At a time when timber is again reshaping architectural practice, Timbercraft: Lost Tectonics from East Asia revisits the enduring legacy of traditional East Asian construction. Spanning more than 1,400 years, the book examines nine landmark buildings in China, Japan, and Korea, tracing the evolution of sophisticated timber systems through interlocking components, bracket complexes, and intricate joinery.
Written by architect and researcher Jae K Kim, Timbercraft makes this complex body of knowledge accessible through original analytical drawings, section perspectives, exploded axonometric views, and assembly studies. The illustrations reveal both the technical precision of structures that have endured for centuries and the spatial, cultural, and material ideas embedded within them. Essays provide historical and theoretical context, examining the craftsmanship, values, and structural intelligence that shaped the tradition.
