为什么这栋建筑这么赚钱：英语精读讲义

This is the Empire State Building.

这是帝国大厦。

When it was built almost 100 years ago,

当它在大约100年前建成时，

it became the tallest building in the world by far. 短語搭配

它一举成为了当时世界上最高的建筑。

It was its own vertical city housing thousands of workers, 習語

它就像是一座垂直的城市，容纳了成千上万的工人，

a cafe,

拥有一家咖啡馆、

its own postal system,

独立的邮政系统，

and thanks to its counterintuitive design,

而且由于其反直觉的设计，

it became a money-making machine. 習語

它成了一台赚钱机器。

Today, almost 100 years later,

如今，将近100年过去了，

this single building still pulls in more than $500 million every year, 短語動詞

这栋单体建筑每年仍能带来超过5亿美元的收入，

beating every modern skyscraper around today.

击败了当今所有的现代摩天大楼。

This is all thanks to the incredible long-term thinking by its designers

这都要归功于设计师们令人惊叹的远见卓识，

who figured out how to overcome strict building rules

他们想出了如何克服严格的建筑规定，

and assemble this engineering giant in record-breaking time.

并在创纪录的时间内组装起这个工程巨兽。

But how did they pull it off? 短語動詞

但他们是如何做到的呢？

And why is it still so profitable?

为什么它今天依然如此赚钱？

In the 1920s,

在20世纪20年代，

cities around the world were changing.

世界各地的城市都在发生变化。

The economy was booming,

经济繁荣发展，

and with new steel-frame construction methods,

加上全新的钢结构建筑方法，

it became easier to build taller and stronger buildings.

建造更高、更坚固的建筑变得更加容易。

Nowhere was this more important than in New York City. 語法

没有什么地方比纽约市更需要这项技术了。

With limited space and an ever-growing population,

随着空间受限和人口不断增长，

the only way to build was up. 語法

唯一的方法就是向上建造。

This started what became known as the race into the sky. 習語

这拉开了所谓的“天空竞赛”的序幕。

And by the end of the '20s,

到了20年代末，

developers began constructing several skyscrapers around Manhattan,

开发商们开始在曼哈顿周围建造多座摩天大楼，

all aiming to be the tallest in the world.

大家都想争夺“世界第一高”的头衔。

Most of this was driven by ego,

这在很大程度上是出于虚荣心，

but building upwards also presented an enormous financial opportunity.

但向上建造也带来了巨大的经济机遇。

By purchasing some land and filling it with floor after floor of rentable office space,

通过买下一块地，并建满一层层的可出租办公空间，

a huge amount of money could be made.

就能赚取巨额利润。

The building itself could become a business.

建筑本身可以成为一门生意。

No one understood this more than New York businessmen John Raskob and Al Smith.

纽约商人约翰·拉斯科布和阿尔·史密斯比任何人都更明白这一点。

And in 1929,

于是在1929年，

they announced the Empire State Building.

他们宣布了帝国大厦的建设计划。

Not only was this to be the tallest building in the world, 語法

它不仅要成为世界上最高的建筑，

but its clever design and ultra-efficient engineering was meant to make it the most economically successful building ever made.

其巧妙的设计和极其高效的工程也旨在让它成为有史以来经济上最成功的建筑。

The designers had big ideas,

设计师们有一个宏大的构想，

exclusive viewing platforms,

专属观景台、

giant radio antennas,

巨大的无线电天线、

docking stations for airships,

飞艇停靠站，

and floor after floor of premium office space.

以及一层又一层的高级办公空间。

The Empire State Building had joined the battle to build into the sky.

帝国大厦也加入了这场“天空争霸战”。

If you'd like to have your own battle in the sky,

如果你也想拥有一场自己的天空之战，

try out War Thunder,

不妨试试《War Thunder》（战争雷霆），

today's sponsor.

