One of the pillars from the original Deyouguan Temple can still be seen at the site. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The planning for Deyouguan was a lengthy process, as the old temple had been reduced to pieces decades ago, and Tao had to talk to a few priests to get an idea of what the temple looked like.

He borrowed some ideas of the old temple such as the roof to meld with the terrain.

However, he used glass as ceiling to enable adequate daylight to penetrate into the building.

Tao joined the Architectural Design and Research Institute in 2013, where he began undertaking more programs to restore and rebuild temples and religious buildings.

He noted that with the number of followers of both Taoism and Buddhism increasing in China, there is a need for the temples to be renovated to adapt to the needs of followers.

"We also need to meld the elements of modern lifestyle in the design, such as the use of light, electricity and computer technology," he said.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn