Shigeru Ban

de Andrew Barrie

In Christchurch's inner city an innovative and symbolic structure has just taken shape: a 'Cardboard Cathedral' to stand in for the historic building devastated by the earthquakes of September 2010 and February 2011. Signalling the beginnings of renewal in the CBD, the cathedral is the first new civic building completed since the quakes. Shigeru Ban, its designer, is a world-class architect and expert in disaster-zone building - and the new transitional cathedral is his largest post-disaster structure to date. In essays, building plans and specially commissioned photography, Shigeru Ban: Cardboard Cathedral tells the story of this remarkable feat. Originally conceived as a temporary building, its construction involved design challenges, structural innovations and community involvement; and the finished, now permanent structure seems set to become an enduring symbol of Christchurch's revival. Includes a foreword by the Very Reverend Lynda Patterson, dean of Christchurch Cathedral; an essay by Shigeru Ban himself; documentary photographs by Bridgit Anderson; full-colour plates by Stephen Goodenough; and an afterword by David Mitchell.