TW-1633758 Paper Dome in Puli, Taiwan

In Japan after the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 some 60 % of all buildings in Kobe were destroyed, including the Takatori Catholic Church. On a pro bono basis Shigeru Ban, a Japanese architect, already well-known for his paper tube structures and buildings erected the Paper Dome, a small unusual church  built with a lot of components made of paper. It was erected as a temporary structure from 58 cardboard tubes; and with 160 volunteers the church was completed in 5 weeks. It became a church and a community meeting place.

In 1999, there was another big earthquake, this time in Puli, Taiwan. The Paper Dome had by then become too small for its original purpose in Japan and so the members of the Church decided to donate the building as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. It took several years before the structure could be dismantled, shipped and rebuilt in Tao-Mi village in Taiwan.

The Paper Dome ‘church’ is now located in Puli, about 20 miles from Sun Moon Lake. The structure is located in an area with pleasant gardens with ponds, fountains and delightful paths.

This postcard came from Jie (23 July 2015) Postcrossing.