Paper Brick House at Venice Biennale

paper house interior stair photo

Li Xinggang designed the Chinese Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale entirely out of paper. According to Designboom, "the aim of the 'paper brick house' was to construct a paper house which is fully functional and allows people to
live, play, meet and continue on with other daily activities. the house is constructed from cardboard boxes which previously held drawing papers and behave much like 'bricks'. unused cylindrical shafts which were originally paper tubes, have been used to as structural support acting as beams, flooring and roofing."

paper house exterior photo

"A raft of paper tubes on gravel-filled woven mesh bags, a typical shock absorbing structure which corresponds to the tradition of construction in Venice - a city floating above undersea layers of silt. The focus of the house is an internal courtyard which is a Chinese tradition, enhancing the building's connection to the street and neighboring infrastructure, acting as a public space, providing a resting place for visitors and others passing by to stop and rest."

paper house stair from tubes photo