The hidden ways stairs shape your life | Small Thing Big Idea, a TED series

Translator: Krystian Aparta Reviewer: Camille Martínez

翻译人员: MANSI XIE 校对人员: jacks peng

I think stairs may be

我认为台阶可能是

one of the most emotionally malleable physical elements

建筑家需要去解决的在情感上

that an architect has to work with.

最具可塑性的物理元素之一。

[Small thing. Big idea.]

[小事物，大想法]

[David Rockwell on the Stairs]

[大卫 洛克威对楼梯的看法]

At its most basic, a stair is a way to get from point A to point B

最基本的，台阶是 从A点到不同高度的

at different elevations.

B点的桥梁。

Stairs have a common language.

楼梯有共同的语言。

Treads, which is the thing that you walk on.

踏面，是你行走的地方。

Riser, which is the vertical element that separates the two treads.

踢面，是分离两个踏面的垂直面。

A lot of stairs have nosings that create a kind of edge.

很多楼梯都有护沿来形成边缘。

And then, the connected piece is a stringer.

然后，这些部分 连接起来就是楼梯梁。

Those pieces, in different forms, make up all stairs.

这些部分以不同的 形态组成了所有的台阶。

I assume stairs came to be from the first time someone said,

我猜想楼梯的来由 是从第一次有人说

"I want to get to this higher rock from the lower rock."

“我想从低处的石头 上到高处的石头上去。”

People climbed using whatever was available:

人们就以各种方式攀登：

stepped logs, ladders

如圆木阶梯，梯子，

and natural pathways that were worn over time.

和那些随着时间 被踏平的自然小道。

Some of the earliest staircases, like the pyramids in Chichén Itzá

一些最早的楼梯， 像奇琴依查的金字塔，

or the roads to Mount Tai in China,

以及在中国上泰山的路，

were a means of getting to a higher elevation,

都是到达更高平面的方法，

which people sought for worship or for protection.

人们以此寻求信仰和庇护。

As engineering has evolved, so has what's practical.

工程技术的进化 给实际操作带来了革新。

Stairs can be made from all kinds of material.

所有的材料都可以用来制作楼梯了。

There are linear stairs, there are spiraled stairs.

有直线型楼梯，有螺旋式楼梯。

Stairs can be indoors, they can be outdoors.

楼梯可以在室内，也可在室外。

They clearly help us in an emergency.

在紧急情况下它们能 有效地帮助我们逃生。

But they're also a form of art in and of themselves.

但它们自身也是一种艺术形态。

As we move across a stairway,

当我们走上一个楼梯的时候，

the form dictates our pacing, our feeling, our safety

它的形态能够掌控我们的 节奏，感觉，安全，

and our relationship and engagement with the space around us.

以及我们与周围空间的关系与接触。

So for a second, think about stepping down a gradual, monumental staircase

想象一下，从一个 逐级的有纪念性的台阶上下来，

like the one in front of the New York Public Library.

就像纽约公共图书馆门前的那个。

From those steps,

从这些台阶上，

you have a view of the street and all the people around you,

你能尽观这一条街 以及你身边所有的人，

and your walk is slow and steady because the tread is so wide.

而且你的步伐平稳， 因为阶面太宽了。

That's a totally different experience

如果你是从一个窄小的 楼梯下来的话，

那感觉就完全不一样了， 比如说一个老酒吧，

than going down the narrow staircase to, say, an old pub,

where you spill into the room.

你只想涌进屋子里。

There, you encounter tall risers, so you move more quickly.

这里，你就能看到更高的升面， 可以让自己走得更快。

Stairs add enormous drama.

楼梯也增加了很多戏剧效果。

Think about how stairs signaled a grand entrance

想象一下台阶的各种闪亮登场，

and were the star of that moment.

它在那一刻就是明星。

Stairs can even be heroic.

楼梯甚至可以说是英勇的。

The staircase that remained standing after September 11th

在911事件和世贸中心的袭击中，

and the attack on the World Trade Center

仍然矗立的楼梯

was dubbed the "Survivors' Staircase,"

被命名为“幸存者的楼梯”，

because it played such a central role in leading hundreds of people to safety.

因为它将成百上千的人 传送至安全之地。

But small stairs can have a huge impact, too.

然而小楼梯也可以有大影响。

The stoop is a place that invites neighbors to gather,

门廊是吸引邻居们聚会，

blast music, and watch the city in motion.

把玩乐器，以及 观赏城市车流人涌的地方。

It's fascinating to me that you see people wanting to hang out on the stairs.

我觉得看到人们喜欢 在楼梯上嬉闹是很有意思的。

I think they fill a deeply human need we have

我认为它们填充了 一种人类深度的需求，

to inhabit a space more than just on the ground plane.

说明我们不仅只能在地面居住。

And so if you're able to sit halfway up there,

如果你能坐在半空中，

you're in a kind of magical place.

就会有种在奇妙空间的感觉。