也就是本期视频的赞助商。

War Thunder is a free-to-play large-scale multiplayer action game

《War Thunder》是一款免费的大型多人动作游戏，

where you can fight in dynamic battles

在游戏中，你可以在充满变数的战场上，

using ground, sea, and air vehicles in locations all over the world.

驾驶海陆空载具，在世界各地作战。

With a range of vehicles spanning an entire century,

游戏里的载具跨越了整整一个世纪，

you can choose exactly how you want to play,

你可以自由选择喜欢的玩法，

breaking through the front line in a tank

既可以开着坦克突破前线，

or fighting epic battles in the sky.

也可以在天空中进行史诗般的空战。

War Thunder also has advanced technologies

《War Thunder》还拥有众多先进技术，

like night vision, smoke screens, and guided missiles.

比如夜视仪、烟幕弹和制导导弹。

And the top-tier graphics, physics, and sound

而顶级的画面、物理引擎和音效，

make you feel truly immersed in the battle.

会让你真正体验到身临其境的战斗快感。

The new Leviathans update adds the famous Comanche stealth helicopter to the game,

最新的“巨兽”更新在游戏中加入了著名的科曼奇隐形直升机、

the Soviet T-72B3 tank equipped with the Arena active protection system,

配备了“竞技场”主动防御系统的苏联T-72B3坦克，

and the legendary Yamato battleship.

以及传奇的“大和号”战列舰。

Download War Thunder for free on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox

可以在PC、PlayStation和Xbox上免费下载《War Thunder》，

by using the link in the description.

链接就在视频简介里。

All new players and those that haven't played for half a year will get special bonuses.

所有新玩家和半年没上线的老玩家都将获得专属奖励。

You can also play War Thunder mobile.

你也可以在手机上玩《War Thunder》。

Download it for free on iOS or Android

在iOS或安卓系统上免费下载，

using the link in the description.

链接同样在视频简介中。

In order for the Empire State Building to become a money-making machine,

想要让帝国大厦成为一台赚钱机器，

it wasn't as simple as building tall and maximizing rental space. 語法

仅仅建得高、把出租空间最大化是不够的。

Each level that gets added onto a building

建筑每增加一层，

gets more and more expensive. 語法

成本就会越来越高。

The building itself needs to be made stronger,

大楼本身需要变得更坚固，

using more material,

使用更多的材料，

and leaving each floor with less usable space.

这使得每一层的可用空间越来越少。

Less space means less income.

空间减少意味着收入减少。

And so, after a certain height,

因此，超过一定高度后，

a building stops making financial sense.

建筑在经济上就不再划算了。

On top of that, 表達脈絡

此外，

New York had strict building rules that stopped large skyscrapers from blocking out too much light. 短語動詞

纽约市有严格的建筑规定，防止大型摩天大楼遮挡过多光线。

These rules drew a sloped line up from the center of the street

这些规定从街道中心划出了一条倾斜向上的线，

at around 25°.

角度约为25度。

Buildings weren't allowed to occupy the area outside the line.

建筑不得占据这条线以外的空间。

And so the designers had to add in setbacks 用詞

因此，设计师必须引入退台设计，

to reduce the building's width and keep it within the line.

也就是缩减建筑宽度，让它保持在这条界线之内。

With these rules,

在这些规定下，

it may seem like the best way to maximize floor space and therefore income

想要最大化楼层面积和租金收入，

would be to build right up to the line,

最好的办法似乎是直接贴着界线建造，

creating a pyramid-shaped building.

从而造出一个金字塔形状的建筑。

While many buildings followed this design,

尽管当时许多建筑都采用了这种设计，

it really wasn't a practical shape for a skyscraper.

但它对于摩天大楼来说真的不太实用。

With more people at the bottom of the building

楼下的人多，

and very few at the top,

楼上的人很少，

the demand on the elevator would be uneven.

这会导致对电梯的需求极不平衡。

At the bottom, there would be severe delays,

在底层，等电梯会极其耗时，

and at the top, it would be completely underused.

