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作为奥运会的主场馆，“鸟巢”的设计尽管争议众多，但其独特的造型依然受到世人的关注。本文介绍了“鸟巢”的独特之处，语言精练，声音优美，适合反复听读。
It’s every nation’s dream come true. Beijing will host the 2008 Olympics, and its game face will astonish the world. China’s capital is about to get history’s ultimate urban makeover, a 1)mind-blowing vision, stretching the limits of what architects and engineers can dream and do.
In 2002, Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron faced one of the toughest challenges of their careers—winning the contract to design the centerpiece of the Beijing Games, the Olympic stadium. As dozens of competitors brainstormed rival designs, Herzog and de Meuron rolled the dice. They teamed up with Ai Weiwei, one of the new China’s most controversial artists, and a dedicated 2)couch potato. Maybe that’s why the unlikely 3)collaboration produces a stadium design like no other.
A jaw-dropping tangle of twisting steel; only one name could describe this incredible design—the Bird’s Nest. 4)ARUP’s plan will artfully interweave three separate layers of steel beams to create a bird’s nest illusion. One set of beams will encircle the stadium, supporting its twisting mass. A second set of beams will fill in the gaps between the first set. And a third will support the stairways.
But making order look like chaos will be only a part of ARUP’s workday. Beijing lies on some of the world’s deadliest 5)earthquake faults. In 1976, a massive quake killed 250,000 people just 85 miles or 130 kilometers from where the Bird’s Nest will soon dominate the Olympic skyline. During the games, tons of twisted steel will loom over 90,000 spectators. To keep the Bird’s Nest from collapsing in an earthquake, engineers plan to separate its beams from the stadium bowl underneath. But with so many lives 6)at stake, the engineering team builds in even more 7)seismic protection. They divide up the bowl itself into independent sections. If an earthquake strikes, its deadly energy will 8)rattle each section, but won’t shatter the stadium.
But Mother Nature isn’t the only mighty force the stadium’s engineers must design for. One of the most important requirements is that everyone who buys an Olympic ticket can actually see the events. ARUP will have to ensure it builds all 90,000 stadium seats with clear lines of sight for dozens of Olympic events. The solution: using specially designed computer software. Engineers will analyze 90,000 lines of sight in a virtual and inexpensive world.
But other parts of the Bird’s Nest will have to be built the old-fashioned way, like installing a high-tech transparent 8)membrane to keep sound in and weather out. And for this structure, even such a routine task will be a lot harder than usual.
In 2008, the world will turn its eyes on Beijing as the Olympic Games begin. And China hopes to lift the curtain on a gleaming world-class capital, filled with the most thrilling architecture on earth. Beijing’s Olympic makeover is an epic undertaking of 9)mind-boggling proportions, and a testament to a Chinese spirit determined to redefine the limits of the possible.
举办奥运会是每个国家都怀有的梦想，如今在中国即将变成现实。北京将要举办2008年的奥运会，而它的奥运新貌将要震惊整个世界。中国的首都将经历历史上最重大的城市改造，呈现出令人瞠目结舌的新景象，将建筑师和工程师们的梦想和能力发挥至极限。
2002年，瑞士建筑师雅 克·赫尔佐格和皮埃尔·德·梅隆面临着他们职业生涯中最艰难的挑战之一：赢得北京奥运会主场馆——奥林匹克运动场的设计合约。十多家竞争公司都带来了新颖的设计方案，于是赫尔佐格和德·梅隆不惜放手一博。他们与艾未未合作，他是新中国最受争议的艺术家之一，也是一名十足的“沙发土豆”。也许正是由于这种性情相异的组合才能设计出如此独一无二的体育馆。
纵横交错的钢枝令人目瞪口呆，只有一个名字能够描述这奇异的设计——“鸟巢”。英国奥雅纳工程顾问公司巧妙地将三层独立的钢枝分别巧妙地交错编织以营造出鸟巢的感觉。一组钢枝将环绕整个体育馆，支撑缠绕的枝条；第二组钢枝将填补第一组的空隙；而第三组将支撑馆内的阶梯。
然而将有条理的设计做成凌乱的样子只是奥雅纳公司工作的一部分而已。北京位于世界上最危险的地震带之一。1976年，一场严重的地震夺去了250,000人的生命，而震中距离“鸟巢”即将高耸于奥运天际的地点只有85英里，即130千米。在奥运会期间，数以吨计的扭曲的钢枝将耸立于90,000多名观众的四周。为了避免“鸟巢”在地震中坍塌，工程师们计划将钢枝同下方的体育场分开。然而由于与众多的人命悠关，工程小组增建了更多的防震设施。他们将运动场分为若干个独立的部分，一旦发生地震，其致命的能量将会震动场馆的各个部分，但不会震塌整个体育馆。
然而大自然并不是设计体育馆的工程师们需要应付的唯一巨大困难。其中一项最重要的标准就是，每一位购买了奥运门票的观众都必须能够真正看得到比赛的情况。奥雅纳公司必须保证它所建造的90,000个体育馆座位在十余项赛事中都能提供清晰的视线。解决的方案就是使用特别设计的电脑软件。工程师们将在虚拟而花费低廉的世界里分析这90,000个座位的视线。
不过“鸟巢”的其它部分还是必须按照老方法建造，比如安装高科技的透明薄膜以隔音并防止天气影响。然而因为结构复杂，即使这种例行的任务都显得格外困难。
2008年随着奥运会的开幕，世界的目光将焦聚于北京。而中国希望在大幕拉起的那一刻，呈现在世人面前的是一座光芒四射的世界级首都，城中布满了世界上最激动人心的建筑。北京的奥运新貌是一项令人难以置信的翻天覆地的大工程，反映了中国人决定重新定义不可能的界限的精神。
翻译：小狐
It’s every nation’s dream come true. Beijing will host the 2008 Olympics, and its game face will astonish the world. China’s capital is about to get history’s ultimate urban makeover, a 1)mind-blowing vision, stretching the limits of what architects and engineers can dream and do.
