Building with eco-friendly materials has become increasingly popular but one surprising development is the creation of cardboard structures. Designers have put the sturdy material to use in building permanent shelters in an effort to use recycled materials. This list is composed of examples of sustainable architecture that incorporate cardboard.
Retailers have taken advantage of cardboard's sustainable image to build eco-friendly stores. Spaces like recyclable bookstores and cardboard retail shops appeal to the eco-conscious consumer in a fun and creative way. By showing how sustainable they are, retailers are able to effortlessly increase sales while saving the environment.
Other designers have leveraged the tough material to help those in need. Structures like homeless cocoon shelters and simple pop-up shelters help those in need of a temporary shelter in a cheap and eco-friendly manner.
25 Sustainable Cardboard Structures

25
Cardboard Box Pop-Up Shops
Naver App Square is a Cool Temporary Store by Urbantainer

24
Odd Recyclable Offices
Alrik Koudenburg & Joost van Bleiswijk Design the Nothing Cardboard Bureau
23
Recyclable Bookstores
The Foldaway Bookshop is Earth and User-Friendly
22
Prefabricated Playgrounds
The Play Modern Cuba and 2cuba Playhouses are Built With Minimal Tools
21
Tubular Retail Spaces
Karis by Suppose Design Creates Wonder From Cardboard
20
Coiled Cardboard Structures
The Living Nature Pavilion Explores How Space and Light Interact
19
Cardboard Retail Shops
The Bombed Mache By Ksubi
18
Luxury Paper Pop-Ups
Hermes + Shigeru Ban Pavilion is an Eco-Friendly Design
17
Miniature Paper Cities
The 'Paper Metropolis' by Kiel Johnson Redefines Building Blocks
16
100% Recycled Home
The CardBoard House
15
Simple Pop-Up Shelters
Atelier OPA Creates Simple Cardboard Havens That Takes Seconds to Make
14
Cardboard Conference Cells
The Cellulose Meeting Pod Encourages Interactivity in Workplaces
13
Cardboard Room
Disposable Design at its Finest
12
Shipping Palette Retailers
The CLAE Pop-Up Shop is Designed With Sustainability in Mind
11
Flatpack Forts
The 'Villa Julia' Cardboard Playhouse Lets Kids Play Designer
10
Life-Sized Paper Houses
Chinese Architect Responds to Sichuan Earthquake
9
Cardboard Castle Constructions
Japanese Artist Upunushu Recreateas the Wondrous Matsumoto Castle
8
Crafted Paper Bridges
Shigeru Ban Built a River-Spanning Bridge Out of 281 Cardboard Tubes
7
Cardboard Churches
The 1864 Cathedral in New Zealand Will Be Rebuilt Out of Cardboard
6
Disaster Housing Designs
The Octagon Post-Earthquake House
5
Medieval Cardboard Chambers
The 'Hidden Lines' Guest Room by Jeroen van Mechelen
4
Cardboard Bridges
Japanese Architect's Eco-Friendly Bridge in France
3
Homeless Cocoon Shelters
This Nifty Hwang Kim Design Offers Discrete, Portable Outdoor Protection
2
Cardboard Cafes
B3 Designers at London Design Festival
1
Cavernous Cardboard Structures
The Cardboard Pavillion is a Great Example of Creative Architecture
Related Ideas
Sustainable Play Clothes
Peace House Studio Designs Are Made to Be Recycled
Multi-Material Home Composters
The Conceptual 'Toggle' Compost Bin Accepts Food Waste and Paper
Sustainable Lightweight Cat Toys
A Team of Designers Create the Pet-Friendly Cat Box
Nest-Inspired Urban Houses
This Vietnamese Dwelling Offers Respite From the Concrete Jungle
Pink-Hued Shipping Container Homes
These Pink Shipping Container Homes by Ishita Ganguly are Chic
Cat-Centric Compact Homes
This Japanese Dwelling Embraces Feline-Friendly Design Choices
Eco-Friendly Retail Pop-Ups
Stella McCartney's Ibiza Pop-Up Uses Recycled Wood; Efficient Lighting
Shipping Container Tiny Homes
UnContained Dreams Designs the Rising Sun Tiny Home
Plant-Based Cabin Constructions
Moontower Design Build Creates the Cross Cabin in Austin
Eco-Friendly Intricate Furniture Series
Rosana Sousa Designs a Sustainable Furniture Collection
