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Reading Test - Future tenses

The document discusses the SunnySideUp house, a design that won the 2009 British Homes Awards for its adaptability to different life stages and community-focused features. Key elements include an upside-down layout for better light and privacy, concealed parking for safety, and flexible spaces that can be rented or converted as needed. Although still in the planning phase, the designers are optimistic about its future construction.

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jaqueline.saldana
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40 views

Reading Test - Future tenses

The document discusses the SunnySideUp house, a design that won the 2009 British Homes Awards for its adaptability to different life stages and community-focused features. Key elements include an upside-down layout for better light and privacy, concealed parking for safety, and flexible spaces that can be rented or converted as needed. Although still in the planning phase, the designers are optimistic about its future construction.

Uploaded by

jaqueline.saldana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading Test

Read a text about home design and answer the questions. For questions 1 to 7, choose the correct answer.

Welcome to the home of the future!

The 2009 British Homes Awards challenged the industry to design a house that can adapt to different life stages.
The participants were asked to rethink the construction and design of individual homes, so that they were easily
adaptable to less mobile inhabitants, and also to create communities in which ageing occupants could continue to
enjoy shared amenities.
The top design also had to be attractive to its potential buyers, because the competition was put to the public vote.
The winner, gaining 12,000 votes from Mail on Sunday readers, was the strikingly modern SunnySideUp, designed by
Kosi Architects. Here are its three main features:

1. Upside Down House


The architects took as a starting point the accepted norm for a house – rows of houses facing onto streets crammed
with cars, with living rooms on the ground floor and bedrooms above. Then they scrapped it.
They ended up with the living room, dining room and kitchen on the top floor where they can benefit from the light
and views and maximize energy efficiency. And they put the bedrooms on the ground floor where the garden aspect
gives inhabitants increased privacy, and a cool temperature is maintained throughout the day. The two floors are
linked by wide and gradient stairs, which are designed to allow for a stair lift to be fitted, if necessary, as owners age.

2. Concealed Parking Spaces


But the feature that, according to Warren Rosing, one of the Kosi architects responsible for the design, was
particularly popular with the public, is actually the parking.
In a SunnySideUp development no one has to look out onto a street full of cars, or worry about their kids being run
over, because the terrace zone at the first floor level link all the homes and is a car-free zone.
Vehicles are tucked away on the lower floor, leaving safe and pleasant spaces outside the houses for people to meet,
and kids to play.
A lift takes people directly from garage to living area, so that all residents, including the elderly and those with heavy
shopping, can move comfortably between the floors. The natural feel of the front area is enhanced by the planters
that are placed outside the kitchens at the front to encourage residents to grow vegetables and flowers where they
can be seen.
The idea is that not only would they look pretty, but they would be a talking point, encouraging interaction between
residents on the terrace area outside.

3. Flexible Spaces
But it’s the fact that the space is designed to adapt to the changing needs, including the fluctuating income of its
owners, that makes it a thought-provoking, as well as a winning, design.
The lower-floor bedrooms have separate outdoor access so they can be easily let. The idea is that owners can get
some extra money to pay for their mortgages during the first years. And later in the future, those bedrooms can be
used as a granny flat, or an office, and can easily be converted into a separate one-bed flat if your kids won’t leave
home.
And if more space is required, as well as the usual loft that can be converted, there is potential for a gallery floor to
be inserted in the living room.

4. Where can you get one?


At the moment the SunnySideUp house is still just a set of drawings. But Warren Rosing says, “We are hoping to have
it built.”
The organisers are in talks with builders, but due to the economic climate it may take longer than we would
like.”Weʼre sure it will be worth the wait” they say.
Questions
1. According to the article, The British Homes Awards challenged architects to design a house …

a. for disabled people


b. for ageing inhabitants
c. that could adapt to all ages
d. for young families with children

2. According to the article, in the winning property, bedrooms are downstairs to …

a. benefit from the view


b. have easier access to the house
c. have more privacy in the living room
d. keep the same pleasant atmosphere the whole day

3. According to the article, the parking spaces in this house design are …

a. on the first floor


b. on the ground floor
c. in a separate building
d. in the street

4. According to the article, in the SunnySideUp house the ground floor ...

a. can be rented
b. can be sold separately
c. is only used to store cars
d. has a room for grandparents

5. We learn from the article that …

a. children can play safely outside the house


b. the houses overlook a street crammed with cars
c. the back garden is the main talking point for the inhabitants

6. According to the article, the house has been designed …

a. to be rented
b. to be shared if necessary
c. for families with a small income

7. According to the article, the SunnySideUp development …

a. is being built
b. will never be built
c. will hopefully be built
d. has been recently built

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