查尔斯王子曾把这座建筑描述为“在伦敦市中心建造核电站的一种聪明方式，没有人反对。”尽管受到了批评，而且花了13年的时间才意识到，丹尼斯·拉斯顿的皇家国家剧院可能是英国最受欢迎的布鲁塔式建筑，这要归功于它宽敞的公共空间、深思熟虑的群众和对周围城市的尊重。

Prince Charles once described the structure as a “clever way of building a nuclear power station in the middle of London without anyone objecting.” Despite the criticisms and the thirteen years it took to realize, Denys Lasdun’s Royal National Theatre may be the most beloved Brutalist building in Britain, thanks to its generous public spaces, thoughtful massing, and respect for the surrounding city.

当它在1976年建成时，国家剧院实际上有三个独立的剧院空间：所谓的“开放剧院”，一个传统的前场剧院和一个试验性演播室剧院。1963年，当Lasdun受雇于该项目时，该计划还要求建造一座歌剧院，所有四个场馆都合并在泰晤士河沿岸的一个建筑群中，而这里现在是禧年花园(Jubilee Gardens)的所在地。然而，1966年，一个新的议会取消了对歌剧院组成部分的资助，并于1967年将整个项目转移到下游的一个新地点。地理位置的变化是塑造最终形态的关键：在新的地点，拉斯顿从邻近的滑铁卢大桥、河对岸的萨默塞特大厦以及远处的圣保罗大教堂中汲取灵感。

When it was completed in 1976, the National Theatre actually housed three separate theatre spaces: a so-called “Open Theatre,” a traditional proscenium theatre, and an experimental studio theatre. When Lasdun was hired for the project in 1963, the plan also called for an Opera House, with all four venues combined in a single complex along the Thames River, where the Jubilee Gardens are now located. However, in 1966 a new parliament eliminated funding for the Opera House component, and in 1967 the entire project moved to a new site downstream. The shift in location was pivotal in shaping the final form: at the new site Lasdun drew inspiration from the adjacent Waterloo Bridge, Somerset House across the river, and a view to St. Paul’s Cathedral in the distance.

拉斯顿的职业生涯始于现代运动的鼎盛时期，但他的影响更倾向于弗兰克·劳埃德·赖特(Frank Lloyd Wright)和阿尔瓦·阿尔托(Alvar Aalto)，而不是勒·柯布西耶(Le Corbuser)和米斯(Mies)，正如威廉·柯蒂斯(William Curtis)所描述的那样，“他一直对‘新野蛮主义’的争论置若罔闻(当时讨论甚多)，也偏离了”匿名功能主义“，有人认为这是英国现代主义的真正方式。”[1]拉斯顿将建筑描述为“城市景观”，“他还研究了将现代建筑插入传统城市的方法，并适当考虑到了这个地方的精神，但没有诉诸历史的抄袭。”[2]

Lasdun began his career at the height of the Modern movement, but his influences trended more towards Frank Lloyd Wright and Alvar Aalto than Le Corbusier and Mies, and even in his own time, he defied convenient labels. As William Curtis describes, “he remained aloof from the polemics of the ‘new brutalism’ (much discussed at the time), and diverged from the ‘anonymous functionalism,’ seen by some as the true way of modernism in Britain.”[1] Lasdun described architecture as “urban landscape,” and he “investigated ways of inserting modern buildings into the traditional city with due regard for the spirit of the place, but without resorting to historical pastiche.”[2] 

Lasdun在设计国家剧院时，将公共空间设想为一种“第四大剧院”，公众成员在那里表演他们的日常生活：

Lasdun approached the design of the National Theatre by envisioning the public spaces as a kind of “fourth theatre” where the members of the public acted out their daily lives:

在设计这个项目时，Lasdun在他的墙上保留了一张威尼斯圣马可广场的照片，照片上有一圈人挤在露天表演周围。他称它为“建筑先于建筑”，并以此提醒自己，人们创造自己的剧院，仅仅是因为人们聚集在公共场所见证一场戏剧性的表演。[3]-威廉·J·R·柯蒂斯(William J.R.Curtis)

