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Reading Intermediate 2
Look carefully at the picture on the flipchart. In pairs, what do you think of a house like this?
Read the text on the next page and answer the questions below.
2. Which two words describe buildings which are sympathetic to the countryside around?
The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Earth Houses
Earth Houses is a project designed by Peter Vetsch and is an idea to balance the need for
These houses are designed to be environmentally friendly i.e. they fit in with their
surroundings. They are ecological, using only materials that are plentiful and the architecture
This is not a new idea. Many ancient cultures used natural resources as homes as we can
The house in the picture is located in Dietikon, Switzerland. Compared with traditional
residential houses built on the ground, the aim of building an earth house is simply to live in
harmony with our planet. The earth-house concept is very economical because it saves
energy by using the ground as an insulating blanket that efficiently protects it from rain, low
An earth house does not have to be built completely under the ground, it can be placed
naturally onto a mountain side or hillside extending partially into the ground but with the front
of the house made with windows to take advantage of natural light. The earth house concept
uses its surroundings as an advantage the surroundings are not adapted to the building,
the house is shaped to fit the natural environment and can be built individually, according to
the wishes of the owners. They allow us to experience closeness to nature beyond the
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