by Sean Levinson

The worlds first floating， self-sustainable[可持續(xù)的] office pod[小艙] was launched recently in an estuary[河口灣] of Southern Englands River Beaulieu. It is called the Exbury Egg， and it is the product of a group of revolutionary artists， engineers and architects[建筑師] who first put this idea into action two years ago.

The lucky inhabitant[住戶] of the floating office is artist Stephen Turner， who plans to stay in the office for the next 12 months studying the marine[海洋的] life in a tidal creek[潮溝].

Along with Turner， the two who had the most involvement in the pods construction were boat builder Paul Baker and naval[船的] architect Stephen Payne. Measuring 20 feet long and nine feet wide， the Exbury Egg is mostly made of cold， molded plywood[膠合板] and timber[木材]. While it is capable of sustaining itself through 730 tidal changes， Turner will probably spend most of his time floating at high-tide and resting on the river floor at low-tide.

The shape of the Exbury Egg was inspired by nesting seabirds local to the Beaulieu River， and its exterior[外部] will weather[（經(jīng)受風(fēng)雨而）變形] and visually attest[證明] to its contact with the tides， wildlife， rain， and sun. Though not exactly bursting with home comforts， the snug[溫暖舒適的] space does provide the basic necessities[必需品]. The interior[內(nèi)部] contains a desk， hammock[吊床]， and kitchen， which itself sports[設(shè)有] a paraffin[煤油] stove and sink. However， theres no running water， so Turner makes use of a nearby hosepipe[軟管] back on land. Access to the Egg is afforded[提供] via a small pontoon bridge[浮橋]. Theres no electricity on-board， so Turner will rely on solar chargers to keep his cell-phone， digital camera， and laptop juiced-up[保持活躍的].

In addition to serving as Turners workspace and occasional home， the Exbury Egg will also be used as an educational tool， and local students have been invited to observe the design， building， and installation of the Egg. They will monitor Turners findings during his time in the pod and learn how the project can further our understanding of certain ecosystems[生態(tài)系統(tǒng)]， while acting as a representation[代表人] of our research capabilities[能力] in the fields of architecture and environmental science.

全世界第一個(gè)自給自足的漂流辦公艙近日在南英格蘭的比尤利河口起航。這個(gè)“?？怂共锏啊庇梢蝗焊挥懈镄戮竦乃囆g(shù)家、工程師以及建筑師共同構(gòu)建而成——他們兩年前就開(kāi)始動(dòng)手，要將這個(gè)構(gòu)思變?yōu)楝F(xiàn)實(shí)。

入住這個(gè)漂流辦公室的幸運(yùn)兒是藝術(shù)家斯蒂芬·特納。在接下來(lái)的一年中，他打算在這個(gè)辦公室里研究潮溝里的海洋生物。

除了特納以外，還有兩人也是這個(gè)工作艙建造工作的主要參與者——他們是造船家保羅·貝克和造船技師斯蒂芬·佩恩。?？怂共锏伴L(zhǎng)20英尺（約6.10米），寬9英尺（約2.74米），主要由冷成型膠合板以及原木構(gòu)成。盡管該工作艙可以適應(yīng)730種潮汐變化，特納大多數(shù)只會(huì)在高潮時(shí)漂流，低潮時(shí)則在河床上停歇。

埃克斯伯里蛋的造型靈感源自在比尤利河上筑巢的本地海鳥(niǎo)。船身會(huì)受到風(fēng)雨的侵蝕，其外觀會(huì)留下日曬雨淋、野生生物和潮汐起落的痕跡。盡管無(wú)法像住家那樣舒適，這個(gè)小小的蝸居依然可以滿足基本生活所需。室內(nèi)設(shè)有書(shū)桌、吊床以及廚房——廚房里居然還有煤油爐和水槽呢。不過(guò)這里沒(méi)有自來(lái)水，特納要利用附近岸邊的膠管（供水）。走過(guò)一段小小的浮橋就能登上這個(gè)蛋型建筑。艙內(nèi)沒(méi)有電力供應(yīng)，所以特納的手機(jī)、數(shù)碼相機(jī)以及筆記本電腦都得依靠太陽(yáng)能充電器才能保持運(yùn)作。

除了作為特納的工作室以及偶爾的居所，?？怂共锏斑€將用于教學(xué)——當(dāng)?shù)氐膶W(xué)生被邀請(qǐng)上船，觀察這個(gè)蛋型建筑的設(shè)計(jì)、建造與安裝。學(xué)生們將記錄特納在艙內(nèi)生活期間的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，了解這個(gè)項(xiàng)目如何加深我們對(duì)特定生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的認(rèn)識(shí)：?？怂共锏绑w現(xiàn)了我們?cè)诮ㄖW(xué)以及環(huán)境科學(xué)領(lǐng)域的研究水平。