TEDGlobal 2009
Rachel Armstrong: Architecture that repairs itself?
瑞秋·阿姆斯特朗：自我修复的建筑学
Filmed:
Readability: 4.7
1,344,794 views
意大利的威尼斯正在下沉中。为了拯救它，瑞秋·阿姆斯特朗认为采用传统材料的建筑学已经不再使用，我们需要能自我修复的建筑学。她提出了一种可以自我修复和估碳拟生材料。
Rachel Armstrong - Applied scientist, innovator
TED Fellow Rachel Armstrong is a sustainability innovator who creates new materials that possess some of the properties of living systems, and can be manipulated to "grow" architecture. Full bio
TED Fellow Rachel Armstrong is a sustainability innovator who creates new materials that possess some of the properties of living systems, and can be manipulated to "grow" architecture. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
All buildings today have something in common.
0
0
4000
现在，所有的建筑都有一个共同点
00:19
They're made using Victorian technologies.
1
4000
3000
就是都使用维多利亚时代的技术
00:22
This involves blueprints,
2
7000
3000
包括蓝图、
00:25
industrial manufacturing
3
10000
2000
工业制造、
00:27
and construction using teams of workers.
4
12000
3000
还有需要一群工人来建造
00:30
All of this effort results in an inert object.
5
15000
3000
这些都导致了一个消极的结果：
00:33
And that means that there is a one-way transfer of energy
6
18000
3000
这是一个单向的能源转换，
00:36
from our environment into our homes and cities.
7
21000
4000
既从大自然到我们的城市和家中
00:40
This is not sustainable.
8
25000
2000
所以这不是可持续发展的。
00:42
I believe that the only way that it is possible for us
9
27000
3000
我认为，建造可持续发展的家园和城市
00:45
to construct genuinely sustainable homes and cities
10
30000
3000
的唯一方法，
00:48
is by connecting them to nature,
11
33000
2000
就是把他们和自然联系到一起
00:50
not insulating them from it.
12
35000
3000
而不是分离开来
00:53
Now, in order to do this, we need the right kind of language.
13
38000
4000
现在，为了做到这，我们需要一种正确的语言和自然“对话”。
00:57
Living systems are in constant conversation
14
42000
2000
生命系统和大自然得以永久的沟通
00:59
with the natural world,
15
44000
2000
在自然界之中
01:01
through sets of chemical reactions called metabolism.
16
46000
4000
通过一系列“新陈代谢”式的化学反应。
01:05
And this is the conversion of one group of substances
17
50000
3000
这种“对话”是一些物质被转换成另一种
01:08
into another, either through
18
53000
2000
这种“对话”是一些物质被转换成另一种
01:10
the production or the absorption of energy.
19
55000
3000
通过生产或者吸收能量。
01:13
And this is the way in which living materials
20
58000
2000
这是一种将当地资源以可持续的方式转变为生活资料的方法
01:15
make the most of their local resources
21
60000
3000
这是一种将当地资源以可持续的方式转变为生活资料的方法
01:18
in a sustainable way.
22
63000
3000
这是一种将当地资源以可持续的方式转变为生活资料的方法
01:21
So, I'm interested in the use of
23
66000
2000
所以，我对把可以进行新陈代谢的物质
01:23
metabolic materials for the practice of architecture.
24
68000
5000
运用到建筑当中很感兴趣
01:28
But they don't exist. So I'm having to make them.
25
73000
2000
但这种材料并不存在，我要创造它们
01:30
I'm working with architect Neil Spiller
26
75000
2000
我现在在Bartlett建筑学院
01:32
at the Bartlett School of Architecture,
27
77000
2000
和Neil Spiller建筑师一起合作。
01:34
and we're collaborating with international scientists
28
79000
2000
同时，我们还和国际科学家一起合作
01:36
in order to generate these new materials
29
81000
2000
用自下而上的方法
01:38
from a bottom up approach.
30
83000
2000
来产生这种新物质。£
01:40
That means we're generating them from scratch.
31
85000
2000
也就是说，我们要凭空创造。
01:42
One of our collaborators is chemist Martin Hanczyc,
32
87000
4000
化学家Martin Hanczyc是我们的一位合作者
01:46
and he's really interested in the transition from
33
91000
3000
他对处于惰性和活性之间的物质
01:49
inert to living matter.
34
94000
2000
很有兴趣。
01:51
Now, that's exactly the kind of process that I'm interested in,
35
96000
3000
那也正是我们在研究可持续发展物质中
01:54
when we're thinking about sustainable materials.
