中文导读 比利时根特的设计博物馆(Design Museum Gent)经过四年闭馆翻修,于2026年10月3日重新开放。最受关注的是新建的五层侧翼:外墙用了8万多块白色“根特垃圾砖”(Gent Waste Brick),约63%的原料来自博物馆附近的城市建筑垃圾,比如废弃混凝土和碎玻璃。这种砖不进窑烧制,而是加石灰压制、自然硬化,所含碳排放约为普通黏土砖的三分之一,硬化过程中还能吸收少量二氧化碳。砖在根特一处旧铁路维修厂生产,市民可以现场观看,还在为期两天的活动中亲手压砖;40名随机抽选的居民也为博物馆提出了一百多条建议。英国《卫报》10月20日发表的建筑评论既称赞这栋楼,也提到有人觉得它的体量与老城不太协调,建筑师本人也强调这并不能解决气候危机。文章大致按“事件—背景—做法—公众参与—争议与边界”展开。阅读时可留意 unlike、as a result、instead 等词如何表达对比、结果和转折,以及引语是怎样交代说话人身份的。
正文 When people visit a new museum , they usually look at the objects inside . At Design Museum Gent in Belgium , the walls themselves tell a story . Its new wing , which opened to the public on October 3, is covered with more than 80,000 white bricks made mostly from the city’s own waste , such as old concrete and broken glass .
本段译文 人们参观新博物馆时,通常会看里面的展品。而在比利时的根特设计博物馆,墙壁本身就在讲述一个故事。它的新翼于10月3日向公众开放,外墙覆盖着8万多块白色砖块,这些砖主要由这座城市自己的废弃物制成,比如旧混凝土和碎玻璃。
The museum had been closed for four years while workers repaired its old buildings and added the new wing . The project cost about 20 million euros . It was designed by the London firm Carmody Groarke with two Belgian partners , ATAMA and RE-ST . “There’s nothing new about reuse ,” Andy Groarke , one of the architects , told the Guardian . “We’ve just forgotten how to do it .”
本段译文 这座博物馆此前闭馆四年,工人们修缮了旧建筑,并加建了新翼。该项目耗资约2000万欧元,由伦敦的卡莫迪·格罗克(Carmody Groarke)事务所与两家比利时合作方ATAMA和RE-ST共同设计。建筑师之一安迪·格罗克对《卫报》说:“再利用并不是什么新鲜事。我们只是忘了该怎么做。”
The bricks were developed especially for this building . About 63 percent of each brick is waste collected near the museum . The waste is crushed , mixed with lime and pressed into shape . Unlike normal clay bricks , these bricks are not baked in a hot oven , which uses a lot of energy . As a result , each one carries only about a third of the carbon of a regular brick . The lime can also take in some carbon dioxide from the air as it slowly hardens .
本段译文 这些砖是专门为这栋建筑研制的。每块砖约63%的原料是在博物馆附近收集的废弃物。这些废料被粉碎,与石灰混合,再压制成型。与普通黏土砖不同,这种砖不需要放进高温窑炉烧制,而烧制要消耗大量能源。因此,每块砖所含的碳排放只有普通砖的三分之一左右。石灰在慢慢硬化的过程中,还能从空气中吸收一些二氧化碳。
Local people were part of the process . The bricks were made at an old railway repair site in Ghent , where residents could watch the work . During a two-day festival , members of the public were invited to mix the materials and press their own bricks . Today , visitors can buy one in the museum shop for ten euros . Before the plans were finished , a group of 40 randomly chosen residents also gave more than 100 ideas , such as free areas without tickets and plenty of seats .
本段译文 当地居民也参与了这一过程。这些砖是在根特一处旧铁路维修场地生产的,居民可以在那里观看制作过程。在一个为期两天的节日活动中,公众受邀亲手混合材料、压制自己的砖块。如今,参观者可以在博物馆商店花十欧元买一块。在方案最终确定之前,一个由40名随机抽选的居民组成的小组还提出了一百多条建议,比如设置无需门票的免费区域,以及提供充足的座位。
Other parts of the building follow the same idea . Its frame is made mainly of wood , and the lobby uses timber saved from an old tobacco factory in Brussels . Some walls are covered with local clay . The new wing also links the museum’s older buildings , so visitors can walk through all of them in one loop for the first time .
本段译文 这栋建筑的其他部分也遵循同样的理念。它的框架主要由木材构成,大厅使用的木料来自布鲁塞尔一家旧烟草厂。有些墙面抹上了当地的黏土。新翼还把博物馆原有的几栋老建筑连接起来,参观者第一次可以沿一条环线走遍所有建筑。
Not everyone likes the result . Some people think the large white building looks too heavy next to the old city centre . The architects also avoid big promises . Sian Ricketts , who leads their work on sustainability , said the bricks are not a solution to the climate crisis . Instead , she called the building a “ proof of concept “: evidence that builders can try something different when the right people work together .
本段译文 并不是每个人都喜欢这个结果。有人认为,这栋高大的白色建筑立在老城中心旁边显得过于笨重。建筑师们也避免做出夸大的承诺。负责其可持续设计工作的西安·里基茨表示,这些砖并不能解决气候危机。她把这栋建筑称为一个“概念验证”:它证明只要合适的人一起合作,建造者就可以尝试不同的做法。
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