Ingenious homes in unexpected places

In the center of Caracas, Venezuela, stands the 45-story "Tower of David," an unfinished, abandoned skyscraper. But about eight years ago, people started moving in. Photographer Iwan Baan shows how people build homes in unlikely places, touring us through the family apartments of Torre David, a city on the water in Nigeria, and an underground village in China. Glorious images celebrate humanity's ability to survive and make a home — anywhere.












Part 1. Torre David, Caracas, Venzuela. Listen from 2:13 - 6:10

developer
column
lobby
services
come up with
inhabitant
micro-economy
adjacent
reclaimed
hike
figure out
transparency
circulation
adapt
labour of love
make the best
facade

Vocab / phrases: maybe write a translation into your first language for the newer words. Check with me. 

to pe_r 

f__-away (adj.) 

g___erator (n.) 

dr___ed to the T (colloquial) 

nig__fall (n.) 

save __r (synonymous with “except for” or “apart from”)  

to me_d (fix) 

gr_d (n.) (for electricity) (or a series of squares or rectangles) 

sc__es of (large numbers of) 

iconog____hies 

f_ux (adj.) (fake) 

stomach-chu___ng odor (bad smell) 

lan__ill (n.) 

in___pitable (adj.) 

un___erved (adj.) 

dwe___ng (n.) 

re-a__ropriate (to use for a new purpose?) 

to ta_ into 

ing___ious (adj.) 

cook__-cutter housing (speaker’s own expression) 

gen__ic (adj.) 

plag__ of sameness (unusual expression – the speaker dislikes sameness) 

Watch here:

Ingenious homes in unexpected places