Fallingwater―Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterpiece House Above the Waterfall 流水别墅――弗兰

Fallingwater， the house designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Edgar Kaufmann1） in southwestern Pennsylvania， hangs over a waterfall using the architectural device known as the cantilever2）. Wright described his architectural style as "organic"―in harmony with nature， and though Fallingwater reveals vocabulary drawn from the International style in certain aspects， this country house exhibits so many features typical of Wright's natural style that the house very much engages with3） its surroundings.

Fallingwater has provided enjoyment to many people over the years： as a stimulating weekend retreat4） for the Kaufmann family and their friends， as a source of pride to the architect and his associates， and now―cared for by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy―as an exceptional experience for visitors from near and far.

流水别墅是由美国建筑师弗兰克・劳埃德・赖特为埃德加・考夫曼设计的住宅，位于宾夕法尼亚州西南部，利用了被称为悬臂梁的建筑构造，悬在瀑布上方。赖特把自己的建筑风格描述为“有机的”――与大自然和谐一致。虽然流水别墅在某些方面展示了国际风格中的专业术语，但这座乡间别墅与周围的环境非常协调，展现出如此多的赖特自然风格的典型特点。

多年以来，流水别墅给很多人带来了乐趣：它曾是考夫曼一家人和朋友们的一个令人兴奋的周末休息寓所，也曾是建筑师赖特本人和他的工作伙伴们骄傲的源泉，而现在它则是远近游客的一次非凡体验――由西宾夕法尼亚州自然资源保护组织照管。

When Wright came to the site he appreciated the powerful sound of the falls， the vitality5） of the young forest， the dramatic rock ledges and boulders6）； these were elements to be interwoven with the serenely7） soaring spaces of his structure. But Wright's insight penetrated more deeply. He understood that people were creatures of nature， hence an architecture which conformed to8） nature would conform to what was basic in people. For example， although all of Fallingwater is opened by broad bands of windows， people inside are sheltered as in a deep cave， secure in the sense of hill behind them. Their attention is directed toward the outside by low ceilings； no lordly9） hall sets the tone but， instead， the luminous10） textures of the woodland， rhythmically enframed11）. The materials of the structure blend with the colorings of rocks and trees， while occasional accents12） are provided by bright furnishings， like wildflowers or birds outside. The paths within the house， stairs and passages， meander13） without formality or urgency， and the house hardly has a main entrance； there are many ways in and out. Sociability and privacy are both available， as are the comforts of home and the adventures of the seasons. So people are cosseted14） into relaxing， into exploring the enjoyment of a life refreshed in nature. Visitors， too， in due measure experience Wright's architecture as an expansion of living.

Fallingwater opened a new chapter in American architecture， and is perhaps rightly considered Wright's greatest work， for he was first and foremost15） an architect of houses. In its careful yet startling integration of stone walls anchored to the bedrock16） and modern reinforced concrete17） terraces hovering in space， an architecture critic states that Fallingwater may be understood as one of the great critiques18） of the modern movement in architecture， and simultaneously19） one of its masterpieces. Yet we cannot help feeling that there is more to this design than even that； this is an architecture that seizes our imagination， letting us see space and habitation in ways that seem new， but which we simultaneously feel to be ancient， somehow fundamental to our human nature.

Fallingwater is famous； from all over the world many thousands of visitors come each year to its remote site. What draws them？―a most unusual house in an exceptionally picturesque20） setting and something more， a reputation.

In 1936， even before it was finished， knowledgeable people talked about this new work of Frank Lloyd Wright. After a time a consensus21） arose that Wright had created a masterwork that appealed not only to professionals but to the public generally. Fallingwater was not much like the earlier architecture that had made Wright famous； it was just as distant from the avant-garde22） styles of the 1930s， and surely like any popular "dream house". Yet now that Fallingwater has been tested by half-a-century of the widest exposure， one can say that it marks a high point in Wright's vast works， in American architecture， in the architecture of this century， and possibly in all architecture.

