WORLD
Transitional Cardboard Cathedral to Commemorate Demolished Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand
Baku, April 18 (AZERTAC). New Zealand`s historic 131-year-old Christchurch Cathedral, which was heavily damaged in Feb. 2011`s 6.3-magnitude earthquake, will be commemorated by a Transitional cardboard church before construction on a new cathedral begins.
The decision to demolish what was left of the Anglican Church, a hallmark of the country`s second largest city, was taken back in February amid some controversy.
"It is not an easy decision for many of us to accept," said Christchurch`s mayor Bob Parker, though some, like city Councilor Aaron Keown, threatened to chain himself to the cathedral to prevent it from being taken down.
Plans are already underway to build a new cathedral in the old one`s place, but first a Transitional cathedral made out of cardboard will be erected at the site of another nearby church, St. John`s at Latimer Square, which was also demolished as a result of the damage sustained by last year`s disaster, which killed 185 people and leveled 6,000 homes.
The idea of a cardboard cathedral, which was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, is inspired by a recently opened temporary sports stadium mounted on steel tubes and a temporary shopping mall built out of shipping containers, which are part of efforts of starting the rebuilding process in Christchurch. According to a press release, the cardboard church will be assembled using paper and cardboard tubes on an A-frame of timber beams and structural steel.
The memorial building is expected to cost $5.3 million and hopes are it will be completed by the end of the year - and last a good two-to-three decades. It is expected to hold up to 700 people.