TEST THEME: Choose between A and B selections of texts and translate

proposing variants.
A).
1. Translate into Romanian:
Venice, California
Johnston Marklee & Associates
By Ingrid Spencer
Joshua Sale can still remember when the streets of his old neighborhood in Venice,
California were lined with tiny 1920s cottages and prowled by gang members. He
recalls hearing gunshots and dropping to the floor of the 800-square-foot bungalow
he bought in 1974. My neighbors were members of a gang called the V13s, he
says. Venice was a different place back then. Sale, who recently had his bungalow
reconstructed by Johnston Marklee Architects after the home burnt down in a fire,
also harkens back to a period of Venices history when several prominent Los
Angeles architects were coming into their own. His homewhich includes a 400square-foot garage and studio known as the 2-4-6-8 Studio, designed by Morphosis
in 1978 and undamaged by the subsequent fireshares a piece of that history.
Thom Mayne and I were friends, says Sale of Morphosiss principal. And because I
needed more space, I asked him and Michael Rotundi to design a garage and studio.
I didnt know anything about architecture, but when I saw that Thom and Michael kept
bringing architects around to see the project, I realized my studio was something
special.
Almost 30 years later, the neighborhood is now overrun with large modern homes
that fill their sites to overflowing, and smartly dressed young couples pushing baby
carriages populate the alleys. In the midst of all this, Sales special studio, named for
the dimensions of its four windows, is still a place that architects seek out as an
example of the use of pure geometries and unexpected materials.
As is the case with many young architects in the beginnings of their careers, ancillary
structures and renovations to a host house were the kind of projects that
distinguished Los Angeles architects such as Thom Mayne, Michael Rotundi, Frank
Israel, and Eric Owen Moss were doing in the late 70s. To rebuild the Sale House,
architects Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee had to do the opposite: design a host
structure that would respect the properties of the ancillary building. They approached
the project like a chess gamea turn to formulate a response to Morphosiss move,
much like Morphosis had created a response to the original Craftsman home. Thom
had created so many drawings for the studio, says Lee. We used one in particular
as a guide, and designed the house to react to the geometries, use of color, and
dimensions.
The result is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,600-square-foot home connected to
the studio on the second floor. The proportions of the studio became the negative
dimensions of the homes outdoor courtyard, and a mass as the second-floor

master bedroom, taking a cue from the original Morphosis drawing that actually
called for four identical rotated studios on the site (only one was ever built).
Anticipating the inevitable construction of oversized homes to either side of the
house, Johnston and Lee positioned windows (all are either 2 by 2, 4 by 4, 6 by 6, or
8 by 8, like the studio), transparent walls, and the courtyard and roof deck to let the
maximum amount of light penetrate the homes interior, while still maintaining privacy.
and use the outside as additional living space.
Again responding to the studio, the architects chose the gray of a photographic gray
card for the stucco exterior, while the interiors become volumes of color with paint
and resins in shades of pink, turquoise, orange, and yellow.
When the home was completed Sale allowed Johnston Marklee to take the
gallery/stage elements of the house a step furtherJohnston and Lee curated
several art collaborations in the space, including sound sculpture, paintings, and
photographs all related to and responding to the house. (Photographs from that
series by Livia Corona can be viewed in the accompanying slide show.)
Although Sale lives in Colorado now, and rents the home with the idea that one day
hell put it on the market, something keeps him from doing just that. Its not priced to
sell, he says. He may well want to keep it. In 30 more years, this Venice home might
have new lessons to teach a fresh crop of architects. (From Architecture Record).
2). Translate into English:
Strada tirbei Vod nr. 178. O cas-vagon, foarte veche, n stil neoclasic, cu calcan,
perpendicular pe axul strzii. La faad, o singur camer cu dou ferestre. Intrarea
n curte pe stnga, printr-o poart larg de fier forjat, sub bolta format din coroana
unui platan uria. Curtea, spre case st cu faa la tot restul casei, este la nceput
destul de ngust, desprit fa de vecinii din stnga printr-un gard de lemn. Casa
vecin fiind aezat fa n fa cu a noastr, ar putea sugera ipoteza aparinerii lor
n trecut unei proprieti comune, ulterior parcelate sau, n alt ipotez, ar fi fost
construite pe temelia chiliilor unei mnstiri de la marginea oraului, a crei amintire
aproape s-a pierdut!
Intrnd n curte, pe dreapta se gsesc celelalte dou ferestre ale camerei din
fa; urmeaz o marchiz: intrarea principal, din metal cu feronerie, cu geamuri
mari, cuprinztoare, nalte i luminoase din sticl nflorat. Marchiza, coafat de un
frontispiciu cu literele N.C. n medalion, initialele unuia din fotii proprietari (18641899), acoper peretele dinspre curte a celei de-a doua ncperi, antretul; n el se
intra printr-un vestibul a crui u este delimitat de dou coloane corintice. n
continuare nc trei ferestre spre curte corespunznd altor dou odi (una mai mare
cu dou, cealalt mai mic, cu o singur fereastr).
De aici cldirea se ngusteaz, curtea lrgindu-se. Dup fereastra din dreptul
bii (care urmeaz) apare un lung geamlc, dnd lumin indirect unor ncperi
mai mici: sufragerie, buctrie de iarn, cmar i spltorie (cu intrarea n beci i
pod). n faa spltoriei geamlcul se nchide cu o u de lemn tot cu geamuri, ca
intrare secundar. Casa continu cu nc dou camere (cu acces prin sala
geamlcului). Curtea se lrgete apoi mult, n detrimentl ultimei pri a casei, de data
asta din lemn, i anume cu dou magazii i o buctrie de var.

