Name: Date:

Inglés nivel II – Arquitectura – 15-05-2020

1) – Lee el texto y ordena los párrafos de forma que tenga coherencia.

Lars Spuybroek: The Architecture of Continuity

Parte 2

The Architecture of Continuity is, for the most part, a real textbook. All but
two of the essays and conversations were published previously. You have to
have what it takes as a writer to pull that off, and Spuybroek deserves the
benefit of the doubt. Certain lines of reasoning and citations are repeated often,
but since he has reviewed and rewritten the pieces for this publication that
doesn’t irritate. Instead, the reader is carried along on a chronological
quest in which Spuybroek tries to get closer to the core of his work.
What’s striking is that the first articles concentrate more on the techniques he
deploys, while the second half of the volume is more theoretically tinged. As a
result, some of his concepts and theories are mentioned early on, but it’s only
later that they are more precisely elaborated and positioned. That does not
make this an easy read. More pictures to illuminate the text would also have
enabled the reader to better understand the references, many of which are
historical.

Parte 4

All in all, whereas normal architecture, says Spuybroek, approaches aesthetics

from the perspective of the human ‘mind’, of contemplation, in accordance of
the ideas of the philosopher Kant, he searches for an active experience – i.e. an
experience that activates the body and arouses the senses. Mind and body
must not be separated from each other but, rather, influence each other deeply.
Spuybroek cites an experiment from the 1960s to show that human perception
is a natural product of the ‘mind’, but that it cannot be separated from bodily
action and movement. He then makes that immediately instrumental by
negating the difference between the different architectural elements

Parte 3

But what does Spuybroek want to achieve with his work? In his introduction to
the book – Spuybroek at his best! – he argues that architecture is in crisis.
There is no tension; all difference is smoothened out professionally. Everything
has become ‘cute’ and interchangeable. ‘Architecture is in its slumber
phase: there are no thoughts, no styles, no debates, no stakes, nothing
but vast global success. We live in a global era of cuteness. We have cute
architecture, cute critics, cute magazines, cute books, cute colors, cute forms,
cute materials.’ The only way to get out of this impasse, Spuybroek continues,
is radical aesthetics. After all, aesthetics covers all aspects of the profession:
how we design and build buildings, and also how we talk about them and
convince other people. So, all his work concentrates on the aesthetic
experience. Or, more precisely, the physical experience.

Parte 1

To begin with, it’s striking that architects who are active in the field of ‘non-
standard architecture’ always have difficulty presenting their work to a wider
audience, even if that audience consists of fellow architects. The presentations
may be slick and the images seductive, but the language is often
incomprehensible. Lars Spuybroek is one of the few who doesn’t become
entangled in technical jargon. In his lively lectures he cites unexpected historical
sources and deals with what are almost everyday, and certainly centuries-old,
 architectural problems. Moreover, a new book entitled The Architecture of
Continuity contains a compilation of essays and conversations about his work.
That raises expectations. Does this book help us to understand ‘non-standard-
architecture’?

2.- Answer the questions.(Responde las siguientes preguntas):

a) ¿Cómo se sienten los arquitectos que practican Arquitectura no estándar

ante audiencias grandes?

Tienen dificultades para presentar sus trabajos debido a que, pese a lo

seductor de sus presentaciones visuales, su lenguaje tiende a ser
incomprensible debido a la utilización de palabras muy técnicas.

b) ¿Qué dice Spuybroek en su libro “Lo mejor de Spuybroek” sobre la

Arquitectura?

Dice que la arquitectura debe basarse en la experiencia estética, radicalmente.

c) ¿Está Spuybroek conforme con la imagen de la Arquitectura? Justifique su

respuesta.

Esta incorme con la “imagen” de la arquitectura. Dice que la arquitectura y el

mundo en general esta en crisis. Una crisis de lo bonito. Todo es una imagen
linda, intercambiable. Menciona una etapa de ensueño, sin pensamientos, si
estilos, sin reflexión, solo un vasto éxito.

d) ¿Qué conclusión arroja el experimento de Spuybroek de 1960?

El experimento demuestra que la percepción humana, si bien es un producto

natural de la mente, no puede concebirse como algo separado de las acciones
y movimientos del cuerpo.

3.- Choose the correct option (Elige la opción correcta)

a) En la frase “The Architecture of Continuity is, for the most part, a real
textbook”, la frase “for the most part” se traduciría como:
 En su mayor parte;
 Por su parte más extensa;
 Para la mayoría;
 Para la mayor parte ;
 Todas las opciones son correctas;
 Ninguna de las opciones es correcta.

b) En la frase “Instead, the reader is carried along on a chronological quest

in which Spuybroek tries to get closer to the core of his work”, las
palabras “in which” hacen referencia a:
 El lector;
 Una búsqueda;
 Spuybroek;
 Una búsqueda cronológica;
 Todo es correcto;
 Nada de lo expuesto anteriormente es correcto.
 c) En la frase “Architecture is in its slumber phase: there are no thoughts, no
styles, no debates, no stakes, nothing but vast global success”, la palabra
“but” se utiliza para:

 Explayarse sobre una idea previa;

 Conectar dos ideas consecutivas;
Negar una idea previa para establecer una posterior; *Niega que no hay nada salvo
por el éxito global

 Todo lo anterior es correcto;

 Nada es correcto.

d) En la frase “After all, aesthetics covers all aspects of the profession: how
we design and build buildings, and also how we talk about them and
convince other people. So, all his work concentrates on the aesthetic
experience”, la palabra “so” se utiliza para:

 Dar una conclusión;

 Ejemplificar;
 Dar una definición;
 Negar una frase en pos de otra;
 Todo lo anterior es correcto;
 Nada es correcto.

4.- Traduce las siguientes oraciones de modo de que no se modifique la idea

principal. (Translate the sentences so as the main idea is not modified).

a The presentations may be slick and the images seductive, but the language is
often incomprehensible.
--------------Las presentaciones pueden ser ordenadas y las imagenes atractivas,
pero el lenguaje es incomprensible.

b. In his introduction to the book – Spuybroek at his best! – he argues that

architecture is in crisis.
----------------Es la introducción de su libro “Spuybroek at his best!” indica
porque la arquitectura esta en crisis.

c. After all, aesthetics covers all aspects of the profession: how we design and
build buildings, and also how we talk about them and convince other people.
--------------------Despues de todo, la estetica abarca todos los aspectos de la
profecion: como diseñamos y construimos edificios, asi como la manera en la
que nos referimos a ellos y convencemos a las personas.
d. Architecture is in its slumber phase: there are no thoughts, no styles, no
debates, no stakes, nothing but vast global success.
---------------------La arquitectura esta en en una etapa de ensueño: no hay
pensamientos, ni estilos, debates, inversiones, no hay nada mas que un vasto
existo global