A new cathedral made entirely out of cardboard has opened in Christchurch, New Zealand. The cathedral has opened after two years of planning and construction.
The cathedral is called The Cardboard Transitional Cathedral and was built after the original cathedral was damaged in an earthquake in February 2011.
"The original Cathedral was badly damaged in the Christchurch earthquake in February 2011. We are now putting the finishing touches to our new temporary home, the Transitional Cathedral in Latimer Square, Christchurch. It will be the world's only cathedral made substantially of cardboard," said the church's website.
The architect behind the cathedral, Shigeru Ban designed the cathedral for free. He said to ABC News, "Even concrete buildings can be destroyed by earthquakes very easily. But paper buildings cannot be destroyed by earthquakes."
The cathedral is made from 98 cardboard tubes that weigh up to 120 kilograms and measure 2- meters. Inside, the cathedral can seat up to 700 people and is built to last at least 50 years. It is also 100 percent up to earthquake code, reported ABC News.
Ban said on the cathedral's website, "cardboard is an ideal building material because it's readily available, recyclable and surprisingly strong. The strength of the building has nothing to do with the strength of the material."
The cardboard is also low cost and when the plans were announced many were concerned about rain. "The over 90 enormous 600mm diameter, 20 metre tubes are protected by a polycarbonate roof above, and very solid concrete floor below. Sturdy LVL (laminated veneer lumber) inserted beams, lend further substantial support to these tubes. The Cardboard Cathedral will also be one of the safest buildings in the city. It is being built to last 50 plus years and to 100% of the earthquake code. Definitely safe, not soggy," stated the website.
See photos here.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
