Architecture

7.1 I C O N I C B U I L D I N G S

GRAMMAR
• the passive
VOCABULARY
• describing buildings
• idioms
• prefixes

SCENARIO
• talking about requirements
• deciding on facilities in
a hotel
STUDY SKILLS
• identifying fact and opinion

WRITING SKILLS
• an opinion-led essay

A house is a machine for living in. Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris), 1887-1965, Swiss architect

VOCABULARY
DESCRIBING BUILDINGS
1 What is your favourite building? Why do you like it?
I always visit the Colosseum when I'm in Rome; it's
2a Are these adjectives for describing buildings magnificent. I suppose it's what many people think of
positive, negative or neutral? when you say classical architecture. It's an incredibly
ancient classical contemporary derelict impressive building, and to me represents the power
dilapidated elegant graceful imposing of the Roman Empire. It was constructed way back in
impressive innovative magnificent ornate AD 80. It's a vast amphitheatre and big crowds used to
run-down stylish traditional ugly go there to watch gladiators and fights between wild
animals. It's made of stone and concrete, and although
it was damaged by earthquakes in the 15th century, the
2b Decide which adjectives in Exercise 2a can main structure has survived for almost 2,000 years. It
describe a building which is: used to look rather run-down, but recently it has been
1 not in good condition renovated and partly restored.
2 not modern
3 unattractive
4 new and different
5 attractive
6 decorative
7 modern
8 important-looking

PRONUNCIATION
3 K B Word stress Underline the stress on the
adjectives in Exercise 2a. Put them in groups of words
with first- and second-syllable stress. Compare your
ideas with a partner, then listen and check.

66

4 Look at the photos on these pages. Describe each
building. Which do you like most? Why?
5a Match verbs 1-8 with their meanings a - h .
1 damage a repair to put in original condition
2 rebuild b keep in good condition
3 construct c build
4 demolish d ask someone to build
5 maintain e erect again
6 restore f plan
7 commission g harm
8 design h knock down
5b Put the verbs in order to show the stages in the life
of a building.
READING
6a Read the statements. Are they true or false? Guess
the answers from your knowledge. Compare your
ideas with a partner.
The Colosseum
1 was built in the 15th century.
2 was a place where people watched fights.
3 is older than the other two structures.
4 is currently in very bad condition.
The Taj Mahal
5 was built as a palace for an emperor.
6 was constructed over 500 years ago.
7 is in danger.
The Eiffel Tower
8 has always been popular.
9 was the world's tallest building.
10 was never intended to be permanent.
6b Read the website texts and check your answers.
I love the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. Seeing
it for the first time was a breathtaking
moment It was built by Emperor Shah
Jahan in memory of his wife, who died in
childbirth. Although it looks like a palace,
it is a tomb. It's strange that something so
beautiful was built for such a sad reason.
It looks very traditional with the huge
dome, but actually the design also feels very
contemporary, even though it was finished
in 1653. The white marble exterior and
its carvings look amazing in the sun. The
interior decoration is also very detailed and
ornate. It was built using materials from all
around India and Asia, and using over 1,000
elephants. I read that in the 19th century it
was looking quite dilapidated, but was then
restored. It seems environmental pollution
is the biggest threat today as it is making
the marble yellow.
ICONIC BUILDINGS
7 Match words in the texts with their meanings 1-10.
1 a circular building with seats arranged on a slope (text A)
2 continued to exist in difficult conditions (text A)
3 repair a building so it is in good condition (text A)
4 a place for a dead person (text B)
5 a round roof on a building (text B)
6 the outside (text B)
7 the inside (text B)
8 a building which is easily noticed (text C)
9 not lasting or needed for very long (text C)
10 something ugly or very unpleasant to look at (text C)
SPEAKING AND WRITING
8 Work with a partner. Describe a building in your country
or a country you know well. Talk about these topics.
• where it is
• why you like it
• what is special about it
• why you would recommend a visitor to see it
9 Interpreting ideas Discuss the questions with your partner.
1 What do you think is the most iconic building in
your country?
2 Do you think it is a good representation of your
architectural culture? Why?AA/hy not?
3 What buildings in other countries do you consider
to be iconic?
10 Write a paragraph about the building you discussed
in Exercise 8 or 9.
Q MEET THE EXPERT
Watch an interview with Laura Mark,
an architectural journalist, about
innovative designs.
Turn to page 152 for video activities.
C THE EIFFEL TOWER
My favourite building or structure, I
suppose, is the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It's
one of the world's best-known landmarks
and it captures the atmosphere of Paris for
me. It looks so elegant and graceful rising
above the city. It was commissioned and
designed as a temporary structure for the
1889 Universal Exhibition, but has never
been taken down, although apparently at
the time there was a lot of opposition from
the public to it, with many people calling it
an eyesore. It's massive. I think it's about
300 metres tall - and it was the world's
tallest structure until about 1930. When it
was built, it was a very innovative design,
but it takes a lot to maintain - each part of
it is repainted every seven years!
67
 MEET THE EXPERT
Q ARCHITECTURE
3b Watch the interview again and
complete the missing information.
1 Work with a partner. Look at the three buildings in the photos 4 Work in groups and discuss the
and answer the questions. questions.
1 Are there any unusual buildings in your
city?
2 What are your favourite buildings? Why
do you like them?
3 If you could design a building for your
local area, what would you design?

