It is easy to get the wrong idea when we read that Nephi taught his people to build buildings. That seems to say that they taught them to build something that they had not done before. That is certainly untrue. If Nephi was the leader over the indigenous people who had joined with those of his family, he was living with people who had made buildings for centuries. They were not unaware of how to work wood. The best way to read these statements is to see them as parallel to the conclusion that Nephi “did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands.” That is, Nephi is not telling us that he taught an ignorant people to be civilized, but rather that a fundamental principle of this new community was industrious labor. We will see Nephi leaders emphasizing egalitarian principles of working with their own hands in Benjamin’s speech.
Nephi also builds a temple. This temple is after the manner of Solomon’s temple in a similar way to the swords that were after the manner of the sword of Laban. Very specifically, it could not be just like Solomon’s temple because they didn’t have the same precious things. Nevertheless, the important part was that he built a temple that was after the manner of Solomon’s temple, and doubtless was intended to similarly become the focal point of their religious service.
When Israelites built Solomon’s temple, and later Zerubabbel’s temple and Herod’s temple, the architectural style was borrowed from surrounding cultures. It was not unique to Israel. It is therefore plausible that Nephi also built a temple to function as Solomon’s did, but not specifically follow its architectural plan any more than it replicated its decorations.