While designing the project, Lasdun kept on his wall a photograph of the Piazza San Marco in Venice, showing a ring of people crowding around an open-air performance. He called it ‘architecture before architecture’ and used it to remind himself that people create their own theatre simply by virtue of coming together in a public place to witness a dramatic act.[3] -William J. R. Curtis

 National Theatre with view of St. Paul's Cathedral in the distance. Image © flickr user alanstanton

国家剧院，可以看到远处的圣保罗大教堂。图片c flickr用户alanstanton

国家剧院将这种建筑概念作为城市景观的范例，通过使用各种不同的集合来分解建筑群的体积。建筑的外部形式主要是开放剧院和舞台前厅的高塔。这两个垂直特征是连接在横向带的户外露台，延伸到网站的宽度，拉斯顿称为“地层”。通过每一层深凹的玻璃正面所形成的黑暗阴影，水平性被进一步增强。这些地层只被两组较小的双塔所打断，它们作为垂直环流，并作为主要入口的标志。

The National Theatre exemplifies this concept of architecture as urban landscape through the use of varied massing that breaks down the volume of the complex. The exterior form of the of the building is dominated by the fly towers for the Open Theatre and the proscenium theatre. These two vertical features are connected by horizontal bands of outdoor terraces that stretch across the width of the site, which Lasdun referred to as “strata.” The horizontality is further reinforced through the dark shadows created by the deeply recessed glass facades at each level. The strata are only interrupted by two smaller sets of double towers that serve as vertical circulation, and as an indication of the main entrance.

开放剧院的多面飞行塔，两座中较高的一座，从结构其余部分的正交网格向45度方向，与西面的滑铁卢大桥和向北穿过河流的萨默塞特大厦进行了对话。拉斯顿也小心地保存了从广阔的梯田到圣保罗大教堂的景色。这对双子塔标志着建筑物的入口处和通过开放剧院的轴线，引用了英国巴洛克式的一种装置，其中使用双子塔来表示向一个焦点方向的轴线(圣保罗也是这种装置的一个例子)。[4]即使是混凝土本身也反映了建筑物在伦敦的位置，选择的颜色与滑铁卢大桥和萨默塞特大厦上的石头相呼应。此外，木板模板的选择传达了一种“古旧”的感觉。

The multifaceted fly tower for the Open Theatre, the taller of the two, is oriented 45 degrees from the orthogonal grid of the rest of the structure, in conversation with both the Waterloo Bridge to the west, and Somerset House across the river to the north. Lasdun was also careful to preserve views to St. Paul’s Cathedral from the expansive terraces. The twin sets of towers, marking the entrance to the building and the axis through the Open Theatre, reference an English Baroque device where twin towers were used to indicate an axis toward a focal point (St. Paul’s is also an example of this device).[4] Even the concrete itself is a reflection of the building’s place in London, with the color selected to echo the stone on Waterloo Bridge and Somerset House. In addition, the choice of wooden board formwork conveys an “archaic” feel.[5]

 Detail of circulation towers. Image © flickr user goynang

循环塔的细节。图像c flickr用户goynang

正式的语言延伸到了室内，在那里，露台的地层变成了剧院的阳台。即使是板状混凝土延伸到剧院内部，那里的纹理被夸大，令人费解的声音。剧院空间内部形式的发展推动了建筑设计的大部分过程。从项目一开始，Lasdun就与一个“建筑委员会”举行了一系列会议，该委员会由许多专家组成，其中包括当时的国家剧院主任劳伦斯·奥利维尔(LaurenceOlivier)。拉斯顿花了三年的时间与委员会合作，确定他们理想的开放式剧院的形式，以诸如尽量缩小表演者和观众之间的距离等参数为指导，并确保没有两名观众会在整个舞台上互相直视。[6]最终的结果是一个五面半推力的舞台，观众的座位安排在三面左右。正如外部形式延伸到内部一样，内部经验也会影响外部形式。露台上的混凝土护墙保持在较低的位置，以保护建筑物内的河流景观，而较高的金属栏杆则可提供安全。

