Paper Bridge in France by Shigeru Ban

In southern France, near the ancient Roman stone bridge Pont du Gard, a bridge made of 281 paper tubes was constructed for several months. The author of the structure is the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who has gained fame around the world for his "paper" architecture. His bridge weighs 7.5 tons and can support up to 20 people at once. The paper tubes have a diameter of 10 cm and a wall thickness of 1 cm. The foot steps consist of a mixture of recycled paper and plastic, and the foundations are wooden boxes filled with sand. The bridge was built in less than a month by 24 French students along with three colleagues from Japan. It will be dismantled in just six weeks, before the rainy season begins. The statics of the bridge connecting one bank of the Gardon River to a sandy island were tested using balloons filled with water that weighed one and a half tons. Shigeru Ban adds: "There is a very interesting contrast between the stone bridge and the paper bridge. However, paper can also be permanent, resilient, and lasting. We must finally rid ourselves of prejudices."Link>
The event is so interesting for the media that the newspaper Právo published a short video yesterday on its website, featuring not only the architect but also the students who built the bridge. Link>