The earthquake-prone city of Christchurch, New Zealand, suffered severe damage in 2010-2012 earthquakes. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban designed a temporary replacement for the damaged Christ Church Cathedral using 96 cardboard tubes reinforced with wooden beams, shipping containers for walls and a polycarbonate roof. The building, known as the ‘Cardboard Cathedral’, is earthquake-proof, fireproof and weatherproof. Christchurch is the second most populous city in New Zealand and was the site of a far-right terrorist attack in 2019.
Architects and engineers are always looking for ways to make buildings safer and more resilient, especially in earthquake-prone areas. Christchurch, New Zealand is just such a place, with a series of particularly severe earthquakes between September 2010 and January 2012. The worst of these earthquakes hit the city on February 22, 2011, killing 185 people and destroying or damaging thousands of buildings, including major damage to Christ Church Cathedral.
In one of the most innovative attempts to build an earthquake-resistant structure, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban was asked to design a temporary replacement. His ingenious building consists of 96 giant cardboard tubes reinforced with wooden beams, with a polycarbonate roof and walls made from shipping containers. Widely known as the ‘Cardboard Cathedral’, the building is earthquake-proof, fireproof and weatherproof, as the cardboard has been coated with polyurethane and flame retardants. It was dedicated in 2013 and has been welcoming worshipers ever since.
A closer look at Christchurch:
Located in the South Island of New Zealand, Christchurch is the second most populous city in the country, after Auckland.
In March 2019, two mosques in Christchurch were targeted by a far-right terrorist; the mass shootings claimed the lives of 51 people.
Due to its extreme southern location, Christchurch has historically been a jumping-off point for Antarctic expeditions, including those led by Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott.
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