福柯在《他者的空间》一文中指出，十九世纪以来人们沉溺于历史，而我们时代的焦虑可能来自空间。这不仅深刻地揭示了当前社会的特征，事实上也揭示了人类历史的另一个纬度。人在时间中存在，更在空间中行动，各种形态、性质的空间是人行动的基础，假设没有了空间，人以及万物存在于哪里？答案是nowhere。而直接容纳人的空间便是各种建筑。正是这一哲学思想，使我对建筑，尤其是生产建筑的技术产生了浓厚的兴趣。

　　撇开哲学的沉思，人们对于建筑，尤其是住宅与环境的认识主要局限在环境的形式美，而对于建筑与能源和环境污染的关系，尚缺乏足够的认识。当前世界的能耗大户是什么？面对这个问题，大多数人会回答是汽车，或者工厂，或者其他，很少有人会想到是建筑。事实上，全球能量的50%消耗在建筑的建造和使用过程中，因此通过建筑技术使二者和谐发展不仅有着广阔的发展前景，而且对于未来社会将起到至关重要的作用。

　　这一点对于面临巨大能源压力的中国尤其重要，我们的国家已经提出了建设节约型社会的总体目标，因此合理的建筑技术，尤其是耗能超过一半以上的暖通空调系统技术的发展与创新，成为社会节能得以实现的重要途径。如果这样，那么不仅有利于中国的可持续发展，也必将有利于世界的可持续发展，为世界社会的和谐与美丽作出贡献。而我希望能够为之贡献自己的力量和智慧。

　　20xx年至20xx年期间，我在有着严格的科学与人文教学传统的华中科技大学——以工程领域的卓著研究而闻名——能源与动力工程学院完成了本科学业。在大学四年中，兴趣广泛的我，不仅积极参加各类课外活动，如中国功夫、戏剧、排球；以及社会公益活动，如青年志愿者、保护母亲河（黄河）、宣传艾滋病防治知识等；而且贡献了我的领导才能，作为系学生会副主席组织了各种大型的文艺活动和体育比赛，而我自己还考取了业余排球二级裁判的资格。即使如此，我的大学专业GPA仍然高达3.76(87.63/100)，这在精英荟萃的华中科技大学是十分难得的。

　　在课程学习中我善于将抽象、困难的问题转换成直观而简单的问题与老师和同学探讨，而考试中也不愿循规蹈矩，如核心课程《自动控制原理》中面对两道非常复杂的题目，我没有使用一般的公式，而是用几组流程图、注解以及生活案例做答，虽然这两道题老师并未给分，我仍然以79分的成绩名列前茅，而我的同学有近1/3的没能通过。

　　在大学期间，我突出的动手实践能力就已经有所展现。我的毕业设计《煤粉微粒内部机构特征的可视化分析》是在煤燃烧国家重点实验室完成。在导师的指导下，利用对煤粉燃烧过程的连续拍摄照片，用编制计算机图像程序进行处理，捕捉煤粉燃烧微粒的可视化结构信息，然后做统计分析，获得了成功。遗憾的是由于答辩中未能抓住重点，只得到了B，然而导师仍然充分肯定了我的研究能力。最近撰写的论文《直埋管道冷安装条件下的强度计算》已经被国家级专业核心期刊《煤气与热力》录用，即是最好的注解。

　　大学期间培养的突出的实践能力，使我得以进入中国市政工程华北设计研究院（CNMEDI）——中国北方规模最大的市政与民用建筑设计与研究机构——工作。并在以城市供热、建筑暖通空调设计著称于业界的第六所脱颖而出，成为该所暖通空调设计最年轻的专业负责人之一。

　　在华北设计研究院（CNMEDI），我先后独立设计了《托克托县统一集中供热工程——可行性研究报告》、《大连新区供热规划（20xx-20xx）》，参与了世行全球环境基金项目“供热改革与建筑节能”——《GEF中国供热改革及建筑节能项目天津示范平台金厦新都庄园项目》等数十个项目。

