Why great architecture should tell a story | Ole Scheeren

Translator: Helen Mak Reviewer: Alan Watson

喺過去好幾個世紀

For much of the past century,

architecture was under the spell of a famous doctrine.

建築行業受一條著名理論魔咒所左右

"Form follows function" had become modernity's ambitious manifesto

「型式追隨功能」呢個理論

一度成為當代最雄心勃勃嘅理念

同時又係個帶有不良影響嘅緊箍咒

and detrimental straitjacket,

as it liberated architecture from the decorative,

呢句話雖然令建築唔再使講求裝飾功能

but condemned it to utilitarian rigor and restrained purpose.

但同時令建築走向 純功能同有限用途嘅方向

Of course, architecture is about function,

當然，建築係講功能性

但我想重新演譯 Bernard Tschumi 呢句話嘅意思

but I want to remember a rewriting of this phrase by Bernard Tschumi,

and I want to propose a completely different quality.

If form follows fiction,

如果「型隨小說」

we could think of architecture and buildings as a space of stories --

我哋可以理解建築設計同建築物

為一個空間嘅故事

stories of the people that live there,

有關居住果度嘅人嘅故事

of the people that work in these buildings.

同埋裡面做嘢嘅人嘅故事

And we could start to imagine the experiences our buildings create.

我哋可以想像

我哋建築物留低俾人嘅印象

In this sense, I'm interested in fiction

因為噉樣，我對小說感興趣嘅原因

not as the implausible but as the real,

唔係因為佢夠虛幻，而係因為真實

as the reality of what architecture means

就好似建築對住喺裡面嘅居民 嚟講嘅意義一樣

for the people that live in it and with it.

Our buildings are prototypes, ideas for how the space of living

我哋嘅建築物都 可以話係一啲雛形、諗法

話俾人聽我哋生活空間

or how the space of working could be different,

或者工作空間可以唔同

and what a space of culture or a space of media could look like today.

以至文化、媒體空間 喺現今世代可以係點嘅樣

Our buildings are real; they're being built.

我哋嘅建築物係真嘅

佢哋係起出嚟

They're an explicit engagement in physical reality

佢哋係實物同想法

and conceptual possibility.

I think of our architecture as organizational structures.

我會將我哋嘅建築物諗成係組織嘅結構

At their core is indeed structural thinking, like a system:

佢哋核心係結構思想

就好似一個系統咁

How can we arrange things in both a functional

我哋點樣令啲嘢

同時具有功能同實驗用途？

and experiential way?

How can we create structures that generate a series

我哋點樣可以令到結構

帶出一系列關係同故事呢？

of relationships and narratives?

And how can fictive stories

而喺建築物裡面嘅居民

of the inhabitants and users of our buildings

同用戶似小說一樣嘅故事

script the architecture,

可以點樣幫棟建築物加添一啲嘅描述？

while the architecture scripts those stories at the same time?

同時建築物可以影響返呢啲故事？

And here comes the second term into play,

第二個字係我叫做嘅「故事混合體」

what I call "narrative hybrids" --

structures of multiple simultaneous stories

好多個同時進行嘅故事

喺我哋嘅建築物展開

that unfold throughout the buildings we create.

So we could think of architecture as complex systems of relationships,

所以我哋可以想像建築物

喺程式上、功能上

both in a programmatic and functional way

實驗上、情緒性或者社會上

and in an experiential and emotive or social way.

係一個複雜嘅關係嚟

This is the headquarters for China's national broadcaster,

呢個係中國中央電視台嘅總部

which I designed together with Rem Koolhaas at OMA.

呢棟建築物係我同 Rem Koolhaas 喺

大都會建築事務嗰陣一齊設計

When I first arrived in Beijing in 2002, the city planners showed us this image:

2002 年當我第一次到北京果陣

城市規劃員向我哋展示一張城市藍圖︰

a forest of several hundred skyscrapers

過百棟高樓大廈將會出現喺中央商業區

to emerge in the central business district,

except at that time, only a handful of them existed.

但當時只有為數唔多嘅大樓喺度

So we had to design in a context that we knew almost nothing about,

所以喺幾乎咩都唔知嘅情況下設計

except one thing: it would all be about verticality.