36
99000
2000
让我感兴趣的。
01:56
So, Martin, he works with a system called the protocell.
37
101000
5000
Martin用一个叫做“原生细胞”的系统工作
02:01
Now all this is -- and it's magic --
38
106000
3000
这和魔术一样，看这个
02:04
is a little fatty bag. And it's got a chemical battery in it.
39
109000
3000
是一团脂肪。里面有一个化学电池，
02:07
And it has no DNA.
40
112000
3000
但没有DNA。
02:10
This little bag is able to conduct itself
41
115000
2000
这东西的行为方式
02:12
in a way that can only be described as living.
42
117000
3000
只有生命体才有
02:15
It is able to move around its environment.
43
120000
3000
它可以在自己的环境中移动；
02:18
It can follow chemical gradients.
44
123000
2000
被化学浓度高的地方吸引；
02:20
It can undergo complex reactions,
45
125000
3000
它们能承受复杂的环境变化。
02:23
some of which are happily architectural.
46
128000
4000
它们是一些快乐的建筑师~
02:27
So here we are. These are protocells,
47
132000
2000
看这些原生细胞
02:29
patterning their environment.
48
134000
2000
能模仿周围的环境
02:31
We don't know how they do that yet.
49
136000
3000
我们还不知道它们是怎么做到这些的
02:34
Here, this is a protocell, and it's vigorously shedding this skin.
50
139000
4000
看，这也是个原生细胞，它正在努力的脱离表皮，
02:38
Now, this looks like a chemical kind of birth.
51
143000
2000
这有点像化学上的分娩，
02:40
This is a violent process.
52
145000
3000
是一个艰难的过程
02:43
Here, we've got a protocell to extract carbon dioxide
53
148000
3000
这是一个能从大气中分离二氧化碳的原生细胞
02:46
out of the atmosphere
54
151000
2000
这是一个能从大气中分离二氧化碳的原生细胞
02:48
and turn it into carbonate.
55
153000
2000
并转换为碳酸盐
02:50
And that's the shell around that globular fat.
56
155000
2000
就是那些球状物边上的硬壳
02:52
They are quite brittle. So you've only got a part of one there.
57
157000
3000
它们很脆，我们只能弄到一部分
02:55
So what we're trying to do is, we're trying to push these technologies
58
160000
3000
所以，我们所作的是试着把这些技术
02:58
towards creating bottom-up construction approaches
59
163000
2000
用来创造一种自下而上的
03:00
for architecture,
60
165000
2000
建筑方法
03:02
which contrast the current, Victorian, top-down methods
61
167000
3000
有别于现在乃至维多利亚时代沿用的自上而下的方法
03:05
which impose structure upon matter.
62
170000
3000
这可以加强材料的结构.
03:08
That can't be energetically sensible.
63
173000
3000
它们更先进
03:11
So, bottom-up materials
64
176000
2000
这种材料
03:13
actually exist today.
65
178000
2000
其实早就有了。
03:15
They've been in use, in architecture, since ancient times.
66
180000
3000
我们的祖先早就把它们运用在建筑上了。
03:18
If you walk around the city of Oxford, where we are today,
67
183000
3000
如果你走在如今的牛津城，
03:21
and have a look at the brickwork,
68
186000
2000
观察一下那些砖块——
03:23
which I've enjoyed doing in the last couple of days,
69
188000
2000
这些天我很喜欢这样——
03:25
you'll actually see that a lot of it is made of limestone.
70
190000
2000
你能看见很多都是用石灰石做的。
03:27
And if you look even closer,
71
192000
2000
如果你更仔细的观察的话，
03:29
you'll see, in that limestone, there are little shells
72
194000
2000
你可以看见那些石头里有些小贝壳
03:31
and little skeletons that are piled upon each other.
73
196000
3000
和小骨头互相堆积。
03:34
And then they are fossilized over millions of years.
74
199000
3000
它们被石化了数百万年，
03:37
Now a block of limestone, in itself,
75
202000
2000
现在做成了一块砖头
03:39
isn't particularly that interesting.
76
204000
3000
很有意思吧。
03:42
It looks beautiful.
77
207000
2000
这看起来很漂亮
03:44
But imagine what the properties of this limestone block might be
78
209000
4000
但是想象一下这石头会怎么样
03:48
if the surfaces were actually
79
213000
2000
如果它的表面可以
03:50
in conversation with the atmosphere.
80
215000
3000
一直和大气“对话”的话。
03:53
Maybe they could extract carbon dioxide.
81
218000
3000
也许它们可以提取二氧化碳。
03:56
Would it give this block of limestone new properties?