The formal language extends to the interior, where the terrace strata transform into theatre balconies. Even the board-form concrete extends to the interior of the theatres, where the textures are exaggerated to baffle sound. Development of the interior forms of the theatre spaces drove much of the design process for the building. From the outset of the project, Lasdun convened a series of meetings with a “Building Committee” made up of a wide range of experts, including the then-Director of the National Theatre, Laurence Olivier. Lasdun spent three years working with the Committee to determine their ideal form for the Open Theatre, guided by parameters such as minimizing the distance between the performers and the audience, and ensuring that no two members of the audience would be looking directly at each other across the stage.[6] The final result was a five-side semi-thrust stage, with audience seating arranged around three sides. And just as the exterior forms extend to the interior, interior experiences influence the external form. Concrete parapet walls on the terraces were kept low to preserve views of the river from inside the building, while taller metal railings provide safety.[7]

这座建筑没有受到普遍的赞扬。许多评论家认为它反映了过去，无论是在风格(由于60年代的项目起源)，以及它的社会象征意义。在国家和经济不确定的时候完成，一些评论家认为这是一个与精英艺术追求不合时宜的庙宇。在更实际的方面，评论家们也注意到了一些关于进入顺序的混淆，以及不受欢迎的远离河流的空白正面。但也有一些人赞扬了这一宏伟而又亲密的空间，以及这座城市的壮丽景色。正如柯蒂斯(Curtis)所描述的那样，“国家剧院成功地做到了大而不失去人的规模，宏大而不压抑，正式而又不失去欢乐。”[8]由于习惯了伦敦历史更悠久的剧院里典型的狭小空间，剧院观众尤其乐于接受宽敞的露台和大堂。甚至有传言说，非剧院观众已经停下来喝了一杯，以享受大厅的空间和观看的人们。

The building was not met with universal praise. Many critics saw it as a reflection of the past, both in style (due to the 1960s origins of the project), and in its social symbolism. Completed at time of national and economic uncertainty, some critics considered it an anachronistic temple to elite artistic pursuits. On the more practical side, critics also noted some confusion about the entry sequence, and the unwelcoming blank facades facing away from the river. But others praised the grand yet intimate spaces, and the sweeping views of the city. As Curtis describes, “The National Theatre managed to be big without loss of human scale, grand without being oppressive, formal without loss of conviviality.”[8] Accustomed to the typically cramped spaces in more historic London theatres, theatre-goers were especially receptive to the spacious terraces and lobbies. Non-theatre-goers are even rumored to have stopped in for a drink to enjoy the lobby spaces and the people watching.[9]

其间的岁月并不总是对国家剧院友好。柯蒂斯在上世纪90年代出版的“拉斯顿”(Lasdun)一书中指出，显然缺乏全面的维护。一项翻修项目将一些室内空间扩大到露台边缘，有效地消除了原先打算的阴影。[10]尽管存在这些挑战，英国历史建筑和古迹委员会于1994年将国家剧院建筑列为二级遗产，仅在完工18年后。

The intervening years have not always been kind to the National Theatre. Curtis reports a noticeable lack of general upkeep in his book on Lasdun, published in the 1990s. A renovation project expanded some interior spaces to the edges of the terraces, effectively eliminating the deep shadows originally intended.[10] Despite these challenges, the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England gave the National Theatre building a Grade II heritage listing in 1994, only 18 years after it was completed.[11]

