Materials for cardboard cathedral arrive

12:55 pm on 18 September 2012

Cardboard tubes that will form the structure of a temporary cathedral have arrived in Christchurch on Tuesday.

The church will serve as replacement for the Anglican ChristChurch Cathedral, which was badly damaged in the February 2011 earthquake and is being demolished.

The 180 six-metre-long tubes will be coated in polyurethane, joined together in groups of three and have laminated beams put inside.

A spokesperson for ChristChurch Cathedral says that will make up the $5 million building's distinctive structure designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban.

Craig Dixon says the cardboard cathedral will be made to 100% of the building code and will last for at least 50 years.

Concrete foundations will be poured at the building's Latimer Square site on Monday, he says.