After nearly two years of planning and construction, Christchurch's Transitional Cathedral, designed by renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, has opened its doors to the public.
The eye-catching building is made up of 98 cardboard tubes weighing up to 120 kilograms and measuring up to 20-metres-long. It can seat up to 700 people and has been built to last for up to 50 years.
Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism chief executive, Tim Hunter, said the cathedral has provoked strong international interest and he expects most visitors will be curious to see inside it.
christchurchnz.com "Even when it was still under construction, staff at our i-SITE Visitor Centre and taxi drivers in the city were fielding lots of requests from visitors keen to see it, so we're expecting it to be a very popular attraction,'' he explained.
"It's a fascinating building, not only from an architectural and engineering point of view, but also because of the story it tells. It is a building which says much about Christchurch's resilience and creativity.''
While the cardboard cathedral has been primarily built as a place of worship, it can also be used as a venue for concerts and special events.
"It is a venue unlike any other in the world so it's going to very popular with event organisers looking for a place with a wow-factor. We're delighted it is being made available in this way and look forward to welcoming visitors from all around the world through its doors,'' concluded Hunter.