Weizi Song: Rules, Proportions, and Motifs — Reconstructing the Structural Logic of Chinese Timber Architecture
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Abstract
Rules and Proportions: Structural Logic and Geometric Reconstruction of Ancient Chinese Timber Architecture is an exhibition that explores the hidden mathematical and geometric systems embedded in China's ancient timber construction. Grounded in the study of classical texts such as the Yingzao Fashi and the Zhoubi Suanjing, as well as hands-on building practice, this research undertakes a form of reverse engineering to reconstruct a structural logic once known simply as guiju (规矩, "rules").
Through 3D modeling, geometric drawings, and full-scale carpentry experiments, the exhibition reveals how craftsmen determined proportions — column height to span, bracket depth to projection, roof slope to curvature — without modern numerical calculation. Instead, they relied on compass-and-straightedge methods, symbolic ratios, and oral transmission. The results uncover striking correlations between structural dimensions and mathematical constants such as square roots and trigonometric ratios, expressed not through formulas but through intuitive geometry.
By situating timber architecture within both technical and philosophical frameworks, the exhibition presents "drawing as method" as a design practice that unites craft, structure, and cosmology. It highlights proportional motifs as generative principles rather than decorative forms, inviting contemporary audiences to reconsider architecture as a dialogue between rules, geometry, and cultural imagination.
Biography
Weizi Song is a Master of Architecture candidate at Cornell University (expected 2025) with a background in Spatial Experience Design from ArtCenter College of Design, where she also minored in Social Innovation. She has worked in Cornell's Rural–Urban Building Innovation Lab, focusing on experimental approaches to architectural systems and material innovation. Her professional experiences span roles as a UX Researcher at Microsoft, a Computational Design Intern in Nike's NXT Innovation Design team, and an Architectural Design Intern at NO Architecture. Weizi’s work explores the intersections of architecture, computation, and material science, with a focus on sustainable and culturally grounded design innovation.