El GLOBALISATION

1 a Match the adjectives in the box with

their meanings below.

egalitarian hierarchical stifling

relationship-oriented task-driven

1 a system where people are divided into

levels of importance
2 focused more on results
1 Where do you think each building is? 3 a belief that everyone is equal and
2 What do you think it's used for? should have equal rights
3 What adjectives would you use to describe each one? 4 a situation which stops you developing
4 Which one do you like best? your own ideas and character
5 a belief that good contact with
2 MM Watch an interview with Laura Mark, a journalist for a colleagues is important
magazine on architecture, and tick which four of the sentences (a-g)
she says are unusual about the Sesc Pompeia building. 1 b Work in groups. Which words/phrases
a It wasn't common at the time it was built for women architects to would you use to describe the way people
build large buildings, communicate in your culture? Which other
b Lina Bo Bardi had already built many buildings like this, words/phrases would you use?
c She changed a building that was there rather than building it from new.
d Before that, concrete had rarely been used on such a large scale,
2 •*MM Watch the interview with
Richard Cook, who talks about working
e She built the walls from plaster. in a global environment, and put the
f The windows look very different from the rest of the building, quotes in the order he says them.
g The building was popular at the time, but not now. a and this is because they maybe have
3a Work with a partner and look at the notes below. Can you different ways of communicating or
remember the missing information? different styles of leadership.'
b 'Well, a global business environment
can mean different things for different

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152
7.2 SOLVING PROBLEMS

SPEAKING A N D READING GRAMMAR

1 W o r k w i t h a p a r t n e r t o discuss t h e q u e s t i o n s .
1 W h e r e d o most p e o p l e live in y o u r country? In
houses or apartments?
2 H o w large is the average house/apartment? Is l i m i t e d
space a c o m m o n problem?
3 D o y o u n g p e o p l e tend to live w i t h their parents or
live alone? W h y ?
THE PASSIVE (1)
6a Look at t h e three highlighted examples of the passive
in t h e article. M a t c h t h e m w i t h statements a and b.
a W e use the passive if the agent is u n i m p o r t a n t ,
o b v i o u s or u n k n o w n ,
b If the agent is specified, this comes at the end of the
clause and f o l l o w s by.

2a L o o k at t h e p h o t o s a n d d e s c r i b e t h e m . W h i c h 6b M a t c h t h e h i g h l i g h t e d e x a m p l e s w i t h t h e tenses.
looks the most interesting building, and why? • present s i m p l e
2b Read the article and m a t c h t h e p h o t o s w i t h parts 1-4. • present c o n t i n u o u s
• future simple
3 Read t h e article again a n d c o m p l e t e t h e t a b l e .
6c H o w are t h e passives f o r m e d ?

