欧美人文风情第343篇:为圣母百花大教堂建一个巨大穹顶

 Imagine this: It's 1418 in Florence, Italy. 想象一下：时为公元1418年的意大利佛罗伦萨。

You've been challenged to build a great dome¹ for the Santa Maria del Fiore, one of the grandest cathedrals ever built, 你接受挑战要为圣母百花大教堂建一个巨大穹顶，那是世上最雄伟的大教堂之一，

and you have no formal architectural training, no pressure, right? 而你没受过任何正规建筑训练－－不用觉得有压力，对吧？

For Filippo Brunelleschi, a goldsmith and clockmaker, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. 对菲利波·布鲁内列斯基——一位金匠和钟表匠来说，那是千载难逢的机会。

He considered the challenge carefully...then proposed a daring plan, 他审慎思考了这项挑战...接着提出了一项大胆的计划，

using methods that experts don't fully² understand even to this day. 运用了一种时至今日专家都不能完全理解的工法。

At the time, domes³ were often built as semicircles, 在当时，穹顶常被造为半圆弧形，

but the town fathers required that Brunelleschi build an eight-sided dome that would be even taller and stronger. 但城镇长老们要求布鲁内列斯基建一个八面穹顶，那将更为高耸坚固。

It would also have no central support system to hold it up during construction. 在建造期间，它不会有中央支撑系统撑起穹顶。

Even worse, the dome's base was an imprecise octagon with no true center. But Brunelleschi had that covered. 更棘手的是，穹顶的基底是个没有准确中心的不规则八角形。但布鲁内列斯基解决了这个难题。

There would be two domes instead of one: 他会建两个而非一个穹顶：

an inner and an outer shell held together by giant brick arches and interlocking rings of stone and wood. 由巨大砖拱和相扣石环与木环连结在一起形成内外墙壳。

The rings would work like hoops⁴ on a barrel, keeping the dome from expanding outward. 这些环就像木桶的桶箍一样，使得穹顶不会向外膨胀。

To move heavy loads hundreds of feet up, Brunelleschi designed ingenious new machines, 为了将重物搬到数百英尺高的地方，布鲁内列斯基设计出绝妙的全新器械，

including an ox-driven hoist⁵ and massive lifting devices far ahead of their time. 包含牛拉起重机以及先进的大型吊具。

So, revolutionary design, check; groundbreaking engineering, check; can-do attitude, check. 那么，革新设计有了；突破性工程策画有了；积极进取的态度也有了。

But with no central support system, how would he actually build it  但在没有中央支撑系统的情况下，他要怎么盖出穹顶呢？

First off, the masonry⁶ would have to support itself during construction. 首先，砖墙在建造期间得自行支撑。

To do this, Brunelleschi lays the bricks in a herringbone pattern, 为了做到这样，布鲁内列斯基将砖块以鱼骨形摆放，

which spiraled to the top of the dome,with vertical⁷ bricks acting⁸ as bookends to hold the others in place. 螺旋向上到穹顶上方，直立的砖块就像书挡一样固定住其它砖块。

They laid about one row a week, giving the mortar⁹ time to cure. 他们大约一周摆完一排，让灰泥有时间变干。

At this rate, the dome grew at a snail's pace of about a foot a month. 在这样的速度下，穹顶以极缓慢的速度一个月增高大概一英尺。

But perhaps most puzzling is how he was able to place the bricks with such precision. 但或许最令人费解的是他如何能如此精准地放置砖块。

Many experts agree that he used guide ropes. 许多专家一致认同他利用了绳索引导。

One theory states that ropes ran from a flower pattern on the work platform that showed exactly where the bricks should go. 其中一个理论表示绳索是由绘于作业平台上的花朵图案牵引出的，精准标示了砖块该排的位置。

Another has ropes running from the dome center, tracing a series of cones¹⁰ that grew smaller as they ascended¹¹ to the top. 另一说法则认为绳索由穹顶中心拉出，勾勒出越往上就越小的一连串圆锥形。

Still another suggests a different arrangement of central ropes and wooden templates. 又有一说则提出是利用中心绳索和木制模板。

However it was done, it worked. 不论方法为何，都成功了。

The eight phases of the dome met at the top precisely¹², just as Brunelleschi had planned. 穹顶的八面精准地在顶端会合，正如布鲁内列斯基计划的一样。

In all, it took 16 years to complete the dome. 穹顶的完工总计花费十六年。

When he died in 1446, Brunelleschi left behind no sketches¹³ and no details as to exactly how he achieved his masterpiece. 当布鲁内列斯基在1446年离世时，他没有留下任何草稿，也没有留下自己是如何完成这杰作的相关细节。

Today, it remains¹⁴ the largest masonry dome in the world, more than 500 years after it was built. 如今，在其落成超过五百年之后，它仍是世上最大的砖造穹顶。

 

1 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 domes   

n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场

参考例句：

• The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
• Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网

4 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

5 hoist   

n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起

参考例句：

• By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。
• Hoist the Chinese flag on the flagpole,please!请在旗杆上升起中国国旗！

6 masonry   

n.砖土建筑；砖石

参考例句：

• Masonry is a careful skill.砖石工艺是一种精心的技艺。
• The masonry of the old building began to crumble.旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。

7 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

10 cones   

n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒

参考例句：

• In the pines squirrels commonly chew off and drop entire cones. 松树上的松鼠通常咬掉和弄落整个球果。 来自辞典例句
• Many children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. 许多小孩喜欢吃蛋卷冰淇淋胜过盘装冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

11 ascended   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

13 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。