They're made using Victorian technologies.

今天世界上的建築都有些相同之處

This involves blueprints,

他們都運用了維多莉亞時期所發展的技術

industrial manufacturing

像是藍圖的繪製

and construction using teams of workers.

使用工業製造出的建材

All of this effort results in an inert object.

以及許多的建築工人

And that means that there is a one-way transfer of energy

結果創造出來的卻是一個毫無"生氣"的物體

from our environment into our homes and cities.

這是一種單向的能源轉換

This is not sustainable.

把能源從大自然傳到我們的城市和家裡

I believe that the only way that it is possible for us

這一點也不符合永續發展的觀念

to construct genuinely sustainable homes and cities

我相信唯一的解決方法

is by connecting them to nature,

是把建築與自然環境結合

not insulating them from it.

建造出能永續使用的家和城市

Now, in order to do this, we need the right kind of language.

而不是把它們區隔開來

Living systems are in constant conversation

因此,我們需要的是一種正確的"語言"

with the natural world,

長久以來,生態系統和自然界

through sets of chemical reactions called metabolism.

不斷地透過新陳代謝

And this is the conversion of one group of substances

來進行對話

into another, either through

也就是,一種物質轉換成另一種物質

the production or the absorption of energy.

或是

And this is the way in which living materials

物質經過能量的吸收與作用而變成另一種物質

make the most of their local resources

這就是生命體如何以一個永續的方式

in a sustainable way.

來運用

So, I'm interested in the use of

所需的資源

metabolic materials for the practice of architecture.

所以,我對於把能重複代謝的物質

But they don't exist. So I'm having to make them.

運用到建築科技上非常有興趣

I'm working with architect Neil Spiller

但這種物質目前並不存在,所以,我打算創造它

at the Bartlett School of Architecture,

我和英國巴特列特建築學院的建築師

and we're collaborating with international scientists

史畢樂先生

in order to generate these new materials

還有其他科學家合作

from a bottom up approach.

從零開始

That means we're generating them from scratch.

研發這種新的材料

One of our collaborators is chemist Martin Hanczyc,

也就是說,我們將是研發這類材料的先驅

and he's really interested in the transition from

化學家Martin Hanczyc也是我們團隊中的一員

inert to living matter.

他對於這種物質轉換的研究

Now, that's exactly the kind of process that I'm interested in,

非常有興趣

when we're thinking about sustainable materials.

談到要研發永續材料

So, Martin, he works with a system called the protocell.

是我非常樂見的

Now all this is -- and it's magic --

所以,Martin採用了一種名為"原生細胞"的系統

is a little fatty bag. And it's got a chemical battery in it.

這彷彿就像魔術一樣-

And it has no DNA.

在這個圓圓胖胖的袋狀物裡,裝著一個化學電池

This little bag is able to conduct itself

它並不具有DNA

in a way that can only be described as living.

這個小小的袋狀物能夠自行運作

It is able to move around its environment.

就像是有生命一樣

It can follow chemical gradients.

它能夠自己在環境中移動

It can undergo complex reactions,

或是跟隨化學梯度移動

some of which are happily architectural.

它也能通過複雜的化學反應

So here we are. These are protocells,

它們對於建築非常有幫助

patterning their environment.

這些原生細胞

We don't know how they do that yet.

能夠仿造他們所在的環境

Here, this is a protocell, and it's vigorously shedding this skin.

我們目前還無法得知他們是如何做到的

Now, this looks like a chemical kind of birth.

這個原生細胞,它正在脫離他的表皮

This is a violent process.

有點像小孩出生一樣

Here, we've got a protocell to extract carbon dioxide

是一個非常激烈的程序

out of the atmosphere

這邊是一個能夠從大氣中把二氧化碳抽離出來的

and turn it into carbonate.

原生細胞

And that's the shell around that globular fat.

之後,二氧化炭將會被轉換成碳酸鹽

They are quite brittle. So you've only got a part of one there.

而這些就是球狀物邊緣的硬殼

So what we're trying to do is, we're trying to push these technologies

他們非常的脆,所以我們能夠弄到的並不多

towards creating bottom-up construction approaches

現在我們研究的,就是對這項科技

for architecture,

發展出由下到上的建築技術

which contrast the current, Victorian, top-down methods

並且應用在建築上

which impose structure upon matter.

這跟目前採用這種維多莉亞式由上而下

That can't be energetically sensible.

加強結構的方法並不一樣

So, bottom-up materials

因為這並不符合永續的概念

actually exist today.

所以,由下到上的材料

They've been in use, in architecture, since ancient times.

確實存在

If you walk around the city of Oxford, where we are today,

這種材料早在古代就已被使用在建築上過

and have a look at the brickwork,

在英國的牛津

which I've enjoyed doing in the last couple of days,

他們牆上使用的磚

you'll actually see that a lot of it is made of limestone.

和我最近做的事不謀而合

And if you look even closer,

你可以看見他們大量使用了石灰岩

you'll see, in that limestone, there are little shells

再靠近一點看

and little skeletons that are piled upon each other.

你可以看見石灰岩中的殼

And then they are fossilized over millions of years.

還有一些殘骸堆積在裡面

Now a block of limestone, in itself,

隨著時間,它們現在都已成了化石

isn't particularly that interesting.

這些石灰岩本身

It looks beautiful.

並不是甚麼特別有趣的東西

But imagine what the properties of this limestone block might be

雖然它看起來美極了

if the surfaces were actually

但想想這些石灰岩磚的特性

in conversation with the atmosphere.

