[雙語]瓊樓玉宇入云端——拉薩瑞吉度假酒店

Designing a 162-room hotel is a challenge for any architect.  St. Regis Lhasa拉薩瑞吉度假酒店
設(shè)計一座擁有162個房間的酒店對于任何一位建筑師來說都是一個挑戰(zhàn)。
   
Trying to do it at 3,600 meters (nearly 12,000 feet) above sea level and adhering to the cultural concerns of Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet? That's raising the stakes.
要在海拔3600米(近12,000英尺)的西藏首府拉薩設(shè)計建造這么一座酒店，并且還要緊密貼合當(dāng)?shù)氐奈幕?，更是難上加難。
   
For two and a half years, Jean-Michel Gathy, principle designer of Denniston International Architects & Planners Ltd., based in Kuala Lumpur, struggled with the obstacles of creating the eight-acre St. Regis Lhasa Resort.
總部位于吉隆玻的Denniston International Architects & Planners Ltd.的首席設(shè)計師讓•蜜雪兒•加蒂(Jean-Michel Gathy)耗時兩年半，努力克服種種障礙，建造了這座占地八英畝的拉薩瑞吉度假酒店(St. Regis Lhasa Resort)。
   
'Because it was so cold during the winters, we had to stop building for three months of the year,' says the architect, whose other projects include the Aman at Summer Palace and the One & Only Reethi-Rah resort in the Maldives.
這位建筑師說，由于當(dāng)?shù)囟镜臍夂蚍浅：洌荒戤?dāng)中有三個月的時間不得不停工。他的其他作品還包括頤和園邊上的安縵頤和酒店(Aman at Summer Palace)和馬爾代夫的One & Only Reethi-Rah度假村。
   
The St. Regis Lhasa Resort soft-opened in November. Mr. Gathy tells us why Tibet may be one of the most demanding places to create a luxury property.
拉薩瑞吉度假酒店從去年11月份開始試營業(yè)。就建造一座豪華酒店而言，西藏可能是全世界難度最大的地方之一，加蒂向我們解釋了個中緣由。
   
Painting it red: When choosing your color palette, beware of using ox-blood red, a shade reserved for temples and religious buildings.
把外墻刷成紅色：當(dāng)你選擇顏色時，要慎用牛血紅，這是一種專門用在寺廟和其他宗教建筑上的色調(diào)。
   
'It's a beautifully dramatic color,' says Mr. Gathy. 'I have one wall in the front courtyard that's painted in this color, but in order to get around [the culture surrounding the use of it], we had to cover it up with a lattice on top.'
加蒂說，“這是一種非常漂亮的、引人注目的色彩。我把前院的一堵墻刷成了這種顏色，但是，為了避開使用這種顏色所帶來的宗教文化意味，我們不得不在外面罩上一層網(wǎng)格。”
   
Buddha on high: The placement of Buddha statues must be done with respect, says Mr. Gathy. As a rule of thumb, statues should be placed higher than pedestrian eye level, so people look up at them.
把佛像放置在高處：加蒂說，在放置佛像時必須非常尊敬他們。作為一項經(jīng)驗法則，佛像應(yīng)該被供奉在高于行人水平視線的地方，這樣人們就可以仰視他們。
   
'There are very sensitive cultural issues that you have to understand when designing something in Tibet,' he says. 'Everything is scrutinized.'
他說，“當(dāng)你在西藏設(shè)計某件東西時，必須考慮非常敏感的文化因素。要仔細(xì)檢查每一處細(xì)節(jié)。”
   
Avoiding stairs: With altitude sickness being a serious concern for travelers to Tibet, why is it that Mr. Gathy raised the first floor of the hotel by more than 10 meters? 'We wanted it to be level with the Potala, the main temple at Lhasa. That way guests can get the perfect view,' he says. What's more, all the public areas — except for the small Tibetan restaurant in the resort are located on the same floor so guests need not go up and down stairs. Oxygen tanks are also available throughout the premises.
避免使用樓梯：高原反應(yīng)是到西藏旅游的客人們所面臨的一個嚴(yán)重問題，既然如此，加蒂為何要將這座酒店的第一層加高10多米呢？他說，“我們希望酒店的高度與拉薩最主要的寺廟布達(dá)拉宮齊平，這樣一來，客人就能領(lǐng)略到完美的景致。”另外，除了小型藏族餐廳外，這座度假酒店中的所有公共區(qū)域都位于同一層，這樣，客人就不需要上下樓梯了。而且在整座建筑物內(nèi)，到處都備有氧氣罐。
   
Making do with materials: Certain materials are not readily available in Tibet, says Mr. Gathy. 'I wanted to use timber for the windows, but only aluminum was available. As a designer, you have to realize you can't have everything.'
應(yīng)陋就簡地利用當(dāng)?shù)氐牟牧希?/strong>加蒂稱，在西藏，有些材料很難獲得。他說，“我本想用木材來制作窗戶，但最后只能用鋁合金。作為一名設(shè)計師，你必須認(rèn)識到你不可能獲得你想要的所有材料。”
   
Finding talent: It takes a lot of construction know-how to build a property like the St. Regis, says Mr. Gathy. 'The way things are finished off and milled and joined together that's all methodology local labor is not familiar with.' Many of the components were prefabricated in eastern China and then transported to Tibet for simple installation.
尋找能工巧匠：加蒂說，建造像瑞吉假日酒店這樣的建筑物需要很多建筑方面的專業(yè)知識。制作、加工和組裝的方法都不為本地工人所熟悉。許多構(gòu)件都是在中國東部預(yù)制的，然后運到西藏進(jìn)行簡單的組裝。
   
Creating the mood: You may think of Tibet as peaceful and meditative landscape, but the site of the hotel was in fact the former city hall compound. 'It is by an open road and so there is a lot of traffic and noise,' says Mr. Gathy. He resolved the problem by building a four-meter-high wall around the complex and a manmade oasis — a large lake, or reflective pool, surrounded by lush and mature trees.
營造氣氛：也許你會認(rèn)為西藏是一個安靜平和、引人沉思的地方，但實際上這座酒店卻坐落于原先的市政廳。加蒂說，這個地方緊鄰一條開闊的道路，因此車流量和噪音很大。他的解決之道是：在酒店四周筑起一道四米高的圍墻和一個人造的綠洲——也就是一個被郁郁蔥蔥的大樹所環(huán)繞的大湖，或者說倒影池。