　　其中，“保定市集中供热工程”项目中作为中途接手的项目负责人，很好地展现了我的专业设计能力和工程领导能力。工作中很好地处理了热力、电气、结构、建筑、结排水等专业设计工作，积极认真地协调各方关系，并妥善地应对工程中的突发事件。2004年8月，因突然的大阵雨以及排水故障，造成尚未完工DN600蒸汽干管部分直埋保温管道遭水浸泡。雨后检查，发现保温管道内部已被水浸透。与各方紧急磋商后，制定了与蒸汽管设计相匹配的逐步加温烘干措施，妥善地解决了问题。最后不仅工程顺利完工，而且获得了高度评价。

　　而世行全球环境基金项目：“供热改革与建筑节能”则更为重要，开启了我人生的新目标。通过参与该项目，使我得以接触世界上建筑节能研究的最前沿，开阔了我的视野，提高了技术水平，同时也深刻地认识到这一领域对于世界和中国的重要意义，以及目前中国对暖通空调节能方面的研究与世界先进水平之间的差距。深感于此，促使我决定到在这一领域处于世界领先地位的美国学习深造，学习以热泵、热量计量为核心的先进建筑技术和经验。 希望在协调室内环境舒适性与能耗、环境保护的矛盾；室内空气质量对人体影响的计量；热量分散计量等方面的进行研究。贵校在建筑技术领域的地位，以及卓越的、注重人文与技术并驾齐驱的学位教育无疑成为我的首选。

　　作为文明古国的中国，在古代已经建立了高度智慧的关于建筑环境选择的技术与经验，我希望通过我的学习，能够把东西方之间、古代与现代之间的建筑技术与环境思想融会一体，从而在未来的技术与社会发展的舞台上，展示自己的卓越才智。相信贵校会接受我的来自东方的古老而现代的思想火花的挑战，而接受我的申请。

In his Of Other Space, Foucault asserts that people in the 19th century tended to indulge in history while in the 20th century our anxieties would mainly come from the space. His assertion has not only profoundly unraveled many essential characteristics of our present-day world but also, in fact, added another dimension to human history. Human beings exist in time but act in space. Spaces of all kinds and forms are the very foundation of human action. Suppose there is no space, where could man and other creatures exist? The answer is “NOWHERE!” The spaces that most directly accommodate people are buildings. It is precisely this philosophical thinking about space that has infused me with a strong interest in building and the technology that creates buildings.

Putting aside this philosophy about space, we can discover that people’s understanding of building, especially about houses and environment is largely confined to physical and formal beauty. With regard to the relationship between building and energy and between building and environmental pollution, adequate understanding has not yet developed. For the question “what is the greatest consumer of energy”, most people would point to automobiles, or manufacturing plants, or others and few would think of buildings. As a matter of fact, about 50% of global energy is consumed by the construction and the use of buildings. Therefore, building technology has a major role to play in the benign interaction between building and energy and will continue to remain vital to our future.

This is particularly significant for China which faces immense energy pressure as a developing country. The country has formulated a strategic objective of developing an energy-efficient society and the development of innovative building technology, particularly the technology of air conditioning systems which account for 50% of the overall energy consumption, becomes the key to energy efficiency. The sustainable development of China itself will be an important part of the sustainable development of the entire world, leading to the harmonious coexistence of the international community. I would be proud of contributing my knowledge and talents to this vital field.

From 20xx to 20xx, I completed my undergraduate program in Thermal and Dynamic Engineering at the Institute of Energy and Power, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, which is most celebrated for its engineering sciences. Despite full involvement in extracurricular activities, I achieved a high GPA of 3.76(87.63/100) in my major, quite an achievement in the highly competitive academic environment of the university. In undertaking my coursework, I was adept at making abstract and difficult issues concrete and simplified and discuss them with my teachers and fellow students. Even in the exams, I would refuse to follow rigid rules. For instance, when answering two complicated questions during an exam of the core subject Principles of Automatic Control, I refrained from using general equations and presented several sets of flow diagrams, notes and cases from day-today life as my answers. Naturally, I got the top score of the entire class while nearly 1/3 of my classmates failed.

As an undergraduate, I already paid considerable attention to the development of my hands-on abilities. I completed my graduation project A Visualized Analysis of the Internal Structural Properties of the Coal Powder Particles in a state key laboratory of coal combustion. Under the guidance of my advisor Prof. x x x , I conceived the novel idea of taking consecutive pictures of the burning process of the coal powder and then developed computer graphic program to process the pictures taken. Having captured the structural information, I applied statistical analysis and achieved the complete success of the project. My advisor made positive comments on my research achievements and believed in my research potential. Another important indication of my research potential is my recently-completed research paper Calculation of the Magnitude of the Direct-Buried Pipes Under Cold Installation Conditions, which has been accepted for publication by GAS & Thermal Energy, a core technical journal in the field.

