listen, read and talk about: 2 страница

week number

3. Now as a chief engineer write an e-mail to the building owner about the delay in the construction process. Use the example of an e-mail:

Unit 2

Prefabricated buildings

	Lead in

In unit 1 you have learnt about the construction of a building in brief. Now we are going to study the assembly sequence of a prefabricated building in detail.

1. Can you give a definition of a prefabricated building? How does the meaning of the prefix pre- help you understand the meaning of the word?

2. Compare your definition with the one given by the supplying company Construction Guide (http://www.construction-guide.com/index.htm)

Prefabricated buildings are buildings which are pre-cut, pre-drilled, and pre-engineered before the actual building is constructed. The prefabrication process sometimes takes place in one place under one roof, and other times the parts are made at different locations and then shipped to the construction site.
In the past, prefabricated buildings were reserved for industrial structures, but today's architects are also building prefab homes in large-scale projects.
Prefab structures are not a new idea. Rather, they have been around since at least the 1930s and 1940s. Prefabricated buildings have been popular for two reasons -speed of construction and relative cost.

3. Explain the meaning of the italicises words. What other words with the prefix pre- can you remember?

What made prefabricated buildings popular in Europe? Are they popular in Russia?

	Activity 1

1. In the pictures below you can see three major types of prefabricated buildings:

Office Trailers Modular Buildings Steel Buildings

Match each of the types with their pictures.

2. Read the descriptions of the major types of prefabricated buildings and complete the table:

Quick Guide to Choosing Prefab Buildings

	Steel Buildings	Modular Buildings	Office Trailers
Common examples:	_________, airplane _______, _____, dry storage, church halls, sports arenas, ________	Medical labs, classrooms, offices, retail stores, government offices, dormitories	Construction, ___________ ___________
Construction:	Pieces _________ in factory, ____________	Almost completely built in ________, just installed ___________ ­­­­­­­­­­__________­­­	Pre-built, minimal installation
Primary advantage:	Cost per square foot, capable of enclosing large open spaces	More traditional appearance, _________	_________ ___________, commonly available through leases
Cost:	________ per square foot - commonly ________	__________ per square foot - commonly $50 to $65	_________ per month rental fees; ________ and up to purchase
…….	……	……	……

I

If you need a permanent structure, you'll be choosing between steel buildings and modular buildings. Both are "alternative" construction methods, as opposed to traditional ground-up construction. Here are some of the important distinctions:

II

Prefab Building Construction

Up to 90% of the work in creating a modular building is done at the factory, including both the interior and exterior: walls, roof, doors, wiring, carpeting, and more. They're built using standard construction materials like lumber and drywall. The mostly-finished building is then delivered and installed at your site.

In contrast to the modular building process, only the components of steel buildings are fabricated at the factory. Steel beams, sheeting, and fasteners are delivered to your site, and the building is pieced together on site. Any interior work is done after the construction is complete.

Because of the specific skills needed to assemble modular buildings, you'll need a specialized contractor to do your on-site work. Steel buildings are delivered with detailed blueprints and require only general construction skills to assemble - any qualified general contractor should be able to handle the job.

Do you know?

III

Both modular and steel prefab buildings shorten construction times over traditional buildings. Modular buildings require much less work to be done on site but take longer for the factory to produce. From initial order to completion, total construction times for these structures can be fairly similar. However steel buildings are often simpler structures with less finishing work; in practice they tend to take less time.

Prefab Building Sizes

Units of length

1 inch =2.54 cm

12 inches (12 '') = 1 foot = 0.3048 m

3 feet (3') = 1 yard = 0.9144 m

5- 1/2 yards = 1 rod, pole, or perch = 5.029 m

22 yards= 1 chain = 20.12 m

10 chains= 1 furlong =0.2012 km

8 furlongs= 1 mile = 1.609 km

6076.12 feet= 1 nautical mile = 1852 m

Because of the construction methods involved, steel buildings and modular buildings have very different sizes. Modular buildings usually have interior ceiling heights of no more than 8', because they have to be transported on the road. Steel buildings, in contrast, are commonly built with interior heights of 30' and up.

The net result is, if your prefab building is to enclose large, open spaces, like a warehouse, barn, hangar, or garage, you need a steel building, not a modular building.

Similarly, each section of a modular building has to be between 10' to 18' wide and 36' to 76' long, for transportability.

Make sure that you know how to say the words in bold in Russian.

However, the construction methods involved allow them to be seamlessly assembled into much larger buildings, up to tens of thousands of square feet.

Modular buildings can also be put on top of each other to create buildings up to 3 or 4 stories high.

IV

Steel buildings can be as small as 10' x 20' or as large as 150' wide by nearly unlimited length with no interior columns. To get over 150' wide, steel buildings require interior columns at regular intervals.

