It’s hard not to feel a tinge of emotion when standing inside the Paper Dome (紙教堂), a temporary church originally constructed in the aftermath of Japan’s Kobe Earthquake of 1995.
Architect Shigeru Ban decided to build the structure when he saw worshippers in Kobe holding prayer services in the rubble of the Takatori Church, which had burnt down after the quake. He assembled a team of more than 100 volunteers from the local community to build a replacement church made of cheap and recycled materials.
The Paper Dome was transported from Japan to Taiwan several years ago as a gesture of solidarity with survivors of the 921 Earthquake of 1999, which claimed more than 2,400 lives and remains one of the nation’s deadliest natural disasters in nearly a century. It was rebuilt and opened last year as a tourist attraction in Taomi Village (桃米村) in Nantou County’s Puli Township, near the quake’s epicenter.
The new locale adds a new significance to the Paper Dome (which Ban originally called the “Paper Church”). When the quake struck, Taomi had lost more than half of its buildings and was already on the verge of economic collapse as one of Puli’s poorest villages. After the quake, it was reborn as an eco-tourism destination and now offers a successful example of post-disaster recovery based on environmental conservation [See Page 13 of the Sept. 20, 2009, edition of the Taipei Times for the full story.]
The oval-shaped Paper Dome is beautiful in its simplicity and modesty. Its classical design conveys a quiet dignity and reverence, with unadorned columns and a high arched ceiling formed by a tent. The humble building materials adhere to Taomi’s eco-village ethos: the support columns and pews are made of industrial-grade recycled paper tubes.
From the outside, the Paper Dome, which covers nearly 170m2, looks like a rectangular box with a tent roof. The outer walls are actually a set of 40 weatherproof plastic doors, which can be folded away to let in natural light during the day. At night, from a distance, the building looks like a giant candle-lit lantern.
The idea to bring the Paper Dome to Taiwan came from Liao Chia-chan (廖嘉展), chairman of New Homeland Foundation
(新故鄉文教基金會), a Puli-based non-government organization, or NGO, devoted to helping the area’s poorer communities with economic development.
While in Japan in 2005 for the 10th anniversary of the Kobe Earthquake, Liao learned that the Paper Dome would be torn down as the church’s congregation had outgrown the space. He immediately thought of bringing it to Taiwan, as it could serve as a symbolic “exchange platform” between Japan and Taiwan on matters related to earthquake recovery.
After three years of filling out government applications, fundraising and consulting with Ban and community residents in Kobe, the Paper Dome opened to the Taiwanese public on the ninth anniversary of the 921 Earthquake.
Surrounded by grassy fields, gardens and knolls, the Paper Dome sits next to an outdoor pavilion that serves as a community space and cafe created by renowned architect Jay Chiu (邱文傑), who designed the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan (九 二 一 地震教育園區) in Taichung County.
Chiu, who also oversaw rebuilding of the Paper Dome in Taomi, designed the pavilion to contrast with the classical feel of the Paper Dome. Yet it shares the same affinity for the area’s natural surroundings. Painted in a pastel green, the roofed structure is full of gentle, soothing curves and geometric patterns. The pavilion immediately feels welcoming and serves as the entrance to the grounds of the Paper Dome.
Chiu’s design nods to Ban in the use of cheap materials. The structure has a corrugated roof and is made entirely of steel “C Channel” beams, commonly associated with low-end construction in Taiwan. Chiu had the beams custom-made to accommodate the structure’s unusual design. The intention in using these materials, he says, was to “celebrate the local” in a “respectful” manner.
The grounds were also designed to be photography-friendly, with ponds full of rocks, lilies and dragonflies, as well as large pools that show reflections of the Paper Dome and cafe area.
Even though tourist numbers continue to climb — since the Lunar New Year, there have been over 120,000 visitors — the Paper Dome will continue to serve as a place for local community development, says Liao Chia-chan. Several locally made crafts, including hats and bags made of paper pulp, are currently being promoted at the Paper Dome’s gift shop, and plans are underway to open an organic farmer’s market run by a local Aboriginal community.
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