Technical English for Engineering 14 - 20
Definition of Construction
A Construction means the erection or assembly of large
structures, primarily those which provide shelter, such as
commercial and residential buildings. It also includes major works
such as ships, aircraft, and public works such as roads, dams, and
bridges.
The major elements of a building include:
1. The foundation, which supports the building and gives
it stability.
2. The structure, which supports all the imposed loads
and transmits them to the foundation.
3. The exterior walls and the interior partitions, which may
or may not be part of the primary supporting structure.
4. the environmental-control systems, including the
heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) also
includes lighting and acoustical systems.
5. The power, water supply, and waste disposal systems.
Technical English for Engineering 15 - 20
Jobs in construction
Jobs in construction are many and varied, ranging from
architects to painters. These jobs are:
Architect, carpenter, electrician, mason, painter, plasterer,
plumber, quantity surveyor, roofer.
The foundations
The foundation may be classified according to the depth of
the footings to deep and shallow foundations. In addition, there are
different types of foundations like: spread footings, combined
footing, mat foundations, and piles.
Construction Project Management
The stakeholders of the construction are: Owner, Architect,
Engineer, subcontractor, designer, general contractor, construction
manager. There are many processes within the construction like:
Reporting, Business Development, Bid Solicitation, Project
information, Document, Finance, Risk Management, and Human
Resources.
"Source: Technical English, Vocabulary and Grammer. Nick Brieger & Alison Pohl"
Technical English for Engineering 16 - 20
Terms and Definitions
Shelter: structure protects you from the elements and
gives you a place to live. Or, a place gives
temporary protection from weather or danger.
Residential: is made up of houses and apartment buildings —
places where people reside.
Road: an open way (generally public) for travel or
transportation.
Bridge: a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross
an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway
etc.
Mat Foundation: (Raft Foundation) is a thick reinforced concrete
slab supporting arrangements of columns in rows
and transmitting the loads to the soil.
Contractor: A contractor is someone who is hired to build
something.
Risk Management: The process of analyzing exposure to risk and
determining how to best handle such exposure.
Human Resources: Human resources is the set of individuals
who make up the workforce of an organization,
business sector or an economy .
Construction Bid: is a formal procedure in which an owner lists a
project that needs to be completed.
Technical English for Engineering 17 - 20
Ship Shelter
Pile Mat Foundation
Heating, Ventilating and Air
Human Resources
Conditioning System (HVAC)
Plasterer mason
Technical English for Engineering 18 - 20
Question1
Here is part of a text about house building. Complete the text with words
from the box.
– electrician – painter – plasterer – carpenter
– plumber – surveyor – architect – quantity surveyor
– foundation – mason – civil engineer – roofer
"When building a house, the ………………. first of all examines
the site and makes a plan of the size and shape of the plot of the land.
Next, an ………………… makes a detailed drawing of the building, and
gives information about the material which are to be used. A
…………………. calculates exactly how much of these materials will be
needed for the building. Then, the ground is dug out and the
………………..laid. During building, ……………………. make the
wooden structures, ……………… cut and place stone, ………………..
construct the roof and …………………… cover walls and ceiling with
plaster. Once the building has been completed, ……………….. lay
meters of electrical cable. and …………………… install pipes for
heating and water. Finally ………………… paint the walls and ceiling of
the building."
Question2
Choose the correct word in the following sentences.
1. A flat roof is usually covered in roofing felt/skin for protection
against the weather.
2. Rooms in a building are divided by interior supports/partitions.
3. To prevent water entering the cavity of the wall, moisture barriers
are used on the external surface and vapour/insulating barriers
are used on the internal face.
4. The assembly/structure of a building transfers all the loads
acting on the building to the ground.
5. The ventilating/acoustical system provides fresh air.
6. Sound-deadening/-barrier material is used to reduce sound
passing from one room to another.
7. The foundations for a skyscraper building must be deep/shallow.
8. A spread footing/caisson piers is/are used when the soil is
weak.
Technical English for Engineering 19 - 20