如果它們的表面

Maybe they could extract carbon dioxide.

和空氣有接觸的話

Would it give this block of limestone new properties?

他們或許就能吸收二氧化碳

Well, most likely it would. It might be able to grow.

這些沉積物能賦予石灰岩新的價值嗎?

It might be able to self-repair, and even respond

非常有可能.它能夠生長

to dramatic changes

自我修復或是對周圍環境的

in the immediate environment.

立即變化

So, architects are never happy

能夠有反應

with just one block of an interesting material.

但建築師對這些一塊塊的東西

They think big. Okay?

當然還不滿足

So when we think about scaling up metabolic materials,

他們想要的還不只是如此

we can start thinking about ecological interventions

提到增加能夠代謝的材料時

like repair of atolls,

我們先考慮生態干預

or reclamation of parts of a city

像是修復珊瑚礁

that are damaged by water.

和城市中曾經

So, one of these examples

遭受水災的地方

would of course be the historic city of Venice.

這些例子

Now, Venice, as you know, has a tempestuous relationship with the sea,

就跟威尼斯一樣

and is built upon wooden piles.

和海有著密不可分的關係

So we've devised a way by which it may be possible

而且威尼斯整個城市是建築在木頭上的

for the protocell technology that we're working with

所以我們想出了一個計畫

to sustainably reclaim Venice.

就是使用原生細胞的科技

And architect Christian Kerrigan

來修復威尼斯

has come up with a series of designs that show us

而建築師Christian Kerrigan

how it may be possible to actually grow a limestone reef

已經有了一連串的設計

underneath the city.

來告訴我們要如何在威尼斯底下

So, here is the technology we have today.

種植石灰岩礁

This is our protocell technology,

這就是我們現今所擁有的

effectively making a shell, like its limestone forefathers,

原生細胞科技

and depositing it in a very complex environment,

有效率地生產石灰岩上的那些沉積物外殼

against natural materials.

並把它們放置在複雜的環境中

We're looking at crystal lattices to see the bonding process in this.

對抗自然的素材

Now, this is the very interesting part.

我們現在看的是水晶晶格的結合過程

We don't just want limestone dumped everywhere in all the pretty canals.

這是一個非常有趣的部分

What we need it to do is to be

我們不要只是把石灰岩丟在威尼斯美麗的運河裡

creatively crafted around the wooden piles.

我們要做的是

So, you can see from these diagrams that the protocell is actually

讓它們圍繞著水底下的木頭

moving away from the light,

你可以從這些圖中看見原生細胞正在

toward the dark foundations.

遠離光源

We've observed this in the laboratory.

朝著深色的底座靠近

The protocells can actually move away from the light.

我們在實驗室中就觀察出了這點

They can actually also move towards the light. You have to just choose your species.

原生細胞是有趨光性的

So that these don't just exist as one entity,

但也有些不同種類的原生細胞是有向光性的

we kind of chemically engineer them.

他們不只是以一種實體的狀態存在

And so here the protocells are depositing their limestone

我們利用化學工程改良他們

very specifically, around the foundations of Venice,

原生細胞沈積在石灰岩上

effectively petrifying it.

有目標地包覆著威尼斯的底座

Now, this isn't going to happen tomorrow. It's going to take a while.

使底座更堅固

It's going to take years of tuning and monitoring this technology

但這不是一蹴可及的.我們還需要一段時間

in order for us to become ready

我們可能還需要幾年的時間做觀察並且調整

to test it out in a case-by-case basis

接著才能

on the most damaged and stressed buildings within the city of Venice.

在威尼斯受損的建築上

But gradually, as the buildings are repaired,

測試

we will see the accretion of a limestone reef beneath the city.

等到建築物漸漸被修復之後

An accretion itself is a huge sink of carbon dioxide.

我們將看到石灰岩礁和城市的底座附著在一起

Also it will attract the local marine ecology,

這整個沈機物會是由一大塊固體狀的二氧化碳組成

who will find their own ecological niches within this architecture.

而且還會使附近的海洋生態

So, this is really interesting. Now we have an architecture

趨於穩定

that connects a city to the natural world

這非常的有趣.我們有一座城市

in a very direct and immediate way.

能夠與大自然

But perhaps the most exciting thing about it

有最直接的關連

is that the driver of this technology is available everywhere.

但最讓人感到興奮的

This is terrestrial chemistry. We've all got it,

莫過於驅動這項科技的元素都處都可以找的到

which means that this technology is just as appropriate

那是現在地球上現有的,要取得它們完全不成問題

for developing countries as it is

這意味著,這像科技不但適合在

for First World countries.

開發中國家使用

So, in summary, I'm generating metabolic materials

也適合在已開發的國家中使用

as a counterpoise to Victorian technologies,

總而言之,我正在開發這種能夠代謝的素材

and building architectures from a bottom-up approach.

來和維多莉亞式的科技取得平衡

Secondly, these metabolic materials

並以一個下到上的方式應用到建築上

have some of the properties of living systems,

第二,這些代謝材料

which means they can perform in similar ways.

存在著一些生物的特質

They can expect to have a lot of forms and functions

他們和生物有些相似處

within the practice of architecture.

應用到建築上

And finally, an observer in the future

它們能夠有各種不同的型式與功能

marveling at a beautiful structure in the environment

最後,當未來的人

may find it almost impossible to tell

對這些美麗的建築讚嘆不已時

whether this structure

將分不出來

has been created by a natural process

這個建築

or an artificial one.

是自然生成的?

Thank you.

還是人造的?

(Applause)

謝謝!