Paper domes in Japanese design style

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is known for designing cardboard buildings: he built amongst others the Japanese pavilion for Expo 2000 and the 'paper house'. Last summer his first project in the Netherlands was realized: a temporary theatre in Amsterdam's new district IJburg.

The theatre has the shape of a geodetic dome with 30 m diameter. The primary structure exists of cardboard cylinders of 20 cm diameter, varying in length between 1,2 and 1,5 meters.

Watertight skin

Buitink Technology manufactured the watertight skin of the pavilion, which exists of a PVC-coated polyester fabric that is tightened over the cardboard skeleton. This fabric is kept at distance from the skeleton by spacers with "dishes" attached to them. The fabric was laid over the dome and then attached to the cardboard by clamping it between the "dishes".

This construction method was necessary because after a couple of weeks the dome was taken down and moved to a new location. Since 3 July 2004 the Paper Dome is located in Leidschen Rijn near Utrecht, where it is used as a museum for mobile architecture.

More information

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