St John the Baptist Church, Christchurch
| Cardboard Cathedral | |
|---|---|
The Cardboard Cathedral in July 2013 before its opening
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| Coordinates: 43°31′56.1″S 172°38′34.3″E / 43.532250°S 172.642861°E | |
| Location | Christchurch Central City |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Official website |
| History | |
| Dedicated | August 2013 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Shigeru Ban |
| Construction cost | NZ$5m |
| Specifications | |
| Number of floors | one |
| Materials | cardboard tubes, timber, steel |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Victoria Matthews |
The Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, is the transitional pro-cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch opened in August 2013. It was designed by architect Shigeru Ban and seats around 700 people.
The site, on the corner of Hereford and Madras Streets in Latimer Square, is several blocks from the permanent location of ChristChurch Cathedral, which was significantly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
The building is on a section allocated to the Anglican church in Christchurch's original 1850 survey opposite Latimer Square. It was originally the site of St John the Baptist Church, the first church built in permanent materials by Anglicans in Christchurch, which was demolished after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The St John parish gave the land, and in return can use the building and will keep it once a permanent cathedral can be used.
Following the earthquakes, Shigeru Ban was invited to Christchurch by Rev. Craig Dixon, the cathedral's marketing and development manager, to discuss a temporary cathedral that could also host concerts and civic events. The concept was developed during that visit. Ban, who is characterised as a "disaster architect", designed the building pro bono; Ban collaborated with Christchurch architecture firm Warren and Mahoney.
Initially it was hoped to have the cathedral open in February 2012 for the first earthquake anniversary.A-frame in style, rising 24 metres (79 ft), it would incorporate 86 cardboard tubes of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) each atop 6 metres (20 ft) long containers. However, it was not until April 2012 that the site was blessed, and construction began on 24 July 2012. Once the decision had been made that the building would remain for St John parish, it was constructed as a permanent structure.
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Wikipedia