I think stairs may be one of the most emotionally malleable physical elements that an architect has to work with.
我认为台阶可能是 建筑家需要去解决的在情感上 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 at different elevations. Stairs have a common language. Treads, which is the thing that you walk on. Riser, which is the vertical element that separates the two treads. A lot of stairs have nosings that create a kind of edge. And then, the connected piece is a stringer. Those pieces, in different forms, make up all stairs.
最基本的,台阶是 从A点到不同高度的 B点的桥梁。 楼梯有共同的语言。 踏面,是你行走的地方。 踢面,是分离两个踏面的垂直面。 很多楼梯都有护沿来形成边缘。 然后,这些部分 连接起来就是楼梯梁。 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, "I want to get to this higher rock from the lower rock." People climbed using whatever was available: stepped logs, ladders and natural pathways that were worn over time. Some of the earliest staircases, like the pyramids in Chichén Itzá or the roads to Mount Tai in China, were a means of getting to a higher elevation, which people sought for worship or for protection.
我猜想楼梯的来由 是从第一次有人说 “我想从低处的石头 上到高处的石头上去。” 人们就以各种方式攀登: 如圆木阶梯,梯子, 和那些随着时间 被踏平的自然小道。 一些最早的楼梯, 像奇琴依查的金字塔, 以及在中国上泰山的路, 都是到达更高平面的方法, 人们以此寻求信仰和庇护。
As engineering has evolved, so has what's practical. Stairs can be made from all kinds of material. There are linear stairs, there are spiraled stairs. Stairs can be indoors, they can be outdoors. They clearly help us in an emergency. But they're also a form of art in and of themselves.
工程技术的进化 给实际操作带来了革新。 所有的材料都可以用来制作楼梯了。 有直线型楼梯,有螺旋式楼梯。 楼梯可以在室内,也可在室外。 在紧急情况下它们能 有效地帮助我们逃生。 但它们自身也是一种艺术形态。
As we move across a stairway, the form dictates our pacing, our feeling, our safety and our relationship and engagement with the space around us. So for a second, think about stepping down a gradual, monumental staircase like the one in front of the New York Public Library. From those steps, you have a view of the street and all the people around you, and your walk is slow and steady because the tread is so wide. That's a totally different experience than going down the narrow staircase to, say, an old pub, where you spill into the room. There, you encounter tall risers, so you move more quickly.
当我们走上一个楼梯的时候, 它的形态能够掌控我们的 节奏,感觉,安全, 以及我们与周围空间的关系与接触。 想象一下,从一个 逐级的有纪念性的台阶上下来, 就像纽约公共图书馆门前的那个。 从这些台阶上, 你能尽观这一条街 以及你身边所有的人, 而且你的步伐平稳, 因为阶面太宽了。 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, 你只想涌进屋子里。 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. Think about how stairs signaled a grand entrance and were the star of that moment. Stairs can even be heroic. The staircase that remained standing after September 11th and the attack on the World Trade Center was dubbed the "Survivors' Staircase," because it played such a central role in leading hundreds of people to safety.
楼梯也增加了很多戏剧效果。 想象一下台阶的各种闪亮登场, 它在那一刻就是明星。 楼梯甚至可以说是英勇的。 在911事件和世贸中心的袭击中, 仍然矗立的楼梯 被命名为“幸存者的楼梯”, 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. The stoop is a place that invites neighbors to gather, blast music, and watch the city in motion. It's fascinating to me that you see people wanting to hang out on the stairs. I think they fill a deeply human need we have to inhabit a space more than just on the ground plane. And so if you're able to sit halfway up there, you're in a kind of magical place.
然而小楼梯也可以有大影响。 门廊是吸引邻居们聚会, 把玩乐器,以及 观赏城市车流人涌的地方。 我觉得看到人们喜欢 在楼梯上嬉闹是很有意思的。 我认为它们填充了 一种人类深度的需求, 说明我们不仅只能在地面居住。 如果你能坐在半空中, 就会有种在奇妙空间的感觉。