The magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand in February demolished the town's cathedral, which had stood since 1864. Now, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is building them a temporary replacement—out of cardboard.
The structure will stand nearly 80 feet tall—roughly the same height as the original cathedral—accommodate up to 700 people, and be used by community and musical groups. Each of the 86 water- and fire-resistant cardboard tubes that make up the roofline weighs over 1000 pounds and will be built locally—as will the main stained glass window—while the foundation will be constructed from shipping containers.
The Christchurch city council has yet to decide on a location for the building but hope to have the $3.5 million structure erected by the one year anniversary of the earthquake on February 22nd, 2012. It will take about three months to assemble and is expected to stand for about a decade, until the original Anglican church can be rebuilt.