我哋只係知道，座建築會係垂直嘅

Of course, the skyscraper is vertical -- it's a profoundly hierarchical structure,

當然，高樓大廈都係垂直嘅

垂直式係其中一種嘅大廈類型

the top always the best, the bottom the worst,

頂部永遠係最好 底部永遠係最差

and the taller you are, the better, so it seems.

似乎係，你起得越高就越好

And we wanted to ask ourselves,

我哋問自己

一棟建築物可唔可以 有一個完全唔同嘅特性？

could a building be about a completely different quality?

佢可唔可以擺脫以往思維

Could it undo this hierarchy, and could it be about a system

佢可唔可以係黏埋一齊

that is more about collaboration, rather than isolation?

而並非一支嘢孤零零呢？

So we took this needle and bent it back into itself,

所以我哋將呢支針拗彎

into a loop of interconnected activities.

形成一個空間互通嘅環

Our idea was to bring all aspects of television-making

我哋想將電視製作嘅所有環節

融合到同一個結構裡面：

into one single structure: news, program production, broadcasting,

新聞、節目製作、廣播

資料搜集、訓練、行政

research and training, administration --

all into a circuit of interconnected activities

全部活動可以係呢個圈入面進行

where people would meet in a process of exchange and collaboration.

個個可以係度見面、交流同合作

I still very much like this image.

我仍然好鐘意呢幅圖

It reminds one of biology classes, if you remember the human body

佢令我諗返起生物堂

如果你仲記得人體構造

with all its organs and circulatory systems, like at school.

各種器官同循環系統就好似一座建築咁

And suddenly you think of architecture no longer as built substance,

突然你會覺得建築物

唔單單係建築材料堆成嘅嘢

but as an organism, as a life form.

佢更加似一個生命體

And as you start to dissect this organism,

而當你開始剖析呢個生命體

you can identify a series of primary technical clusters --

你分辨到一系列嘅基本嘅技術部門

program production, broadcasting center and news.

節目製作部、廣播中心、新聞部

Those are tightly intertwined with social clusters:

佢哋同社交設施 例如會議室、餐廳、交談區

meeting rooms, canteens, chat areas --

係一齊、唔可以分開

informal spaces for people to meet and exchange.

亦都係非正式場合俾人見面交流

So the organizational structure of this building was a hybrid

所以呢個建築物嘅組織結構係種混合體

between the technical and the social,

集技術、社交、人同表演於一身

the human and the performative.

And of course, we used the loop of the building as a circulatory system,

我哋利用環形嘅特點串聯每一樣嘢

to thread everything together and to allow both visitors and staff

令訪客同員工都可以 喺呢個建築裡面體驗唔同用途

to experience all these different functions in a great unity.

With 473,000 square meters,

473,000 平方米嘅建築面積

it is one of the largest buildings ever built in the world.

令佢成為全世界數一數二大嘅建築物

It has a population of over 10,000 people,

裡面可以容納一萬人

and of course, this is a scale that exceeds the comprehension

冇錯，咁嘅規模超出咗我哋

of many things and the scale of typical architecture.

對一般建築物嘅理解範圍

So we stopped work for a while

所以我們停工過一排

and sat down and cut 10,000 little sticks and glued them onto a model,

然後坐低，剪出一萬張貼紙仔

將佢哋貼係一個模型上面

just simply to confront ourselves with what that quantity actually meant.

只係單純咁想挑戰我哋自己 對數字真正嘅理解

But of course, it's not a number,

但當然啦，最重要嘅唔係數字

it is the people, it is a community that inhabits the building,

而係人，生活喺呢棟大樓裡面嘅社群

and in order to both comprehend this, but also script this architecture,

為咗理解班人兼為建築物寫藍本

我哋創造咗五個虛擬人物

we identified five characters, hypothetical characters,

and we followed them throughout their day in a life in this building,

然後用一日時間睇下佢哋喺 呢棟大樓嘅生活動態

thought of where they would meet, what they would experience.

