建筑专业英语课文15华中科技大学出版社.docx

建筑专业英语课文15华中科技大学出版社.docx

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建筑专业英语课文15华中科技大学出版社

1.5CommentsonArchitecturalDesign

1.5.1LightandGravity

Inthearchitecturalopus,lightgeneratesspace:

withoutlight,spacedoesnotexist.Naturallightbringsplasticformstolife,shapesthesurfacesofmaterials,controlsandbalancesgeometriclines.Thespacegeneratedbylightisthesouloftheactofarchitecture.Constructedvolumesconvergetodefinethespacesthataretheultimategoalofthearchitecturalproject.Voidsarewhatdictatespatialandfunctionalrelationships,controllingvisuallinesandgeneratingpotentialemotions,expectations,interpretations.

Lightisanaturalentitythatexistsaboveandbeyondarchitecture,anditsreasonliesinitsconfrontationwiththeconstructedwork,inthepassageoftimethroughthesolarcycleandinthecontinuouschangeofseasons.Light,forthearchitect,isthevisiblesignoftherelationshipthatexistsbetweenthearchitecturalworkandthecosmicvaluesofitssurroundings:

itistheelementthatshapestheworkinitsspecificenvironmentalcontext.Itdescribesitslatitudeandorientation,andestablishestheartefact’srapportwiththeuniquefeaturesoftheenvironment.Gravityistheforcethatbindsthearchitecturalopustotheground.Wecouldsaythatitconstitutestherationalefortheconstructionalprincipleinseekingequilibriuminordertotransmitloadstothesoil.Theprimesignofconstructioncomesfromtheactionoflayingastoneontheground.Thus,weshouldrefernottostoneonstone,buttostoneonsoil:

allarchitecturesbearwithinthemthisabsoluteconditionofbeingpartoftheearth.Throughconstructedwork,manperpetuatesthisparallelwithMotherEarthandperformsanactionthattransformsaconditionofnatureintoadeedofculture.Layinganartefactonthesoilchallengestheexistingbalance,inthequestfornewenvironmentalvaluesthatcanbearwitnesstotheirowndayandage.Theconstructedlandscapeisthemirror—sometimesmerciless—ofthecommunitythatexpressesit.Itisawaytolendformtohistory,awaytoimpartcontinuitytothepopulationsthathaveexisted.Inotherwords,itisawayforustofeelthatwearetheartificersofourownage.

Thesearesomeofthethoughtsthatariseinponderingthiscollectionofrecentarchitectures.Thesubtlecontinuityoftheethicalandprofessionalcommitmentthatlinksdifferentprojectsundergoesaslowandchallengingevolutionovertheyearsthatarenotalwaysevidenteventothearchitecthimself.Quiteoften,theattentionthatispaidtoindividualprojectsevadesgeneralmotivations,andthesearchfortechnical/designsolutionstakespriorityoverthedoubtsandquestionsthatarisewhenonefacestheenigmaofawhitesheetofpaperonthedrawingboard.Attimes,“doing”isgivenprecedenceover“thinking”.

Infaceofthevarietyofthemesencounteredoverthecourseofadecade,theselectionofworksproposestwobasicaspectsofthisfieldasthekeytointerpretation:

lightandgravity.Thesearetwoconstantsaroundwhichitispossibletopursueaninterpretationthatmaybecapableofhighlightingcurrentinterestsandrecentcontradictions.Theyarerealaspectsthatbelongtoallconstructedarchitecturalworksand,asaresult,itmayseemnaiveorevenfutileatthispointtoattempttointerprettheirmessages.Throughexperimentation,currenttrendsorculturalapproaches,thecultureofcontemporaryarchitectureseemstomoveawayfromexaminingtheseprimaryaspectsofbuilding（lightandgravity）,almostasifthearchitecturalworkcanforgothem.

Indeed,onegetstheimpressionthatthoseworkinginthisfieldtodayhaveotherconcerns,whichnolongeraddresstheconstructedworkbutfocusaboveallonvirtualaspectsandcomparisons,fleetingmoments,surfacecomponentsandplayfulaspects,seeminglytheonlyonesstillcapableofgalvanisinganyinterestindebateinthisdiscipline.Accentuatingaspectsthatareforeigntothesetrends,aboveandbeyondstylesandlanguages,canseemunrealisticorinappropriate.Onthecontrary,Ibelievethatturningtheattentionofarchitecturetocertainessentialcomponentsisawayofmeasuringtheirabilitytointerpretthecontemporaryworld.

