Christchurch Cardboard Cathedral Completed

New Zealand's famous cardboard cathedral is finished and, now completed, represents a key part of Christchurch city's rebuilding efforts in the wake of the devastating 2011 earthquake.

Constructed out of cardboard tubes, the Christchurch cathedral stands in place of the building eventually destroyed by the earthquake, which occurred in February 2011. It isn't intended to be a permanent fixture: rather, it's a temporary facility that will be used until the advent of a replacement cathedral.

The Christchurch earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3. Responsible for a total of 185 deaths, it also had a deep impact on much of Christchurch's infrastructure. In the cathedral's case, the damage was bad enough at the time but, later on, the building was deemed irreparable and the structure was dismantled.

Christchurch Cardboard Cathedral

The Christchurch cardboard cathedral was the brainchild of Shigeru Ban - an architect form Japan. Featuring an A-frame design, it incorporates traditional-style stained glass windows and can accommodate a maximum of 700 worshippers.

Crucially, the cathedral is fully compliant with the earthquake-resilient part of New Zealand's new building construction regulations. According to Shigeru Ban: "The strength of the building has nothing to do with the strength of the material. Even concrete buildings can be destroyed by earthquakes very easily. But paper buildings cannot be destroyed by earthquakes."

Completed Cardboard Cathedral

The completed cardboard cathedral also has an intended lifespan of 50 years although, recently, it showed it was seemingly slightly susceptible to rain when some of its tubing elements required replacement.

Realistically, New Zealand's Anglican Church intends to use the building until around the mid-2020s, at which point the replacement cathedral should have been finished.

"The old cathedral symbolised the city in many ways and we think this cathedral is a symbol that Christchurch is regrouping and rebuilding", Lynda Patterson, acting dean, explained in comments quoted by Agence-France Presse. She continued: "The community has a cathedral again. It's a place where people can come for quiet contemplation in the city centre and somewhere we can hold concerts and art exhibitions."

Image copyright Schwede66 - Courtesy Wikimedia Commons