Prefab Building Customization

V

Modular buildings generally offer more flexibility in design than steel buildings. With steel buildings, you choose the size, location of doors and windows, and pitch of the roof, but the building itself is just a box. Modular buildings provide more flexibility for customization, which can be important if you need a particular layout. Additionally, modular buildings typically come with finished interiors - steel buildings may include interior wall panels.

Cost

Modular buildings can range from $35 to $100 per square foot. The range is so large because the price includes finishing: a basic classroom or office will usually fall on the low end of that scale, while a fancy retail outlet with lots of customization will be more expensive.

VI

Steel buildings are less expensive, often because they are less finished on the inside. Very basic steel buildings can be put up for as little as $16 to $20 per square foot. More finished metal buildings are usually $20 to $30 per square foot, and extensively customized buildings with brick facades, unusual shapes, or complicated construction can reach $40.

Aesthetics

VII

Both steel and modular buildings have improved appearances in recent years. Modular buildings can be constructed with wood, steel, brick, or stucco exteriors, and steel buildings can add facades using the same materials. However, if the appearance of your buildings is important, modular buildings provide more flexibility at a lower cost than steel.

Office trailers

You should also consider if an office trailer is all you need. Office trailers - also known as mobile offices - are the cheapest and most temporary type of pre-manufactured building. They range in size from 8' x 20' to 12' x 60' (a "singlewide") and can be combined into double, triple, or larger groups.

Office trailers are almost always leased: they're a temporary, not permanent structure. Rental fees are from $100 to $500 per month. If you want to buy a mobile office it will cost not less than $20,000.They have few options for appearance and customization, but they are the cheapest and fastest way to add office space to a job site. They are delivered ready for use, with wiring, heating/air conditioning, and even basic furniture already installed. They're also the only realistic choice if you want a very small building, under around 800 square feet.

3. What other important information would you include in the table?

	Activity 2 Vocabulary

1. Look through the descriptions of prefab buildings again and find English equivalents of the following Russian words and expressions:

1. (электро)проводка

2. внутренняя стена, облицованная сухой штукатуркой или фанерой

3. стальная балка

4. обшивка; опалубка; доски опалубки; листование

5. крепеж

6. конечный результат

7. без швов

8. подъем свода; уклон ската крыши; скат крыши

9. изготовление изделий по техническим условиям заказчика

10. отделка

11. схема размещения; схема расположения; компоновка

12. наружная штукатурка

13. сдавать внаем, в аренду/ брать внаем, в аренду (согласно официальному договору)

2. Match each of the words in the first column with a word from the second column to make twelve word partnerships from the text. There are some alternative partnerships, but there is only way to match all twelve. Translate the word partnerships into Russian.

standard mostly-finished detailed interior construction ceiling

blueprint height construction materials work building times

finishing seamlessly interior wall complicated stucco

assembled panels construction exterior work columns

3. Match the verbs from the left column to their synonyms from the right column.

Deliver Install/Piece together Put up Create Produce Complete Enclose Provide

Fabricate Build/Construct Offer Finish Transport Manufacture Assemble Include

4. Complete these verbs by adding the vowels:

R_qu_r_

H_ndl_

_nv_lv_

L_ _ s_

C_st_m_z_

R_ng_

5. Make as many sentences from this table as possible:

Office trailers Modular buildings Steel buildings

are leased can range can be seamlessly assembled can be put up are delivered require provide

ready for use, with wiring, heating/air conditioning, and even basic furniture already installed not much work to be done on site at a reasonable price per month (as mobile offices) more flexibility for customization from $35 to $100 per square foot into much larger buildings for as little as $16 to $20 per square foot

Activity 3

Say if the following sentences are true or false. Refer to the text if necessary.

1. Traditional buildings take less time for construction than prefabricated buildings.

2. A steel building isn’t completely fabricated at the factory.

3. Modular buildings require much less time and work to be produced than steel buildings.

4. Modular and steel buildings are not usually similar in size.

5. Steel buildings are more expensive than modular ones.

6. Both modular and steel buildings are constructed with wood, steel, brick and stucco materials.

7. If you care about the exterior of your building then a steel building would be a better choice.

8. Office trailers are widely used as permanent structures.

9. Office trailers don’t need assembling on site as they are almost completely built in the factory.

10. If you want a building less than 800 square feet an office trailer is the worst choice.

	Activity 4 Language review Comparison

Comparative and superlative adjectives are formed in several ways:

b) 1. with –er and (the) –est

c) 2. with –ier and (the) –iest

3. with more and (the) most

! good, bad, far and little are irregular forms

Before the comparative of adjectives and adverbs you can use:

a bit a little much a lot far (= a lot)

Examples:

Modular buildings require much less work to be done on site but take a little longer for the factory to produce.