^ Language reference and extra practice, pages 126-149

W h o designed it?
W h e r e is the 7 C o m p l e t e t h e sentences w i t h t h e c o r r e c t passive
building? f o r m of the verb (present simple, present continuous
o r f u t u r e s i m p l e ) . S o m e t i m e s t h e r e is m o r e t h a n o n e
W h a t materials
possible a n s w e r .
are used?
1 A t present, several space-saving houses
H o w b i g is the
(manufacture) by our f i r m .
building?
2 Triangular f l o a t i n g schools (build) in Nigeria
W h y is the in the near future.
b u i l d i n g special? 3 The house (make) m a i n l y of glass.
4 N e w apartments (build) across the street.
4 Evaluating W o r k in small g r o u p s t o discuss t h e 5 N e x t year, the disused garages (convert) into
questions. affordable homes.
6 Research (carry out) by the R & D team into
1 W h a t are the advantages and disadvantages of l i v i n g
the l i v i n g needs of y o u n g adults.
in each house?
7 The project (not finish) o n t i m e if w e d o n ' t
2 W h i c h house w o u l d y o u most like to live in, and why?
get the i n f o r m a t i o n w e need.
3 W h i c h of the f o l l o w i n g do y o u think are the most
important problems facing architects in your country?
• insulation ( m a i n t a i n i n g heat in c o l d climates) LISTENING
• keeping c o o l in hot climates 8a B H I M a r t a G a t t a r o s a , an architect, is a n s w e r i n g
• efficient use of space q u e s t i o n s f r o m s t u d e n t s o f a r c h i t e c t u r e . Listen a n d
• being environmentally friendly w r i t e t h e t h r e e q u e s t i o n s t h e y ask.
• fitting in w i t h the local surroundings
8b Listen again a n d t a k e notes o n her answers.
• being visually attractive
8c C o m p a r e y o u r notes w i t h a partner.
5 M a t c h w o r d s in t h e article w i t h t h e i r m e a n i n g s 1-6.
1 excellent and unusual (part 1)
SPEAKING
2 extremely clever (part 1)
3 many (part 2) 9 W o r k in small g r o u p s . W h y d o y o u n g p e o p l e
4 not h a v i n g e n o u g h space (part 3) increasingly live w i t h t h e i r parents till later in life?
5 the shape or arrangement of the parts of s o m e t h i n g T h i n k a b o u t these q u e s t i o n s a n d discuss.
(part 3) • Is it m o r e expensive for y o u n g people these days
6 tiny (part 4) (college loans, expensive car insurance)?
• W h a t percentage of their i n c o m e d o people spend
on rent/mortgage?
• Is there a lack of affordable housing?
• Are there other reasons w h y y o u n g people might
choose to stay at home?
• Are p e o p l e getting married and h a v i n g families w h e n
they are older?

68
 SOLVING PROBLEMS

ho wants to live in a house like this?

From the 'Sliding House' to Poland's 3 Domestic Transformer
narrowest house, Sachiko Kimura Hong Kong is one of the world's most
chooses her favourite homes that densely populated cities. Architect Gary
solve space problems or deal with Chang grew up there in a tiny flat with
the challenge of the climate. six others. Chang has come up with an
innovative answer to the increasingly
1 The Sliding House
cramped lives of many urban dwellers.
This remarkable building was built in
I think he has transformed his cramped
Suffolk, UK, by architects dRMM. They
apartment into something really special.
were asked by the owners to prioritise 2
The tiny 32m rectangular apartment
three things: light, space and a connection
has polished chrome walls that can
with the outdoors. The architects came up
change into 24 different configurations,
with a space that changes, using a huge,
each serving a specific need. The space
20-tonne sliding glass cover on railway
available can change into a home theatre,
tracks. The cover protects the building
spa, kitchen, bedroom or a chill-out room
and also transforms it. The building
with a hammock, depending on what
lives and breathes and is an ingenious
Chang needs at any moment. Chang
solution. But most of all, I think it is fun
hopes his dwelling offers a viable life-
and makes people smile when they see it.
enhancing alternative for people in Hong
At present, several sliding houses are being
Kong who can't afford anything bigger.
manufactured by dRMM.
4 Keret's House
2 Reflection of the Mineral
I was intrigued by Poland's narrowest
I have always loved Japanese space-saving
house. The tiny house measures just
architecture and especially the brilliant
2 91cm across at the narrowest point and
capsule hotels. This 146m house, built
is wedged into the gap between two
in Nagano, Tokyo, is proof that 'less
buildings in Warsaw. It is clearly not
is more'. It was designed by Yasuhiro
designed with family life in mind and
Yamashita and I like the successful use
is only just big enoughforone person
of modern architectural ideas combined
to inch their way from the single bed
with clever use of space as well as
through the miniscule kitchen and into
structural design. It really has made use
the tiny toilet. The building started life as
of every inch of space available. Even
an art installation designed by film maker
the furniture and appliances have been
Etgar Keret, who then decided to use
constructed keeping the contours of this
the property as a workplace when he
extraordinary building in mind. The
was in Poland. There is only a total floor
house has won numerous architectural
space of 46 square feet in the two-floor
awards and experts think it will soon be
structure which is made of iron.
recognised as a landmark in its own right.

