Concerns about the roof support system of Chien Dan Cham tower

Chien Dan Cham Tower Cluster. Photo: VINH LOC

Not suitable

Dr. Ha Thi Suong - Quang Nam Monuments and Museums Management Board expressed her indignation when she first saw the iron pillars supporting the roof of the Nam Chien Dan tower. “I really don’t know what to say. Why would people make such iron pillars inside the tower? It is clearly unsightly and affects the common space, especially the spiritual space of the tower,” said Dr. Ha Thi Suong.

The project to preserve, restore and renovate the South Tower of the Chien Dan Cham Tower Relic Site is invested by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Center for Monument Conservation Technology and Engineering provides design consultancy; the Institute for Monument Conservation provides supervision consultancy; and the joint venture of Viet Cultural Architecture and Construction Joint Stock Company and My Gia Design and Construction Company Limited performs the construction, with a cost of about 4 billion VND (construction time of 360 days).

On October 24, 2022, the project officially started. After nearly 1 year of implementation, the project has carried out a number of work items such as dismantling previously reinforced masonry blocks using old bricks or built with cement mortar; replacing rotten and broken bricks on the surface of the tower base and walls; restoring steps and shoulders in the form of simulation with simple shapes; building and restoring additional collapsed, lost or unstable parts on the base and wall body; restoring the shape of the blocks and decorations (based on the remaining original components); repositioning the stone pillars, thresholds and steps; restoring the tiling inside the tower...

Iron scaffolding placed inside the monument to support the glass roof on top of the tower. Photo: VINH LOC

In particular, the construction unit has dismantled the roof covering system of the open mouth of the tower (previously covered with corrugated iron), replaced it with tempered glass material (divided into 2 layers), and used 4 steel columns placed at the 4 corners inside the tower to support the glass roof; rainwater is led through a plastic pipe (60cm in diameter) and forced out through the column by a forced pump.

Need expert advice

Mr. To Thanh Vinh - Director of My Gia Design and Construction Company Limited affirmed that the construction process of the unit complied with the original design and was appraised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“Of course, building scaffolding inside the tower also affects the aesthetics, but if you don’t want to touch the tower, you have to use separate components, and if you want it to be beautiful, it won’t meet the requirements. Therefore, let’s just leave it like this for now, like towers B3, D1, D2 My Son… later, if we need to renovate the roof, we can open it up” – Mr. Vinh explained and said that it is impossible to put a roof over the top because we have to drill anchors into the wall to keep it fixed, and this method affects the structure, but it is also not certain that it will hold up against storms.

[ VIDEO ] - Roofing system of Nam Chien Dan tower:

However, according to Dr. Ha Thi Suong, it is not possible to build an iron frame inside the tower to support a rain-proof glass panel. This is not suitable, even in the short term, let alone in the long term. "It is impossible to compare with other towers because the condition of Nam Chien Dan tower is still too beautiful, not to mention the current condition and construction of the towers in My Son are different from Chien Dan, so we have to find a more reasonable solution" - Dr. Ha Thi Suong shared.

Architect Le Tri Cong, a researcher of Cham culture, said that erecting an iron scaffold inside the tower to support the glass panels was inappropriate. In addition to being aesthetically unpleasing, it also affected spirituality because the tower was considered a space for worshipping gods.

“We can place a glass panel on top of the tower like civil works covering the “skylight”, rainwater will flow down the tower wall without the need for an iron frame inside. The anchoring method is not difficult. Before covering the glass panel, we will drill holes and then attach the cylindrical iron rods, make an iron frame, and use the old holes to attach the cylindrical iron rods. In general, we replace the corrugated iron panel with a glass panel. The way the corrugated iron panel was attached in the past is now replaced by a glass panel in the same position” – Architect Le Tri Cong suggested.

Nam Chien Dan Tower after restoration. Photo: VINH LOC

Quang Nam owns many Cham architectural relics, most of which are degraded. However, in recent times, the conservation and restoration of Cham architecture has received mixed reactions. It is even more worrying that some Cham architectural works such as Khuong My, Bang An, Dong Duong, etc. will be restored in the near future.

According to Dr. Ha Thi Suong, before approving the design or restoration of any Cham architecture, the relevant unit needs to organize a scientific seminar or at least consult leading experts on Cham culture in the fields of culture, sculpture, architecture, archaeology, etc. There must be opposing opinions to find the best conservation solution, avoiding the subjective will of some design and construction units, which has happened in some projects in the province.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/ban-khoan-voi-he-thong-tru-do-mai-che-thap-cham-chien-dan-3154494.html