{{Christchurch\u2019s cardboard cathedral officially opens on Thursday, replacing the neo Gothic structure destroyed in a 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people in New Zealand\u2019s second largest city.}}<\/p>\n
Completion of the innovative structure, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, marks a major milestone in the city\u2019s recovery from the devastating 6.3-magnitude quake that levelled much of the downtown area, acting dean Lynda Patterson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old cathedral symbolised the city in many ways and we think this cathedral is a symbol that Christchurch is regrouping and rebuilding,\u201d she told media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community has a cathedral again. It\u2019s a place where people can come for quiet contemplation in the city centre and somewhere we can hold concerts and art exhibitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Built from 600 millimetre (24 inch) diameter cardboard tubes coated with waterproof polyurethane and flame retardants, the cathedral is a simple A frame structure that can hold 700 people.<\/p>\n
Despite the unusual building material, it has a design life of 50 years, with the Anglican Church planning to use it as a cathedral for at least a decade while it builds a permanent replacement for the late 19th century building lost in the quake.<\/p>\n
It has a concrete base, with the cardboard tubes forming two sides of the A frame and containers helping brace the walls.<\/p>\n
One end of the cathedral will be filled with stained glass and a polycarbon roof will help protect it from the elements.<\/p>\n
It is the most ambitious piece of \u201cemergency architecture\u201d attempted by Ban, who has forged a reputation for using low cost, easily available materials to build structures in disaster zones from Rwanda to his native Japan.<\/p>\n
In an interview with AFP last year, Ban said cardboard was a surprisingly strong building material and described projects such as the cathedral as part of the \u201csocial responsibility\u201d of being an architect.<\/p>\n
The project has not been without setbacks. It was originally slated for completion in November last year and the budget has reportedly increased from NZ$4.5 million ($3.6 million) to around NZ$7.0 million.<\/p>\n
Last month, some sections of cardboard tubing became sodden and wrinkly when a torrential downpour hit before the roof was completed, although they were swiftly cut out and replaced.<\/p>\n
Patterson said it was a relief to finally stage the building\u2019s dedication service on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still keep having dreams that the ground has shifted and I\u2019ll go there and it\u2019s a building site again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She added that reaction to the cathedral from parishioners and the public had been \u201coverwhelmingly positive\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom time to time we wondered if we\u2019d ever get there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of us can believe how good it\u2019s turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plans for a permanent replacement of the original cathedral have not been completed, with many in Christchurch pushing for any new structure to include a recreation of the imposing spire that dominated the city\u2019s skyline before it toppled in the quake.<\/p>\n
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