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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 易帆 余

In 1956,

1956 年，

architect Frank Lloyd Wright

建築師法蘭克洛伊萊特

proposed a mile-high skyscraper.

提出了一英哩高摩天大樓的計畫。

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

它會是世界上最高的建築，

by a lot —

且高很多—— 是艾菲爾鐵塔的五倍高。

five times as high as the Eiffel Tower.

But many critics laughed at the architect,

但許多評論家嘲笑這位建築師，

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

指出大家光等電梯就要幾個小時，

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

或，更糟的是，高樓會因為 它自己的重量而垮掉。

Most engineers agreed,

大部分的工程師認同，

and despite the publicity around the proposal,

儘管這項提案的曝光率很高，

the titanic tower was never built.

這棟泰坦尼大樓 從來沒有被建造起來。

But today,

但，現今，世界各地 建出了更高更大的建築。

bigger and bigger buildings are going up around the world.

Firms are even planning skyscrapers more than a kilometer tall,

甚至有些公司已經正在規劃建造 超過一公里高的摩天大樓，

like the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia,

就像沙烏地阿拉伯的吉達塔，

three times the size of the Eiffel Tower.

是艾菲鐵塔的三倍高。

Very soon,

很快，萊特的一英哩高 奇觀很可能就會成真。

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

So what exactly was stopping us

所以，到底是什麼阻止我們

from building these megastructures 70 years ago,

在七十年前建造這些超級建築？

and how do we build something a mile high today?

現今我們又要如何 建造一英哩高的東西？

In any construction project,

在任何建案中，

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

每一層的結構都得要能夠 支撐它上面的所有樓層。

The higher we build,

建得越高，上面樓層

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

對下面樓層的重力壓力就會越大。

This principle has long dictated the shape of our buildings,

長久以來，這項原則一直 主宰了我們建築物的形狀，

leading ancient architects to favor pyramids with wide foundations

所以古代建築師偏好 金字塔型的寬地基

that support lighter upper levels.

才能支撐較輕的上層。

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

但這種解決方案 不太能夠用在城市中——

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

要做那麼高的金字塔， 地基大約需要一英哩半的寬度，

tough to squeeze into a city center.

很難塞到市中心。

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

幸運的是，有堅固的材料如混凝土，

就能避免這種不實際的形狀。

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

現代的混凝土會加入 鋼纖維來強化其強度，

and water-reducing polymers to prevent cracking.

還會添加減水聚合物，預防裂開。

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

世界上最高的高樓是杜拜的 哈里發塔，它用的混凝土

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

可以承受每平方公尺 八千噸的壓力——

the weight of over 1,200 African elephants!

等同於一千兩百隻 非洲大象的重量！

Of course, even if a building supports itself,

當然，就算一棟建築 能支撐它自己，

it still needs support from the ground.

它仍然需要來自地面的支撐力。

Without a foundation,

若沒有地基，這麼重的建築

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

就會下沉、倒塌，或傾斜。

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

為了避免這棟重量 約一百萬噸的高樓下沉，

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

它底下五十公尺深處埋了

192 隻混凝土和鋼製的 支撐物，叫做樁。

The friction between the piles and the ground

樁和地面之間的磨擦力

keeps this sizable structure standing.

能讓這麼大的建築物穩固地豎立。

Besides defeating gravity,

除了要打敗將建築物 向下推的地心引力之外，

which pushes the building down,

a skyscraper also needs to overcome the blowing wind,

摩天大樓也得要克服風吹，

which pushes from the side.

風力會將建築物往側邊推。

On average days,

一般的情況下，

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

高樓上所受到的風力可能

高達每平方公尺十七磅——

as heavy as a gust of bowling balls.

如同吹來一陣保齡球風一樣。

Designing structures to be aerodynamic,

依據空氣動力學來設計大樓，

like China’s sleek Shanghai Tower,

就像中國那時尚的上海中心大廈，

can reduce that force by up to a quarter.

就能將風力減少掉高達四分之一。

And wind-bearing frames inside or outside the building

建築內部或外部的抗風結構

can absorb the remaining wind force,

能夠吸收剩下的風力，

such as in Seoul’s Lotte Tower.

首爾的樂天世界塔就有這種設計。

But even after all these measures,

但，就算有所有這些方法，

you could still find yourself swaying back and forth

在颶風中，在大樓頂層 還是會感受到

more than a meter on top floors during a hurricane.

前後晃動超過一公尺的距離。

To prevent the wind from rocking tower tops,

為了防止大樓頂層 因為風吹而晃動，

many skyscrapers employ a counterweight weighing hundreds of tons

許多摩天大樓採用一種 重達數百噸的平衡錘，

called a “tuned mass damper.”

叫做「調諧質量阻尼器」。

The Taipei 101, for instance,

比如，台北一○一

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

就在八十七樓上懸掛了 一個巨大的金屬球。

When wind moves the building,

當風力吹動大樓時，

this orb sways into action,

這顆球就會開始擺動，

absorbing the building’s kinetic energy.

吸收掉大樓的動能。

As its movements trail the tower’s,

當它跟隨著大樓在移動，

hydraulic cylinders between the ball and the building

球和建築物之間的液壓缸

convert that kinetic energy into heat,

會將動態能量轉換為熱能，

and stabilize the swaying structure.

讓擺動的建築物能穩定下來。

With all these technologies in place,

已經有這麼多技術可以用，

our mega-structures can stay standing and stable.

我們的超級建築已經 可以站得穩穩的了。

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

但要在這麼大的建築物中 快速移動，本身就是一種挑戰。

In Wright’s age,

在萊特的時代，

the fastest elevators moved a mere 22 kilometers per hour.

最快速的電梯時速二十二公里。

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

謝天謝地，現今的電梯快多了，

時速超過七十公里，

with future cabins potentially using frictionless magnetic rails

未來的電梯車廂有可能 可以用無摩擦的磁力軌道，

for even higher speeds.

達到更快的速度。

And traffic management algorithms group riders by destination

還有流量管理演算法 將乘客依據目的地來分群，

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

把乘客和空車廂送到 他們／它們該去的地方。

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

在萊特提出一英哩高的高樓之後， 摩天大樓已經有很大的進步。

What were once considered impossible ideas

以前被認為不可能的點子，

have become architectural opportunities.

已經變成了建築的機會。

Today it may just be a matter of time

現今，建築物是否 會再增加一英哩高度，

until one building goes the extra mile.

可能只是時間的問題而已。