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堪培拉，澳大利亚的国会首都，通常被认为是温和、官方的。但是Molonglo Group设计的西大楼，位于郊区，与这些特点形成鲜明的对比。它是渐进的、奇特的以及充满活力的，也因此让堪培拉回到了版图上。

西大楼是Molonglo Group的创意，一个以Johnathan和Nectar Efkarpidis为首的开发公司。公司在壮大后，他们开始想给它注射一些独特的、世界性的东西。

Molonglo Group与60多位建筑师、设计师、工艺者和艺术家合作，设计了西大楼和它的围护部分New Acton。合作者有日本的Suppose Design工作室，墨西哥的Fender Katsiladis建筑事务所和March工作室，以及景观建筑事务所Oculus。因此这个项目最后没有奇特的设计手法而是做到了丰富的合作投入。

Canberra, Australia's parliamentary capital, is often labeled bland and bureaucratic. But the new Nishi Building, designed by Molonglo Group, sits in stark contrast to these traits. It is progressive, quirky and vibrant, and, as a result, has put Canberra back on the map.
The Nishi Building is the brainchild of Molonglo Group, a development company headed by Johnathan and Nectar Efkarpidis. Having grown up in the city, the pair wanted to inject it with something distinctive and cosmopolitan.
Molonglo Group collaborated with over sixty architects, designers, makers and artists who, together, designed the Nishi Building and its precinct, New Acton. Among this list of collaborators were Japan's Suppose Design Office, Melbourne-based Fender Katsiladis Architects and March Studio, and landscape architects Oculus. The result is a project that has no singular design hand but, rather, is enriched by collaborative input.

形式上，西大楼是由两个低矮的塔楼组成的。第一部分建筑是由折纸式褶皱来具体定义的，用渐渐向上的板提供了一定角度下的隐私和风景。第二个塔楼，其实看起来更像是一个普通的玻璃盒子，它的背立面是雅致的装饰板条，由黑基木板条和植物组成。

Molonglo的西大楼是一个混合使用的开发区，由商店、金融办、公寓和酒店组成。虽然这听起来很混乱，空间布局在计划中是简单却又分开的，包括商店和酒店，占据了较低的楼层，而私人办公室和公寓位于上方。

Formally, the Nishi Building is composed of two low, squat towers. The first building is defined by origami-like folds of concrete, which provide the upper floors with angled privacy and views. The second tower, meanwhile, is a more generic glass box, whose rear facade is tastefully embellished with blackbutt battens and planting.
Molonglo's Nishi Building is a mixed-use development made up of shops, commercial offices, apartments and a hotel. While this sounds jumbled, the spatial arrangement is simple in plan and section: public functions, including shops and the hotel, occupy the lower floors, while private offices and apartments are situated above.

所有这些功能都共用一个入口，那是一个壮观的木制装置，由2150多块回收的木材组成。这些木材向外形成墙壁、天花板和一个中央楼梯。四分五裂的钉子和每一块木材的粗端都赋予了空间的变化、质感和触感。这是愉快而又刻意的，与冷静、简约的装饰作对比，通常作为典型的商业室内装饰。
大台阶通向大堂，这同时也作为会议室、餐厅、酒店的大堂。整个空间被居住者、工作者、旅行者一起使用，在这个开敞的空间里，他们可以进行饮食、休憩和开展人际交往。

All of these programs share an entrance, a spectacular wooden installation composed of over 2,150 pieces of recycled timber. These explode outwards, forming walls, a ceiling and a central staircase. The splintered nails and gnarly ends of each piece of timber give the space variation, texture and tactility. It's a pleasant, and intentional, contrast to the cold, clinical decor that usually typifies commercial interiors.
The staircase leads upwards to a lobby, which simultaneously acts as a meeting space, restaurant and hotel concierge. This space is consistently occupied with a mixture of locals, workers and travellers, who eat, relax and mingle in the open-plan layout.

地下空间是黑暗和低沉的，来自圆孔的光线在混凝土的天花板上被削减。这些圆形天窗仰望蕨类植物园，这也作为地上建筑的中庭。预制混凝土块堆叠成巢，形成服务台和一个中央壁炉，提供温暖的感觉。物品的陈设是朴实的，小摆设品的质量也体现了折衷主义。

The ground floor space is dark and moody, with light coming from circular cuts in the concrete ceiling. These round skylights look up to a fern garden, which also acts as a central atrium for the building above. Pre-cast concrete blocks are stacked into nests, forming concierge desks and a central fireplace. To provide warmth, the furnishings have a homely, bric-a-brac quality that is intentionally eclectic.

向楼上走，西大楼分为混合私人公寓和酒店房间。酒店占据两个最低层，从房间向下可以看见中庭，向外可看见湖泊。房间很舒适，灯光昏暗，每套房都配有一个独特的澳大利亚的物品与艺术品。材质配置也是局部的，层与层之间的木材，纹理纸板和混凝土都参照了灌木棚屋的粗糙材料来设计。

相比之下，西大楼的二十套公寓，占据了上面的楼层，是紧凑而又现代的。公寓的室内展示更显个性，却又干净爽朗。其室内规划是实验性的，从整洁的单床配备折叠床到分层公寓。

Moving upstairs, the Nishi Building splits into a mixture of private apartments and hotel rooms. The hotel occupies the two lowest floors, with rooms looking inward to the atrium, or out onto the lake.  The rooms are cosy and dimly lit, and each suite is furnished with a unique array Australian objects and artworks. The material palette is also localised, with layers of timber, textured chipboard and concrete referencing the rough-hewn materiality of bush shacks.
By contrast, the Nishi Building's twenty apartments, which occupy the stories above, are compact and contemporary. The apartment interiors display much less personality, but are clean and crisply designed. Their interior planning is experimental, with apartments ranging from neat one-bedders with fold-out beds to split-level apartments.

西大楼也表现出令人钦佩的环保倡议。酒店使用回收板材和再利用的材料，而公寓完全依靠自然通风。大厦工作人员也在可持续的实践中进行训练，在不同季节中开启和关闭门扇，可以调节温度和空气流动。

Molonglo Group的西大楼体现了建筑单体可以促进地域、文化和社区的发展。它把友善、可持续的设计作为它的核心，并依赖于这种理论来树立它的品牌和特性。到目前为止，它已经聚集了来自世界各地的好奇的旅行者和志同道合的居住者。但是，更重要的是，在堪培拉，它已经有了一个忠实的当地追随群体，似乎正准备迎接这一大胆的新发展。

Molonglo Group的西大楼是典型的商业、住区或者酒店发展区的对立面。它有利于混乱、地方主义和超过预期与通用的多元化主义。用这样一种方式，它迅速领先，并用符号作为代表，改变了澳大利亚的首都。

The Nishi Building also displays admirable environmental initiative. The hotel uses a palette of recycled and repurposed materials, while the apartments rely exclusively on natural ventilation. Building staff are also trained in sustainable practice, opening and closing doors throughout the seasons to regulate temperature and air flow.
Molonglo Group's Nishi Building exemplifies how a single building can contribute to place, culture and community. It places good, sustainable design at its core, and relies upon this ethic to build its brand and identity. So far, it has hosted curious travellers and like-minded residents from all over the world. But, more importantly, it has generated a loyal local following in Canberra, which seems ready to embrace this bold new development.
Molonglo Group's Nishi Building is the antithesis of a typical commercial, residential or hotel development. It favors messiness, localism and pluralism over the expected and generic. In such a way, it is quickly leading, and emblemizing, change in Australia's capital.

出处：本文译自www.arcspace.com/，转载请注明出处。