And electrical systems

Now contrast this simple building with a typical twentieth-century suburban home. The most obvious difference is that the more modern interior is subdivided into numerous specialized rooms for particular purposes - typically several bedrooms for different family members, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a garage. The most fundamental task is to configure these rooms well - that is, to get their sizes, proportions, interrelationships, and orientations right.

Each of these rooms requires specialized furniture and machinery to support the associated functions. So the second important task is to select the necessary items. There is bedroom, living room, and dining room furniture, and there are kitchen, bathroom, and entertainment fixtures and appliances. Natural light from the windows is supported by different electric light fixtures. And there are heating and mechanical ventilation fixtures to provide active means of climate control.

Also, there are hot and cold water supplies to the kitchen and bathroom. Thus, the plumbing plan is an important part of the project. There may be gas supply, as well. And there is electrical wiring everywhere. This requires another sheet of construction drawings. All these systems require control devices, so it is necessary to select, specify and locate these. They consist mostly of faucets and valves for the plumbing, switches and dimmers for the electrical system. Perhaps there are some additional automatic controls - thermostats for the air conditioning and timers for the lights.

Finally, the internal networks of the house are connected to large-scale utility networks. There are connections to water, gas, and electrical supply networks. The garage would be no use without the connection to a street system. Unlike the primitive house described earlier, which was autonomous in its operation, a modern house is greatly dependent on its utility connections.

Other modern building types - offices, factories, warehouses, schools, hospitals, laboratories, and so on - can be analyzed in similar ways. They consist of specialized interior spaces, with furniture and equipment adapted to the particular functions of those spaces. These spaces are tied together by internal mechanical and electrical networks, and these networks are linked to large-scale utilities.

Exercise 12. Is it True or False?

1. The main task is to get the sizes of the rooms, their proportions, interrelationships, and orientations right.

2. The second important task is to select furniture, fixtures and appliances.

3. It is not necessary to support natural light from the windows by electric light.

4. There are hot and cold water supplies to the bedroom and bathroom.

5. Gas supply should be in all houses.

6. Switches and dimmers are control devices for the electrical system.

7. The garage should be connected to a street system.

8. Factories and warehouses are not linked to large-scale utilities.

Exercise 13. What is the best heading for each paragraph?

§ 1…………………..

§ 2…………………..

§ 3…………………..

§ 4…………………..

§ 5…………………..

A. Connection to large-scale utility networks.

B. Selecting fixtures and appliances.

C. Other modern building types.

D. Configuring all the rooms well.

E. Locating utilities.

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