The Deyouguan Temple after its reconstruction. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We also need to understand specifically the meaning of sacred space within the temple."

Meanwhile, the design must also take into consideration the needs of clergies living in the monasteries or temples as well.

"If we are to design a monastery where 20 monks are going to live, we need to consider how many bedrooms are needed, how big the storage room needs to be and how to fit in plumbing, heating and electricity in the structure," he said.

In designing the new Deyouguan, Tao did not restore the temple to its original appearance. Instead, he tried to incorporate both the idea of the original design and modern architectural concepts to rebuild the temple.

"It is impossible to design and build temples exactly the way they were. No matter how much efforts you put into it, they would still look like a replica," he said.

Tao said he was inclined to preserve the original site of the old temple, and build a new one with a design that borrows the idea of the old one.