n interior camerele sunt podite cu scnduri vopsite n rou-maroniu i ceruite,

iar nlimea camerelor depete 3,5 m. Pentru nclzire, n fiecare odaie este cte
o sob de teracot nalt de peste 2 metri, pentru care se cumpra nainte de rzboi,
pe iarn, un vagon de lemne.
Din strad nimeni nu poate bnui c dincolo de cldire urmeaz o curte larg
de peste 300 mp cu flori, pomi fructiferi i vegetaie bogat, raiul a trei generaii de
copii, urmai ai familiilor Baican i Dimitriu mutate aici n 1908. (Fragment din Cnt
de pomenire, de Ileana Zamfirescu, n Povestea Caselor, Ed. Simetria, 1999).
B)
1. Translate into Romanian
Brooklyn
Baumann Architecture
By Ingrid Spencer
An urban center like New York City, with its varied old neighborhoods, cobblestone
streets, and eclectic architectural styles, can set the mind to wondering what different
incarnations buildings have been through over the past couple centuries. The
remarkable history behind one particular building in Brooklyns Prospect Heights
neighborhood exemplifies just how extreme that progression can be. According to
architect Philippe Baumann, whose firm Baumann Architecture recently renovated
the Brooklyn home for a couple and their two children, the place has been through a
series of transformations since it was built 120 years ago. The building started as a
carriage house, says Baumann, and then became a storefront grocery for many
years. In 1960 a jet turbine from a United Airlines plane crashed through the roof, and
in the early 1970s it was part of a neighborhood rejuvenation called Cinderella II
sponsored by a gas company. It then became a rental property, the Reverend Al
Sharptons Brooklyn political headquarters, and was home to a Hollywood
screenwriter. It has definitely had a colorful history.
When Baumanns clientsco-founder of design and import shop Salvor NYC, Noel
Wiggins, and his wifebought the place, their intention was to make the building into
a comfortable living space for themselves and their two young children. We wanted
the space of a loft, without the industrial feel of one, says Wiggins.
For a building with an unusual 30-foot-wide footprint, 2,000 square feet on the ground
floor and another 2,000 below grade, Baumanns biggest challenge was to add
another floor with minimal intrusion on the existing first story, while bringing as much
light into the lower spaces as possible. Architect and client also agreed that a terrace
would help play down the industrial nature of the building. The roof sloped down to a
void from front to back, says Baumann, and our original strategy was just to drop a
500-square-foot addition to the roof, so the family could live in the main part of the
building during construction. But we became much more ambitious and ended up
changing the entire structure.
Baumanns renovation began by adding a continuous concrete bond beam to the
existing roof, and resting the 1,000-square-foot steel-framed addition on 30-foot steel

