Introduction to Architecture and Engineering
Building Shape and Heat Retention
1. The less compact the shape of a building, the less it retains heat.
2. The more compact the shape of a building, the more it retains heat.
Panel Dimensions
3. The edges of a panel to support the wall should be wide enough.
4. The panel may be of any height, provided the length does not exceed 40 times the thickness.
Earthquake and Hurricane Risks
5. The likelihood of an earthquake causing a breakdown in power supplies in Florida is low.
6. No buildings are two-dimensional.
7. There is a slight possibility that a hurricane will destroy several buildings in Peru sometime during the next ten years.
Human Behavior and Building Design
8. People tend to walk in straight lines.
9. The heavier a building, the thicker its columns.
10. The lighter the load on a tower, the thinner its structure.
Tools of the Trade
- 11. A carpenter uses a mallet and chisel for drilling holes in wood.
- 12. A bricklayer uses a shovel for mixing mortar.
- 13. A plasterer uses a float for smoothing the plaster on a wall.
- 14. An electrician uses wire strippers for removing the outer sheathing of wire.
- 15. A bricklayer uses a trowel for laying mortar on bricks.
- 16. An electrician uses wire strippers for removing the outer sheathing of wire.
- 17. A structural engineer uses a plumb bob to check verticality.
- 18. A carpenter uses a mallet and chisel for making mortise-and-tenon joints.
Word Opposites and Relationships
19. The opposite of least is most.
20. The opposite of rough can be flat or smooth.
21. Nature and architecture can be related through outdoor rooms.
22. The predominant ideology in architecture has explained design styles in natural environments.
23. Outdoor rooms are a visual bridge between landscape and buildings.
Le Corbusier’s Architectural Style
24. Le Corbusier often deviated from traditional styles.
25. By checking whether a dwelling has a roof and walls or open-air spaces, you can identify an outdoor room.
26. According to Le Corbusier, there is an intimate relationship between site and nature.
27. He didn’t mind expending hours in his studio and working out all sorts of complex problems.
28. Knowing that he had worked with Le Corbusier, they all wanted to benefit from his experience.
29. Man’s first use of outdoor rooms goes back to the days of pre-history.
Grammar and Tenses
30. “Have you seen my latest decorations?” “Yes, I saw them last month.”
Geotechnical Engineering
31. Geotechnical engineering is that area of civil engineering associated with construction on and with soil and rock materials.
32. Foundations for buildings, aqueducts, bridges, and roads were constructed successfully by early Romans and Greeks, as were shafts and tunnels excavated through rock for water supply.
33. The birth of modern geotechnical engineering is usually credited to Karl Terzaghi.
Robotics
34. Definition of a robot: a manipulator designed to move material.
35. The work volume of a human being is all the places your hands can reach.
36. In a Cartesian or rectilinear type manipulator, the degrees of freedom are 3 linear / 0 rotational.
37. In a spherical or polar type manipulator, the degrees of freedom are 1 linear / 2 rotational.
38. It is worth pointing out that the human arm has far more freedom than the minimum three degrees of freedom.
39. To take an example, removing a screw would be impossible since the manipulator could not align a screwdriver to fit the screw properly.
40. The rotor in a stepper motor is constructed from several permanent magnets (north and south poles).
41. Features such as no detent torque, rotor spins freely, and good acceleration are proper characteristics of variable reluctance motors.
42. Good speed/torque characteristics and micro-stepping capability regard hybrid-type motors.
43. Features such as high dynamic torque at low speed and large step angles are proper characteristics of permanent magnet motors.
Engineering Acronyms and Management
44. PLC system stands for Programmable Logic Control.
45. HVAC means Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning.
46. The head of an engineering company in the UK is the Managing Director.
47. If it is an American subsidiary, the head may be known as the Vice President.
48. Unless the person at the top is the chairman of the company or the owner, he or she will be responsible to a development manager or, in the case of a US subsidiary, the president.
49. The manufacturing manager decides how the new products will be produced.
50. The field service manager is responsible for the installation and maintenance of the company’s products wherever required.
51. The plant manager, and industrial engineer manager report to this member of the management team.
52. The chairman of a company is responsible to the shareholders.
53. The management team comprises the managers of the different departments.
54. The department which would advise on whether a new product would meet customer’s requirements is called the marketing department.
Building Description
55. The L-shaped arts block, which backs onto the river, housed the library in its southern wing until 1970.
Synonyms
56. Refurbished is similar to reformed or renovated.
57. Rear is similar to back.