies have in Russia?

4.How could his work be characterized after World War I?

5.What was he forced to do under the Nazi political pressure?

6.When did he have to emigrate to the USA? Did he have anything to do there?

7.What is generally considered to be his finest work?

8.The author of the article mentions Classical and Gothic architectural styles. Could you briefly characterize these two styles?

9.What aphorisms of Mies are mentioned in the text? Do you agree with them? Why? / Why not? Give your reasons.

Exercise 1

Find the English equivalents in the text of the following Russian words and word groups:

подвергаться, выражать дух современности, неподходящий (несоответствующий), поиск, профессорско-преподавательский состав (амер.), доверенность (полномочие, поручение), дома для представителей высшего света, преимущество, генплан, уменьшаться (сокращаться, приходить в упадок), современники, считаться, афоризм, доверять (поручать, наделять полномочиями).

Exercise 2

Define the meaning of the following words used in the text and use these words in your own sentences:

apprentice, falter; untenable, frustrated, founder.

Exercise 3

Define the Voice and Tense of the predicates in the following sentences and translate into Russian.

1.Unlike most professions, architects are fairly accustomed to standing up in front of a group of people and publicly speaking.

2.When speaking in front of a big group of people John was afraid of sounding like an idiot.

3.During his presentation in the congress hall Mary was standing in the light which was a correct thing to do, because speakers should

always pay attention to how the space is lit and make sure that they are standing in the light.

4.Architects are licensed professionals trained in the art and science of the design and construction of buildings and structures that primarily provide shelter.

5.An architect will create the overall aesthetic and look of buildings and structures, but the design of a building involves far more than its appearance.

6.If you are thinking about becoming an architect, it is important to remember that there are many aspects involved with this job.

7.John had been licensed before he started his practice in the field of architecture in New York in 1998.

8.Graduation from a non-accredited program will certainly meet the educational requirement for licensing in a few states.

9.Most state architectural registration boards require architecture graduates to complete an internship in order to become licensed.

10.Architecture graduates of our university have been required to complete an internship in order to become licensed in the USA.

11.In order to maintain the license, which was given to him 5 years ago, Ted had to continue education through different workshops, formal university classes, international conferences, as well as self-study courses.

Exercise 4

Write an annotation to the text. It should be 10–12 sentences.

Home Task

1.Find information about the creations by Mies in the internet and make a short report in PowerPoint program using as an example one of the early period works and one of his mature period works.

2.As an alternative, you may pick up information about any other architect mentioned in the text as «Style icons of Modernism» and prepare a presentation about this architect.

Unit 5

Great Masters of Modern Architecture

Pier Luigi Nervi (1891–1979)

Text A

Pier Luigi Nervi

Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect, internationally renowned for his technical ingenuity and dramatic sense of design, especially as applied to large-span structures built of reinforced concrete. His important works include a prefabricated 309-foot-span arch for the Turin Exhibition (1949–50) and the first skyscraper in Italy, the Pirelli Building (1955) in Milan, a collaborative design.

Nervi graduated from the University of Bologna in 1913. During World War I he served as a lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers of the Italian army, and after the war he worked as an engineer in Bologna and Florence. In 1932, Nervi and his relative in Rome formed the contracting firm of Nervi and Bartoli, with which he would remain through the rest of his career. In 1935, the Italian air force held a competition for a series of hangars to be built throughout Italy. Nervi conceived them as concrete vaults, with huge spans that could be constructed at low cost, and he was commissioned for the project. All of these structures were destroyed during World War II.

Each of these early structures showed the growth of conceptual design that resulted from Nervi’s ceaseless search for new solutions to structural problems. His creativity was not confined to the design of buildings; during World War II, he attempted to construct vessels made of concrete for the Italian navy, but the project was not completed. After the war, he did succeed in building a 165-ton, motor-powered, concrete sailboat, then he built another one, with a hull only a half inch thick. For

both of these vessels, he used ferrocemento*, a material of his own invention, composed of dense concrete, heavily reinforced with evenly distributed steel mesh that gives it both lightness and strength.

