美國國會大廈修容抗風霜

Robert Siegel （Host）： Sunshine 1）glinted off the White 2）Dome that 3）crowns the U.S. 4）Capitol today. It’s visible around much of Washington. And from far away you wouldn’t notice， but the century-and-a-halfold dome has seen better days. It is about to get a major 5）facelift.

Stephen Ayers： It is one of the most， if not the most， recognizable symbols across the globe.

Siegel： That’s the 6）architect of the Capitol， Stephen Ayers. Part of his job is maintaining the Capitol dome. It is literally cracking up， and Ayers is leading the effort to fix it. NPR’s David Welna has the story.

David Welna （Byline）： From a distance， the Capitol dome looks like a 7）gleaming extension of the 8）marble 9）edifice from which it rises. But it’s an 10）illusion. It is in fact nearly nine million pounds of 11）cast iron 12）slathered with at least 10 coats of lead-based paint. The dome is the masterpiece of Thomas Walter， the architect in charge of widening the Capitol during the 1850s.

The original did have a smaller dome. But according to Stephen Ayers， the current architect of the Capitol， Walter thought the expanded building should be topped by something more grand.

Ayers： He designed this new dome and hung this drawing in his office， and members of Congress would come by and see it and were immediately 13）enamored with it.

Welna： Without so much as holding a hearing on it， Congress approved $100，000 to top the Capitol with Walter’s cast iron crown， though it ended up costing 10 times that much. In photos from Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration， the half-built dome looms in the background. Within a month， the nation was plunged into Civil War. But Ayers says work on the dome continued.

Ayers： President Lincoln picked up on that fact and made a great analogy， that if this construction of this great dome is going to continue， so will our union.

Welna： The dome was finished by Lincoln’s second inauguration. The following month， the Civil War ended and Lincoln was 14）assassinated. His body lay in state below the new dome in the Capitol 15）rotunda. A century later， near the end of the Eisenhower administration， the 16）rusting iron 17）orb got a major facelift. But Ayers says it’s 18）deteriorated a lot since then.

Ayers： A dozen years ago， there were 300 and some cracks. A few more years， there were 500 cracks， then 900 cracks and now 1，300. And we thought， you know， with 1，300 cracks， it’s…now is the time to 19）intervene and make sure it’s preserved for generations to come.

Welna： Late last year， some of us journalists who work below the dome got the rare opportunity to climb to the top of the nearly 300-foot-tall structure. It was a chance to see firsthand the toll the elements had taken on it.

羅伯特·西格爾（主持人）：今天陽光燦爛，美國國會大廈的白色圓頂光輝遠耀。其莊嚴身影在華盛頓的大部分地方都能看得見。遠看不覺，但其實這經歷了一百五十年風霜的圓頂已滄桑盡露。大型修繕工程即將啟動。

史蒂芬·艾耶斯：全球知名地標中，美國國會大廈就算不是最眼熟的，也是最具辨識度的標志性建筑之一。

西格爾：剛才大家聽到的是國會大廈的總建筑師史蒂芬·艾耶斯的介紹。他的職責包含對國會大廈的維修保養。國會大廈如今確實是裂痕重重，所以，艾耶斯統領團隊準備對大廈開展維修工程。以下是大衛？威爾納的報道。

大衛·威爾納（記者）：從遠處看，國會山莊的圓頂仿佛簇新亮麗，像是那大理石樓宇向上延伸而成。但這是假象。圓頂其實由近九百萬磅重的鑄鐵構成，上面厚厚地涂了至少十層的鉛涂料。湯姆斯·華特是19世紀50年代主管國會大廈擴建工程的建筑師，國會大廈的圓頂正是他的大師之作。原來的國會大廈上的確建有一個較小的圓頂。而據史蒂芬·艾耶斯說，當時的國會大廈總建筑師華特認為擴建后的大樓組群應該冠以更雄偉的圓頂。

