Shigeru Ban Builds Bridge Out of Paper

Shigeru Ban is familiar to TreeHuggers for his eco-friendly buildings and use of unusual materials; now he has built a bridge out of cardboard tubes. It's in France, half a mile from the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman bridge; Ban says "It is a very interesting contrast, the Roman stone bridge and the paper bridge. Paper too can be permanent, can be strong and lasting. We need to get rid of these prejudices."

The bridge can hold up to twenty people at a time; it was load tested with balloons filled with 1.5 tonnes of water. There are 281 four inch diameter tubes, plus steps of recycled paper and foundations made from wooden boxes filled with sand.

"A bridge was one of my dreams," Ban said, as he thanked the two dozen French architecture students and three from Japan who built the bridge as a month-long project.::Splurch