Flexible Plywood-Made Pet Houses
The TUTO Pet House by Serhii Hotvianskyi is Modern Yet Functional
Origami-Inspired Sleek Cabins
A.L.P.S. Designs the Infinity Mobile Architecture System
Sustainable Design Materials
Mycoworks' 'Reishi' is Transforming Sustainability in Interior Design
Indoor Organic Waste Gardens
The Conceptual BOSCH Eco-Hub by Batuhan Duran is Sustainable
Accordion-Style Coffee Cups
The Accordion Paper Cup Concept is Easy to Carry
Educational Climate Change Toys
The 'Habitat' Educational Toy Brick Sets Come in Two Options
TV Packaging Seating Solutions
The 'Cuna' Furniture by Valeria Coello is Made Out of Cardboard
Serenely Stilted Houses
This Sustainable Tiny Home is Situated On An Elevated Platform
Plant-Based Timber Cabins
Moontower Design Build Has Created the Cross Cabin in Austin
Eco-Friendly Offices
Office@27 by Sanjay Puri Architects is Enhanced by Ancient Indian Principles
Futuristic Imaginative Design Concepts
Toyota Introduces the Unique E-Collection of Products
Treehouse-Inspired Norwegian Residences
This House Aesthetically Connects With its Surroundings
Extreme Space-Saving Architecture
A 74-Square-Foot Apartment is Redefining Urban Living
Reimagined Ecclesiastical Architecture
The Ørestad Church Was Designed by Henning Larsen
Reusable Paper-Made Water Bottles
The 'reU' Reusable Water Bottle Concept is Recyclable
Sophisticated Upcycled Home Sculptures
Origin Made Boasts the Exquisite Barco Basket Sculptures
Cardboard-Inspired Breathable Sneakers
adidas Introduces the Samba Cardboard Sneaker Model
Flexible Pre-Fabricated Homes
Rabih Hage Introduces His Latest Design — Muudo
Sustainable Paper Cosmetic Packaging
The Arcade Beauty Paper Packette is Made with 80% Paper
Power-Producing Home Designs
'House W' but the Florian Busch Architects is Barn-Shaped
Eco Strategy Games
Catan - New Energies Puts a Modern, Sustainable Twist on the Strategy Game
Eco-Friendly Luxury Villas
Kengo Kuma Designs the Land Villas for Red Sea Global
Sustainable Carton-Based Packaging
Tetra Pak Debuts Its First Trial Facility for Recart
Squid-Inspired Packaging
Squid-Inspired Packaging Revolutionizes Temperature Control
Eco-Friendly Bio-Composite Roof Tiles
Studio SKLIM's Lo-Hi Tech Project with Solar Paneling
Bendable Bio-Inspired Materials
The HygroShell is a Self-Constructing Timber Building System
Everyday Sustainable Bags
Out of the Woods Offers Versatile Bags for Essentials
Sustainable Fashion Stores
Cos Unveils Two Stores in Stockholm and Mexico City
Two-Person Wooden Dwellings
IAAC Designs the Moca Home Using Collected Wood in Barcelona
Cardboard-Resembling Illusion Cakes
Wholegreen Bakery Cooks up the Cardboard Cake
Repurposed Pasta Boxes
Barilla & Marie Kondo are Sharing How to Reuse Packaging
Self-Sufficient Housing Solutions
The 'Hillcrest House' is Entirely Solar-Powered
Recyclable eCommerce Packaging
This New Amazon Packaging is Paper-Made and Arriving in the UK
Transparent Climate Classrooms
Forma Transforms a Century-old Glasshouse in Copenhagen
Paper-Inspired Artful Museums
Bjarke Ingels Group Designed the Museum for Papirkunst
Sustainability-Oriented Kids Toys
Learning Resources Unveils a New Sustainable Toy Capsule
Sustainable Portable Cat Shelters
The Batsy Cat Shelter by Burcu Nehir Tüm Offers Comfort
Upcycled Circular Design Products
Cyrc Designs Expansive Products with Sustainable Themes
Contemporary Sustainable Mobile Homes
IAAC Designs the MO.CA (MOBILE CATALYST) Mobile Home
Sustainable Cafe Delivery Cases
This Paper Pulp Coffee Carrier Keeps Drinks Hot or Cold
Modular Camping Furniture
'Owomo' Created a Line of Build-Your-Own Camping Panels
Energy-Efficient Office Buildings
This Czech Office Complex is Outfitted With Eco-Friendly Designs
Recyclable Hardware Packaging
Nokia is Adopting Lighter Recyclable Packaging for Circularity
Sustainable Produce Packaging
These Cascades Eco-Friendly Produce Baskets are Recycled
