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The Green Vision of Sim Van der Ryn 绿色建筑师：西姆．范．迪．莱恩

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

As a young architecture student, Sim Van der Rym rebelled against his teachers and peers. Modern design was on the wrong track, he thought. It was hostile, or indifferent, to nature. Even worse, architects were taught to think of themselves as god-like figures who alone knew how our cities and houses should look. Thus began Sim’s forty years of trial and error in the search for a sustainable and community-friendly design.

当西姆．范．迪．莱恩还是个年轻的建筑系学生时，就反抗教授跟同学。他认为现代建筑脱离了正轨，而这种建筑与大自然对立、甚至漠视大自然；更糟的是，建筑师被教导要自视为天神般的地位，得以独揽城市与住宅外观的生杀大权。西姆因此展开了他长达四十年的不断尝试，要寻找一种永续且对环境无害的设计。

Over the years, Sim has condensed his thoughts on eco-design into five basic principles. All in all, the main idea is to work with nature and local community. An ecological design is “an appropriate fit between the human environment and the nature world.” Since both human and natural environments are different around the world, it is crucial that a designer respect the local conditions. Consequently, eco-design in hot Taipei will not be the same in cool New York.

这些年来，西姆将其对生态设计的想法整合成五个基本原则。总括来说，其中心思想就是与大自然及当地小区共存。生态设计是「人为环境与自然界之间一种适当的介入」。因为世界各地的人文与自然环境均有不同，设计者能否考虑到当地的条件是非常关键的。也因此，炎热台北跟凉爽纽约的生态设计设计便不会相同。

On a practical level, Sim has pioneered the use of solar panels to provide electricity, compost piles to reduce waste, and recyclables to supplement traditional construction materials. Years ago, Sim actually had to include these in his contracts, but nowadays most people expect them to be used. After decades of working on the fringes, Sim has finally been accepted into the mainstream, and his vision of eco-friendly communities is now recognized as the way of the future.

从实用的角度来看，西姆率先使用太阳能板来供应电力、利用堆肥来减少废料，并将可再生资源来添加至传统的建筑材料中。多年前，西姆竟然必须将这些做法列入合约中，但在今天，大多数的人都会要求采用这些做法。在边缘地带努力了数十年之后，西姆终于成为主流，他对于生态和谐的远见现在也被认为是未来的趋势了。

Vocabulary

单词发音

hostile [ˋhɑst!] adj. 怀敌意的；不友善的

indifferent [ɪnˋdɪfərənt] adj. 不关心的；冷淡的

condense [kənˋdɛns] v. 浓缩; 减缩

crucial [ˋkruʃəl] adj. 重要的

consequently [ˋkɑnsə͵kwɛntlɪ] adv. 因此；因而；所以

pioneer [͵paɪəˋnɪr] v. 当先驱，成为开拓者

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单词发音

rebel [rɪˈbɛl] v. 反抗 [（+against）]

on the wrong track  想法或做法不对

trial and error  尝试错误法；反复试验  a method of reaching a correct solution or satisfactory result by trying out various means or theories until error is sufficiently reduced or eliminated

sustainable [səˋstenəb!] adj. 能长期维持的; 能持续的

all in all  从各方面考虑, 从各方面来说  everything being taken into account

ecological [͵ɛkəˋlɑdʒɪkəl] adj. 生态（学）的

solar panel  太阳电池板

compost [ˋkɑmpost] n. 堆肥

recyclable [rɪˋsaɪkləb!] n. 可回收利用的资源

fringe  [frɪndʒ] adj. 非正统的﹐非主流的

课文讲解

At 72, visionary architect Sim Van der Ryn has lived long enough to see his once radical notions of ecological design become mainstream. But success was never preordained; always it was Sim’s drive and unflagging commitment to his ideals that brought positive results along the way.