当年赖特来到别墅的选址地时，他欣赏这里声音宏壮的瀑布、生机勃勃的幼龄林、佶屈聱牙的岩石壁架和嶙峋的巨石；这些元素都将与其建筑物内宁静又高耸的空间紧密结合起来。但赖特的见解更加深刻。他懂得人是大自然的生物，因此一座与自然相契合的建筑将会顺应人的本性。比如，虽然整座流水别墅通过宽大的窗户与外界相通，但室内的人如同身处深深的洞穴中一般被遮蔽起来，感觉身后有山，很有安全感。低矮的天花板把人们的注意力引向室外；没有气派十足的大厅为别墅定下基调，但却有明亮的森林有韵律地成为别墅的窗中景。别墅所用的建材与岩石和树木的颜色十分协调，而一些色彩鲜艳的装饰品（如窗外的野花或飞鸟）则给别墅增加了一些偶尔的亮点。屋内的小道、楼梯和走廊蜿蜒曲折，一点都不死板和急促；整栋房子几乎没有一个主要的入口，有很多可以进出的路。这里社交和隐私并重；这里既有家的舒适，又有四季的奇异之旅。因而人们可以恣意放松，可以恣意探索生命在大自然中重焕活力的那种乐趣。游客可以充分地亲身体验赖特的这座建筑，把它作为生活的一种扩展。

流水别墅开启了美国建筑业的新篇章，被认为是赖特最杰出的作品，这种说法可能是对的，因为他首先是位住宅建筑师。流水别墅把固定在基岩上的石墙与悬在半空的现代钢筋混凝土打造的露台小心谨慎又令人吃惊地融合在了一起。有鉴于此，一位建筑批评家说流水别墅可以被看做是对现代建筑运动最伟大的评论之一，同时也是这一运动中诞生的杰作之一。但我们不禁感到这个设计的意义甚至比这还要多，这座建筑抓住了我们的想象力，把空间和居所以一种看似新颖但同时又给人以复古感觉的、某种程度上对人类本性绝对必要的方式展现在我们眼前。

流水别墅有名气，每年都有成千上万的游客从世界各地来到它偏远的所在地参观。是什么吸引了他们？是一幢坐落在风景绝美的环境中的最别致的住宅，还有某种东西――这座别墅的声誉。

早在1936年别墅尚未建成的时候，一些有学识的人就已经开始谈论弗兰克・劳埃德・赖特的这个新作了。一段时间后，人们普遍认为赖特创造了一个杰出的建筑，它不仅吸引了专业人士，还广泛地吸引了公众。流水别墅与早前令赖特声名鹊起的建筑不太相同，它远非20世纪30年代流行的前卫风格，而无疑像是任何一个广受大众喜爱的“梦寐以求的住宅”。不过既然流水别墅业已经受住了半个世纪最大范围公开展览的考验，我们可以说，这座别墅在赖特的大量作品中、在美国的建筑业、在20世纪建筑业，以及可能整个建筑业中，都占据着较高的地位。

1. Edgar Kaufmann： 埃德加・考夫曼（1885～1955），德裔美国商人，慈善家

2. cantilever [?k?nt?li?v?（r）] n. 悬臂，是一种只有一端锚固的梁，将荷载传递到支座。

3. engage with： 紧密结合

4. retreat [r??tri?t] n. 隐居处；静养所

5. vitality [va??t?l?ti] n. 活力

6. boulder [?b??ld?（r）] n. 巨石

7. serenely [s??ri?nli] adv. 宁静地；安详地

8. conform to： 顺应；符合

9. lordly [?l??dli] adj. 贵族气派的；高贵的；宏伟的

10. luminous [?lu?m?n?s] adj. 发亮的

11. enframe [en'fre?m] vt. 配以框架；装上框子

12. accent [??ksent] n. 【画】高光（画面上用色彩表现的最亮点）

13. meander [mi??nd?（r）] vi. （河流、道路等）蜿蜒而行，迂回曲折

14. cosset [?k?s?t] vt. 宠爱

15. first and foremost： 首先，首要的是

16. bedrock [?bedr?k] n. 基岩（松软的沙、土层下的岩石）

17. reinforced concrete： 钢筋混凝土

18. critique [kr??ti?k] n. 评论

19. simultaneously

[?s?ml?te?ni?sli] adv. 同时地

慷慨的捐赠

流水别墅建成之后即名扬四海。它的主人埃德加・考夫曼认为流水别墅是一所绝妙的栖身之处，但它更是一件艺术品，应该让更多人有机会欣赏，因为它超越了一般含义，住宅和基地在一起构成了一个人类所希望的与自然结合、对等和融合的形象。于是在1963年，赖特去世后的第四年，考夫曼决定将流水别墅捐赠给当地政府，永远供人参观。在捐赠交接仪式上，考夫曼在致辞中这样说道：“It is a work by man for man， not by a man for a man.... It is a public resource， not a private indulgence. （这是一件人类为自身所作的作品，不是一个人为另一个人所作的……它是一笔公众的财富，而不是私人拥有的珍品。）”