Western Container Corporation News & Events

Building Homes with Paper Tubes

Updated On: 5/20/2026

Key Takeaways: Building Homes with Paper Tubes

• Paper Tubes Enable Innovative, Eco‑Friendly Construction — Architects like Shigeru Ban use reinforced paper tubes as structural columns for homes, offices, and even cathedrals.
• Recyclability and Renewability Drive Their Appeal — Paper is easy to recycle, sustainably sourced, and supports low‑impact building methods.
• Special Coatings Allow Paper Tubes to Withstand Weather — Treated tubes resist moisture, wind, and temperature swings, giving structures a 20–30‑year lifespan.
• Paper Tubes Offer Strength at a Fraction of Traditional Costs — Reinforced tubes can endure earthquakes, snow loads, and hurricanes while remaining far more affordable than conventional materials.

Becoming environmentally friendly is something that a lot of companies are striving for these days, and because of this a lot of these companies are on the lookout for new ways to create environmentally friendly products that are both practical and recyclable. Because of this paper tubes are starting to be used in various applications that it has not normally been used in. Some examples of these uses are clocks, lighting, furniture, and just recently paper has been used to create entire buildings.

Paper is used so wildly for these "green" applications because it is so easy to recycle and reuse, and it is an unlimited resource as long as proper care is placed in the harvesting and replanting of the trees from which we get paper. Shigeru Ban has devoted his entire career into making paper buildings, and has built a number of homes, offices and even a cathedral from paper.

In order to achieve a completely recyclable building from paper, one must add certain additives to the paper in order to make it more resistant to weather conditions. All of the buildings that Shigeru Ban has constructed are designed in a way that gives them a life of 20 to 30 years. And while this may seem like a short lifespan, the cost to create these types of buildings is much less than traditional building methods.

Start Building with Paper Tubes

One form of paper that he uses to create his building are paper tubes and cores, these tubes are used as columns in order to keep the structure stable through earthquakes, snowstorms, and even hurricanes. So the next time you order paper cores or paper tubes, think of all the possibilities paper has. Contact Western Container to learn more!