Here is the Cardboard Cathedral of Christchurch, New Zealand, designed by Shigeru Ban. It is meant to be more of a short-term, earthquake-resistant structure to temporarily substitute structures affected by the earthquake. The sides of the building appear to be fashioned from shipping containers, while the roof consists of 98 cardboard tubes. I think the multi-colored glass are a nice addition to an otherwise blank-looking exterior. When looking at this building, the cardboard tubes are, to me, one of its most interesting aspects. While I would normally assume cardboard to be too weak for building construction, it is somehow successfully used here. I learned that the tubes are specially treated and waterproof, but I wonder how thick the hollow cylindrical tube walls are, and consequently how much they weigh. The structure is supposed to be more resistant to earthquakes than traditional buildings, and I assume part of the reason is that cardboard is probably more flexible than regular building materials like bricks and concrete. Overall, I feel that the building’s A-frame design with shipping containers uses materials efficiently and can be quickly constructed, creating a simple yet effective structure.

Photo & info source: https://www.archdaily.com/413224/shigeru-ban-completes-cardboard-cathedral-in-new-zealand