What kind of architecture do you like the most? If you could live in any home in the world, where would you live? Is architecture an important part in the cities identity?
Vocabulary
Facade (noun) - the front of a building, especially a large or attractive building.
Decorative (adj.) - made to look attractive.
Victorian (adj.) - relating to the period 1837 to 1901, when Victoria was Queen of England.
Edwardian (adj.) - from the period when Edward VII was king of England (1901-10).
Skyscraper (noun) - a very tall modern building, usually in a city.
Residential (adj.) - a residential area or building is where people live.
Commercial building (noun) - a building that is used for business activities.
Listed building (noun) - a building of great historical or artistic value that has official protection to prevent it from being changed or destroyed.
Czarist (adj.) - supporting or relating to the system of government of Russia until 1917 by a male Russian ruler.
Harbour (noun) - an area of water next to the coast, often protected from the sea by a thick wall, where ships and boats can shelter.
Aesthetically (adverb) - in a way that relates to the enjoyment or study of beauty.
Reddish (adj.) - slightly red in colour.
Interior (noun) - the inside part of something.
National identity (noun) - the person's identity and sense of belonging to one state or to one nation, a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status.
Crammed (adj.) - very full of people or things.
Elegant (adj.) - graceful and attractive in appearance or behaviour.
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Questions and answers
M: Rory, are you fond of architecture?
R: Well, who doesn't like a building with a nice facade? I'd say I was quite fun of good architecture. Of course, good in my conception of things as sort of decorative in an older style. Maybe like Victorian, or Edwardian, or massive modern skyscrapers in the big city are also cool.
M: Are there many buildings where you live?
R: Well, I should hope so since it's a city. And there's quite a range to look at. We live in an old fisherman's cottage that's over a century old. But there are newer, more modern buildings just across the roads. Further into town, they're even older residential and commercial buildings. Actually, I think some of them are even listed buildings.
M: What kind of architecture do you like the most?
R: Well, like I said, older buildings from around a century ago have a good look. You can find them in the city... Well, you can find them in city centres of most Scottish towns. I also like the Russian styles of design from the czarist, Soviet and post Soviet periods. They all have this sort of massive look to them, but it varies from time period to time period. So that's interesting to see.
M: If you could live in any home in the world, where would you live?
R: Well, I quite like to live in, well, really any of the older buildings in Arbroath. That's an old resort and fishing town to the north of my actual hometown. It seemed better days in most ways, but the harbour site in coastal areas are very aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. The older buildings are made from cut sandstone, which gives it a reddish look, and they all have like really large interiors with high walls, which I quite like as well. So I would choose to live there.
M: Is architecture an important part in the cities identity?
R: I'm not sure about cities, but they're definitely part of a national identity. Though now I think about it more, certain cities where I live have their own look actually. Aberdeen has buildings made of granite. So they're like very grey and greyish colours and tones. Glasgow has lots of blocky buildings crammed in all over the place. And Edinburgh is quite elegant. So perhaps it is on reflection.
M: Thank you Rory for your architecture answers!
R: I hope you enjoyed the structure of my answers! There we go!
M: Oh, dear listener, we hope that you enjoyed the architecture of these answers!
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