而在顶层，电梯则会完全闲置。

More elevators could be added to even out the demand, 短語動詞

虽然可以增加更多电梯来平衡需求，

but this would simply take up too much space, 短語動詞

但这会占用过多空间，

reducing the profitability of each floor,

从而降低每一层的盈利能力，

particularly at the top

尤其是顶层，

where the most expensive offices were located.

因为最昂贵的办公室都设在那里。

The ideal office space was bright and quiet,

理想的办公空间要求明亮且安静，

so areas close to the window

因此，靠近窗户、

and high above the noisy streets were most desirable.

远离喧闹街道的高层区域最为抢手。

These premium areas fit for executives and CEOs

这些适合高管和CEO的高级区域，

could fetch up to $3 per square foot in yearly rent. 用詞

年租金高达每平方英尺3美元。

But as you got further from the window

但当你离窗户越来越远、

and closer to the ground,

离地面越来越近时，

this would drop to just over $1 per square foot.

租金就会降到每平方英尺只有1美元多一点。

The pyramid design simply maximized the cheaper offices at the bottom

金字塔形设计仅仅最大化了底部较便宜的办公室，

while sacrificing the premium offices at the top.

却牺牲了顶部的高级办公室。

What the designers really wanted was to keep the building as tall and as straight as possible. 語法

设计师们真正想要的是让大楼尽可能地又高又直。

But this didn't fit into New York's building rules.

但这并不符合纽约的建筑规定。

However, the rules had one specific term that the designers of the Empire State Building really understood.

然而，这些规定中有一个特定条款，却被帝国大厦的设计师们吃透了。

Although a building couldn't cross the sloped line,

尽管建筑不能越过这条斜线，

if part of the building was reduced to just 25% of the total plot area,

但如果把建筑的某一部分缩小到仅占总占地面积的25%，

it could cross the line.

它就可以越过这条线。

And it could keep going.

并且可以一直往上建。

This was a very important detail.

这是一个极其重要的细节。

And so the designers of the Empire State Building

于是，帝国大厦的设计师们

decided to set back their building much earlier,

决定在更低的位置就开始做退台设计，

well within the sloped line

远低于斜线的限制，

at around the 5th, 20th, and 30th floor.

大约在第5、20和30层。

From here, the building would rise up completely uninterrupted for more than 40 floors

从这里开始，大楼就可以完全不受限制地拔高40多层，

until a few minor setbacks carried it to the 86th floor.

直到经过几次小幅退台后达到第86层。

The result was an enormously tall and straight building

结果就是造出了一座极其高耸挺拔的建筑，

that had almost 3 million square feet of office space.

拥有近300万平方英尺的办公空间。

Although it didn't maximize all of the space under the slope,

尽管它并没有充分利用斜线下的所有空间，

it sacrificed the cheaper office space at the bottom

牺牲了底部较便宜的办公面积，

to have much more premium office space at the top.

却在顶部换取了大量高级办公空间。

With the population spread out more evenly,

由于人群分布更加均匀，

they were able to place fewer elevators into a central core of the building,

他们能够在建筑核心区放置较少的电梯，

leaving a 28-foot ring of premium office space around the whole building.

从而在整个建筑外围留出一圈宽28英尺的高级办公空间。

But building a skyscraper this big would only be possible on a huge plot of land.

但是，建造这么庞大的摩天大楼，只能在一块巨大的土地上进行。

At the time, most skyscrapers were being built in Lower Manhattan,

当时，大多数摩天大楼都建在曼哈顿下城，

which had become the financial center of the world.

那里已成为世界的金融中心。

This made sense because it had the demand and money to fill 80 floors of a building.

这很合情理，因为那里有足够的需求和资金来填满一栋80层的大楼。

But the developers of the Empire State Building thought differently.

