After the cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, was badly damaged in a 2011 earthquake, it was replaced by not the tallest or largest structure but by “the world’s only cathedral made substantially of cardboard.”
Made from 98 giant cardboard tubes, the new Transitional Cathedral will hold 700 worshippers and is designed to last for up to 50 years. The tubes are coated with three layers of waterproof polyurethane and most are sheltered by the polycarbonate roof, which is translucent and so glows when the cathedral is lit at night.
The cathedral was designed by Shigeru Ban, a Japanese architect who has been building with cardboard since 1986. Since then, Ban has designed everything from an art museum in Metz, France, to emergency accommodation following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
He says the new cathedral is earthquake-proof, fireproof and won’t get soggy in the rain. “The strength of the materials is unrelated to the strength of the building,” he told the Japan Times.
Cardboard and wood structures are naturally more earthquake-resistant, agrees Greg Nolan, director of the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood at the University of Tasmania in Australia. Concrete is heavier, so it has more inertia and also builds more momentum when shifted during a quake. Moreover, the flexibility of wood and cardboard mean they have more strength under tension, and can absorb a lot of energy with collapse, he says.
