TWO PRIVATE HOUSES

A private house in Commugny, Switzerland is a two-storey house without a basement. Entrance, staircase and heating plant are in the recess at ground level.

Columns consisting of sections, set in foundation pockets, are located on a 3.75 x 3.75 m square grid with five columns on each longitudinal and four on each transverse grid line. The outer columns are continuous through both storeys and are interconnected longitudin­ally by I-beams at roof and floor level, forming a rigid-jointed system. Composite floors, consisting of profiled steel decking with a 10 cm concrete slab, span in the transverse direction, imposed load being 200 kg/m². The external boundary of the floors comprises an exposed fascia beam, assembled from angle sections. The col­umns and beams are in weathering steel. Wind forces in the longitudinal direction are absorbed by portal frame action; in the trans­verse direction they are transmitted by the floors to vertical cross-bracings between the internal columns on the three middle grid lines.

Glazed areas on the upper floor consist of storey-height solar heat-resistant glass in steel frames. The cladding consists of timber units, 3.75 x 2.47 m x 14 cm thick, with 10cm thermal insulation. The recessed bottom storey is of masonry construction.

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A private house in Landskrona, Sweden consists of two blocks. The living room, work room and kitchen are in a long low block, to one longitudinal side of which is connected a square block containing the bedrooms. The entrance hall forms the link between the two blocks.

To make transport easier and to achieve rapid erection, the long block was divided into six units. Each unit comprises four corner columns, formed by channel sections, which are interconnected by edge beams, at roof and floor level on the two longitudinal sides so as to form a rigid framed structure. In the transverse direction timber beams, 5 x 23 cm in section, span between the edge beams at floor and roof level. At the joints between adjacent units their channel-section corner columns are paired with their webs in contact and welded together to form I-sections.

Notes:

boundary n. граница, контур

kitch­en n. кухня

pair v. соединять по двое

private adj. частный

Ответьте на вопросы к тексту

1. What kind of house is the one in Commugny?

2. How is the rigid-jointed system of the house formed?

3. What is the exterior finish of the house?

4. What is the layout of a private house in Landskrona?

5. Why was the long block divided into six units?

6. How is a rigid framed structure formed?