Editor's note: This is a summary of a research project by Ms. Weijun Bao, who is conducting research in the United States. It is published here for reference. Also see our journal issue 9206.

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We are searching for the order of architecture and cities. We are attempting to give them  order, but perhaps we have made a big mistake and gone astray. 

If we want to give or discover the true order of architecture and cities, we must introduce a  fourth factor. This factor is not time, but energy. Time cannot bring internal order, but  energy can, especially in a system where dynamics can constantly change. 

Living architecture creates a stable receiving device that allows for changes of various  natures, allows for changes between different spaces, and allows for changes in the external  spatial relationships and internal dynamic relationships between them and the human  body, especially the meridian system. In Chinese philosophy, matter can be classified as any  of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—and can change and be  conditioned within a specific system. By changing the nature of space, we transform space  into a material field that can create an intrinsic relationship with the human body. This type  of living architecture can change according to the health needs of the human body, and  every part of the building entity can be designed according to these needs. ​

Healthy food is what we need; healthy buildings are also what we need. Healthy buildings  originate from caring for our own bodies! ​

Why can architecture have life? Everything in the world exists at different levels and orders.  Architecture is the bridge between humans and the environment. It should not only be  clothing of different textures and styles but should be a more substantial material field. By  giving energy to architecture, we give it life. Its structure is not just a supporting framework  (like human bones), but its interior should have a corresponding energy transmission  system and sensing system. The energy of living architecture comes from sunlight, air, and  water. ​

If three points can determine a plane, and if one of these points changes according to a  certain rule, then the change of the entire plane is within a system. Similarly, three pillars  can support a plane, creating the simplest spatial entity. If one pillar changes systematically,  such as rotating on an elliptical trajectory and tilting at different angles, the change of the  entire space is within a controllable and researchable system. Further developing this  simple plane, if the left pillar is enlarged, we can see its exterior, framework, and internal  composed space. At this point, the pillar on the plane is no longer a point but an enlarged  spatial entity. The right pillar can grow indefinitely with branches, and tracks can be set up on it. The middle pillar can rotate like a screw and can also tilt at angles. The complexity and  nature of the three pillars' changes are different and can be qualitatively and quantitatively  analyzed. ​

Accompanying this concept, the actual architectural procedure is from simple to complex. It  starts with the middle pillar being enlarged. The middle pillar drives a platform to rotate  and rise, forming a tower. When the pillar reaches the top of the tower, the light at the top  will turn on, and the wind chimes on the tower will start to ring. Two bedrooms are  successively added on the track of the right pillar (first a single movable body, then two  layers). The platform driven by the middle pillar also gradually forms the living room and  family room. In this scheme, I studied the structural changes of nodes composed of different  materials, the possibilities, and the sequence of node formation as needed, the principles  similar to immunology of building materials, the roles of antibodies and complements, and  their relationship with the surrounding environment. ​

Living architecture requires a living structural system that not only supports but also  transmits energy. Although it is currently impossible to achieve, it is a research topic worth  trying (Stanford University in the United States has developed a light-sensitive wall and  thus created light-following walking buildings). The research model chose a residence, and  the "construction" site was selected in Covina, Los Angeles, USA. The story unfolded by  exploring the above topics, where a single man built a house according to his needs and  solved a series of other problems. ​

A man who came from Arizona to Los Angeles planned to build a home for himself. He  walked for a long time and arrived at a hillside, facing the constantly flowing river, and shed  tears, saying, "I will start from here." He dug a hiding cave in the mountain and made a  liftable and foldable tower on a small terrace not far from the cave entrance, and dug a  tunnel leading to his hiding cave. During the day, he hid in the cave. At night, he raised the  tower. The breeze blew against the walls woven from tree branches, like countless  outstretched arms, like the gentle hands of a girl, soothing all his fatigue, making him feel  like a real man, the master of the world. He deeply missed his wife and son far away. Years  passed, and he brought his wife and children here, for whom he built bedrooms, a small  balcony for his grandmother, and another baby was born. The home he built blended into  the surrounding environment. 

Many energy-filled buildings organically combined form a living city. In Kevin Lynch's book  "The Image of the City," the city's image is transformed into five elements: paths, edges,  districts, nodes, and landmarks. He analyzed the perception of existing cities, and urban  planning schemes based on this analysis replicate clear or enhanced spatial perceptions.  However, the problems brought by old cities are difficult to eradicate. ​

If the initial size of a city was determined by the distance a horse could travel in a day,  covering an area with housing, transportation, and work, then the transportation speed of an era is a determining factor of the city. Today, to build new types of cities, we must  rediscover and redefine the determining factors of cities. ​

If the single living building I studied can be established, then the material laws of the new  energy system network will become the determining factors of new cities. Cities and  buildings can achieve a true internal harmony. Humans, buildings, and cities are in a  common energy field, abiding by the law of conservation. ​

This is a conceptual building. It took a long time of thinking and research without finding a  breakthrough. Fortunately, my teacher analyzed and pointed out the direction to continue  and helped me complete the design plan. When the plan was completed, I fell ill, but I still  hope the house can be built. Whether it makes sense or not, please correct me. 

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Author in Culver City, California, USA 

World Architecture, 2nd issue, 1995