1.
Building materials
Timber: gỗ
Stone: đá
Steel: a strong hard metal that is made of a mixture of iron and carbon (thép)
Glass: kính. Example: These days, they can make glass that is so strong that you can have whole walls
made out of it.
Concrete: building material that is made by mixing together cement, sand, small stones and water (bê
tông). Example: Concrete is a very popular building material because it is strong and can be moulded (đổ
khuôn) into different shapes.
Reinforced concrete: bê tông cốt thép. Example: Reinforced concrete is the perfect material for
constructing large structures such as tower blocks and bridges.
Marble: a type of hard stone, often with a beautiful lined pattern going through it, that can be highly
polished. (đá hoa/ đá có vân). Example: The Taj Mahal is the most famous building in the world made from
marble.
2. Types of buildings
Skyscraper: a very tall building (tòa nhà cao chọc trời)
Low-rise apartment: căn hộ có ít tầng
High-rise apartment: căn hộ cao tầng
Multi-storey car park: bãi đậu xe nhiều tầng
Ruin: a building reduced to a state of decay and collapse (tàn tích)
Warehouse: nhà kho (lớn). Example: There is a real trend for converting old warehouses into fashionable
apartments.
Office block: a building made up of many different offices, often of different companies. Example: Many old
buildings in the city are being demolished to make way for smart new office blocks.
Heritage: things, such as buildings and traditions, that are important to a nation’s history (di sản). Example:
Some people complain that large historic houses cost a lot to maintain but they are part of our heritage and
should be preserved.
Detached house: nhà ở riêng lẻ
Semi–detached house: nhà liền kề (1 nửa, vì sát với 1 căn hộ kế bên)
Terraced house: dãy nhà liền kề
Mansion: dinh thự
Cottage: an old-fashioned small house (nhà pjong cách đồng quê)
Bungalow: is a small house or cottage that is either single-storey or has a second storey built into a sloping
roof. (Kiểu nhà thường chỉ có 1 hoặc 2 tầng, nhỏ và có hiên rộng.)
Castle: lâu đài.
Palace: cung điện
Shopping centre/mall: trung tâm mua sắm
Landmark: an object or building that is easily seen and recognized from a distance, especially one that
enables someone to establish their location. (cột mốc). Example: The Eiffel Tower is probably the best-loved
landmark in Paris.
Public building: a building owned by the state or local government and used by the public, e.g. townhall,
library, museum, leisure centre.
3. Parts of a building
Porch: hiên
Façade: the front of a building (mặt tiền)
Balcony: ban công (Example: My dream home would have a balcony overlooking the sea.)
Cellar: hầm rượu
Roof: mái nhà
Pillar: cột đình
Attic: tầng gác mái
Staircase: cầu thang
Basement: tầng hầm
Exterior: the outside of something
Interior: the inside of something (nội thất)
Dome: a rounded roof. Example: The dome of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is one of the most recognisable
domes in the world.
4. Aesthetic perception
Well-designed (a): thiết kế đẹp
An eyesore (n): a building that is not attractive.
Elegant (a): trang nhã
Controversial (a): something that people either love or hate (gây tranh cãi)
Pleasing geometric forms: có những họa tiết hình học bắt mắt
Stunning (a): extremely impressive or attractive
Eye-catching (a): very attractive or noticeable (bắt mắt)
Iconic (a): mang tính biểu tượng cao. Example: The Sydney Opera House is Australia’s most iconic
building.
State-of-the-art (a): incorporating the newest ideas and features (hiện đại)
Groundbreaking = innovative (a): tân tiến, nhiều cải tiến mới
Spacious (a): rộng rãi, thoáng
5. Architectural style
Modernist: typically characterized by simple designs in glass, steel and reinforced concrete and no
ornamentation.
Post-modern: an eclectic, colourful style of architecture and the decorative arts (hậu hiện đại)
Standardized (a): được tiêu chuẩn hóa
Traditional (a): theo kiểu truyền thống
International style: phong cách quốc tế
Art deco: characterised by simple, clean shapes, usually with a ‘streamlined’ look and decoration that is
geometric or stylised forms of plants, animals and sunrays.
High tech: is a style that incorporates elements of high-tech industry and technology into building design.
Futuristic: extremely modern and unusual in appearance, as if belonging to a future time.
Gothic: characterised by large expanses of glass, clustered columns, sharply pointed spires, intricate
sculptures and pointed arche
Classical: characteristic of the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome.
6. Features
Practical (a): có tính ứng dụng cao.
Multi-functional (a): nhiều chức năng
High tech (a): công nghệ cao
Energy-efficient (a): tiết kiệm năng lượng. Example: These days, one of the most important considerations
in building design and the choice of building materials is energy efficiency.
Eco-friendly: not harmful to the environment. (thân thiện với môi trường). Example: Installing solar panels
(tấm chắn hấp thu năng lượng mặt trời) to cut down on the use of fossil fuels is one of the best ways to
make your home eco-friendly.
7. Other expressions
Plan (v): lên kế hoạch (xây dựng)
Preserve (v): to keep looking the same (gìn giữ, bảo tồn)
Renovate (v): cải tạo lại
Demolish (v): phá hủy
Refurbish (v) = redecorate: tân trang lại
Derelict (a): bỏ hoang
Rundown (a): xuống cấp
Construct (v) = build
Design (v): thiết kế
Modernise (v): hiện đại hóa
Mass-produced (a): sản xuất/xây dựng đại trà
Standardized (a) được tiêu chuẩn hóa.
Past its heyday: no longer at the peak of popularity or success (đã qua thời kỳ đỉnh cao)
Fall into disrepair: to be in a damaged state (xuống cấp). Example: The cinema used to be a beautiful
building but has become a bit of an eyesore since it fell into disrepair.
Planning permission: formal permission from a local authority for the erection or alteration of a
building. Example: It’s very difficult to get planning permission to make alterations to a historic building.