但帝国大厦的开发商们却有不同想法。

They saw that the business center of New York was slowly creeping northwards. 習語

他们看到，纽约的商业中心正在缓慢地向北蔓延。

And so they took a gamble 習語

于是他们决定冒一次险，

and bought a plot of land in Midtown for $16 million,

花1600万美元在曼哈顿中城买下了一块地，

hoping that one day it would be the new thriving business center of New York.

希望有一天它能成为纽约新的繁华商业中心。

The plot still contained the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

当时这块地上还坐落着旧的华尔道夫酒店。

But after demolishing it,

但将它拆除后，

the developers ended up with a plot 短語動詞

开发商得到了一块地，

more than 400 ft long and 200 ft wide.

长逾400英尺，宽约200英尺。

A plot this wide was extremely rare in New York

这么宽的空地在纽约极为罕见，

and provided the perfect base for the world's tallest building.

为世界最高建筑提供了完美的基座。

The next step was to actually build the thing. 表達脈絡

下一步就是真正把它建起来了。

And it had to be done in record time 短語搭配

并且必须以创纪录的时间，

and on a tight budget of just $35 million. 短語搭配

在仅有3500万美元的紧凑预算下完成。

In New York, there were two lease dates throughout the year, 用詞

在纽约，每年有两个租赁日，

May 1st and October 1st.

5月1日和10月1日。

If a building wasn't finished in time for either of those dates,

如果一栋大楼未能在其中任意一个日期前完工，

it would have to sit empty until the next lease day,

它就不得不空置到下一个租赁日，

losing an incredible amount of money.

从而损失巨额资金。

And so the target was set.

于是目标确立了。

The Empire State Building had to be finished by May 1st, 1931,

帝国大厦必须在1931年5月1日前完工，

just a little over a year away.

距离当时只有一年多一点的时间。

What followed was one of the most incredible displays of efficiency 語法

随后发生的事情，展示了所有工程项目中

and planning any engineering project has ever seen.

前所未见的绝佳效率与规划能力。

The main structure of the building was made from prefabricated steel columns and beams.

大楼的主体结构由预制钢柱和钢梁构成。

Almost all of them were identical,

它们几乎全都一模一样，

and so they could be manufactured, shipped out to the work site,

因此能够以最快速度制造出来、运到工地，

and put together in record time.

并以创纪录的速度组装完毕。

With hundreds of deliveries each day and over 3,000 workers on the site,

每天有数百次运输，工地上有3000多名工人，

the building rose by more than four floors each week.

大楼每周能长高四层以上。

Railway carts on each floor were built to move material around quickly,

每层都铺设了铁路推车以便快速运送材料，

and small cranes placed throughout the building

整个大楼内安置的小型起重机

would lift the steel beams up to the highest floors.

负责将钢梁吊到最高层。

There were even multiple restaurants placed throughout the building,

大楼内甚至还设置了多家餐厅，

saving the workers time by not having to leave the work site.

让工人们不用离开工地，从而节省时间。

In just 6 months,

仅仅6个月内，

the entire steel structure had been put together.

整个钢结构就组装完毕了。

And another 6 months later,

又过了6个月，

the entire building was complete,

整座大厦全部竣工，

coming in under budget at just $25 million. 短語動詞

花费甚至低于预算，仅用了2500万美元。

It was now ready to be rented out.

接下来它就可以对外出租了。

But just as it opened for business, 短語搭配

但就在它开门营业之时，

the worst financial crash in history hit America.

美国遭遇了史上最严重的金融危机。

12 million people lost their jobs,

1200万人失业，

and wages across the country fell by 45%.

全国工资水平下降了45%。

It was a complete disaster for the Empire State Building,

这对帝国大厦来说简直是一场彻底的灾难，

which struggled to fill even a quarter of its office space,

它的办公空间连四分之一都难以填满，

earning it a rather unfortunate nickname.

甚至给它带来了一个相当不幸的绰号。

Thankfully, the building was much more than just a giant office.

