Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Cardboard cathedral to be built in Christchurch

Updated at 9:04 pm on 16 April 2012

A $5.3 million temporary replacement for Christchurch's Anglican cathedral could be completed by the end of the year.

Chair of the church's transitional cathedral group, Richard Gray, says they currently have about $4 million from insurance cover and fundraising, but will begin raising the rest as soon as possible.

The cathedral, designed by a Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, uses cardboard tubes, as well as timber beams and structural steel and is intended to last more than 20 years.

The temporary structure will be built in Latimer Square, on the site of St John's Church which was demolished after the last February's earthquake.

Seating will be available for up to 700 people and the building will be available for performances, exhibitions and civic and community events as well church services.

Christchurch architects Warren and Mahoney are involved in the project and one of the directors, Peter Marshall, says the cathedral will not in any sense be flimsy.

"There are quite stringent structural requirements both in the configuration and make up of the card board and, on top of that, there are structural systems that are embedded within and adjacent to the cardboard tubes."

He says the building will withstand potential earthquakes and high winds.

Shigeru Ban is giving his time and expertise free as a gift to the diocese and the city.

Site of cathedral appropriate - Bishop

The new church will be just a few blocks away from the original cathedral, near the site of the collapsed CTV building.

115 people died when that building was destroyed in the February quake.

But the Bishop, Victoria Matthews, says they could not have picked a better spot.

She says despite being close to where so many people died, the cathedral would be a symbol of new life.

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