Transparent Plant-Based Membranes
YutoEco Unveils the Sustainable Cellulose Substrate Packaging
Sustainable Pet Food Pouches
American Packaging Corporation Unveils a New Sustainable Solution
Bio-Based Compact Housing
Woonpioniers Designs the Sustainable Sprout Ruben & Marjolein House
Modernism Birdhouse Exhibitions
Andu Masebo and Rio Kobayashi Create the Dwellings Project
Bioplastic-Made Home Interiors
Natural Material Studio Presents the White Utopia Installation
Insulated Timber Sports Facilities
Localarchitecture Completes the Daillens Sports Facility
Sustainable Frozen Treat Packaging
Metsä Board Re-Designed its Ice Cream Packaging
Paper-Made Dissolvable E-Waste
Franziska Kerber Designs a New Source of Sustainable Electronic
Educational Linoleum Birdhouses
The 'ELVI' Birdhouse Educates About Sustainability
Sustainable Furniture Capsule Shops
Light and Dwell Open up a Store of Furniture Designs
Sustainable Cork-Based Sofa Designs
Paul Crofts and Isomi Design the Tejo System
3D-Printed Sturdy Homes
Progreso and COBOD Creates a Printed Durable Home Within Hours
Festive Bamboo Tissues Papers
The Stack-A-Tree is an Eco-friendly Twist on Holiday Decorations
Fungi-Based Building Materials
Mycocrete is an Eco Material Developed by Newcastle University
Upcycled Material Musical Instruments
The Yamaha Upcycling Guitar Concept Models are Sustainable
Discarded Toys-Created Homes
Wallmakers Designs the Toy Storey Home with Repurposed Toys
Sustainable Bamboo-Crafted Drones
Deepak Dadheech Designs the Eco-Friendly Bamboo Drone
Nestled Courtyard Homes
Mamout Designs the Dailly House Between Buildings in Belgium
Recyclable Paper Packaging Initiatives
Walmart is Swapping to Recyclable Packaging on All Channels
Bamboo-Based Sustainable Toiletries
'Caboo' Offers Wipes and Papers Made with Soft Bamboo
Cocoa Bean-Based Display Units
Mars Wrigley is Trialing a Second 'Cocoa Cardboard' Bean Display
3D-Printed Sustainable Home Designs
HONOKA LAB Presents the TATAMI ReFAB PROJECT
Hempcrete Garden Office Studios
Van Laethem Architecten Creates the New Garden Office
Economical Modular Wooden Homes
The Cake House Reinvents Housing in the Czech Republic
Waste Tarp-Made Public Seating
The Membran Collective Joins the Urban Networks Project
Sustainable Dish Sponge Alternatives
This 3-Pack of Pop Up Dish Sponges is Plastic-Free
Greenery-Packed Museum Buildings
This Science Museum is Designed Around a Central Park
Recycled Cardboard Toilet Papers
These Tesco Paper Products are for the Kitchen and Bathroom
Elevated Timber-Clad Homes
Habitable Form Designs the Victory Bay House on Kiawah Island
Sustainable Modular Desk Trays
A Team of Designers Join on a Minimal Tray Collection
Upcycled Plastic Construction Companies
'Kubik' Uses Plastic Waste as a Sustainable Material
Sustainable Outdoor Kitchen Designs
Ecoscape Has Introduced a New Range of Outdoor Kitchens
Electronic Packaging-Made Stools
Razeen Mohammed Designs the Portable EDGAR Stool
Sustainable Seasonal Chocolate Treats
PLAYin CHOC Christmas ToyChoc Boxes are Eco-Friendly
Low-Carbon Biomaterial Bricks
Tavs Jorgensen Created Sustainable Extruding Cob Bricks
Recycling-Centric Waterfront Homes
Measured Architecture Designs the Shor House Project
House-Layered Structural Designs
DCA Architects of Transformation Designs the Chodge
Reusable Framework Systems
Origami-Inspired System 'Unfold Form' Reduces Concrete and Steel Use
Sustainable Cork Desk Organizers
Faith Demirci Designs the Korka Organizer System
Digital Business Card Platforms
Digital Business Card Claims to Offer an Eco-Friendly Approach
Natural Material-Crafterd Holiday Homes
Johan Sundberg Arkitektur Designs the Sommarhus E
Sustainable Repurposed Clay Bricks
Mutina and Konstantin Grcic Create Eco-Friendly Bricks
Hempcrete-Crafted Sustainable Workspaces
Commonbond Architects Designs the Gardenhide Studio
Tree-Free Sustainable Packaging
