Shigeru Ban uses paper tubes not just a simple concrete forms, but as in structural and design elements in his work. When he thought of the idea at first he was designing for Alvar Aalto's expedition of furniture, and wanted to use a nice light Finnish wood, but because of a short budget and the small amount of time the would be up Ban thought of the tubes. He used the all of the expedition floor as bases, dividers, wall decor, and even as hanging ceiling panels. Everyone was very impressed with the idea.
He doesnt just use the paper tubes as decor, but as whole structural elements as well. One well-known house, The Paper House, has the paper tubes a entire structural support pieces and as walls, with the help of some columns at corners. he even used one large paper tube as a space for a toilet.
One last well-known paper tube design is the Paper Church, which was a project Ban did with the help of the towns' victims destroyed a towns' church. It was a very inexpensive design, and could be dismantled easlily and put right back up in another needy area.