The construction of the underwater tunnel was far (or a lot) more complicated then we at first thought.

1. What are the comparative and the superlative forms of the following adjectives:

traditional –

little –

long –

regular –

simple –

different –

large –

small –

fast –

low –

complicated –

few –

cheap –

expensive –

old –

beautiful –

flexible –

strong –

important –

high –

modern –

2. Look at the pictures of the following buildings and use the facts about them to make comparisons according to their:

o size

o appearance

o facilities

o etc.

The adjectives listed above will help you.

Use: –er/ more… than; not as/so… as; the –est/most;

both… and…

be similar to/ be different from

a bit

a little

much –er/ more… than…

a lot

far (= a lot)

3. Think about possible application of these buildings.

Standard Features:

• Floor area: 8' x 28'
• A/C
• Plan Table
• Built In Desk With File Cabinet In Office
• Roll Up Door in the Storage Area

Standard features:

• Widths from 20' to 120'.
• Ground to ground curved profile.
• Superior strength, durability and economy.
• Withstands hurricane force winds, extreme snow loads – virtually any harsh weather conditions.

Standard features:

§ Floor area: 2190 m² (gross) and 1900 m² (usable)

§ Displacement ventilation with 100% fresh air

§ A/C

§ Radiant heating and cooling

§ Extensive use of day lighting

§ Most light fixtures are controlled by photo and motion-sensitive controls.

Activity 5

Discuss the following questions:

1. Can you explain why certain types of prefabricated buildings are used for different purposes. Refer to the text.

What type of construction will you choose for the following buildings:

· a summer house

· a trade center

· a sports center

· a brick factory?

2. What other structures except houses can be built using prefabricated parts?

3. Work in pairs or small groups and make a list of advantages of prefab buildings in comparison with traditional ground-up constructions. Share your ideas with other groups. How are prefabricated constructions used in Russia? Give examples.

	Activity 6

The assembly sequence of a prefabricated building can be divided into 4 stages or phases.

What does the construction of a prefabricated building start from?

Look at the drawing of the first phase and fill in the boxes with the appropriate activities.

1. Column base plates are fixed.

2. Steel columns are erected

3. Ground is excavated.

4.

a.

Concrete foundations are constructed.

d.

b) Describe the activities of the first phase in a sequence using the following words:

Event 1: Initially/First,…

Event 2: Then,…

Event 3: Later/Subsequently,…

Event 4: Finally,…

c) Now look at the drawings of the next three stages and make statements (using passive voice) about the sequence of events in phases 2, 3 and 4.

roof decking настил крыши floor slab плита перекрытия beam балка; брус, перекладина bracing крепление

		suspended ceiling подвесной потолок services подводка, коммуникации void пустота, полость floor finish отделочный слой пола
	weatherproof устойчивый к атмосферным воздействиям roof membrane кровельный ковер кровли corner unit угловое соединение cladding panel панель облицовки
	Below are some suggestions for writing process descriptions: 1. Keep the description well organized. Use adverbs of order (transition words) as you go from one step to the next: initially/first, second, next, then, later/subsequently, finally. 2. Use a drawing to help clarify the description. 3. Keep the description simple. 4. Use simple present for most of the description. 5. Try to use several passive constructions.

3. Read the description of phase 1 of the assembly sequence:

After the preparation of the site has been completed the workmen begin the initial stage. This includes excavating the ground, constructing the concrete foundations, fixing the column base plates and erecting the steel columns. The workmen begin by excavating the ground. This precedes the constructing of the concrete foundation because they require solid ground to support them. This is followed by the fixing of the column base plates. Finally, the steel columns are erected.

______________________________________

base plate – плита основания, опорная плита, фундаментная плита

solid ground – прочное основание

Now follow this example to write similar description of phases 2, 3 and 4 that can be used as an instruction for workmen to follow.

Problems (result)	Reasons (cause)
A two-week delay in excavation	The excavator broke down
The machines drivers couldn’t start work until week 3.	Excavation was delayed.
Steel erectors had to wait for two weeks.	Machine drivers hadn’t completed their work on time.
Consequently, the cladding fixers could not start until week 17.	Steel erectors were delayed by 2 weeks
The bricklayers were working three weeks longer than expected.	Bricks were in short supply during weeks 15 to 20
The plumbers and the roofing contractor started three weeks later.	The delay in brickwork
Both the carpenters and the glaziers started one week late.	In week 30 the joiners went on strike which was settled after one week.
Decorating was delayed by one week.	The wrong paint was delivered to the decorators
By putting on extra men the building was completed on schedule.

Activity 7

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