beams that span the existing walls. Every effort was made to bring natural light into
the building, including offsetting the floor of the addition to allow a 36-foot skylight to
run along the roof of the living space below. The addition has clerestories that face
the adjacent backyards, and a 20-foot-wide opening in the first-floor kitchen brings in
light diffused by glass block.
To make the space seem less industrial, Baumann tempered the brick, concrete, and
oxidized steel in the column-free space with natural materials and warm colors.
Anytime we put up a new wall we used lime-washed plaster in shades such as
pumpkin ochre, dark blue, and even a crimson in the master bedroom, says
Baumann. The irregularities in the wash make the walls seem more like large
paintings. Exposed cedar beams on the ceiling upstairs and waxed wide-plank pine
floors add to the comfortable feel.
The Wigginses have turned the upstairs into a large multipurpose room thats often
taken over by the kids and their friends. The ground floor, with its three bedrooms,
two bathrooms, kitchen, and living room, is all about the family, while the basement
space now has both storage and a 600-square-foot womb-like library and office
space.
We kept the space continuous and contextual, says Baumann. Wiggins agrees. Its
just right for us, he says, Its full of beautiful light and air, the kids scooter around,
and we dont miss having lots of walls. Perhaps this building has finally found its true
purpose. (From Architectural Record)
2. Translate into English:
n strada Uranus la nr. 80 a existat pn n anul 1984 casa mea printeasc. Ea
a fost construit n anii 1910 1911 de prinii mei, Petre i Paraschiva-Paulina
tefnescu, pe un teren cumprat de la succesorii lui Ni Stere (un proprietar bogat
avnd numeroase case i terenuri n cartierul Dealul Spirei). De fapt, terenul
cumprat de prinii mei, cu o suprafa de 345 mp, a figurat ca situat n strada
Uranus la nr. 2 bis (numerotarea de atunci a caselor de pe aceast strad).
Construirea casei a fost fcut pe o suprafa de 220 mp, iar restul terenului
(125 mp) constituia curtea. Aceasta era dispus paralel cu casa: ambele ncepnd de
la strad i ntinzndu-se n profunzime de-a lungul ntregului teren. Ca orientare
cardinal, faada casei era n curte ndreptat ctre sud i la strad ctre
rsrit. Datorit acestei orientri, casa era aproape tot timpul zilei expus la soare i,
prin urmare, foarte sntoas.
Dei n ansamblu era unitar, cldirea cuprindea dou corpuri: unul
principal i altul secundar. Corpul principal, mai nalt, era constituit dintr-un hol mare
(lund de 7 m i lat de 3 m) care comunica n dreapta i n stnga, cu cte dou
camere mari (fiecare de cca 20 mp). La intrarea n hol era un vestiar spaios (de cca
5 mp), desprit prin glasvand, iar n fundul holului se afla o debara ncptoare (de 3
mp). Un alt glasvand desprea cele dou camere de la strad astfel nct prin
deschiderea lui total se realiza o ncpere foarte mare (cca 40 mp). Toate piesele
care constituiau corpul principal erau foarte nalte (cca 4 m). La mijlocul plafonului din
hol se afla un luminator dublu care-i avea echivalentul su pe acoperi. n felul

acesta holul primea lumin suplimentar fa de cea asigurat prin glasvandul de la

intrare. Cele patru camere care comunicau cu holul aveau potrivit poziiei lor n
construcie una, dou sau trei ferestre mari (nalte de cca 2,80 m). Cu excepia
unei camere care era pardosit cu scnduri, toate celelalte ncperi din corpul
principal aveau parchet de stejar.
Corpul secundar al casei era mai puin nalt dect cel principal i cuprindea
dependinele constituite dintr-un culoar lung de 10 m care comunica pe latura dinspre
curte cu: o teras (acoperit i nchis cu geamuri), o cmar (de alimente), cu o
camer de locuit mai mic (cca 12 mp), baia cu WC, iar n captul extrem al
culoarului se afla buctria. Tot din acest culoar lung proveneau cele dou scri: una
urca la pod, iar cealalt cobora n pivni. n afar de buctrie i camera de locuit
care erau pardosite cu scnduri, toate celelalte ncperi din corpul secundar
precum i vestiarul la intrarea n corpul principal aveau pe jos mozaic.
n corpul secundar al casei se aflau dou intrari: una prin teras i alta prin
partea din fund. Aceasta din urm comunica printr-un antreu cu buctria,
asigurndu-i o aerisire mai direct. Aadar, casa avea trei intrri (una principal i
dou secundare), toate trei plasate pe faada din curte. (Fragment din Un loc aprat
de Dumnezeu de Aurora Popescu, n Povestea Caselor, Ed. Simetria, 1999).