A cathedral made of cardboard

The Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand is a temporary Anglican cathedral and replaces ChristChurch Cathedral, which had already been affected by several earthquakes and was finally irreparably damaged in the 2011 earthquake.

The Cardboard Cathedral was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. He is known for his temporary buildings in disaster areas and the use of cardboard. And so the Cardboard Cathedral is the only cathedral in the world that was partly built from cardboard.

The Cardboard Cathedral is located in downtown Christchurch, near the destroyed Christchurch Cathedral. The building was constructed from 96 cardboard tubes, but the structure of the building is not entirely made of cardboard tubes. The tubes cover large wooden beams, each weighing 498 kilograms. Smaller cardboard tubes are used inside the church, such as for the choir stalls, a lectern, etc. The small chapel is covered by smaller tubes. The small chapel is surrounded by smaller tubes. The substructure of the cathedral is made of containers. The façade of the building is made of polycarbonate to take advantage of the sunlight. The cathedral can seat 700 people and is also used as a meeting place and concert hall.

The Cardboard Cathedral is now known worldwide and has become a major tourist attraction in Christchurch.