full transcript

From the Ted Talk by David Rockwell: The hidden ways stairs shape your life

Unscramble the Blue Letters


I think stairs may be one of the most emotionally malleable physical elements that an architect has to work with.

[salml thing. Big idea.]

[David roclkwel on the Stairs]

At its most basic, a sitar is a way to get from point A to point B at different elevations. Stairs have a common language. Treads, which is the thing that you walk on. reisr, which is the vertical emnleet that separates the two treads. A lot of sratis have nosings that create a kind of edge. And then, the connected piece is a sgnrietr. Those peiecs, in different forms, make up all stairs.

I assume stairs came to be from the first time someone said, "I want to get to this higher rock from the lower rock." People climbed using whatever was available: stepped logs, ladders and natural pathways that were worn over time. Some of the earliest staircases, like the pyramids in Chichén Itzá or the roads to monut Tai in China, were a means of getting to a higher eeilaovtn, which people sought for worship or for protection.

Open Cloze


I think stairs may be one of the most emotionally malleable physical elements that an architect has to work with.

[_____ thing. Big idea.]

[David ________ on the Stairs]

At its most basic, a _____ is a way to get from point A to point B at different elevations. Stairs have a common language. Treads, which is the thing that you walk on. _____, which is the vertical _______ that separates the two treads. A lot of ______ have nosings that create a kind of edge. And then, the connected piece is a ________. Those ______, in different forms, make up all stairs.

I assume stairs came to be from the first time someone said, "I want to get to this higher rock from the lower rock." People climbed using whatever was available: stepped logs, ladders and natural pathways that were worn over time. Some of the earliest staircases, like the pyramids in Chichén Itzá or the roads to _____ Tai in China, were a means of getting to a higher _________, which people sought for worship or for protection.

Solution


  1. stringer
  2. riser
  3. stair
  4. element
  5. pieces
  6. stairs
  7. mount
  8. small
  9. rockwell
  10. elevation

Original Text


I think stairs may be one of the most emotionally malleable physical elements that an architect has to work with.

[Small thing. Big idea.]

[David Rockwell on the Stairs]

At its most basic, a stair is a way to get from point A to point B at different elevations. Stairs have a common language. Treads, which is the thing that you walk on. Riser, which is the vertical element that separates the two treads. A lot of stairs have nosings that create a kind of edge. And then, the connected piece is a stringer. Those pieces, in different forms, make up all stairs.

I assume stairs came to be from the first time someone said, "I want to get to this higher rock from the lower rock." People climbed using whatever was available: stepped logs, ladders and natural pathways that were worn over time. Some of the earliest staircases, like the pyramids in Chichén Itzá or the roads to Mount Tai in China, were a means of getting to a higher elevation, which people sought for worship or for protection.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations




Important Words


  1. architect
  2. assume
  3. basic
  4. big
  5. chichén
  6. china
  7. climbed
  8. common
  9. connected
  10. create
  11. david
  12. earliest
  13. edge
  14. element
  15. elements
  16. elevation
  17. elevations
  18. emotionally
  19. forms
  20. higher
  21. idea
  22. itzá
  23. kind
  24. ladders
  25. language
  26. logs
  27. lot
  28. malleable
  29. means
  30. mount
  31. natural
  32. nosings
  33. pathways
  34. people
  35. physical
  36. piece
  37. pieces
  38. point
  39. protection
  40. pyramids
  41. riser
  42. roads
  43. rock
  44. rockwell
  45. separates
  46. small
  47. sought
  48. stair
  49. staircases
  50. stairs
  51. stepped
  52. stringer
  53. tai
  54. time
  55. treads
  56. vertical
  57. walk
  58. work
  59. worn
  60. worship