The building rises 21 metres (69 ft) above the altar.
Materials used include 60-centimetre (24 in)-diameter cardboard tubes, timber and steel.
The roof is of polycarbon, with eight shipping containers forming the walls.
The foundation is concrete slab.
The architect wanted the cardboard tubes to be the structural elements, but local manufacturers could not produce tubes thick enough and importing the cardboard was rejected.
The 96 tubes, reinforced with laminated wood beams, are "coated with waterproof polyurethane and flame retardants" with two-inch gaps between them so that light can filter inside.
Instead of a replacement rose window, the building has triangular pieces of stained glass.
The building seats around 700 people.
It serves as a conference venue as well as a cathedral.

The Wizard of New Zealand, one of the strongest critics of the Diocese for wanting to demolish ChristChurch Cathedral and who had been a daily speaker in Cathedral Square, called the design "kitsch".

Lonely Planet named Christchurch one of the "top 10 cities to travel to in 2013" in October 2012, and the cathedral was cited as one of the reasons that makes the city an exciting place.
The building rises 21 metres (69 ft) above the altar. Materials used include 60-centimetre (24 in)-diameter cardboard tubes, timber and steel. The roof is of polycarbon, with eight shipping containers forming the walls. The foundation is concrete slab. The architect wanted the cardboard tubes to be the structural elements, but local manufacturers could not produce tubes thick enough and importing the cardboard was rejected. The 96 tubes, reinforced with laminated wood beams, are "coated with waterproof polyurethane and flame retardants" with two-inch gaps between them so that light can filter inside. Instead of a replacement rose window, the building has triangular pieces of stained glass. The building seats around 700 people. It serves as a conference venue as well as a cathedral.
The Wizard of New Zealand, one of the strongest critics of the Diocese for wanting to demolish ChristChurch Cathedral and who had been a daily speaker in Cathedral Square, called the design "kitsch".
Lonely Planet named Christchurch one of the "top 10 cities to travel to in 2013" in October 2012, and the cathedral was cited as one of the reasons that makes the city an exciting place.
Cardboard Cathedral