82
221000
3000
这会给这石灰砖新的特性吗？
03:59
Well, most likely it would. It might be able to grow.
83
224000
3000
最有可能的就是它可以生长。
04:02
It might be able to self-repair, and even respond
84
227000
2000
也许可以自我修复，
04:04
to dramatic changes
85
229000
2000
甚至对所处环境更复杂的变化做出反应
04:06
in the immediate environment.
86
231000
2000
甚至对所处环境更复杂的变化做出反应
04:08
So, architects are never happy
87
233000
3000
而建筑学不会对
04:11
with just one block of an interesting material.
88
236000
3000
就一块特殊材料的转头感到满足
04:14
They think big. Okay?
89
239000
2000
他要考虑的更多，对吗？
04:16
So when we think about scaling up metabolic materials,
90
241000
3000
所以当我们想考虑更多的代谢材料时，
04:19
we can start thinking about ecological interventions
91
244000
2000
我们可以从生态干预入手，
04:21
like repair of atolls,
92
246000
2000
像修复珊瑚礁一样，
04:23
or reclamation of parts of a city
93
248000
3000
或者是填埋那些
04:26
that are damaged by water.
94
251000
2000
城市被水损害的部分
04:28
So, one of these examples
95
253000
2000
这些例子
04:30
would of course be the historic city of Venice.
96
255000
3000
都像威尼斯一样。
04:33
Now, Venice, as you know, has a tempestuous relationship with the sea,
97
258000
4000
众所周知，威尼斯和海洋有着密切的关系，
04:37
and is built upon wooden piles.
98
262000
2000
而且它建造在木桩上。
04:39
So we've devised a way by which it may be possible
99
264000
3000
所以，我们发明了一种
04:42
for the protocell technology that we're working with
100
267000
2000
可以让原生细胞技术
04:44
to sustainably reclaim Venice.
101
269000
3000
可持续的改变威尼斯的方法
04:47
And architect Christian Kerrigan
102
272000
2000
建筑师Christian Kerrigan
04:49
has come up with a series of designs that show us
103
274000
2000
想出了一系列的设计
04:51
how it may be possible to actually grow a limestone reef
104
276000
3000
可以让城市下面的石灰石生长
04:54
underneath the city.
105
279000
2000
可以让城市下面的石灰石生长
04:56
So, here is the technology we have today.
106
281000
3000
这就是我们现在有的技术
04:59
This is our protocell technology,
107
284000
2000
这是我们的“原生细胞”技术
05:01
effectively making a shell, like its limestone forefathers,
108
286000
4000
有效的生产出一种外壳，就像最早的石灰石一样，
05:05
and depositing it in a very complex environment,
109
290000
3000
并且沉积在非常复杂的环境当中
05:08
against natural materials.
110
293000
2000
并可以对抗自然材料
05:10
We're looking at crystal lattices to see the bonding process in this.
111
295000
3000
现在，我们正在研究这其中晶胞的键合作用
05:13
Now, this is the very interesting part.
112
298000
2000
这是非常有意思的一个部分。
05:15
We don't just want limestone dumped everywhere in all the pretty canals.
113
300000
3000
我们不想让这些石灰石随便在这些美丽的运河中“排泄”
05:18
What we need it to do is to be
114
303000
2000
我们需要它们在指定的地方生长
05:20
creatively crafted around the wooden piles.
115
305000
4000
围绕着木桩生长
05:24
So, you can see from these diagrams that the protocell is actually
116
309000
2000
你看图中这些原生细胞
05:26
moving away from the light,
117
311000
2000
正在远离光线
05:28
toward the dark foundations.
118
313000
2000
而朝着暗处运动
05:30
We've observed this in the laboratory.
119
315000
2000
我们在实验室里观察到这一现象
05:32
The protocells can actually move away from the light.
120
317000
3000
它们可以远离光线
05:35
They can actually also move towards the light. You have to just choose your species.
121
320000
3000
它们也可以朝光运动，你只要选择它们的种类就行
05:38
So that these don't just exist as one entity,
122
323000
2000
所以，它们不是以一个实体存在的，
05:40
we kind of chemically engineer them.
123
325000
3000
我们用化学工程改造它们
05:43
And so here the protocells are depositing their limestone
124
328000
3000
现在看到的这些细胞正在修复石灰石
05:46
very specifically, around the foundations of Venice,
125
331000
3000
非常有目的性的，包围威尼斯的根基，
05:49
effectively petrifying it.
126
334000
2000
有效的固定它。
05:51
Now, this isn't going to happen tomorrow. It's going to take a while.