艾耶斯：當時他設計了這一新式圓頂，并把圖紙掛在辦公室里，國會的成員們過來看到，馬上被這設計迷住了。

威爾納：連聽證會也沒開，國會就批準按華特的設計興建這造價十萬美元的鑄鐵圓頂，而最后的費用是這預算的十倍。在美國總統亞布爾罕·林肯首次就職典禮的歷史圖片上，背景就出現了國會大廈當時興建到一半的圓頂。距離典禮不到一個月的時間，美國便陷入了內戰。艾耶斯說，盡管戰爭爆發，圓頂的建筑工程沒有停下來。

艾耶斯：林肯總統留意到當時的情況，作了個巧妙的比喻，說，既然這偉大的圓頂工程不卻步，我們聯邦力量也會堅韌走下去。

威爾納：圓頂建造工程在林肯的第二次就職典禮舉行前完成。之后的那個月，美國內戰結束，林肯被刺殺。他的遺體被停放在國會大廈圓頂之下的中央大廳接受瞻仰。一百年之后，艾森豪威爾執政后期，政府對這開始生銹的鐵穹進行了一次大型的整修。但艾耶斯說，自那之后，圓頂已是每況愈下。

艾耶斯：十幾年前，發現的裂痕有三百多條，過幾年就發展到五百條，再來就是九百條，而現在已經有一千三百條，得出手修補了，我們必須確保圓頂能千百年屹立不倒。

威爾納：去年底，在國會大廈圓頂之下工作的部分記者們難得獲邀登上接近三百英尺圓頂之上，親眼目睹風霜雨雪對圓頂造成的損耗。

Kevin Hildebrand： The first set of steps that we’ll go up are fairly tight， so be careful of your shoulders and your cameras， particularly.

Welna： Leading the way is Kevin Hildebrand， the 20）restoration’s head architect. We climb a staircase that winds between an inner dome that caps the rotunda and the dome’s exterior shell， perched on 36 enormous 21）trusses. Hildebrand points to layered cast-iron plates that form the outer shell.

Hildebrand： A lot of the damage that we’re addressing are in the shelves and those are exposed to wide temperature swings， a lot of expansion. And when the rust develops between the plates， it binds the plates from moving and that creates enormous pressures within the ironwork， which relieve itself by cracking.

Welna： We ascend through multiple levels of the dome to its 22）cupola. When we get there， Hildebrand lifts a heavy hatch that opens to the dome’s exterior.

Hildebrand： Be very mindful that the iron is very hard and the last thing you want to do is to hit your head on this sharp edge， so please be very careful and duck as you go through the doorway.

Welna： Outside， a narrow walkway surrounds the base of the dome’s 23）uppermost fixture—a 20-foot-tall female bronze known as the Statue of Freedom. The 24）vista below of the nation’s capital is spectacular. Hildebrand points out a big crack that’s also in plain view.

Hildebrand： As rust has developed and this railing has been pushed up by the pressure of the rust， the top plate has cracked， and that’s relieving the stress that’s in the ironwork. But what it also does then is compromise the structural integrity of that particular piece.

Welna： This spring， contractors will 25）encase the dome with 26）scaffolding and begin the restoration， working mostly at night and on weekends. They’ll remove the lead paint， seal the cracks， replace broken windows， and coat everything with 27）polymer and 28）urethane-based paint. The project’s price tag is close to $60 million. Hildebrand says the money came through thanks to the budget deal Congress approved late last year.