This material was vital in Nervi’s design for a complex he built for the Turin Exhibition in 1949–50 – a prefabricated structure in the form of a corrugated cylindrical arch, spanning 309 feet (93 m), based on modular components of glass and ferrocemento. Without the structural properties of this material, the entire conception would have been infeasible.

A close relationship between Nervi’s work and his austere life was evident. His solutions of building problems were always direct, transmitting to the ground by the shortest path the stresses developed within the structures. His works were relatively unaffected by the changes in taste that accompanied the advent of new forms in architecture. As a professor at the University of Rome from 1947, Nervi taught, that a designer can develop truthful solutions in three ways: by understanding the pure harmony of the laws of the physical world that regulate the equilibrium of forces and the resistance of materials; by honestly interpreting the essential factors of each problem; and by rejecting the limitations of the solutions of the past.

In 1950, when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to build its new headquarters in Paris, Nervi was one of the architects selected to design it. Marcel Breuer, one of his collaborators, described Nervi’s participation in the project as «a continuous search for a system: a system of geometric rhythm». Later he said of him: «If there is a notion that arrogance and reckless irresponsibility are the very attributes of genius, a notion that to be a genius means not to be quite human, there is Nervi to disprove this notion».

In 1955, in association with a group of architects, Nervi helped design the first skyscraper in Italy, the Pirelli Building; it was the first office building to use a long-span structure – 80 feet (25 m). Although architects and engineers in the United States had long experience in the design and construction of skyscrapers, they had invariably designed them around frameworks consisting of series of smaller spans. For the Pirelli Building, Nervi used experimental models–as he often had–which he tested in the laboratory at Bergamo. His second skyscraper was built in Montreal, again in collaboration, and his third was Australia Square (1962–69; Sydney), a cylindrical tower of 50 storeys. At the time, this was the tallest concrete structure in the world. In 1957 and 1958–59, for the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, Nervi designed two sport palaces. The first building that he designed in the USA.was commissioned by the Port

of New York Authority. It was the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, in Manhattan, built in 1961–62.

After years of intense practice in Italy and abroad, Nervi reduced his activities as a builder in the late 1960 s. Assisted by two of his sons, Antonio, a structural engineer, and Mario, an architect, he began to confine his activities largely to designs. An increasing number of his projects now were done in association with foreign architects.

Although Nervi’s primary concern was never aesthetic, many of his works, nonetheless, reached the realm of poetry. In 1961, Harvard University even appointed Nervi to the Charles Eliot Norton Chair of Poetry and in 1963 awarded him an honorary degree. His buildings achieved remarkable expressive force, as in the geometry of the slabs in the Gatti wool factory (1953), in Rome, and the mezzanine of the Palace of Labour, in Turin. Through his use of interpenetrating planes, and of warping surfaces, Nervi introduced a new three-dimensional vocabulary into architectural design. He reminded architects, that «materials, statics, the technology of construction, economic efficiency and functional needs are the «vocabulary of the architectural speech». Nervi’s contribution has been compared to that of Joseph Paxton*, the builder whose work revolutionized architecture, who built the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. In both instances, highly rational and innovative structures resulted from a continuous process of devoted search and development, with an emphasis on modular construction, prefabrication, and extreme physical and visual lightness.

Notes:

*ferrocemento – железобетон (соответствует английскому термину

«reinforced concrete»).

*Joseph Paxton – Сэр Джозеф́ Пэкстон́ (1803–1865), английский архитектор, садовод и ботаник, известный как автор проекта Хрустального дворца в лондонском Гайд-парке.

Answer the questions:

1.What was Pier Luigi Nervi famous for?

2.What did he serve do during the World War I?

3.What kind of company did Nervi and his relative in Rome establish?

4.How long was Nervi engaged in its activities?

5.What kind of competition did the Italian air force hold in 1935?

6.What did his activities include in his early period? What else was created by Pier Luigi Nervi?

7.What material did Nervi invent? What properties did it have?

8.What structure did he design for the Turin Exhibition in 1949–50?

9.In what ways, according to Nervi, should a designer develop truthful solutions?

10.What building did the UNESCO commission Nervi to design in Paris in 1950?

11.What was the principle difference between the design of skyscrapers usually developed by American architects and engineers and the design worked out by Nervi?

12.By what means did Nervi introduce a new three-dimensional vocabulary into architectural design?

13.Why was Nervi considered an architect, whose structures reached the realm of poetry?

14.What things are, according to Nervi, the «vocabulary of the architectural speech»?

15.What was Nervi`s contribution to architecture?

Exercise 1

Find the Russian translations in section B for the English words and word groups in section A:

Alarge-span structures, steel mesh, corrugated cylindrical arch, infeasible, the advent of new forms in architecture, modular construction, equilibrium of forces, collaborators, skyscraper, the realm of poetry, at low cost, framework, interpenetrating planes, warping surfaces, statics, contribution, prefabrication, ceaseless search, extreme physical and visual lightness, vaults, slab, vessels.

Bпришествие новых форм в архитектуру, равновесие сил, сотрудники (единомышленники), в сотрудничестве (совместно), область поэзии, взаимопроникающие пластины, чрезвычайная физическая и визуальная легкость, невыполнимый (неосуществимый), своды, суда, искривленные поверхности, статика, вклад, стальная сетка, плита (блок, панель перекрытия), неустанные поиски, заводское изготовление, сборное строительство из объемных блоков

(модулей), небоскреб, рифленая цилиндрическая арка, большепролетные конструкции, при низкой себестоимости, каркас.

Exercise 2

1.Substitute the word «renowned» with its synonym/s.

2.The author of the article says that Nervi has «technical ingenuity». What does it mean?

3.Provide a definition of the «modular construction».

Exercise 3

Translate the sentences paying attention to the infinitive structures

Complex Subject and Complex Object):

1.Ferrocemento is known to have been invented and introduced into construction practice by Nervi.

2.Nervi wanted young architects to realize the importance of a complex knowledge of all engineering technique, materials, efficiency raising methods, etc. for creating highly rational and innovative structures.

3.High design standards are said to be linked to the realities of industrial production.

4.Design was regarded to be an exercise in rational thought applied to making of form.

5.He intended his projects to be done in association with foreign architects.

6.Nervi was thought to be in search for a system of geometric rhythm in his constructions.

7.The Pirelli Building is considered to be the first office building to use a long-span structure – 80 feet (25 m).

8.The first works of Nervi are believed to have been destroyed during the war.

9.Nervi wanted his students to pay attention to materials, statics, the technology of construction, economic efficiency and functional needs which he thought to be the «vocabulary of the architectural speech».

Exercise 4

Translate the following sentences paying attention to modifiers determining the part of speech they belong.

1.It is vital for the success of the building project and the use of the constructed building that an integrated approach is adopted.

2.Framed construction also has a long practice starting with the framed construction of low rise buildings from timber and followed by early experiments with iron and reinforced concrete frames.

3.Masonry loadbearing construction is well established in the building sector.

4.There are a number of fundamental principles that we must consider when we start to design and erect a building.

5.The performance of the building will be determined by a number of interrelated factors set by the client, legislation and society.

6.The materials to be used for making concrete are mixed with water.

7.The water added must be sufficient to allow the chemical reaction to take place and enable the concrete to be worked (poured or vibrated) into place.

8.The width of a concrete strip foundation depends on the bearing capacity of the subsoil and the load on the foundations.

9.There has to be a sufficient cover of concrete below the steel reinforcing rods to ensure a good bond between the concrete and steel and to protect the steel from corrosion.

10.The moderate compressive and tensile strength of timber members has long been used to construct a frame of walls, floors and roofs for houses.

11.A stair, or stairway, is the name given to a set of steps formed or constructed to make it possible to pass to another level on foot by putting one foot after the other on alternate steps to climb up or down the stair.

Exercise 5

Find gerunds in the 5th paragraph of the text and define their function in the sentence.

Exercise 6

Translate the following sentences paying attention at gerunds and define their function in the sentences:

1.We develop early a way of understanding objects around us through empathy, of imagining ourselves inside the object and feeling how gravity works on it.