studioMilou has recently purchased the copy of the “Yingzao fashi, an architectural treaty printed during the “Song dynasty”.

This extraordinary and rare book has been bought by Jorn Utzon, during a study trip in China in 1957, and was very influential on John Utzon design “by addition” of the Sydney Opera house.

The documentary “The edge of the possible” shows Jorn Utzon talking with his team about the how traditional Chinese architecture can guide the “composition” of the roof and ceiling structure for the Sydney opera House.

Yingzao fashi (營造法式), often translated as “Building Standards” or “Treatise on Architectural Methods,” is the earliest surviving comprehensive building manual in Chinese history. It is the foundational technical text for understanding pre‑modern Chinese architecture and construction practice.

The manual was compiled by Li Jie (courtesy name Mingzhong), a high official in the Directorate of Construction during the Northern Song dynasty. It was completed around 1100 and published by imperial order in 1103 as a state standard for government building projects.

Yingzao fashi functioned as an official standard for state‑sponsored construction, meant for architects, craftsmen, and administrators to regulate quality, cost, and uniformity.

The Yingzao fashi was an attempt to create the “Song imperial architectural Order”, as the “ Architecture of a nation”

(All credit regarding the video clips featured in this news can be found on Vimeo, a film titled “The Edge of the Possible: Jørn Utzon and the Sydney Opera House”.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theedgeofthepossible)