Remember that earthquake a while back in New Zealand? Well a lot of the ruins are still down and temporary and replacement structures are starting to pop up in their places. One really interesting one is the proposed "Cardboard Cathedral" meant to temporarily replace the Massive "ChristChurch" that was heavily damaged in the quake. The architect, Shigeru ban, known for creating emergency situation buildings and other paper structures, proposed an A-frame building out of cardboard that would stand 78 feet tall and could last up to 10 years.
Before you say that it won't work, think about this. Cardboard is actually used in modern housing construction already and in countless buildings and public structures around the world. The strength of a material does not determine the strength of a structure, and things like weight, recyclability, cost, strength, and availability actually make it much more plausible than other materials. In other words, it's a GREAT material for a temporary building.
Anyways, read the article below and if you think it's cool we can use things like paper and cardboard to make buildings, check out the video below...this guy actually makes "living" creatures.
article:
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/massive-cathedral-to-be-rebuilt-with-cardboard.html
My brother the architect has worked a lot with cardboard in his design work. It's a wonderful alternative to traditional building materials, especially in situations where speed of constructions trumps longevity of the structure.
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