📘 Part 3: Buildings and architecture

This episode's vocabulary

Urban sprawl (n) – The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas. → Living in tall buildings can help manage urban sprawl better.

Safety hazard (n) – Something that could be dangerous or cause a risk. → If a building catches fire, it's a major safety hazard for the people on the upper floors.

Crammed into (phr v) – To force a lot of people or things into a small space. → Psychologically, it might not be great to have that many people crammed into enclosed spaces.

In the know (idiom) – Having knowledge or information that most other people do not have. → I'm not really in the know when it comes to my country's architectural history.

Ornate (adj) – Decorated with complex patterns or shapes. → Older Victorian styles often have ornate features, like designs on the beams and panels.

Detest (v) – To dislike someone or something very much. → They seem to love the older styles and absolutely detest the more modern architecture.

Brutalist architecture (n) – A style of architecture characterized by large, plain, and heavy-looking concrete structures. → Many people detest the more modern and brutalist architecture.

Remodel (v) – To change the structure or shape of something, like a building. → Some people like to remodel and redecorate their homes themselves.

License (n) – Formal permission from a person in authority. → If you're renting, you generally don't have much license to make changes.

Make your mark (idiom) – To have an important or lasting effect on something. → Remodeling your own home is a good way of making your mark.

Laid out (phr v) – Arranged in a particular way. → Different places are laid out and designed differently based on various factors.

Ingrained (adj) – (of a habit, belief, or attitude) firmly fixed or established; difficult to change. → The desire to personalize one's home seems to be deeply ingrained in human psychology.

Questions and Answers

Maria: What are the advantages of living in a tall building?

Rory: Well, it's a pretty good use of space. If you can't build horizontally, then vertically is the only way to go. And you can fit more people into cities that way, which can help manage the urban sprawl better and hopefully reduce the impact on the environment.

Maria: And what about the disadvantages?

Rory: I think there are some increased safety hazards. If the building catches fire, for example, it can be much more dangerous to be in a skyscraper compared to a regularly sized building. And psychologically, it might not be great to have that many people crammed into enclosed spaces for prolonged periods.

Maria: Are there many tall buildings in your country?

Rory: Not compared to a place like China or the USA, but we have a fair few, especially in the capital and the second largest city. That's where most of the major construction efforts take place these days. The smaller towns tend to have towers or office blocks that are maybe a dozen stories high at best.

Maria: And has that always been true?

Rory: I think so. I'm not really in the know when it comes to my country's architectural history. It seems logical that it would have been like that in the past though. Infrastructure development in most countries tends to be centered around major cities, doesn't it?

Maria: What kind of interior design style do most people like?

Rory: I really don't know. At a guess, I'd say that older Victorian styles that have been built to last decades and you have all these ornate features, like designs on the beams and panels that hold the buildings up. Even though they have a function, the builders didn't let that stop them from making them beautiful and carving things into them.

Maria: And what makes you say that?

Rory: It's just the impression I get from the way that people talk about buildings. They all seem to love the older styles and absolutely detest the more modern and brutalist architecture, but I could just have a biased sample.

Maria: Why do some people like to remodel and redecorate their homes themselves?

Rory: I imagine it's a way for them to make it feel like the house truly belongs to them. If you're renting, generally speaking, you don't have much license to make changes. Even though you live there and might notice things that could be better. Whereas when you finally own your own home, you can do what you like with it. So remodeling is a good way of making your mark.

Maria: And will that be true in the future?

Rory: Probably, unless something deeply ingrained in human psychology changes.

Maria: Why are different places laid out and designed differently?

Rory: Well, they had different architects with different styles and building codes and they were built at different times. So it makes sense they would have different layouts. Even in places with very strict rules and regulations around these things. It's unusual to have endless blocks that look the same. They'd need to adapt for the climate or the environment.

Maria: Can that change?

Rory: Well, if some universally optimal living space design was invented and we had the materials to build them, it might, but that seems unlikely.