The prominent practical skills that I developed during my undergraduate program qualified me for a rewarding employment at North China Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute (CNMEDI), the largest urban and civil building design and research organization in Northern China. I became the youngest assistant engineer at the Division, which is known in the industry for its design in urban heat supply and building air conditioning.

As a major design and research institute, CNMEDI provided me with an arena to both develop and demonstrate my design and engineering talents. My professional achievements have happened in a number of fields. First I have been responsible for preparing three major feasibility study reports as chief designer, project participant or project manager—central heating projects for Tokto City, for the Northern and Southern regions of Baodin City, and for a residential area in Tianjin City, which is part of the Heat Supply Reform and Building Energy Efficiency project sponsored by the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) of the World Bank. I was also involved in four preliminary designs of central heating supply projects or pipeline networks in the infrastructure construction. In those projects, I had to perform most of the calculations and study the security feasibility.

My professional responsibilities also have included the design of construction plans. In nearly a dozen such projects, I worked not only as designer but also as technical director and project manager and the projects involved the construction or renovation of thermal pipeline networks. In a most typical project, The Central Heating Project of Baodin City, I helped formulate a plan with short-term, medium-term and long-term objectives, which covered a heat supply area of 115 km2 . Important measures were taken to guarantee energy conservation, including measures in building energy efficiency, in the selection of thermal source, the choice of fuel, the design of thermal network, and the design of in-house heating system. Compared with the technical standards for the civilian energy efficient buildings and for ordinary buildings, the energy efficiency rate has been raised by 30% and 65% respectively. As a model project sponsored by GEF, it represents our efforts, with the technical support of World Bank experts, to explore for an effective approach of building energy conservation and heat dosage that satisfy the special circumstances of China.

What has made me especially proud of myself is that I have not only been involved in design projects but also in the drafting of national technical standards—The Technical Standards of the Direct-Buried Vapor Pipeline for Urban Heat Supply, which is commissioned by China Construction Commission, and The Design Collections of 05 Series Construction Standards: 05N5 Thermal Engineering. My pride also comes from designing a number of hear supply plans in several provinces in which optimum strategies combining thermo-electrical heat production, regional heat supply and clean energy were applied. Some of those designs have won major engineering prizes at national and municipal levels. The latest project I have undertaken is the renovation of the heating system at the Tiaoyutai State Guest House, where the past five rounds of Six-Party Talks on the Korean Peninsula have been held.

In retrospect, The Heat Supply Reform and Building Energy Efficiency project sponsored by the Global Environmental Fund of the World Bank has been a defining experience for me—it presented to me a new objective of my professional pursuit. Participating in this project exposed me to the most cutting-edge research in building energy efficiency, thereby greatly broadening my horizon and improving my technical know-how. I further learned about the significance of energy efficiency to China and to the world. I was most shocked by the considerable gap between China and the world in energy efficiency involved in air conditioning. This strong awareness now motivates me to pursue advanced academic training in the United States in this field.

The program as offered by the Department of Architecture of MIT becomes my top priority for its distinguished prestige in the field, and for its emphasis on the development of technologies geared to developing countries. I am highly interested in three major fields—Building Energy Studies which features international studies and energy conservation in office equipment and lighting, and Building Materials which features advanced thermal insulations and thermal insulation for developing countries, and finally Sustainable Building Design which features alliance for global sustainability and energy-efficient buildings in developing countries. I believe my past background is highly relevant to studies in those crucial fields and Prof. Leon R. Glicksman and Prof. Leslie K. Norford can be identified as my potential advisor.

In the wake of the energy crisis in the 1970’s, the United States realized the need to intensify energy conservations efforts. In addition to legislative actions, intensive research has been performed on energy saving technologies and remarkable achievements have been made, especially in the heat pump and thermo-metrics. Just as China as a developing country must learn from the United States, on the personal level I must learn from the outstanding faculty and researchers of MIT. In the energy campaigns of my countries lies the prospect of my career development and nothing delights me better than to see my self-actualization is so closely aligned to a worthy cause of my home country.