John Lin stands on a remote mountainside in southwest China, a brick grasped in each hand. The one in his right, the 39-year-old architect explains, is the local standard. It costs Rmb0.45 ($0.07) and has a scorched surface with roughly hewn, crumbly edges. In his left hand is a clean, terracotta oblong with three penny-sized hollows bored through the centre. At Rmb1.95 ($0.32), this clay-sintered brick is four times more expensive, but Lin thinks the investment worthwhile. The hollows will help cool the new homes he has designed when it is summer, and insulate them in winter – and, should an earthquake strike this region again, the village will stand a better chance of surviving.
39岁的林君翰(John Lin)站在地处manbetx3.0 西南的偏远山区，双手各拿了一块砖。他解释道：自己右手拿的是当地出产的砖，每块4.5角（约7美分），砖面焦黄，切割粗糙的砖边沿容易破损；左手拿的则是相对洁净的四方形陶土砖，砖中间是三根硬币大小的空心管柱。这种粘土砖每块1.95元（约32美分），价格约是普通砖的4倍，但林认为这种砖一分价钱一分货。他设计的这种中空砖能让自己设计的新居成功做到冬暖夏凉——而且，地震若再次发生，全村房屋的抗震效果就会大大增强。