睇下佢哋會喺邊度見其他人

佢哋會經歷乜嘢

So it was a way to script and design the building, but of course,

呢個係描繪同設計建築嘅方法

咁當然，都係一種體會佢嘅方式

also to communicate its experiences.

This was part of an exhibition with the Museum of Modern Art

呢個係同現代美術館

in both New York and Beijing.

喺北京同紐約搞嘅展覧

This is the main broadcast control room,

呢度係廣播控制室

安裝要求相當大

a technical installation so large,

it can broadcast over 200 channels simultaneously.

呢度可以同時播二百個頻道

And this is how the building stands in Beijing today.

呢個係佢依家喺北京嘅外貌

Its first broadcast live was the London Olympics 2012,

佢做嘅第一次直播係 2012 年倫敦奧運會

嗰次之前，佢已經試過喺外面

after it had been completed from the outside for the Beijing Olympics.

完成北京奧運嘅轉播

And you can see at the very tip of this 75-meter cantilever,

你可以喺 75 米懸臂嗰頂睇風景

呢三個細圓圈就係

those three little circles.

And they're indeed part of a public loop that goes through the building.

貫穿整棟大樓嘅開放迴廊嘅一部分

佢哋用玻璃做

They're a piece of glass that you can stand on

你可以企喺上面俯瞰你腳下 成個城市慢慢運作

and watch the city pass by below you in slow motion.

The building has become part of everyday life in Beijing.

呢棟建築已經係北京生活嘅一部分

It is there.

佢就係果度

It has also become a very popular backdrop

佢亦將變成咗北京

一個相當受歡迎嘅婚禮攝影場地

for wedding photography.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But its most important moment is maybe sill this one.

但最重要嘅時刻可能係 當呢本《城市漫步》嘅週刊

一本似倫敦《Time Out》嘅週刊

"That's Beijing" is similar to "Time Out,"

a magazine that broadcasts what is happening in town during the week,

描述嗰個星期城市發生咗咩事

and suddenly you see the building portrayed no longer as physical matter,

突然間你會發現

呢棟大樓唔單止只係一棟大樓

but actually as an urban actor,

佢仲同時扮演梗城市嘅一員

as part of a series of personas that define the life of the city.

決定咗呢個城市嘅生活

So architecture suddenly assumes the quality of a player,

建築設計突然間有咗人嘅特徵

of something that writes stories and performs stories.

好似作家咁寫故事、表達故事

And I think that could be one of its primary meanings

而我認為呢樣可以成為

其中一個我哋相信嘅建築嘅基本意義

that we believe in.

But of course, there's another story to this building.

呢棟大樓仲有另一個故事

It is the story of the people that made it --

就係建造佢嘅人嘅故事

400 engineers and architects that I was guiding

四百個由我帶領幾乎超過十年 嘅工程師同建築師

over almost a decade of collaborative work

that we spent together in scripting this building,

我們一齊起呢棟大樓

in imagining its reality

想像佢成真

and ultimately getting it built in China.

到最後終於喺中國內地將佢起好

This is a residential development in Singapore, large scale.

呢個係一個係新加坡嘅大型住宅項目

If we look at Singapore like most of Asia and more and more of the world,

如果我哋睇下新加坡

佢同亞洲多數地方 同全世界好多地方一樣

of course, it is dominated by the tower,

都係以高樓大廈為主

a typology that indeed creates more isolation than connectedness,

一種普遍現象係

呢類型嘅大廈營造咗疏離感 而唔係聯繫感

and I wanted to ask, how could we think about living,

而我想問

我哋可以點樣唔單止將住宅睇成係 自己既私隱、個人同住所

not only in terms of the privacy and individuality of ourselves

and our apartment,

but in an idea of a collective?

以至係一種集體嘅嘢 ?

How could we think about creating a communal environment

我哋要諗下點創造 一個促進社區交流嘅環境

in which sharing things was as great as having your own?

令你樂意同人分享自己嘅嘢 ?

