Text B. Bearing Wall and Skeleton Frame

From the point of view of method of construction buildings may be divided into the following groups:

1. Bearing wall construction;

2. Skeleton frame construction.

Bearing wall construction has been the method of structural design employed from the earliest days. By this method the loaded floor and roof beams rest upon the exterior and interior walls, which in turn transmit the loads to the foundation. It is evident that the walls must be of sufficient thickness to carry the loads as well as their own weight; consequently, as the height of buildings increased the required thickness of the walls and the weights brought upon the foundations became excessive and uneconomical.

Skeleton frame construction has been made possible by the development of structural steel and later of reinforced concrete. According to this method the loaded floor and roof beams rest upon girders running between the columns. The columns are placed along the buildings and are known as exterior or wall columns: they also occur at required intervals within the body of the building, in which case they are called interior columns. A framework is thereby formed, the walls being carried upon the wall girders at each storey level. The walls are consequently mere enclosures bearing no weight and are of the same thickness on all storeys. The columns transmit the loads to the foundations.

3. Listen to the text again and answer the following questions:

1. What groups may buildings be divided into from the point of view of method of construction?

2. Is bearing wall construction an old method of structural design?

3. Do the loaded floor and roof beams rest upon the exterior and interior walls by this method?

4. Are those loads in turn transmitted to the foundation?

5. Why must the walls be of sufficient thickness?

6. What happened as the height of buildings increased?

7. Are structural steel and reinforced concrete used in skeleton frame construction?

8. What do the loaded floor and roof beams rest upon according to this method?

9. Can you explain the difference between exterior and interior columns?

10. How do you explain the fact that the walls are of the same thickness on all storeys in skeleton frame construction?

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Divide the text into logical parts.	\|	Brainstorming. In small groups of 3 or 4 students discuss formulated answers.

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