凱文·希爾德布蘭：我們將攀爬的第一段階梯挺窄的，所以得小心碰到肩膀，尤其要注意手上的攝影器材。

威爾納：帶領記者們登頂的是凱文·希爾德布蘭，圓頂修繕工程的首席建筑師。國會大廈中央大廳的內穹以三十六個巨型桁架撐起圓頂的外殼，我們爬的樓梯就在兩者之間盤旋而上。希爾德布蘭指著構成圓頂外殼的鑄鐵層板。

希爾德布蘭：我們要修繕的大部分是層板上出現的耗損，因為受到溫度大幅變化的影響，這些層板往往會發生膨脹。加上鐵板之間出現銹蝕，令其動彈不得，這給整個鐵制建筑的內部造成了巨大的壓力，導致裂縫的出現。

威爾納：我們在圓頂內層層上爬，抵達最頂端的小圓塔，在那里，希爾德布蘭掀起一道通往圓頂外部的沉重蓋板。希爾德布蘭：鐵板是很硬的，大家要特別小心，千萬別一頭撞到這鋒利的邊緣上，穿過活門的時候要低頭避開這蓋板。

威爾納：在外部，圓頂最高點上有一塑像——二十英尺高的自由女神銅像，其底座周圍有一圈狹窄的走道。站在這里，首都的風景一覽無遺。希爾德布蘭指著圓頂上同樣是一覽無遺的一道大裂縫。

希爾德布蘭：因為生銹的緣故，圍欄被鐵銹推高，最頂層的鐵板也開裂，是釋放內壓的表現，但同時也損害了那一部分的結構穩固性。

威爾納：這個春季，承建商將圍著整個圓頂搭起腳手架，開始修繕工作，主要是在晚上和周末施工。他們將清除圓頂上的鉛涂料，修補裂縫，更換損壞窗戶，全部涂上高分子聚氨酯涂料。維修工程的預算接近六千萬美元。希爾德布蘭說幸好去年年底國會通過了預算方案，資金終于到位。

Hildebrand： To me， it’s symbolic of the joining of both parties in Congress to come together to fund an effort that’s incredibly important to our country. And preserving the Capitol dome is not a question for discussion. It’s just something that has to happen.

Welna： On that， the lawmakers who meet down below completely agree.

Senator Ben Cardin： We want to make sure the integrity of the dome is maintained.

Welna： That’s Maryland Democratic Senator Ben Cardin. As a former congressman， he’s served under the dome on both sides of the Capitol.

Cardin： I would hope that perhaps repairing the dome will also help us repair what’s happening under the dome， and maybe we can get together and do the people’s business and resolve the issues that have been long-standing. So maybe the cooperation we’ve seen in fixing the visible symbol of Congress will also help in regards to the product of Congress.

Welna： The dome’s restoration should go relatively quickly， says Architect of the Capitol Ayers.

Ayers： We’re pretty confident that we can get it done in two years， and certainly done before the next presidential inauguration.

Welna： Congress likely won’t have mended its own deep fissures by then， but it will have a dome above it that Ayers says should hold up well for at least another half-century.

希爾德布蘭：國會兩黨派齊心協力為國家極為重要的工程爭取撥款，在我看來，這極具象征意義。維護國會大廈圓頂是不容爭議的，是必須進行的項目。

威爾納：這一點上，國會圓頂之下開會討論的議員們一致同意。

參議員本·卡丹：我們要確保圓頂的穩固性得以保持。

威爾納：那是代表馬里蘭州的民主黨參議員本·卡丹。作為前任眾議員，他在這圓頂之下，國會兩黨他都服務過。

卡丹：我希望我們能借修繕圓頂的機會同時修補圓頂下黨派的關系，或許我們可以走到一起，為大眾謀求利益，解決長期懸而未決的問題。所以，在修繕圓頂這可見象征物一事上我們看到的合作也許有助減少日后國會在議案討論中的無謂爭拗。

威爾納：國會大廈總建筑師艾耶斯說，圓頂的修繕工程的進展應該會比較快。

艾耶斯：我們很有信心可以在兩年內完成工程，美國下一任總統就職前肯定能完成。

威爾納：國會的黨派裂痕則不太可能這么快修復，但總算有個堅固的圓頂加諸其上。艾耶斯說，這次修繕后，圓頂至少又可以扛半個世紀了。