The typical answer to the question -- we had to design 1,040 apartments --

典型嘅解答係

我哋要設計出 1,040 間公寓

would have looked like this:

外型就好似咁︰

24-story height limit given by the planning authorities,

當地政府法例限制樓宇只可以有 24 層高

12 towers with nothing but residual in between --

12 棟大樓咩都冇

之間只有用剩嘅土地

a very tight system that, although the tower isolates you,

相當緊密的格局

雖然住樓可以將你同其他人分隔開

it doesn't even give you privacy, because you're so close to the next one,

但根本俾唔到你私隱

因為你離隔籬鄰居係好近

that it is very questionable what the qualities of this would be.

亦令人非常質疑住樓嘅質素

So I proposed to topple the towers, throw the vertical into the horizontal

所以，我建議推淋晒大廈

將垂直設計改做水平設計

and stack them up,

將佢哋堆砌起嚟

and what looks a bit random from the side,

從側面睇係不規則嘅

if you look from the viewpoint of the helicopter,

如果你搭直升機睇落去

你可以睇到佢嘅組織結構

you can see its organizational structure is actually a hexagonal grid,

水平建築物擺埋一齊會形成六邊形

in which these horizontal building blocks are stacked up

to create huge outdoor courtyards -- central spaces for the community,

務求中間有一個大嘅花園

programmed with a variety of amenities and functions.

有著好多設施同功能

And you see that these courtyards are not hermetically sealed spaces.

呢啲花園並唔係密閉空間

佢哋係開放、通透、互通嘅

They're open, permeable; they're interconnected.

We called the project "The Interlace,"

我們叫呢個項目做「交錯」

thinking that we interlace and interconnect

好似我哋將人連埋一齊

the human beings and the spaces alike.

空間都係一樣

And the detailed quality of everything we designed

我們設計嘅每樣細節都係想活化空間

was about animating the space and giving the space to the inhabitants.

還居民空間

And, in fact, it was a system

事實上，呢個系統裏面

where we would layer primarily communal spaces,

我哋既會強調公共空間

stacked to more and more individual and private spaces.

又會重視私人空間

So we would open up a spectrum

所以，我哋帶出咗

between the collective and the individual.

大眾同個人嘅概念

A little piece of math:

有一個小小嘅數學題 :

if we count all the green that we left on the ground,

如果我哋將所有 喺地面上嘅綠色植物面積

minus the footprint of the buildings,

扣除掉建築物佔地面積

然後加上所有有綠色植物嘅露台面積

and we would add back the green of all the terraces,

we have 112 percent green space,

我哋會得出 112% 嘅綠色覆蓋率

so more nature than not having built a building.

比起唔起樓仲要有更多嘅自然空間

And of course this little piece of math shows you that we are multiplying

當然，呢個小小嘅數學題說明咗

我哋將有人住嘅空間都乘埋入去

the space available to those who live there.

This is, in fact, the 13th floor of one of these terraces.

呢度係其中一棟樓嘅 13 樓

So you see new datum planes, new grounds planes for social activity.

你會見到為社交活動而設嘅 新基準平面、新地平面

We paid a lot of attention to sustainability.

我哋好注重可持續發展

In the tropics, the sun is the most important thing to pay attention to,

喺熱帶地區，太陽係最必須留意嘅嘢

and, in fact, it is seeking protection from the sun.

而遮蔽陽光係建築需要做嘅嘢

We first proved that all apartments would have sufficient daylight

我哋首先會確認所有公寓大樓

一年內有足夠嘅太陽

through the year.

We then went on to optimize the glazing of the facades

然後我們優化外牆嘅玻璃

to minimize the energy consumption of the building.

減少建築物嘅能源消耗

But most importantly, we could prove that through the geometry

但最重要，我哋可以透過大廈嘅座向

證明真係做到能源效益

of the building design,

建築物本身提供足夠嘅遮陰俾中庭花園

the building itself would provide sufficient shading to the courtyards

so that those would be usable throughout the entire year.

所以花園成年都可以開放俾人

We further placed water bodies along the prevailing wind corridors,

我哋沿著主風廊設置咗水槽

so that evaporative cooling would create microclimates

水蒸發可以冷卻環境

仲會形成一個微型氣候

that, again, would enhance the quality of those spaces

噉就可以改善居民居住嘅質素

available for the inhabitants.