69
 BUILDING BRIDGES

READING
1 Do you recognise the bridges in the photos? What is
the most impressive bridge in your country?
2 Read the introduction to the article. Which of these
reasons account for the importance of bridges?
1 They are essential for transporting goods and trade.
2 They have military significance.
3 They bring beauty into our lives.
4 They symbolise people or places.
5 They give people more belief in their ability to
achieve things.

3 Read the rest of the article and answer the

questions.
1 Which bridge was made with soft stone?
2 Which was built to resist disasters?
3 Which changes its dimensions according to the
temperature?
4 Which looks like a musical instrument?

4 Comparing features Read the article again and make

notes. Compare the bridges in terms of age, length,
appearance and use.

VOCABULARY
IDIOMS, PREFIXES
5 Read the introduction again. Complete the
sentences with the correct form of the idioms in
the article.
1

2
I'm not leaving this job till I've got something to go
to. I don't want to .
We don't need to look at the problem of falling sales
BRIDGING THE GAP
yet. Let's . ijyi easured by the effect they have on our spirits
3 Don't worry about it anymore. It's S and imagination, bridges are the highest form of
4 I've had a few arguments with colleagues. If I want architecture. They stand as metaphors for so much
to get promoted, I need to . in life. 'Let's cross that bridge when we come to it,' I
remark, when I want to put off thinking about some nasty
6a Look at the words in the box. Underline the dilemma. If I quit a secure job, I am 'burning my bridges'.
prefixes, then match them with meanings 1-4. If I make friends with strangers, I am 'building bridges'. If
I argue with someone, but want to forget it and be friends
indisputable misplaced overcome revitalise again, I say, 'It's all water under the bridge.'
unusual Why do we hold bridges in such regard? One reason is
surely that, because of their strategic importance, they are
1 again often scenes offiercebattles and thrilling heroics. Another
2 not (x2 prefixes) is that a bridge can often embody the spirit of a city, even
3 wrongly an entire nation, as the Sydney Harbour or Brooklyn
4 be too strong / too much Bridges do, or the Stari Most did until it was destroyed in
the Bosnian conflict. (Fortunately, it has since been rebuilt
6b Add prefixes to the words to change the meaning. and is now listed as a World Heritage Site.)
1 important But perhaps the chief reason is that a bridge is a leap
2 understand of daring: a symbol of mankind's belief in its ability to
3 crowded overcome any natural obstacle, no matter how wide,
4 significant deep or windswept. That belief has occasionally been
5 define tragically misplaced, for example the collapse of the
6 sensitive Hintze-Ribeiro bridge in Portugal killing fifty-nine people,
but it has never been shattered.
What's indisputable is that our own age has seen one of
the most innovative bursts of bridge-building ever.

