Christchurch to build new cathedral from cardboard

New Zealand’s Anglican church will build a temporary cathedral made of cardboard in earthquake-devastated Christchurch as it works towards a permanent replacement for its 131-year old landmark destroyed last year.

The Victorian-era, Gothic-style cathedral, which dominated the city’s central square, was badly damaged in the February 2011 quake, and is being demolished.

The replacement, an A-frame structure designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, will be built on the site of another historic church, which was also destroyed in the 6.3 magnitude quake.

“The Transitional Cathedral is a symbol of hope for the future of this city as well as being sustainable and affordable,” spokesman Richard Gray said yesterday.The temporary cathedral will be made of cardboard tubes, timber beams, structural steel and a concrete pad, and is intended to last more than 20 years. It is expected to be finished in time for Christmas services in December.

Ban is known for his reinforced paper and cardboard structures and designed a similar “paper church” after the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan. The Reverend Craig Dixon, a church spokesman, said the cathedral would seat 700 people, cost up to NZ$5 million (£2.58m), and would be used for 10 years while a permanent replacement is designed and built.

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

He said the structure would be weatherproof and fire-resistant and that the plan is to use traditional materials such as concrete, steel and wood to provide structural support to the A-frame-style cathedral and an attached annexe.

Up to two dozen shipping containers inside would provide space for offices, a kitchen and storage, he added, while the roof would be made of an opaque polycarbonate material. Christchurch’s landmark cathedral was a favourite meeting place and tourist attraction, but any chance of saving it was ended by several strong aftershocks that caused more damage.

New Zealand faces a NZ$20 billion (£11bn) bill to rebuild its second largest city, the centre of which remains off limits more than a year after the quake.

However, thousands of tremors, some with magnitudes of up to 6, have delayed any concerted rebuilding.

Mr Gray, the chairman of a church group that has been driving the project, said the cathedral will make a statement that Christchurch is moving forward, and that people are finding solutions that are not only innovative but also environmentally friendly – after all, he points out, the cathedral would be recyclable.

Anglican leaders in Christchurch have chosen a site in Latimer Square, about 300 yards from the ruins of the current cathedral and near where 115 people died when the Canterbury Television (CTV) building collapsed.

“It’s very symbolic that it’s across the road from the CTV building. It’s very poignant,” Mr Gray said.

Anglican leaders have yet to submit their final plans to city officials, who would need to approve them before construction could begin.