ARCHITECTURAL TECHNIQUES - Shigeru Ban, cardboard constructions... Emmanuelle Mezino

TEXT:

Shigeru Ban,is a Japanese architect best known for his architectural works made of cardboard. After the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and Istanbul in 1999, Shigeru Ban invented the “paper houses”.

These houses designed to house the refugees are built on beer crates filled with plastic sandbags used as seats. The cardboard tube walls are connected by bolted metal rods making a simple frame supporting a canvas. The paper dome is limited by the high cost of wooden joints . The tunnel arch is about 73,8m long ,25m wide and 15,5 m high. On the surface of the arcs there is a grid of paper combs in the shape of equilateral triangles, on which are attached louvers for ventilation . We know that the joints were fixed with tape . For this work , Shigeru Ban designed a large structure consisting of 28m range arches ,using cardboard tubes as a material subjected to axial pressure .

VOCABULARY:

Cardboard: carton
beer crates:caisses de bières
plastic sandbags sacs de sable de plastique
bolted metal rods tiges métalliques boulonnées
canvas : toiles
Frame : cadre
wooden joints: joints en bois
arches / arcs : voûtes/ arcs
louvers :persiennes
tape : ruban adhésif
Combs : peignes