空气泡泡抵御中国雾霾？

On most days, a thick blanket of poisonous smog hovers over Beijing. But one day, China's capital could be dotted with domes filled with clean air.

Orproject, a London-based architecture and design firm, has devised the Bubbles project, a design that envisions massive, balloon-like structures filled with clean air.

The vegetation inside the park would produce clean air for those living inside the buildings on the perimeter of the bubbles, while also providing a smog-free space for residents to spend time in the faux outdoors.

Rajat Sodhi, director of Orproject India, spent a year and a half developing the idea with the firm's Beijing team.

"The seed of this project was the realisation that in developing countries, especially major cities in India and China, the air quality has crossed unacceptable limits." Mr Sodhi explains.

"You really can't step out and be outdoors. You just move from one air-conditioned space to another."

The group decided to design the large domes using patterns found in nature.

"If you look at the structure of a butterfly wing or that of a leaf, it has a dense pattern that allows the structure to be fairly stable and fairly large but using very little material," Mr Sodhi says.

Mixed reactions

The skin of the rooftop bubbles would be created from ETFE, an extremely durable, lightweight material that will not decompose over time. Each bubble would be filled with gas, allowing it to float.

The entire structure would be shaped and anchored with steel supports.

The project has received mixed reactions since it was first released in January.

But critics argue that the concept smacks of defeatism. Why bother to rid the air of pollution in cities like Beijing if bubbles of clean air are available?

Others say the plan is simply unrealistic and, at best, would lead to two classes of citizens in polluted areas. Presumably only a wealthy few would gain access to the bubble, leaving the unlucky majority trapped in smog.

Rajat Sodhi believes the reaction comes from those who want to solve environmental problems, though he says that isn't his goal. He's an architect who creates living spaces, he contends. The Bubbles project could work in a variety of locations where people are barred from enjoying green, open spaces for much of the year.

"You had a whole part of the US affected by the Polar Vortex this year, which made stepping outside impossible," he says. "There were basically no green areas in cities, so the air quality drops because there is no natural regeneration of the air."

This project could exist in extremely hot or cold climates, the designers contend.

"I think this kind of project was meant for any space, because what it fundamentally does is create a controlled environment in the form of a biodiversity park which can sustain clean air throughout the year," Mr Sodhi says.

Chinese government officials have yet to respond to the firm's proposal.

据英国广播公司（BBC）网站报道，大多数时间，北京都笼罩在厚厚的有毒雾霾之下。不过，也许从某天起，北京将到处点缀着充满清洁空气的穹顶。

一家伦敦的建筑和设计公司Orproject开发出了这个泡泡状的设计。这个设计体量很大，有着气球一样的外形，里面充满清洁的空气。

气泡里的植物为居住的人提供了足够的清洁空气。在里面居住的人都住在气泡的边缘，而气泡设计还为居民进行“户外”活动提供了空间。

Orproject印度公司主管Rajat Sodhi与公司在北京的团队花了一年半时间开发出了这个设计。

Sodhi先生说：“这个设计的灵感来源于发展中国家的现实情况，尤其是中国与印度的大城市的空气质量都无法忍受了。”

“你根本无法出门或待在户外，你只能从一个有空调的地方到另外一个有空调的地方。”

研究小组决定借鉴自然界存在的一些模型，从而设计出更大的穹顶。

Sodhi提到：“如果你观察一下蝴蝶翅膀的结构或者叶子的结构，你就能发现它们紧致的结构不仅使得结构非常稳定，而且使用的材料很少。”

不同的公众反映

泡泡设计的屋顶由四氟乙烯做成，质量轻、强度大而且不易随着时间流失而有所损坏。每个泡泡里将会充满气体，使得泡泡可以漂浮起来。

整个泡泡的结构将通过钢铁来支撑。

在2017年1月这个设计刚刚发布时，人们褒贬不一。

但是有些批评者说这个设计充满了失败主义的论调。如果泡泡里的清洁空气是可得的，那么为什么还要麻烦地去解决像北京这样的大城市的空气污染问题呢？

其他人则提出，这个设计毫不实用，最好的结果也许就是在空气污染的区域划分出两种不同阶层的人。可能只有少数的有钱人才能进泡泡里面，而大部分不幸的人只能困在雾霾里。

Rajat Sodhi认为这些反馈来自那些想解决空气污染问题的人，但他说这不是他的目标。他争辩说：“他只是一个建筑师，创造出适合居住的环境。在许多地方，泡泡设计都有用。当人们在一年中都无法接触到绿色植物或其他空间时，泡泡设计就可以派上用场。

他说：“今年整个美国都受到极地气旋的影响，完全不可能到户外。在城市中几乎没有绿色植物，因此没有自然的空气代谢的时候，城市的空气质量就下降了。”

设计者说声称，这个泡泡设计，不论气温高低都能适应。

Sodhi 先生说：“我认为这个设计在任何地方都有意义。因为这个设计在根本上是设计了一个拥有生物多样性公园的可控环境。在整年中，这个环境里都能保持空气的清洁。”

中国政府官员对此设计尚无回应。