Inthefrenziedproposalsofextravagantexperimentationandtragicexpunctionputforthinrecentyears,thearchitecturalmessagesthatemergeoftenshirkthisdiscipline,turningtoneighbouringfields—thevisualarts,advertising,literaryinterpretations—therebyjustifyingalackofcommitmenttothetaskspertinenttoarchitectureandthequestforthequalityofspaces.Theseapproachesarespentinthevirtualnatureofacademicargument,andtheyleavecitizensdisarmedbeforetherealproblemsthatcompelthemtofaceveritableurbanbattleseverydayinordertomoveabout,work,pauseandlive.Itseemsthatthecivicandsocialcommitmentthathassustainedthehopesofthisdisciplineforthousandsofyearshasvanished.Newformsofexpressionstooptothelawssuggestedbystandardizationtothedictatesofthevogueandthemarket,inwhicheverything—andanything—isreducedtomerchandisetobeembracedandappraisedbasedsolelyoneconomicinterests.Inthefaceofthisdisarmingportrait,Icandiscernthatthereneverthelessremainmarginsforcontributingtoworksthatcanemergeaspositiveexpressionsandtakeontheresponsibilitiesandenormouspotentialofourera.Inthecurrentenvironmentalconfusionpromptedbysuchrapidtransformation,perhapsthemainstayforanycriticaloppositioncancomeaboutbyreinterpretingthecityasaspecificspacecapableofshoulderingtheburdenofcollectiveaspirations.Thecity,asthesupremeentityoftheaggregationoflifeandhope,canbecomeaninstrumentformeasuringtheneedsofitscitizensandthevaluesofthishabitat,toarriveatanewunderstandingoftherapportthatexistswithoursurroundings.TheEuropeancitycontinuestobeanextraordinarymodelofaggregation.Itsmillenarystratificationmakesitthebulwarkofquality,andanalternativetothemodelsofsuburbiaorthe“non-places’’thatareinvokedtodayasiftheyweretrue“values”.Theantibodiesthatmatureinthe“local”contextofdifferentculturesthusfindaprivilegedspace,andtheycanactasantidotestopermitthegrowthofcriticalthoughtcapableoffacingthecontradictorynatureofourwayoflife.Thecityremainsafortressinthelandscapeofmemoryinwhichthearchitectiscalledupontothinkandact.Today,interpretingcertainarchitecturesthroughthefilteroflightandgravityisintendedasameansofreaffirmingthehopesofthisdisciplineandallowingthearchitecttobecomereconciledwiththecity,viewedasthehighestexpressionofcollectiveliving,asupremeformofintelligence,andasignofcreativitythat

—insomecases—becomessheerpoetry.

Exercises

I.Fillintheblankswiththecorrectanswer.

1.histimeinVenice,MarioBottahastheopportunitytomeetandworkforLeCorbusierandLouisI.Kahn.

A.WithB.By

C.AtD.During

2.Inthearchitecturalopus,generatesspace:

withoutlight,spacedoesnotexist.

A.functionB.form

C.shapeD.light

3.Lightisanaturalentitythatexistsaboveandbeyondarchitecture,anditsreasonliesinitsconfrontationwiththeconstructedwork,inthepassageofthroughthesolarcycleandinthecontinuouschangeofseasons.

A.shapeB.color

C.airD.time

4.istheforcethatbindsthearchitecturalopustotheground.

A.GravityB.Space

C.LightD.Form

5.Infaceofthevarietyofthemesencounteredthecourseofadecade,theselectionofworksproposestwobasicaspectsofthisfieldasthekeytointerpretation:

lightandgravity.

A.overB.on

C.withD.in

6.Onthecontrary,Ibelievethatturningtheattentionofarchitecturetocertainessentialcomponentsisawayofmeasuringtheirabilitytointerpretthe_____world.

A.contemporaryB.classical

C.renaissanceD.ancient

II.TranslatetheitalicsentencesinthetextintoChinese.

1.5.2Bigness

Beyondacertainscale,architectureacquiresthepropertiesofBigness.ThebestreasontobroachBignessistheonegivenbyclimbersofMountEverest:

“becauseitisthere”Bignessisultimatearchitecture.Itseemsincrediblethatthesizeofabuildingaloneembodiesanideologicalprogram,independentofthewillofitsarchitects.

Ofallpossiblecategories,Bignessdoesnotseemtodeserveamanifesto;discreditedasanintellectualproblem,itisapparentlyonitswaytoextinction-likethedinosaur-throughclumsiness,slowness,inflexibility,difficulty.Butinfact,onlyBignessinstigatestheregimeofcomplexitythatmobilizesthefullintelligenceofarchitectureanditsrelatedfields.

Onehundredyearsago,agenerationofconceptualbreakthroughsandsupportingtechnologiesunleashedanarchitecturalBigBang.Byrandomizingcirculation,short-circuitingdistance,artificializinginteriors,reducingmass,stretchingdimensions,andacceleratingconstruction,theelevator,electricity,air-conditioning,steel,andfinally,thenewinfrastructuresformedaclusterofmutationsthatinducedanotherspeciesofarchitecture.Thecombinedeffectsoftheseinventionswerestructurestalleranddeeper-Bigger-thaneverbeforeconceived,withaparallelpotentialforthereorganizationofthesocialworld—avastlyricherprogrammation.

Theorems

Fuelledinitiallybythethoughtlessenergyofthepurelyquantitative,Bignesshasbeen,fornearlyacentury,aconditionalmostwithoutthinkers,arevolutionwithoutprogram.DeliriousNewYorkimpliedalatent“TheoryofBigness”basedonfivetheorems.

1.Beyondacertaincriticalmass,abuildingbecomesaBigBuilding.Suchamasscannolongerbecontrolledbyasinglearch