地震的破壞是災難性的，在日本這種地震多發國家，如何應對地震一直是頭號難題，日本的建筑師們也在不斷探索抗震房屋的設計。最新的抗震創意是用纖維桿編織成的巨大簾幕將建筑物固定在地面上，相比用鋼鐵加固建筑物，這種“抗震房屋簾幕”既可以在地震時防止建筑物晃動，又能保持建筑物的優雅。

Located on the most active earthquake belt in the world, the island nation of Japan is constantly shaking, or bracing itself for the next big quake.
因為位處世界上最活躍的地震帶，日本這個島國經常發生地震，或者隨時準備遭受下一次大地震。

Six years ago a 9.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the country, killing over 20,000, and shifting the main island of Japan by 8 feet. Material damage from the earthquake and ensuing tsunami cost Japan an estimated $300 billion.
六年前，日本發生了9級特大地震，這場地震導致2萬多人死亡，將日本本州島移動了8英尺（2.4米）。這場地震和隨之而來的海嘯給日本造成了約3000億美元（合人民幣2萬億元）的損失。

With the devastating aftermath of the 2011 quake still lingering in the memory of the country, Japanese architects are continually trialing new ways to weather the inevitable.
2011年地震的災難性后果至今仍在日本國民的記憶中揮之不去，因此日本的建筑師們不斷嘗試新方法來應對不可避免的地震。

The latest quake proof innovation involves a curtain of braided carbon fiber rods anchoring a building to the ground almost like a tent with thousands of guy ropes.
最新的抗震創意包括用碳纖維桿編織成的巨幕將一座建筑物固定在地面上，就像一個有數千條支索的帳篷。

This design is currently being tested on a concrete office block in Nomi in Japan's Ishikawa prefecture.
這項設計目前正在日本石川縣熊美市的一棟混凝土辦公大樓上進行測試。

The rods extend from a frame on the building's roof and are fastened to the ground at a specific angle. Inside the same rods reinforce the stairwells and windows.
碳纖維桿從建筑屋頂的框架延伸下來，并以特定的角度固定在地面上。在建筑內部也有同樣的纖維桿來鞏固樓梯井和窗戶。

How a curtain can stop an earthquake
簾幕如何減緩地震

The curtain of thermoplastic carbon fiber composite adds a soft, rippling aesthetic to the building. While the rods are flexible, they are also incredibly strong -- strong enough to restrain the force of an earthquake.
這種熱塑性碳纖維復合簾幕為建筑物增添了柔和的、漣漪般的美感。雖然纖維桿很柔軟，但它們也異常的堅韌，足以抑制地震的震感。

When the ground begins to tremble causing the building to shift left or right, the rods stretch and pull it in the opposite direction, preventing it from shaking.
當地面開始顫抖導致建筑物向左或向右傾斜時，纖維桿會伸展并沿相反的方向拉動，防止建筑物晃動。

"We don't want to fight the earthquake, we want to live with earthquakes, and the design is the best way to find a solution to live with earthquakes," Japanese architect Kengo Kuma tells CNN.
日本建筑師隈研吾告訴CNN：“我們不想和地震抗爭，我們想和地震共存，而這一設計是找到共存方案的最佳方式?！?/p>

This earthquake-proof office is home to Komatsu Seiren, the textile company responsible for developing the rods. The company collaborated with Kengo Kuma's architecture firm to test out the new material.
這棟防震辦公樓是日本公司小松精練的所在地，這家紡織公司主要開發棒材。該公司還與隈研吾的建筑公司合作，測試新材料。

The same type of rods will also be attached to the wooden timbers of an ancient storage house next to one of Japan's oldest houses of worship -- the Zenkoji Temple -- in Nangano.
同樣類型的纖維桿也將被固定在一間古老的儲藏室的木材結構上，該儲藏室毗鄰長野縣的禪宗寺，它是日本最古老的寺廟之一。

Moving with the quake
隨地震一起移動

Buildings in Japan are currently retrofitted and reinforced with iron and steel, which, according to Kuma, detracts from their elegance.
目前，日本的建筑物正在用鋼鐵進行改造和加固，根據隈研吾的說法，這會讓建筑物變得不那么優雅。

"I think this is the only one which combines the ... softness and hardness together," says Kuma. "It's the first one in the world."
隈研吾說：“我認為這是唯一將柔軟和堅硬結合起來的案例，這是世界上的首例?！?/p>

For Kuma, earthquakes illustrate just how weak humans are in the face of nature.
對于隈研吾來說，地震恰好說明了人類面對大自然時是多么的脆弱。

"Nature is always much stronger than us. We should respect that kind of strongness and we should move with that kind of movement, and that is the basic idea as a solution," he says.
他說：“自然總是比我們強大得多，我們應該尊重這種強大，我們應該隨它的運動而移動，這就是解決方案的基本理念?！?/p>

英文來源：CNN
翻譯：劉子豪（中國日報網愛新聞iNews譯者）
編審：丹妮