22. Read the news dating May, 2000 and check whether Rolph Disch’s ideas have been realized. Were your predictions about the chances of the new type of houses to get ground correct?

One of the most modern housing estates in Europe is being built in Freiburg which was named Environmental Capital of Germany in 1992. The so-called surplus energy houses on the estate produce more energy than they consume. In his design for the houses, the renowned solar architect Rolf Disch has united modern energy-saving technology with centuries-old solar construction skills. The houses are positioned with architectural precision, each strictly lined up with the sun. Their terrace-like south-facing facades are designed to soak up the heat, especially in the winter when the sun is low in the sky. Their northern facades, which are three or four storeys high, are closed off, shutting out wind and inclement weather. A refined ventilation system keeps the houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter. "We’ve used 460 kilowatt hours since May," says the architect, gesturing towards the mouse-grey interior of the meter box. "And we’ve produced more than 4,000 kilowatt hours" — without gas or oil. These days, it’s not only journalists who take one of Disch’s guided tours through the first finished row of terraced housing in Europe’s most modern solar construction project, at the foot of the Schlierberg in Freiburg. Fellow architects, engineers, house-builders and whole bus-loads full of tourists travel to Germany’s solar capital to see this first financially feasible housing project that produces more energy on average than it consumes.

23. Study the information below and then try to give a reasoned explanation to the fact that wood is a favourite building material of Hubert Fritz and his followers.

Simply put, manufacturing wood is energy efficient. Compare the amount of energy it takes to produce one ton of cement, glass, steel, or aluminum to one ton of wood:

• 5 times more energy for one ton of cement

• 14 times more energy for one ton of glass

• 24 times more energy for one ton of steel

• 126 times more energy for one ton of aluminum

Wood products make up 47% of all industrial raw materials manufactured in the United States, yet consume only 4% of the total energy needed to manufacture all industrial raw materials. Wood's manufacturing process alone makes it the environmentally friendly choice in building materials.

24. What is the best summary of the previous extract?

1. Wood is the most ecologically friendly material.

2. Wood is the lightest material.

3. Wood offers more product for less energy.

4. Wood is the cheapest material in production.

5. Wood is the most energy efficient in production.

25. Look through the unit again and make notes under the following headings. Then use your notes to talk about ecologically-friendly architecture and construction.

1. Alternative sources of energy and their application in construction industry.

2. Passive solar design and its benefits.

3. The appearance of new types of houses in Germany.

4. Famous names in eco-friendly building.

5. Construction materials of the future.

6. New technologies employed in new types of houses.

7. The examples of such houses.

Reading task D