现年七十二岁、具有远见的建筑师西姆．范．迪．莱恩亲眼见证了他一度是激进的生态设计概念最后成为主流。但他的成功并非注定的；一路走来都是西姆对理想的干劲及不变的坚持，为他带来了这一路上有建设性的成果。

For example, instead of taking a cozy position at an architectural firm after graduation, Sim went to Berkeley to teach. There, he was able to influence an entire generation of young architects. In addition, he presided over Berkeley’s Farallones Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research on eco-friendly building practices and public education on green issues.

比方来说，西姆毕业后选择任教于柏克莱大学，而不是到建筑事务所中担任轻松的职位。在那里，他能够影响新一代的青年建筑师；此外，他还主持了柏克莱的费拉隆尼机构，这是一个专门研究生态和谐建筑及教育大众有关环境议题的非营利组织。

Throughout his career, Sim has also designed real buildings. One of his most famous creations is the guitar house, which has been praised not only for his beauty but also for its cutting-edge materials and building techniques. But then, every Sim project was a type of experiment. While some experiments resulted in failure, others produced buildings that are admired even today. The offices constructed for the state of California in the 1970s, for example, still set the standards for energy efficiency.

在西姆的职业生涯中，他也设计出实体建筑。其最著名的创作之一就是「吉他屋」，这座建筑备受称赞的原因不仅是它的美，还有其使用了划时代的材料与建筑技术。在当时，西姆每一项设计案都是一种实验。虽然有部份的实验最后失败了，但有些建造出的建筑即使到了今日仍备受推祟。例如在一九七０年代为美国加州所建造的州办公室，仍是今日节约能源建筑的指标。

These days, now that public opinion on green matters has caught up with Sim’s, it’s an exciting time for the eco-design movement. Once it takes off for real, we’ll all have Sim Van der Ryn to thank for laying the groundwork.

近来，既然公众对于绿色环保议题的主张已追上西姆的脚步，眼前就是生态设计运动最令人振奋的时刻。一旦它真正开始发展，我们都将得感谢西姆．范．迪．莱恩为我们所奠定的基础。

−by Murray Walker and Robert Kelly

Vocabulary

单词发音

radical [ˋrædɪk!] adj. 极端的，过激的；激进的

notion [ˋnoʃən] n. 概念；想法

drive [draɪv] n. 魄力，干劲

commitment [kəˋmɪtmənt] n. 致力；献身

efficiency [ɪˋfɪʃənsɪ] n. 效率；效能

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单词发音

preordain [͵priɔrˋden] v. 预定；注定

unflagging [ʌnˋflægɪŋ] adj. 不屈不挠的

nonprofit [͵nɑnˋprɑfɪt] adj. 非营利的

cutting-edge ['kʌtɪŋ'ɛdʒ] adj.最先进的

admire [ədˋmaɪr] v. 称赞，夸奖

catch up with  赶上  to find or arrest after a period of pursuit

groundwork [ˋgraʊnd͵wɝk] n. 根基

Reading Questions

1.  In his early years, what did Van der Ryn think of modern design?

A.  He thought it was the way to bright future.

B.  He thought it was not friendly to nature.

C.  He thought it represented a challenge he was eager to accept.

D.  He thought it was too conservative and opposed to futuristic visions.

2.  What are Van der Ryn’s principal beliefs on design?

A.  Designs should defy nature and be the same all over the world.

B.  Designs should blend in with nature so as to be almost invisible.

C.  Designs should adapt to the environment and the local community.

D.  Designs all over the world should come from Taipei and New York City.

3.  Which of the following proverbs can best describe Van der Ryn’s success?

A.  There is no smoke without fire.

B.  Well begun is half done.

C.  Strike while the iron is hot.

D.  Where there is a will, there is a way.

4.  These days ___________________.

A.  eco-design is seen as a passing trend

B.  ordinary people believe in eco-design as much as Sim

C.  all the buildings Sim designed are praised and admired

D.  Sim is getting ready to start teaching students about eco-design

Answer