70

Charles Bridge
G o l d e n Gate Bridge
win
Built for Expo 92, the Alamillo Bridge across the River
Guadalquivir in Seville demonstrates h o w a striking new
bridge can revitalise an old city. The bridge, which was
designed by Santiago Calatrava, is supported by a p y l o n
and cables which f o r m the graceful shape of a harp. It has
a span of 200 metres and was painted in Calatrava's trade
mark bright white.
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan is the longest, tallest
and costliest suspension bridge ever constructed. It took
around ten years to be completed. Connecting Kobe w i t h
Awaji-Shima Island, this bridge has been built to withstand
hurricanes, tidal waves and earthquakes. In 1995, an
earthquake added a metre to the bridge's length while it
was still being built. It has a total length of 3,910 metres.
The famous Charles Bridge (Karlov Most) was built in
the 14th century and named after the king. It is unusual
because it is made of sandstone, not hard granite, which
required some maintenance w o r k in the 15th century
after a flood. Street vendors, street artists and tourists can
always be seen along its 500-metre length.
The Golden Gate Bridge spans the mile-wide
mouth of San Francisco Bay. The total length of the bridge
is 2,739 metres. The bridge expands on hot days and
contracts when it is cold. On hot days, the heat lengthens
the cable. As a result, the bridge becomes 4.9 metres
lower and 1.8 metres longer. The bridge was opened
on 21 May 1937 w i t h a 'pedestrians' day', during w h i c h
200,000 people walked across the bridge. On the morning
of the following day it was opened to traffic.
BUILDING BRIDGES 7.3
GRAMMAR
THE PASSIVE (2)
7a Look again at the article and underline examples of
the past simple passive and the present perfect simple
passive. H o w are they formed?
7b Look at sentences 1 and 2 from the article. Match
them with forms a and b.
1 A n earthquake a d d e d a metre to the bridge's length
w h i l e it was still b e i n g b u i l t .
2 It t o o k a r o u n d ten years to be c o m p l e t e d .
a passive i n f i n i t i v e
b past c o n t i n u o u s passive
^ Language reference and extra practice, pages 126-149
8 C o r r e c t the mistakes in bold in the report.
C o m p l a i n t s 'have received about the recent
c o n s t r u c t i o n of the Sheridan H o t e l . It w a s c o m p l e t i n g
2
in N o v e m b e r last year. W h i l e it w a s c o n s t r u c t i n g , many
3
residents and business p e o p l e of the t o w n suffered great
i n c o n v e n i e n c e . B u i l d i n g materials w e r e delivering at
4
all hours of the day and night, and the noise level was
unbearable. W h e n the f o u n d a t i o n s w e r e digging, the
5
air b e c a m e p o l l u t e d and the streets w e r e very dusty.
C o m p l a i n t s w e r e making d a i l y to the C o u n c i l , but
6
n o t h i n g w a s doing. As a result, several shops h a v e
7 8
been closed for some weeks d u r i n g the w o r s t p e r i o d and
n o w several claims for c o m p e n s a t i o n h a v e received by
q
the C o u n c i l . The hotel h a s n o w built and the C o u n c i l
10
is m e e t i n g next w e e k to discuss the c o m p l a i n t s and
w h a t " i s be d o n e about c o m p e n s a t i o n . W e expect the
conclusions to publish by the e n d of the m o n t h .
12
9a Look at examples 1 and 2 of the passive. Match
them with uses a and b.
1 The ' G h e r k i n ' is an impressive e x a m p l e of m o d e r n
architecture. It was designed by Lord Foster and
Ken S h u t t l e w o r t h .
2 M a n y tourists have been impressed by the strange-
shaped b u i l d i n g in the City of L o n d o n .
a It is m o r e natural to p u t subjects w h i c h consist of a
l o n g expression at the e n d of a sentence.
b W e prefer to start a n e w sentence w i t h a f a m i l i a r
subject (something already m e n t i o n e d ) .
9b Look at the highlighted passives in the article.
W h i c h use from Exercise 9a does each one illustrate?
SPEAKING A N D WRITING
10 W o r k with a partner. Y o u have a photo of
one bridge and information about t w o . Share your
information, then write a paragraph about your bridge.
Student A: look at page 155.
Student B: look at page 1 5 8 .
71

