A cardboard Cathedral

A Cathedral built from cardboard was inaugurated last Sunday, August 11, in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Although it is a temporary solution, replacing the pre-existing 19^th century cathedral destroyed in the earthquake that struck this city in February 2011, this original structure was designed to last approximately 50 years and consists of nearly a hundred cardboard tubes covered by a polycarbonate structure, with a capacity for 700 people.

The project was designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, well known for using cardboard as a building material in residential, commercial and public projects, thereby reducing the waste generated on site, providing an excellent building material, since it is an accessible resource, recyclable and surprisingly resistant.

“The strength of the building has nothing to do with the strength of the material.” says Shigeru Ban, “Even concrete buildings can be destroyed by earthquakes very easily, but paper buildings cannot.”

The Christchurch community seems to have embraced with enthusiasm this innovative and sustainable solution, attesting that true nobility is not the material, but in the sustainability of ideas and values.

Find out more at  http://cardboardcathedral.org.nz/