In 2002, Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron faced one of the toughest challenges of their careers—winning the contract to design the centerpiece of the Beijing Games, the Olympic stadium. As dozens of competitors brainstormed rival designs, Herzog and de Meuron rolled the dice. They teamed up with Ai Weiwei, one of the new China’s most controversial artists, and a dedicated 2)couch potato. Maybe that’s why the unlikely 3)collaboration produces a stadium design like no other.
A jaw-dropping tangle of twisting steel; only one name could describe this incredible design—the Bird’s Nest. 4)ARUP’s plan will artfully interweave three separate layers of steel beams to create a bird’s nest illusion. One set of beams will encircle the stadium, supporting its twisting mass. A second set of beams will fill in the gaps between the first set. And a third will support the stairways.
But making order look like chaos will be only a part of ARUP’s workday. Beijing lies on some of the world’s deadliest 5)earthquake faults. In 1976, a massive quake killed 250,000 people just 85 miles or 130 kilometers from where the Bird’s Nest will soon dominate the Olympic skyline. During the games, tons of twisted steel will loom over 90,000 spectators. To keep the Bird’s Nest from collapsing in an earthquake, engineers plan to separate its beams from the stadium bowl underneath. But with so many lives 6)at stake, the engineering team builds in even more 7)seismic protection. They divide up the bowl itself into independent sections. If an earthquake strikes, its deadly energy will 8)rattle each section, but won’t shatter the stadium.
But Mother Nature isn’t the only mighty force the stadium’s engineers must design for. One of the most important requirements is that everyone who buys an Olympic ticket can actually see the events. ARUP will have to ensure it builds all 90,000 stadium seats with clear lines of sight for dozens of Olympic events. The solution: using specially designed computer software. Engineers will analyze 90,000 lines of sight in a virtual and inexpensive world.
But other parts of the Bird’s Nest will have to be built the old-fashioned way, like installing a high-tech transparent 8)membrane to keep sound in and weather out. And for this structure, even such a routine task will be a lot harder than usual.
In 2008, the world will turn its eyes on Beijing as the Olympic Games begin. And China hopes to lift the curtain on a gleaming world-class capital, filled with the most thrilling architecture on earth. Beijing’s Olympic makeover is an epic undertaking of 9)mind-boggling proportions, and a testament to a Chinese spirit determined to redefine the limits of the possible.
举办奥运会是每个国家都怀有的梦想，如今在中国即将变成现实。北京将要举办2008年的奥运会，而它的奥运新貌将要震惊整个世界。中国的首都将经历历史上最重大的城市改造，呈现出令人瞠目结舌的新景象，将建筑师和工程师们的梦想和能力发挥至极限。
2002年，瑞士建筑师雅 克·赫尔佐格和皮埃尔·德·梅隆面临着他们职业生涯中最艰难的挑战之一：赢得北京奥运会主场馆——奥林匹克运动场的设计合约。十多家竞争公司都带来了新颖的设计方案，于是赫尔佐格和德·梅隆不惜放手一博。他们与艾未未合作，他是新中国最受争议的艺术家之一，也是一名十足的“沙发土豆”。也许正是由于这种性情相异的组合才能设计出如此独一无二的体育馆。
纵横交错的钢枝令人目瞪口呆，只有一个名字能够描述这奇异的设计——“鸟巢”。英国奥雅纳工程顾问公司巧妙地将三层独立的钢枝分别巧妙地交错编织以营造出鸟巢的感觉。一组钢枝将环绕整个体育馆，支撑缠绕的枝条；第二组钢枝将填补第一组的空隙；而第三组将支撑馆内的阶梯。
然而将有条理的设计做成凌乱的样子只是奥雅纳公司工作的一部分而已。北京位于世界上最危险的地震带之一。1976年，一场严重的地震夺去了250,000人的生命，而震中距离“鸟巢”即将高耸于奥运天际的地点只有85英里，即130千米。在奥运会期间，数以吨计的扭曲的钢枝将耸立于90,000多名观众的四周。为了避免“鸟巢”在地震中坍塌，工程师们计划将钢枝同下方的体育场分开。然而由于与众多的人命悠关，工程小组增建了更多的防震设施。他们将运动场分为若干个独立的部分，一旦发生地震，其致命的能量将会震动场馆的各个部分，但不会震塌整个体育馆。
然而大自然并不是设计体育馆的工程师们需要应付的唯一巨大困难。其中一项最重要的标准就是，每一位购买了奥运门票的观众都必须能够真正看得到比赛的情况。奥雅纳公司必须保证它所建造的90,000个体育馆座位在十余项赛事中都能提供清晰的视线。解决的方案就是使用特别设计的电脑软件。工程师们将在虚拟而花费低廉的世界里分析这90,000个座位的视线。
不过“鸟巢”的其它部分还是必须按照老方法建造，比如安装高科技的透明薄膜以隔音并防止天气影响。然而因为结构复杂，即使这种例行的任务都显得格外困难。
2008年随着奥运会的开幕，世界的目光将焦聚于北京。而中国希望在大幕拉起的那一刻，呈现在世人面前的是一座光芒四射的世界级首都，城中布满了世界上最激动人心的建筑。北京的奥运新貌是一项令人难以置信的翻天覆地的大工程，反映了中国人决定重新定义不可能的界限的精神。
翻译：小狐