Before you watch
1 Work i n pairs. Look at the photo of the bridge and
discuss the questions.
1 What k i n d of bridge is i t and w h a t does i t
connect?
2 What difficulties do y o u think the architects
faced i n its construction?
3 What are the alternatives to joining t w o pieces
of land separated by sea?
While you watch
2 Watch the video and answer the questions.
1 What were the obstacles to joining Sweden to
Denmark?
2 What solution d i d the architects come up with?
3 Look at the table. Then watch the first part of the
video (to 01.54) and complete the facts.
1 The w i d t h o f t h e Oresund
strait:
2 The w e a t h e r in this region:
3 Needs o f Copenhagen:
4 Needs o f M a l m o :
5 W h a t t h e bridge carries:
6 Height above t h e sea:
7 Height o f support towers:
4 Watch the second part of the video (01.55 to end).
Then answer the questions.
1 H o w d i d the architects k n o w it w o u l d be
dangerous to b u i l d a bridge close to the Danish
shoreline?
2 What w o u l d the result of b u i l d i n g a lower
bridge have been?
3 What t w o adjectives does the project director
use to describe the tunnel solution?
What was the problem w i t h the part-bridge,
part-tunnel solution?
H o w d i d the architects get around this
problem?
Unit 3 Four walls
5 Complete the summary using one w o r d i n each
space. Then watch the video again to check.
The Oresund Bridge was built to connect Denmark
and Sweden over the Oresund i n the
1
Baltic Sea. The idea was to merge M a l m o and
Copenhagen to create one large with2
economic benefits for all.
The t w o countries signed a ( n ) and a
3
4
was formed to carry out the w o r k .
But the project faced a lot of technical difficulties
because o f 5
and sea traffic. A tunnel
w o u l d have been the ideal solution but it was too
6
So i n the end they decided to b u i l d
part-tunnel and p a r t 7
. The result is
one of the 8
cable-stayed bridges i n the
world.
After you watch
6 Roleplay a debate about local
communications
Work i n groups.
Imagine y o u live i n a city built around the base of
a hill. A t the moment people have to drive around
the h i l l to get from the north side, where most of
the residential areas are, to the south side, where
most of the commercial and industrial activity is.
The local population want to connect the t w o sides
more easily. Look at these options and think about
the benefits and drawbacks of each.
• b u i l d i n g a tunnel of five kilometres through the
hill
• building a new six-lane motorway ring road
running through the city and around the h i l l
• b u i l d i n g a new high-speed railway line around
the h i l l
• something else
Debate w h i c h y o u think is the best solution.
7 Work i n groups and discuss the questions.
1 W h y are good transport links important i n big
cities?
2 H o w do y o u rate the transport links i n your
o w n city? H o w could they be improved?
cable-stayed (adj) /'keib(a)l steid/ a w a y o f s u p p o r t i n g a deck
or r o a d by a t t a c h i n g cables t o a tall c o l u m n
consortium (n) /kan'soitiam; US kanso:(r)J>m/ a n u m b e r o f
companies w h i c h j o i n t o g e t h e r t o w o r k o n a project
converge (v) /k3n'v3:d3' come t o g e t h e r
dangle (v) /'daerjg(a)l/ h a n g in t h e air
lousy (adj) /'lauzi/ bad or p o o r q u a l i t y
pact (n) /psekt/ an a g r e e m e n t
setback (n) /'setback/ s o m e t h i n g w h i c h stops or reverses y o u r
progress
soar (v) /so:/ rise or fly very h i g h
strait (n) /streit/ a n a r r o w strip o f w a t e r b e t w e e n t w o pieces
o f land
I 7.4 SCENARIO
ON THE HORIZON
SITUATION
1 Work with a partner. Discuss what
facilities you would expect to find in a
top-class hotel and conference centre.
2 Read the 'Invitation to Tender'
document. What facilities are
mentioned?
3a Read the document again and
answer the questions.
1 What sort of reputation does
HHCC have?
2 What will the ground floor look like?
3 What will the main purpose of the
hotel be?
4 How will HHCC decide which
architectural firm to choose for the
design of the building?
3b Why do you think HHCC has chosen
to build the hotel and conference centre
in Rio de Janeiro?
INVITATION TO TENDER
Contract for the design of a luxury hotel and conference centre
in Rio de Janeiro
Horizon Hotel & Conference Centre - 5 stars
www.hotelhorizon.br | 320 rooms
Candidates are asked to submit their letter of intent before 24 June.
Horizon Hotels and Conference Centres (HHCC) invites the
architectural firms listed below to present a plan for designing a
Hotel and Conference Centre in Rio de Janeiro.
HHCC is an international chain of high-class hotels and conference
centres. It is famous for providing luxury accommodation and
outstanding service. We intend the hotel to be used for conferences
and congresses by groups from all over the world.
Selected architectural firms are asked to submit a plan for the
ground floor of the building, which will be L-shaped. Details of the
project are as follows.
The hotel will have seven floors:
Basement - equipment and storage
Ground floor - facilities to be decided
First floor - a large conference room, three meeting rooms
and a seminar room
Second floor - office accommodation
Third-fifth floors - bedrooms
Sixth floor - a large restaurant, available for guests and the
general public
The contract to design the hotel and conference centre will be
awarded to the architectural firm which produces the best plan
for the ground floor.

