Will there ever be a mile-high skyscraper? - Stefan Al

翻译人员: Tianji (Homer) Li 校对人员: Hanlin Wang

In 1956,

1956 年，

architect Frank Lloyd Wright

建筑师弗兰克 · 劳埃德 · 怀特

proposed a mile-high skyscraper.

提议建造一座 1 英里（约 1.6 公里） 高的摩天大楼。

It was going to be the world’s tallest building,

它将比世界上其他任何建筑

by a lot —

高都要出许多——

five times as high as the Eiffel Tower.

它会是埃菲尔铁塔高度的五倍。

But many critics laughed at the architect,

但是许多评论家 嘲笑这位建筑师，

arguing that people would have to wait hours for an elevator,

因为人们将会花好几个小时等电梯。

or worse, that the tower would collapse under its own weight.

更甚，这座大厦将会 因无法承受自重而倒塌。

Most engineers agreed,

大多数工程师赞同这一说法，

and despite the publicity around the proposal,

尽管这个提议广为人知，

the titanic tower was never built.

但这项工程从未启动。

But today,

但如今，

bigger and bigger buildings are going up around the world.

世界各地的建筑越建越高。

Firms are even planning skyscrapers more than a kilometer tall,

很多公司甚至在计划建造 超过 1 千米高的摩天大楼，

like the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia,

比如，沙特阿拉伯的吉达大厦

three times the size of the Eiffel Tower.

是埃菲尔铁塔的 3 倍高。

Very soon,

在不久的将来，

Wright’s mile-high miracle may be a reality.

怀特那 1 英里高的建筑设想 也许就成真了。

So what exactly was stopping us

所以 70 年前到底是什么绊住了

from building these megastructures 70 years ago,

人们建造这些巨型建筑的脚步，

and how do we build something a mile high today?

而我们如今又是如何建成 一英里高的建筑的呢？

In any construction project,

在每项建筑工程中，

each story of the structure needs to be able to support the stories on top of it.

每一层建筑都需支撑 它上层的部分。

The higher we build,

建筑越高，

the higher the gravitational pressure from the upper stories on the lower ones.

底层结构所承受的来自 上层的压力就越大。

This principle has long dictated the shape of our buildings,

这个原理一直以来 限制了建筑的形状，

leading ancient architects to favor pyramids with wide foundations

因此古时候的建筑师们 偏爱地基宽阔的金字塔结构，

that support lighter upper levels.

它可以承受住 更轻的上层部分。

But this solution doesn’t quite translate to a city skyline–

但是这个方案并不能 很好地适应城市布局——

a pyramid that tall would be roughly one-and-a-half miles wide,

一个近 1.5 英里宽的金字塔底座

tough to squeeze into a city center.

很难在城市中心安身。

Fortunately, strong materials like concrete can avoid this impractical shape.

幸运的是，诸如混凝土这样坚实的材料 可以避免这种不切实际的形状。

And modern concrete blends are reinforced with steel-fibers for strength

在新型混凝土中混入 钢纤维能加大强度，

and water-reducing polymers to prevent cracking.

减水剂能避免建筑出现裂痕。

The concrete in the world’s tallest tower, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa,

世界上最高的塔， 迪拜的哈利法塔的混凝土

can withstand about 8,000 tons of pressure per square meter–

可以承受每平米约 8000 吨的压力——

the weight of over 1,200 African elephants!

这相当于 1200 头非洲象的重量！

Of course, even if a building supports itself,

当然，即便一座建筑 可以自我支撑，

it still needs support from the ground.

它还需要地基的支持。

Without a foundation,

没有地基，

buildings this heavy would sink, fall, or lean over.

如此重的建筑就会 下陷、坍塌或者倾倒。

To prevent the roughly half a million ton tower from sinking,

为了防止这个约有 五十万吨重的塔下陷，

192 concrete and steel supports called piles were buried over 50 meters deep.

192 个被称为桩的混凝土和钢筋支架 被埋进 50 米深的地下。

The friction between the piles and the ground

地与桩之间的摩擦力

keeps this sizable structure standing.

可以使这座庞大的 建筑屹立不倒。

Besides defeating gravity,

除了可以将整栋楼推倒的 重力的威胁，

which pushes the building down,

a skyscraper also needs to overcome the blowing wind,

一栋摩天大楼也需要 克服从大楼侧面吹来的风力。

which pushes from the side.

On average days,

一般情况下，

wind can exert up to 17 pounds of force per square meter on a high-rise building–

风能在高层建筑上施加 17 磅（约 7.7 千克）每平方米的力——

as heavy as a gust of bowling balls.

相当于一堆保龄球的重力。

Designing structures to be aerodynamic,

设计的建筑结构要符合空气动力学，

like China’s sleek Shanghai Tower,

例如中国的地标建筑， 上海中心大厦，

can reduce that force by up to a quarter.

可以减少四分之一的风力。

And wind-bearing frames inside or outside the building

而建筑内或外的承风框架

can absorb the remaining wind force,

可以同化剩余的风力，

such as in Seoul’s Lotte Tower.

例如首尔的乐天大厦。

But even after all these measures,

但即使采取了这些措施，

you could still find yourself swaying back and forth

在飓风来袭时，你仍然会

more than a meter on top floors during a hurricane.

发现自己在顶楼 左一米、右一米的摇晃。

To prevent the wind from rocking tower tops,

为了防止风摇动塔顶，

many skyscrapers employ a counterweight weighing hundreds of tons

许多摩天大楼采用了 一种重达数百吨的

called a “tuned mass damper.”

“调谐质量阻尼器”。

The Taipei 101, for instance,

例如台北 101 大楼

has suspended a giant metal orb above the 87th floor.

在 87 层以上悬挂着 一个巨大的金属球体。

When wind moves the building,

当风吹过大楼时，

this orb sways into action,

这个球体开始摇摆，

absorbing the building’s kinetic energy.

吸收大楼的动能。

As its movements trail the tower’s,

当它拖着上层楼摇摆时，

hydraulic cylinders between the ball and the building

球和建筑物之间的液压缸

convert that kinetic energy into heat,

会将吸收的动能转化为热能，

and stabilize the swaying structure.

以此稳定摇摆的结构。

With all these technologies in place,

当所有这些技术被加以应用时，

our mega-structures can stay standing and stable.

我们的巨型建筑 才能够稳定站立。

But quickly traveling through buildings this large is a challenge in itself.

但是快速穿过如此庞大的建筑物 本身就是一项挑战。

In Wright’s age,

在怀特的那个年代里，

the fastest elevators moved a mere 22 kilometers per hour.

最快的电梯仅以每小时 22 公里的速度运行。

Thankfully, today’s elevators are much faster, traveling over 70 km per hour

值得庆幸的是，如今的电梯速度快得多， 时速可超过 70 公里，

with future cabins potentially using frictionless magnetic rails

未来的轿厢可能会 使用无摩擦的磁轨

for even higher speeds.

以实现更快的速度。

And traffic management algorithms group riders by destination

交通管理算法根据 目的地将乘客分组，

to get passengers and empty cabins where they need to be.

以确保乘客和空轿厢 被送到他们需要去的地方。

Skyscrapers have come a long way since Wright proposed his mile-high tower.

自从怀特的“一英里摩天大楼”以来， 摩天大楼经历了许多变迁。

What were once considered impossible ideas

曾经被认为是不可能的想法

have become architectural opportunities.

已成为建筑界的契机。

Today it may just be a matter of time

让一栋楼多增高一英里，

until one building goes the extra mile.

现在看来，很可能只是时间问题。