Shigeru Ban's Cardboard Bridge

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, known for his cardboard houses, has just installed his latest endeavor in the paper-building world—a temporary bridge over the Gardon River, in the south of France. The 7.5-ton structure is made of 281 of Shigeru's trademark cardboard tubes, each of which measures 4 inches across and 0.47 inches thick. It provides a visual foil to the nearby Pont du Gard: an ancient Roman bridge now listed as a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.

"The cardboard is an interesting contrast to the heavy stone structure," Ban says. "The shape is based on the shape of the Roman arch to give the two bridges some harmony." The steps of his bridge are made from recycled paper and plastic, while wooden boxes packed with sand comprise the foundations. "I chose the cardboard because it was light weight and it had to be easy to dismantle, and the materials were easy to collect locally."