Located on the boarder between Malaysia and Singapore, the existing Chinese-funded Forest City masterplan has received criticism for not benefitting the locals. As an architectural response, this building project proposes a Chinese cultural complex occupying the fourth island in the masterplan. It is a hub for all people with Chinese roots or cultural interests to experience and celebrate their Chinese heritage.

In-depth research was conducted to understand the structural principles of the traditional Chinese timber frame, and one specific structural element known as dougong (brackets and blocks). It was concluded from the research that dougong is an efficient structural system that incorporates the tenon and mortise joints; all components in a dougong set are standardised and all components are designed in a parametric way.

Those principles are tested at the scale of a building and are used as the basis to further develop tectonic fragments. The project's ambition was to translate the reinterpret the Chinese timber frame as a new timber structural system that can be implemented on large scale infrastructure. As a result, this proposal adapts the original timber structure from mainland China for a tropical environment, offering a modern neocolonial architectural typology that is elegant and efficient.