KEY LANGUAGE
TALKING ABOUT REQUIREMENTS
4 KCT Listen to three architects talking about designing
the ground floor of a hotel. Answer the questions.
1 What four suggestions do the architects make to
meet the needs of health-conscious guests?
2 What do the architects finally decide to do?
5a Listen again and tick the phrases you hear.
Talking about essential requirements
1 We really must have ...
2 It's vital we have ...
3 It's absolutely essential to offer ...
4 It's a priority ...
5 We've got to offer ...
6 We certainly need ...
Talking about desirable requirements
7 It'd be very popular with ...
8 We should offer them ...
Talking about possible requirements
9 It might be a good idea to ...
10 We could also consider...
11 Another possibility would be to ...
5b Listen again and complete the phrases you have
ticked with information from the conversation. Then
check your answers by looking at Audio script 7.3 on
page 176.
5c Practise saying the phrases. Pay attention to stress
and intonation.
7.4
ON THE HORIZON
TASK
DECIDING ON FACILITIES IN A HOTEL
6a Two architectural firms are going to submit a plan
for the ground floor. Work in three groups.
Groups A (Lindsay Associates) and B (Jackson and
Li Consultants): You are the architectural firms. In your
groups, discuss and decide what six facilities should be
put on the ground floor and where each facility should
be located. Study the diagram and draw a rough plan of
the ground floor, with all its facilities.
Group C (Representatives of Horizon Hotels and
Conference Centres): Discuss what six facilities should
be on the ground floor. Think about where you might
locate each facility.
LIFTS
ENTRANCE
STAIRS
6b The two firms (Groups A and B) present
their plans for the ground floor to the HHCC
representatives (Group C) and answer any questions.
6c HHCC representatives decide which architectural
firm should be given the contract to design the
ground floor, explaining the reasons for their choice.
7«5 STUDY AND
[ [
S T U D Y S K I L L S : identifying fact WRITING S K I L L S : a description of
and opinion a building

1 Read the review of an exhibition. What is the 3a Avoiding repetition - nouns Most texts contain
writer's opinion of the exhibition? What is his pronouns. These are used instead of a noun or noun
opinion of Frank Lloyd Wright? phrase. Complete the lists with other pronouns that
you know.
2a Look at these four sentences from the review.
Personal pronouns: /, she, him ...
Which ones describe facts? Which ones describe
Possessive pronouns: mine, hers, ...
opinions?
Demonstrative pronouns: that, ...
1 It is exceptionally interesting and informative.
Relative pronouns: who, ...
2 Wright learned his skills as an architect... in
Chicago ... Other pronouns: one, ...
3 The exhibition has a number of drawings and
3b Look at the review again. What do the
pictures ...
pronouns in italics refer to?
4 In my view, Wright was the most important US
It (line 7) = the exhibition
architect.

2b Which words in the t w o opinion-based

sentences show that the writer is giving an opinion?

2c Find at least t w o more of the writer's opinions

in the review. How do you know they are his
opinions?

