More than 800 tonnes of Merbau wood is being used to expand the Tow Boo Keong Temple temple piece by piece – the most famous place of worship in Bukit Mertajam, in Penang, Malaysia. It comes as skilled Chinese artisans assemble the all-wooden expansion is using a traditional construction method, using interlocking brackets instead of bolts or nails.
Known as the dougong architectural system, the quake-resistant system uses brackets to fit between the top of a column and the crossbeam. According to the temple’s chairman, Goh Soo Loon, 22 artisans from Fujian, China, have been working on the project since early last year.
“These artisans have been hired from China due to their expertise. Instead of constructing solely from granite or marble, we’ve added woodwork, using age-old techniques,” he said late last year. “Around 800 tonnes of locally sourced Merbau wood, known for its durability, will be carved into pillars, beams, arches, decorative panels and sculptures.”
Wood Central understands that the artisans and carpenters carefully prepare the wood at the site with chisels. Some use mallets for larger shapes, while others work on fine details with precision tools. These carvings are crafted section by section and then set aside, prepared for assembly at a later time—the tallest pillars, carved from single pieces of wood, stand more than 6 meters high.
Temple construction began in November 2019 and is expected to open mid-to-late 2027. According to Sing Kheng Seng, the project manager responsible for the temple’s construction, cranes are installing the wooden roof structures for the four pagodas, and on-site construction passed the halfway point this week.
Introducing the Dougong: A nailless Chinese construction method
Bracket sets are created by placing a wooden block (“dou”) onto a column to form a solid base. Another wooden bracket (the “gong”) is then inserted into the dou to support either a wooden beam or another gong. As multiple brackets are added, the roof’s weight compresses the joints. Distributing weight evenly throughout the structure, the incredibly robust structure can sit lightly on the floor without sinking into the ground.
“This way, individual elements are not prone to splitting or cracking, meaning the system of interlocking beams cannot be shaken or shattered under stress,” according to the South China Morning Post, which said the system was used to construct China’s Forbidden City. “New layers of brackets on top means the dougong pieces need to be slightly modified. There are about 30 combinations with simple variations to create different structures, but the core principle remains identical throughout.”
- To learn more about the duogong system, click here for the South China Morning Post’s special feature.