Craste Uses Crop Residue to Create Eco-Friendly Packaging
Paper-Made Mushroom Packaging
Sainsbury's Mushroom Punnets are Now Made with Cardboard
Eco-Conscious Product Lines
Birla Cellulose Designs a Sustainable Apparel Line with Ka-Sha
Doughnut-Shaped Elevated Houses
Studio Saxe Designs the Sinfornia Verde in Carate, Costa Rica
Eco-Friendly Refurbished Studios
Workers of Art Presents the WOA Second Home in Kochi
Organic Plastic Furniture Series
Kasper Kyster Creates the Crafting Plastic Collection
Sustainably Crafted Pavilions
Shigeru Ban Introduces the Paper Log House in the Glass House
Ruin-Adaptive Shipping Container Homes
Patrick Bradley Architects Forms the Barneys Ruins Project
Expansive School Bamboo Canopies
CollectiveProject Creates a Canopy at Talaricheruvu Rural School
Cardboard-Inspired Ceramic Household Art
Jacques Monneraud Designs the Cardboard Collection
Natural Material Stilted Homes
Johan Sundberg Arkitektur Completes the Yngsjö Holiday Home
Cutout Roof Cement-Clad Homes
Edition Office Designs a Home with a Focus on Tree Views
Biodegradable Mycelium Living Structures
Côme Di Meglio Designs the MycoTemple Structure
Organically Made Acoustical Material
Jonas Edvard Creates the Sustainable Myx Sail / Floor
Traditional Sustainable School Designs
Heatherwick Studio Showcases Plans for Universidad Ean
Sustainable Recycled Aircraft Skateboard
François Jaubert Designs the Eco-Friendly TRASHBOARD
Transparent Bean Bag Furniture
Shayan Ramesht Designs a Sustainable Bean Bag Structure
Eco-Friendly Plastic Shell Chairs
Foersom & Hiort-Lorenzen Designs the Sustainable Mat Chair
Cave-Like Folded Residences
Earthscape Studio Creates the Unique Structural Wild House
Organic Striking Tower Designs
David Macullo Architects Designs the Leaves Tower
Cardboard Box-Transformed Furniture
Max Lamb Presents the Box Exhibition at Gallery Fumi
Paper Packaging Recycle Stations
Co-cre8 Debuts the New Paper Cup Collection and Recycling Service
Barn-Inspired Timber Residences
Florian Busch Architects Designs the House W in Japan
Shaded Modern Outdoor Furniture
mmcité street furniture Designs the UFO Shelter for Outdoors
Billboard-Transformed Tent Shelters
Wunderman Thompson Morocco Creates the Life-Saving Outdoors
Recycled Ship Sail Pavilions
The Breeze Installation is Installed at Chart Art Fair
Paper-Like Art Museum Roofs
BIG Expands the Museum for Paper Art in Denmark with a Folded Roof
Sustainable Minimal Compact Homes
The Team at Lou Tiny House Creates a New Compact Home
Textured Prefab Holiday Cabins
TEST Presents the Prefab House Changeover in Barcelona
Mass-Timber Expansive Buildings
Anttinen Oiva Architects Designs the Katajanokan Laituri
Corrugated Metal-Clad Residences
Group Projects Architecture Designs the Catskill House
Vacant Wood-Clad Offices
Kurosawa Kawara-ten Designs the Ichihara Life and Work Commission Office
Expansive Roofs Concrete Homes
Studio MOB Creates a House in the Farm in Coimbatore
Sustainable Structural Chair Designs
Hlynur Atlason Designs the Limbo Chair with an Artful Look
Compact Red Wooden Homes
Studio TEST Presents the Prefab House Changeover Structure
Optimized Eco Postal Packaging
Kite Packaging Large Letter Postal Boxes Now Come in Eight Sizes
Elevated Water Towers
Temperaturas Extremas Designs The Bird & Mammal Shelter and Water Reservoir
Dynamic Concrete Modern Buildings
Atelier Matias Mosquera Designs the Shire Building
Collapsible Plastic Shipping Solutions
Kite Packaging Plastic Pallet Boxes are Cost-Effective
Educational Storage Shed Designs
Invisible Studio and Mole Architects Form the Big Roof
Pencil Shaving-Inspired Decks
Thilina Liyanage's Tropical Yoga Deck is Sustainably Built
Sawdust Scrap Recyclable Stools
Renaud Defrancesco Designs the Briket Stool for Firewood
Distinctive Airlifted Structures
Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication Design the Karka Tower