 New exterior lighting at the National Theatre. Image © flickr user garryknight

国家剧院新的外部照明。图片c Flickr用户Garryknight

最近的努力使这座建筑进入了21世纪，同时也维持了它的功能。曾经居住在国家剧院露台和地下的滑板者曾被视为建筑失败的标志，但最近的一场拯救南岸溜冰公园的运动承认，它是伦敦最伟大的公共空间之一。[12]与飞利浦照明公司的合作从2007年开始，用改变颜色的LED取代了所有的外部照明，以帮助激活建筑物在夜间，并增加了色彩的飞溅。豪沃思·汤普金斯(Haworth Tompkins)于2015年初完成了一项翻修工程，翻修了原来的演播室剧院，重振了大堂空间，并在风格上增加了一种新结构，以补充、而不是复制原有建筑，并允许国家剧院继续扩大其工作范围。

More recent efforts have helped bring the building into the 21st century, while maintaining its functional purpose. The skateboarders that have populated the National Theatre’s terraces and undercrofts were once seen as a sign of failed architecture, but a recent campaign to save the South Bank skate park has acknowledged it as one of London’s great public spaces.[12] A partnership with Philips Lighting replaced all of the exterior lighting with color-changing LEDs starting in 2007, to help activate the building at night, and add a splash of color. And a renovation by Haworth Tompkins, completed in early 2015, renovated the original studio theatre, reinvigorated the lobby spaces, and added a new structure in a style that complements, rather than copies, the original building, and allowing the National Theatre to continue to expand its work.

 Exterior, following renovation by Haworth Thompkins. Image © Philip Vile

经过豪沃思·汤普金斯的翻新。形象(菲力浦)

Lasdun于1977年被授予英国皇家建筑师协会金奖，这很可能在很大程度上要归功于国家剧院的成功完成。[13]但也许最值得称赞的是，国家剧院仍然是伦敦城市结构的重要组成部分，是复兴后的南方银行的活动和发展中心。它能够改变和适应不断变化的时代和不断变化的需求，而不会变得无法辨认。

Lasdun was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal in 1977, likely due in large part to the successful completion of the National Theatre.[13] But perhaps the greatest praise is that the National Theatre continues to be a vital part of London’s urban fabric, serving as a hub for activity and development in a revitalized South Bank, and it has been able to shift and adapt to changing times and changing needs without becoming unrecognizable.

 Ground floor plan as completed in 1976

1976年完成的底层平面图

 North elevation

北立面图

[1]Curtis，WilliamJ.R.Denys Lasdun：建筑学，城市，景观。伦敦：Phaidon，1994年。P10。

[1] Curtis, William J.R. Denys Lasdun: Architecture, City, Landscape. London: Phaidon, 1994. p10.

[2]同上，第11页。

[2] Ibid, p11.

[3]同上，第128页。

[3] Ibid, p128.

[4]同上，第136页。

[4] Ibid, p136.

[5]同上，第143页。

[5] Ibid, p143.

[6]同上，第119页。

[6] Ibid, p119.

[7]同上，第145页。

[7] Ibid, p145.

[8]同上，第154页。

[8] Ibid, p154.

[9]同上，第154页。

[9] Ibid, p154.

[10]Thomas，Helen，ed.20世纪世界建筑。伦敦：Phaidon，2012年。p 235。

[10] Thomas, Helen, ed. 20th Century World Architecture. London: Phaidon, 2012. p235.

[11]Mull，Olivia。“布鲁塔式建筑：国家剧院，伦敦，Denys Lasdun”，2014年10月6日。德泽恩。2015年8月16日查阅。http：/www.dezeen.com/2014/10/06/蛮族-建筑-国家-剧院-伦敦-Denys-Lasdun

[11] Mull, Olivia. “Brutalist buildings: National Theatre, London by Denys Lasdun” 6 October 2014. Dezeen. Accessed 16 August 2015. http://www.dezeen.com/2014/10/06/brutalist-buildings-national-theatre-london-denys-lasdun/

[13]“简讯”，“建筑记录”，1977年4月，第36页。

[13] “News in Brief,” Architectural Record, April 1977. p36.

Architects Denys Lasdun

Location London SE1 9PX, United Kingdom

Category Performing Arts Center

Project Year 1976

Photographs Philip Vile

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