Yakushima Takatsuka Lodge
by Shigeru Ban

Architect Shigeru Ban has constructed another building using cardboard tubes – this time a cabin for hikers in a Japanese national park.

Located off the southern coast of Japan on Yakushima Island, Yakushima Takatsuka Lodge sits on a steep woodland slope within the Kirishima-Yaku National Park.

Like many of Shigeru Ban’s buildings, the walls of the hut are made from rolls of recycled paper that have been reinforced with glue. The tubes slot into the gaps between the wooden framework, creating a weather-resistant facade that will be easy to repair.

“Paper tubes can be easily replaced if damaged overtime within the harsh environment of the mountains,” say the designers.

The cabin sits over the foundations of a demolished older structure and it offers a two-storey hideaway that can be used by anyone trekking through the park.

Light filters through the walls via gaps between the tubes, while a wooden door slides open to provide access and a first-floor mezzanine leads out to a small balcony. A sharply inclined roof helps to drain rainwater.

Shigeru Ban has been building architectural structures from cardboard for nearly 25 years. Most recently he completed a cardboard cathedral for the earthquake-damaged city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and has also created a temporary home for the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture in Moscow.

Photography is by Hiroyuki Hirai.

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