Nº 017 Coming
dougong 斗拱
An interlocking wooden bracket cluster that carries deep eaves without nails.
A structural network of wooden blocks (dou) and bow-shaped arms (gong) fitted together by mortise and tenon, spreading roof loads and flexing during earthquakes.
The film, in words
This wooden roof bracket holds up tonnes of tile without a single nail or screw.
It's called dougong: a puzzle of notched wooden blocks, called dou, and bow arms, called gong.
Each tier cantilevers further out from the column, carrying deep roof eaves that keep rain off the timber walls.
Inside, a slanted lever arm called an ang balances the outer eave against the weight of the roof beams.
Because the joints slide slightly instead of snapping, China's Yingxian Pagoda has survived earthquakes since 1056.
Its cousins: kumimono in Japan, jusimpo in Korea, and stone corbels in Europe.
Dougong. An interlocking wooden bracket cluster that carries deep eaves without nails.