Conversation with Prof. Que Zeli

Que Zeli is the academic leader in the direction of wood structure construction at Nanjing Forestry University, visiting researcher at Kyoto University, Japan. He undertake a number of national-level projects in the field of wood structure construction, the 12th and 13th Five-Year National Science and Technology Support Programs, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) International Cooperation Fund, etc.

D|W: As an expert and scholar who has been conducting exchanges in the wood construction industry between China and Japan for a long time, can you introduce the similarities and differences of the wood structure construction in the two countries?

Q.Z: In ancient China, wood has always been the most important building material. The type of Chinese wooden architecture integrates the class form of society, the religious spirit of "Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism" and philosophical culture. More importantly, it reflects the Chinese people's respect for nature in ancient times. Chinese-style wooden architecture is also widely spread in the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and has influenced the architectural culture of the Far East.

The “Yingzao Fashi” (1103) , a Chinese professional book on architecture that was written in Song dynasty, describes in detail and systematically the materials, construction methods, styles and forms of wooden buildings, showing craftsmanship level of wooden buildings at that time has reached its peak. The “Code of Engineering Practices” (1734) of the Qing Dynasty listed building construction rules with different functions and forms. Different from “Yingzao Fashi”, the code lists the dimensions of each component in detail, reflecting the difference and development process of wooden architecture in the Song and Qing dynasties.

Japanese wooden architecture particularly attracts the attention of Westerners. Ancient Japanese wooden buildings are well preserved. We can see from its historical development process that the structure and form of its wooden buildings are different from those transplanted from China. Ancient Japanese architectural forms were deeply influenced by Shintoism, which worshiped nature, so natural materials became the best choice for their building materials. Wood, a recyclable natural material, continuously supplies Shinto temples with renewed life, and therefore becomes the spokesperson of sacred meaning.

With China's increasing cultural influence, the exchanges between China and Japan have continued to deepen, and exchanges in different periods have created different architectural forms. After centuries of evolution and development, wooden buildings with Japanese local characteristics have become more popular and vivid in Japan.Compared with the wooden architectural style transplanted from China, the native Japanese wooden architectural style surpasses in some aspects. After the middle of the Edo period (about 1700), the modular concept of "ping" (0.918m X 1.837m) was widely used in palaces and civil buildings.


D|W: Japan is a country with frequent earthquakes and that the built environment must be resilient. You have been doing many relevant research work on the seismic design of wooden structures. Can you tell us about the specific aspects of the seismic performance of wooden structures?

Q.Z: Every year we are hit by large typhoons, earthquakes and occasionally large earthquakes that occur once in a century. In order to reduce the impact of these disasters on wooden structures, the construction regulations and standards for wooden structures are continuously improved by gaining experience from every earthquake disasters.

In ancient times, there were no iron components for construction and it is very difficult job for the craftsmen to build wooden structures that could withstand typhoons and earthquakes. Even though the rigidity of the traditional wooden structure is not as good as that of the modern wooden structure, the material strength is not as high as that of the modern structure, but the traditional wooden structure can remain stable under the condition of large deformation. Under the conditions of building materials at that time, the traditional wooden structure with strong resistance to deformation was already the best building structure system for wind and earthquake resistance.

At present, in order to enhance the wind and earthquake resistance of wooden structures, there are many methods such as the application of metal connectors to strengthen the nodes processed by prefabricated processing machinery, the configuration of shear walls, and various energy dissipation and shock absorption measures, etc.


D|W: Many people think that the 21st century is the century of wood. Do you think wood can provide more livable and sustainable future environmental solutions for urban development and rural construction?


Q.Z: In fact, while creating miracles of economic development, many countries and regions have also paid huge social costs in terms of energy consumption and environmental damage.

The light weight, easy construction, and environmental friendly characteristics of wooden buildings are in line with the development trend of future construction. The development of buildings is not only reflected in the improvement of construction technology, but also in the selection of materials. In order to reduce the pollution hazards and waste problems caused by construction activities, many countries are committed to the development of environmentally friendly building materials. Long-termly, the construction industry is critical to the urban landscape, people's living space, energy consumption, and the balance of the ecological environment. It is also closely related to the development of the country and the health of the general public.