美公司擬建4800米“抗霾樓”
2017年剛剛到來，但一家制造公司已經(jīng)在放眼于45年之后的未來了。
Arconic, a materials science company, has envisioned a three-mile-high skyscraper built from materials that are either in-development or have already been brought to market, including smog-eating surfaces and retractable balconies.
材料科學(xué)公司Arconic設(shè)想出一幢三英里(約4828米)高的摩天大樓。大樓使用的材料全都是正在開發(fā)或已經(jīng)問世的，包括能夠凈化霧霾的外立面和可伸縮的陽臺。
The tower was concocted as part of the company's larger campaign known as "The Jetsons," an homage to the 1962 cartoon set in 2062. Arconic's engineers worked alongside futurists to imagine the technologies that will be most useful several decades from now.
這幢摩天大樓的建造是該公司更大的活動“摩登家庭”的一部分，這一活動是為了向1962年出品的以2062年為背景的動畫片《摩登家庭》致意。Arconic公司的工程師與未來學(xué)家們一起工作，來設(shè)想幾十年后最有用的科技。
Sherri McCleary, one of Arconic's chief materials scientists, says one of the most exciting and immediate projects is EcoClean, a special coating that helps buildings self-clean and purify the surrounding air. It was first released in 2011 and offers a number of benefits over traditional pane glass windows, McCleary says.
Arconic公司的首席材料學(xué)家謝麗•麥卡利表示，最令人振奮也最先能實現(xiàn)的項目之一是EcoClean，這是一種能幫助建筑物自我清潔并凈化周圍空氣的特殊涂料，2011年首次問世，與傳統(tǒng)的玻璃窗相比有多種好處。
"The functional coating provides aesthetics, it provides maintenance benefits, and it also provides a benefit to the surrounding environment by reducing the content of pollutants around it," she tells Business Insider.
她在接受商業(yè)內(nèi)幕網(wǎng)采訪時說：“這種功能性涂料不僅美觀，維護起來也方便。由于能減少附近的污染物，對周圍環(huán)境也有好處。”
EcoClean works with help from light and water vapor, which mix with the chemicals in the coating to produce atoms known as free radicals. These free radicals pull in pollutants from the air and break them down to get sloughed off the side of the building along with dirt and grime — almost like dead skin.
EcoClean借助于光線和水汽發(fā)揮作用，涂料中混合了可產(chǎn)生自由基的化學(xué)物。這些自由基吸收空氣中的污染物，并將其分解，與塵垢一起從建筑物外立面丟下，就像清除死皮一樣。
The end result is a cleaner building surrounded by cleaner air.
結(jié)果就是建筑物和周圍空氣都更清潔。
Another innovation is in the windows themselves, which Arconic also hopes could be a part of the three-mile-high tower. The new design is called Bloomframe. Essentially, it's a motorized window that converts into an all-glass balcony in under a minute.
另一項發(fā)明是窗戶，Arconic公司希望將其用于這幢摩天大樓。這一新設(shè)計被稱為“折疊陽臺”。這種機動化窗戶可以在一分鐘內(nèi)變身為全玻璃陽臺。
Arconic has been showcasing the technology at trade shows around the world and will hit the market in the "near future," a company spokesperson says.
公司發(fā)言人稱，Arconic已經(jīng)開始在世界各地的貿(mào)易展覽上展出這一技術(shù)，并將在“不久后”推向市場。
Rather than spend twice the money on materials to build separate windows and ledges, Arconic wants to invest in flexible components that can make buildings more than just static giants.
與花費兩倍的錢用于可建造獨立窗戶和窗臺的材料相比，Arconic公司希望可以投資于可用于建筑物的柔性構(gòu)件，而非僅僅是靜態(tài)大型結(jié)構(gòu)。
Some of Arconic's other futuristic designs include flying cars, ultra-lightweight car bodies, and aerodynamic airplane wings.
Arconic公司的其他一些未來設(shè)計還包括飛行車、超輕量車體、和空氣動力機翼等。
In the meantime, it continues working to push the limits of what modern-day skyscrapers can look like and do. Thanks to 3D printing, McCleary says many structures that aren't currently feasible could withstand high winds and unique climates.
與此同時，該公司還正致力于突破現(xiàn)代摩天大樓外觀和功能的極限。麥卡利表示，由于3D打印技術(shù)的應(yīng)用，目前看來不可行的很多建筑結(jié)構(gòu)可以抵抗強風(fēng)和極端氣候。
"We're looking at optimizing the materials that can be 3D-printed to give more and more options to designers and architects," she says.
她說：“我們正考慮優(yōu)化可以3D打印的材料，為設(shè)計師和建筑師提供更多的選擇。”