New exhibition of Frank Lloyd Wright

THE EARLY YEARS

As a student, I was urged by
my tutor t o go t o a Frank
Lloyd Wright exhibition, and I
did so when the opportunity
5 arose in London last week.The
exhibition was of his early w o r k
and it should not be missed. It
is exceptionally interesting and
informative.
10 Wright learned his skills as
an architect and engineer in
Chicago, at the offices of Adler
and Sullivan. They created some
of the finest skyscrapers in the
15 United States. Following a fire
in the city, there were great
opportunities t o experiment
with new constructions.They
did this by designing innovative
20 structures such as the open
plan office, and by breaking away
from traditional rectangular
rooms with doors.They were
able t o do it because they used
25 leaded glass o r wooden screens
to partition areas.
The exhibition has a number of
drawings and pictures of Adler
and Sullivan's beautifully-crafted
30 buildings, many of which Wright
contributed to. They show what
Wright must have learned
from the firm's engineering
experience and its attention t o
35 detail.
The exhibition shows the
influence on Wright of European
thinkers such as John Ruskin
and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
40 Another influence was the
A r t Nouveau movementThe
exhibition demonstrates t o o
the importance of the Japanese
prints which Wright collected.
45 Besides constructing large
buildings.Wright designed lovely
houses not only t o look at, but
also lovely ones t o walk into and
live in. He would often design
50 not just the house, but all its
furniture, furnishings and even
the dinner service t o create
what fie called an 'organic unity'
of materials and space.
55 In my view,Wright was the
most important US architect. He
was one of the first architects
to use reinforced concrete in
buildings; one of the first t o
60 use flat roofs; one of the first
to design a large building t o
withstand an earthquake - the
Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. He was
truly a remarkable architect,
65 designing over 700 buildings
during his 60-year career.

78 UNIT 7 Architecture
 WRITIN
4a Avoiding repetition - verbs It is also
common in writing to avoid repeating
a verb or verb phrase by using a form
of do. What verb does the writer avoid
repeating by using do in the example
below?
They were able to do it because they
used leaded glass or wooden screens to
partition areas, (lines 23-26)

4b In paragraph 4, what verb does

the writer avoid repeating by using
demonstrates!

5 Avoiding repetition - clauses We can

avoid repeating whole clauses by using
the pronouns this/that or so. What do
the words replace in these sentences?
I was urged by my tutor to go to a Frank
Lloyd Wright exhibition, and I did so
when the opportunity arose ... (lines 1-5)
They did this by designing innovative
structures such as the open plan office ...
(lines 18-21) Fallingwater (1936-1939) is the most famous house that Frank
Lloyd Wright designed. It combines nature and living space in
6 Correct the paragraph about Frank a poetic, effective manner. The building demonstrates perfectly
Lloyd Wright by avoiding repeating Wrights concept of organic architecture.
nouns, verbs or verb phrases. Check The house seems to grow out of the cliff and ledges, so it
your answers on page 172. fits in perfectly with the surrounding landscape. It consists of
The exhibition has a number of drawings several concrete trays which project over a waterfall.
TWey The rooms are arranged in a clever way so that the house
and pictures. The drawings and pictures seems very spacious. The floor of the living room is built over a
are beautifully executed, and the
natural rock, parts of which are incorporated into the interior.
drawings and pictures of large buildings
The house has other interesting features. Its floor-to-ceiling
are particularly impressive. Wright
windows emphasise the close connection between the inside
worked with engineers at the offices of
and outside of the building, as do the stairs which lead to the
Adler and Sullivan. He worked with them
water. Its rushing sound is heard constantly in the house.
for many years and must have learned a
In spite of its daring construction and dramatic effect, the
lot from the engineers, as their attention
building appears to be an integral part of the natural setting. It
to detail clearly influenced his work.
is admired by architects all over the world and is considered by
Many European thinkers, such as John
Ruskin, influenced his work as well. many to be Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece.
However, Wright also developed his own
ideas. He incorporated many of his ideas
into the houses he built. 8 In paragraph 3, which word is used to avoid repeating
a natural rock! In paragraph 4, what has the writer used to avoid
7 Read the description of Fallingwater,
repeating the verb emphasise!
a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Number the points below to show the 9 In paragraph 1, the writer uses the verb combines to
organisation of the text. describe a feature of the house. Underline all the other verbs in
a) detailed descriptions of the floor, the text which are used to describe buildings.
windows and stairs
10 Write about a building. Choose one of the following tasks.
b) the writer's and other people's opinion
of the house Either write a description of a building you know well and whose
design you admire.
c) the exterior appearance of the house
Or write a description of the Ennis House in Los Angeles, which
d) the most important fact about the
was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1920s. Use the
house
information on page 1 72, or research the building on the Internet.

Architecture^ 79