And it was the idea of creating this variety of choices,

呢款樓令你有得揀

of freedom to think where you would want to be,

喺建築物之內想去邊都得

where you would want to escape, maybe,

within the own complexity of the complex in which you live.

But coming from Asia to Europe:

宜家離開亞洲，去到歐洲

我哋見到一座建築

a building for a German media company based in Berlin,

佢係屬於一間位於柏林

transitioning from the traditional print media to the digital media.

啱啱由傳統印刷媒體轉型到 數碼媒體嘅德國公司

And its CEO asked a few very pertinent questions:

公司執行董事問咗幾個好中肯嘅問題

Why would anyone today still want to go to the office,

點解依家每個人仍然會去寫字樓番工

because you can actually work anywhere?

即使佢地其實可以喺任何地方做嘢 ?

And how could a digital identity of a company be embodied

一個公司嘅數碼形象

可以點樣喺建築物上面表現出嚟 ?

in a building?

We created not only an object, but at the center of this object

我哋創作嘅唔只係一件物件

我哋仲喺物件嘅中間整咗個大空間

we created a giant space,

and this space was about the experience of a collective,

呢個空間係關於集體嘅經驗

the experience of collaboration and of togetherness.

合作同一齊嘅經歷

Communication, interaction as the center of a space

溝通、互動係空間嘅核心

that in itself would float,

溝通、互動會自動喺中間

like what we call the collaborative cloud,

就好似係我哋所講嘅 「合作雲端」喺建築物中間

in the middle of the building,

surrounded by an envelope of standard modular offices.

被好多個標準模組嘅辦公室包圍

So with only a few steps from your quiet work desk,

只要由你安靜嘅辦公枱行幾步

you could participate in the giant collective experience

你就可以喺核心空間入面 經歷好多共同嘅事

of the central space.

Finally, we come to London, a project commissioned

最後，我哋嚟到倫敦

一個由倫敦市長委任開發公司嘅項目

by the London Legacy Development Corporation

of the Mayor of London.

We were asked to undertake a study

佢哋要求我哋研究

and investigate the potential of a site

Stratford 奧運公園嘅土地開發潛力

out in Stratford in the Olympic Park.

In the 19th century, Prince Albert had created Albertopolis.

十九世紀，Albert 王子建立咗 Albert 城

And Boris Johnson thought of creating Olympicopolis.

而 Boris Johnson 就想建立奧林匹克城

The idea was to bring together some of Britain's greatest institutions,

個想法係將一啲英國最大既機構

同一啲國際機構擺埋一齊

some international ones, and to create a new system of synergies.

創造一個新嘅協同效益系統

Prince Albert, as yet, created Albertopolis in the 19th century,

當時十九世紀 Albert 王子建立 Albert 城

thought of showcasing all achievements of mankind,

係想展示人類嘅成就

bringing arts and science closer together.

同埋想將藝術同科學放埋一齊

And he built Exhibition Road, a linear sequence of those institutions.

佢仲起咗一條路叫展覧路

機構按次序進駐條路

But of course, today's society has moved on from there.

當然，依家社會已經比當時進步咗好多

We no longer live in a world

我哋唔再係活喺一個

in which everything is as clearly delineated

每樣嘢都界定清楚嘅世界

or separated from each other.

We live in a world in which boundaries start to blur

我哋生活係一個

領域分類開始模糊嘅世界

between the different domains,

and in which collaboration and interaction becomes far more important

一個合作同互動遠比保持分開 更加緊要嘅世界

than keeping separations.

So we wanted to think of a giant culture machine,

所以我哋想建立一個大型嘅文化機器

a building that would orchestrate and animate the various domains,

即係一座會協調並賦予

唔同領域生命嘅建築物

but allow them to interact and collaborate.

但建築物同時又容許

領域之間互動同合作

At the base of it is a very simple module,

而建築物底部係一個非常簡單嘅模組

a ring module.

一個環形模組

It can function as a double-loaded corridor, has daylight, has ventilation.

佢有一條內廊式走廊，有日照同通風

It can be glazed over

佢係通透嘅

and turned into a giant exhibitional performance space.

