{"id":581516,"date":"2026-08-27T02:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T02:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/581516\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T02:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T02:38:23","slug":"cardboard-cathedral-architect-offered-to-design-reverends-home-for-free-all-things-property-under-oneroof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/581516\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Cardboard\u2019 Cathedral architect offered to design reverend\u2019s home for free, All things property, under OneRoof"},"content":{"rendered":"

– Craig Dixon\u2019s Bryndwr home, influenced by Shigeru Ban, is now listed for sale.<\/p>\n

– Ban offered to design Dixon\u2019s house free, but his U-shaped sketches influenced its final design.<\/p>\n

– The four-bedroom home features solar-assisted heating, ventilation, sunlight-filled spaces and adaptable indoor-outdoor living.<\/p>\n

The Anglican priest who brought the Cardboard Cathedral to Christchurch has a rather unusual claim to fame as a homeowner: the cathedral\u2019s creator, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, once offered to design his house for free.<\/p>\n

Reverend Craig Dixon declined the offer, but Ban still visited his friend\u2019s Bryndwr section, sketched out his ideas, and gave the finished home his seal of approval when he visited. That same home has now been listed for sale<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dixon is well known both in Christchurch and the wider architectural community as the man who brought the Transitional Cathedral to life after the 2011 earthquakes, approaching Ban with the idea of creating a temporary place of worship while the original cathedral was out of action.<\/p>\n

Ban was already known for his innovative use of paper tubes in disaster zones, and the resulting Christchurch building became one of the city\u2019s most recognisable landmarks.<\/p>\n

\"Reverend<\/p>\n

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban designed the Transitional \u201cCardboard\u201d Cathedral for Christchurch. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

\"Reverend<\/p>\n

Reverend Craig Dixon in 2012 checking the cardboard tubes that would be used in Ban\u2019s build. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

Dixon, who was the cathedral\u2019s marketing and development manager at the time of the earthquakes, came across Ban\u2019s unusual work in a design magazine his wife had given him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really like design,\u201d Dixon told OneRoof. \u201cSo I went back to the staff, and Dean Peter Beck said, \u2018Hey, why don\u2019t we build a cardboard cathedral? Let\u2019s get in touch with this guy\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dixon did that and Ban was in New Zealand within six weeks. <\/p>\n

Dixon ended up looking after Ban during the 30-odd visits to Christchurch. \u201cIt was a pretty amazing journey,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

The journey also shaped how the Dixons designed and built their own home on the 994sqm section at 40B Brookside Terrace. <\/p>\n

Discover more: <\/p>\n

– ‘I’m not the easiest customer’: Mike Pero selling up after island property swap<\/a><\/p>\n

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– Xero country boss selling her mid-century ‘masterpiece’ home for close to $5m<\/a><\/p>\n

Ban visited the site during one of his trips. \u201cHe actually offered to design me a house for free, and I thought, \u2018Oh wow\u2019. But I said no because I thought, \u2018Well, I\u2019m not an emergency\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ban did, however, sketch some ideas for a U-shaped house, which influenced the final design. \u201cHe said the most important thing about a house is that it has to be good for people to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ban visited the four-bedroom home once it was complete \u201cHe is very critical,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cHe speaks his mind. If he thought it was rubbish, he\u2019d say: \u2018No, I think your house is rubbish\u2019. But he thought it was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cardboard Cathedral experience also reinforced Dixon\u2019s long-held interest in the way New Zealand builds houses.<\/p>\n

\"Reverend<\/p>\n

The U-shaped house at 40B Brookside Terrace won Shigeru Ban\u2019s approval. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

\"Reverend<\/p>\n

The design makes the most of the sun, with the house bathed in light during the day. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

After leaving the cathedral, he volunteered with construction company Naylor Love on a social housing project to produce affordable, highly functional homes. The company eventually twisted Dixon\u2019s arm to suspend his retirement and join the staff. He spent several years involved in the project. <\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot,\u201d he told OneRoof. Those lessons are evident in his own home, where the emphasis is on making the house comfortable, warm and practical. <\/p>\n

For Dixon, however, the technology is ultimately about the people living in the house. <\/p>\n

\u201cShigeru said it doesn\u2019t matter so much what a house is made of, or even necessarily what it looks like,\u201d he said. \u201cThe most important thing about a house is that it has to be good for people to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n

40B Brookside Terrace has expansive spaces, and the technology and design features aren\u2019t particularly complicated or expensive additions. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t cost a lot more to heat it, and it feels so much better to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Reverend<\/p>\n

A stained glass artwork that echoes the design of the Transitional Cathedral sits on the Dixons\u2019 cardboard mantelpiece. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

The design also makes the most of the sun, with multiple spaces offering different places to enjoy it throughout the day. The gallery entrance is a particular favourite thanks to all-day sun. <\/p>\n

The open-plan kitchen and dining area connects to the deck and garden, with doors that can be opened wide in good weather. <\/p>\n

The entire floor is heated with hot water through two heat pumps, while the solar panels contribute energy to the system. A balanced air exchange ventilation system constantly brings fresh air into the house while extracting stale air, moisture and CO\u2082.<\/p>\n

Now, after a decade in the home, it is time for the Dixons to move on. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 71 now, and at some stage we thought we\u2019d downsize, so we\u2019re downsizing,\u201d he said. \u201cOur four kids have gone, it\u2019s just Kate and I.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no hint of retirement from building, though. Dixon said he is planning his next project. \u201cI really love building, and I\u2019d like to build again,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d like to try and prove through the next build that you can build something that\u2019s high performance, low cost, and great for people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to have a shot at that and be able to say, \u2018Hey look, this house works really well, and yet it didn\u2019t cost the earth\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in New Zealand we pay an awful lot of money \u2013 too much money \u2013 for a substandard product.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bayleys listing agent Belinda Ellis told OneRoof that she had been familiar with the home for several years because her office was a stone\u2019s throw away, and that she would happily buy it herself. She loves its single-level design and the way it can open up or close down, depending on how it is being used. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just the most amazing home,\u201d she said. \u201cSomeone will be a very lucky owner. Tucked away down a back driveway, the house is so private and hidden that you would hardly know it was there. And then the sanctuary unfolds. It\u2019s just gorgeous.\u201d <\/p>\n

She pointed out that the home had a Cardboard Cathedral-style stained glass artwork, sitting on a cardboard side-board, although the couple will be taking those with them when they leave. <\/p>\n

Dixon said: \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic house to live in. We love it.\u201d <\/p>\n

– 40B Brookside Terrace, Bryndwr, Christchurch, goes to auction on September 10<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"– Craig Dixon\u2019s Bryndwr home, influenced by Shigeru Ban, is now listed for sale. – Ban offered to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581517,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,1258,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-581516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-latest-news","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}