

The image of cardboard still remains that of a packaging material, but in the last few years, at home and abroad, different projects have been built using cardboard. This article gives a broad spectrum of projects and products using cardboard.
Cardboard tubes are being used by Shigeru Ban as a means of construction in a show of light and open space. Ad van Kil applies the specific texture of honeycell board. The lightness and the ability to recycle are properties fitting a short lifespan and temporary applications. As a result of these properties, two temporary theatres and one party tent have been built.
Cardboard is a lightweight, cheap and environmentally positive material. The packaging industry has a lot of knowledge on cardboard as a packaging material, in the building industry it is still a largely unknown material. To acquire a significant role in architecture, the mechanical and physical properties will have to be researched and determined. In principal, the fire and damp resistance problems could be overcome. Research also will have to be done into the possible areas of appliance, considering its characteristic properties. The lightness of the material and the possibility to fold and slide it, already led to a number of designs for temporary housing in disaster and war stricken areas.