127
336000
4000
不过这些不是马上就能实现的，需要一些时间
05:55
It's going to take years of tuning and monitoring this technology
128
340000
4000
这需要几年的时间来改进和监控这项技术
05:59
in order for us to become ready
129
344000
2000
为了可以在
06:01
to test it out in a case-by-case basis
130
346000
2000
一个案例一个案例测试的基础上
06:03
on the most damaged and stressed buildings within the city of Venice.
131
348000
3000
在威尼斯损伤最大的建筑上
06:06
But gradually, as the buildings are repaired,
132
351000
3000
但渐渐的，当这些建筑被修复时，
06:09
we will see the accretion of a limestone reef beneath the city.
133
354000
3000
我们将看到一个城市的下方逐渐堆积的石灰礁。
06:12
An accretion itself is a huge sink of carbon dioxide.
134
357000
4000
自我堆积是一个很大的二氧化碳沉积过程
06:16
Also it will attract the local marine ecology,
135
361000
3000
这也会影响到当地的海洋生态系统，
06:19
who will find their own ecological niches within this architecture.
136
364000
4000
它会找到自己在这个生态系统中的位置。
06:23
So, this is really interesting. Now we have an architecture
137
368000
3000
这真是很有趣，现在我们有一种
06:26
that connects a city to the natural world
138
371000
3000
可以把城市与自然连接在一起的建筑技术
06:29
in a very direct and immediate way.
139
374000
2000
通过一种直接有效的方式
06:31
But perhaps the most exciting thing about it
140
376000
3000
不过也学最让人兴奋的是
06:34
is that the driver of this technology is available everywhere.
141
379000
3000
这种技术在任何地方都有用。
06:37
This is terrestrial chemistry. We've all got it,
142
382000
3000
这是一种生态化学，我们全都掌握了。
06:40
which means that this technology is just as appropriate
143
385000
3000
这意味着这种技术
06:43
for developing countries as it is
144
388000
2000
对发达国家和发展中国家
06:45
for First World countries.
145
390000
2000
都适合。
06:47
So, in summary, I'm generating metabolic materials
146
392000
3000
总结一下。我正在研究的代谢材料
06:50
as a counterpoise to Victorian technologies,
147
395000
3000
是作为一种对维多利亚时代技术不足的弥补
06:53
and building architectures from a bottom-up approach.
148
398000
3000
并在建筑学中采用自下而上的方法。
06:56
Secondly, these metabolic materials
149
401000
2000
还有，这些代谢材料
06:58
have some of the properties of living systems,
150
403000
2000
有一些生命系统的特点，
07:00
which means they can perform in similar ways.
151
405000
3000
这意味着它们能与和生命相似的方式工作。
07:03
They can expect to have a lot of forms and functions
152
408000
3000
随着建筑学的进步，
07:06
within the practice of architecture.
153
411000
2000
它们很有用武之地。
07:08
And finally, an observer in the future
154
413000
3000
最后，如果一个未来的人
07:11
marveling at a beautiful structure in the environment
155
416000
3000
来看这些美丽的的建筑时
07:14
may find it almost impossible to tell
156
419000
3000
他可能分别不出
07:17
whether this structure
157
422000
2000
这些建筑
07:19
has been created by a natural process
158
424000
2000
是大自然的杰作呢
07:21
or an artificial one.
159
426000
2000
还是人类的作品
07:23
Thank you.
160
428000
2000
谢谢
07:25
(Applause)
161
430000
4000
掌声
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Rachel Armstrong - Applied scientist, innovatorTED Fellow Rachel Armstrong is a sustainability innovator who creates new materials that possess some of the properties of living systems, and can be manipulated to "grow" architecture.
Why you should listen
Rachel Armstrong innovates and designs sustainable solutions for the built and natural environment using advanced new technologies such as, Synthetic Biology – the rational engineering of living systems - and smart chemistry. Her research prompts a reevaluation of how we think about our homes and cities and raises questions about sustainable development of the built environment. She creates open innovation platforms for academia and industry to address environmental challenges such as carbon capture & recycling, smart ‘living’ materials and sustainable design.
Her award winning research underpins her bold approach to the way that she challenges perceptions, presumptions and established principles related to scientific concepts and the building blocks of life and society. She embodies and promotes new transferrable ways of thinking ‘outside of the box’ and enables others to also develop innovative environmental solutions. Her innovative approaches are outlined in her forthcoming TED Book on Living Architecture.
Watch Rachel Armstrong's TED Fellows talk, "Creating Carbon-Negative Architecture" >>
Rachel Armstrong | Speaker | TED.com