噉就可以變成一個大型展覽表演嘅空間

These modules were stacked together

呢啲模組堆砌埋一齊

with the idea that almost any function could, over time,

大部分活動都可以 用任何一個呢啲嘅模組

occupy any of these modules.

So institutions could shrink or contract,

機構就可以咁而縮細規模

因為喺未來，文化某種程度嚟講

as, of course, the future of culture is, in a way, the most uncertain of all.

係最無法預測嘅一樣嘢

This is how the building sits, adjacent to the Aquatics Centre,

呢棟建築將坐落水上運動中心隔嚟

opposite the Olympic Stadium.

喺奧運會場對面

And you can see how its cantilevering volumes

你可以睇到佢嘅懸臂式空間係點

project out and engage the public space

伸延同融入咗公眾空間

and how its courtyards animate the public inside.

同佢嘅中庭係點帶俾公眾娛樂

The idea was to create a complex system

個諗法係創造一個複雜嘅系統

in which institutional entities could maintain their own identity,

俾裡面嘅機構可以維持佢哋嘅形象

in which they would not be subsumed in a singular volume.

但又唔會被當係建築物 大空間嘅一小部分

Here's a scale comparison to the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

呢個係同法國巴黎 龐畢藝術中心嘅比例對照圖

It both shows the enormous scale and potential of the project,

顯示出呢個項目嘅龐大規模同潛力

但都有唔一樣嘅地方

but also the difference:

here, it is a multiplicity of a heterogeneous structure,

佢係一個多重合成建築物

in which different entities can interact

裡面唔同嘅機構可以互動

而又同時不失佢哋嘅形象

without losing their own identity.

And it was this thought: to create an organizational structure

個諗法係咁嘅：創造一個組織結構

that would allow for multiple narratives to be scripted --

可以令唔同故事都可以描述出嚟

for those in the educational parts that create and think culture;

包括從事教育同創造文化嘅人

for those that present the visual arts, the dance;

表演視覺藝術、舞蹈嘅人

and for the public to be admitted into all of this

以及公眾，俾佢哋用唔同方式欣賞呢啲嘢

with a series of possible trajectories,

to script their own reading of these narratives

然後由呢幾批人闡述佢哋

對呢啲故事嘅理解同本身嘅經歷

and their own experience.

And I want to end on a project that is very small,

我想講一個計劃嚟做總結

呢個計劃其實又細又同其他計劃好唔同

in a way, very different:

a floating cinema in the ocean of Thailand.

個計劃係一個泰國嘅水上電影院

Friends of mine had founded a film festival,

我有朋友搵到一個電影節

and I thought,

我諗如果我哋思考電影嘅故事同讀白

if we think of the stories and narratives of movies,

we should also think of the narratives of the people that watch them.

我哋應該都可以思考

睇呢部戲嘅觀眾佢哋自己嘅讀白

所以我設計咗一個小型模組式水上平台

So I designed a small modular floating platform,

based on the techniques of local fishermen,

用嚟自當地漁民嘅技術整出嚟

how they built their lobster and fish farms.

用佢哋起龍蝦田同魚田嘅技術

We collaborated with the local community

我哋同當地社區合作

and built, out of recycled materials of their own,

起咗呢個由佢哋回收返嚟嘅物料

this fantastical floating platform

製成嘅迷人水上平台

that gently moved in the ocean

我哋一路睇英國電影檔案館嘅戲

as we watched films from the British film archive,

好似 1904 年嘅「愛麗絲夢遊仙境」

[1903] "Alice in Wonderland," for example.

我哋一路慢慢移個平台去海度

The most primordial experiences of the audience

我哋仲發現原來本地人嘅經歷 同電影嘅情節相同

merged with the stories of the movies.

So I believe that architecture exceeds the domain of physical matter,

所以我相信，建築設計超越物質同建築

of the built environment,

but is really about how we want to live our lives,

而真係同我哋想點生活

how we script our own stories and those of others.

點樣闡述我哋同人哋嘅故事息息相關

Thank you.

多謝

（掌聲）

(Applause)