幸运的是，这座大楼绝不仅仅是一个巨大的办公室。

On the 86th and 102nd floor were two observatories,

在第86层和102层设有两座观景台，

giving tourists a view of New York

让游客能够俯瞰纽约，

that towered above every other building.

视线远超其他所有建筑。

Tickets cost $1,

门票只要1美元，

and it became a hit right away. 用詞

且立刻大受欢迎。

In its first year,

在第一年，

it sold over 1 million tickets.

它的门票销量就突破了100万张。

And throughout the '30s,

在整个30年代，

it became the main revenue stream for the building until its offices finally recovered from the crash. 用詞

它成为了大楼的主要收入来源，直到办公室的出租终于从崩盘中恢复。

But the Empire State's money-making ability didn't end there. 表達脈絡

但帝国大厦的赚钱能力还远不止于此。

Above all this was a giant mast,

在这上面还有一座巨大的桅杆，

originally designed as a docking station for airships,

最初设计为飞艇停靠站，

where passengers could disembark and make their way down to the ground 短語搭配

乘客可以在那里下船，并在几分钟内

in just a few minutes.

抵达地面。

This idea ultimately never took off, 習語

这个想法最终没能实现，

but the mast ended up serving a much more lucrative purpose.

但桅杆最终却发挥了更赚钱的作用。

Television was coming along, 短語動詞

当时电视技术正崭露头角，

and the Empire State Building became the perfect place to develop the technology.

帝国大厦成为了研发这项技术的绝佳地点。

NBC took over the 85th floor,

NBC租下了第85层，

installed a 50,000-watt transmitter,

安装了一台5万瓦的发射器，

and performed the world's first high-powered transmission.

并进行了世界上第一次大功率发射。

This provided signal to the whole city

这不仅为整个城市提供了信号，

and formed the basis of how TV ended up working across America.

也为日后电视在全美的运作奠定了基础。

It was so tall that its signal could reach as far as Rhode Island or Massachusetts, 語法

它太高了，信号甚至可以到达远在100英里之外的

well over 100 mi away.

罗德岛州或马萨诸塞州。

Television exploded. 習語

电视产业迎来了爆炸式增长。

The Empire State Building's antenna started broadcasting nine different TV stations across four different states,

帝国大厦的天线开始为横跨四个州的九个不同电视台发射信号，

earning it more than $600,000 a year,

每年为它赚取超过60万美元，

$7 million in today's money. 短語搭配

相当于今天的700万美元。

The Empire State Building remained the tallest building in the world for 40 years

帝国大厦保持着“世界最高建筑”的称号长达40年，

until the World Trade Center finally took over. 短語動詞

直到最后被世界贸易中心所取代。

Although there are many larger skyscrapers around today,

尽管如今有许多比它更庞大的摩天大楼，

thanks to its design, the Empire State Building still blows them all away. 習語

但由于其出色的设计，帝国大厦依然把它们全都比了下去。

From office rentals alone,

仅靠办公室租金，

it pulls in $350 million each year

它每年就能吸金3.5亿美元，

and houses some of the world's biggest brands.

并入驻了一些世界顶级品牌。

Its TV and radio antennas generate around $30 million annually,

它的电视和无线电天线每年能带来约3000万美元的收入，

and the viewing platforms generate an incredible $130 million every year.

而观景台每年更能创造令人难以置信的1.3亿美元收入。

The gamble on its location paid off, 短語動詞

关于选址的豪赌得到了回报，

and the building now sits right at the heart of New York's busiest area, 習語

如今这栋大楼坐落于纽约最繁华区域的中心，

giving the building an overall value of over $2 billion.

使得大楼的总估值超过了20亿美元。

No matter how you look at it, 語法

无论从哪个角度来看，

the Empire State Building was an engineering masterpiece.

帝国大厦都是一件工程杰作。

Thanks for watching,

感谢观看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

我们下期视频再见。