Christchurch to construct cardboard cathedral

The earthquake-devastated cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, is to be replaced by one made of cardboard.

Anglican leaders believe it will deliver both a temporary solution and a statement about the city’s recovery.

The 25-metre high building will be built with 104 tubes of cardboard. The structure will be a temporary replacement for the stone one ruined last year in a Feb 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people and destroyed much of the city.

Rev Craig Dixon, a church spokesman, said the temporary cathedral would seat 700 people, cost up to NZ$5m (€3.1m) and would be used for 10 years while a permanent replacement is designed and built.

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has used cardboard in other temporary buildings, including a “paper church” which was used as a community centre after the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan.

Rev Dixon said he hopes construction can begin within six weeks and be completed within the year.

“I think this building has the potential to become an icon in its own right,” he said. “I think it will be greatly loved for a long time.”

The structure will be weatherproof and fire-resistant. The plan is to use traditional materials such as concrete, steel and wood to provide structural support to the A-frame cathedral. Up to two dozen shipping containers inside would provide space for offices, a kitchen and storage, while the roof would be made of an opaque polycarbonate.

Richard Gray, the chairman of a church group driving the project, said the cathedral will demonstrate that Christchurch is moving forward, and that people are finding solutions that are not only innovative but also environmentally friendly.

In the aftermath of the quake, Christchurch City Council laid out a NZ$2bn vision of a “safe, sustainable, hi-tech, low-rise city in a garden”. It proposes a more compact business district characterised by buildings no greater than six to seven storeys. Most deaths in the quake were in multi-storey buildings.