ORIGAMI – A SPACE MAKING TOOL

"When you fold, the ritual and the act of creation is more important than the final result. When your hands are busy, your heart is serene" - Akira Yoshizawa

Have you ever tried making something out of the paper in your childhood? I am sure, most of you would have tried your hands in making paper boats with simple folds of paper. Such brief episodes with paper made us feel mindful & brought us sheer joy. One such art form associated with the paper is Origami. The slow & precise act of paper fold, carefully made with presence of mind can aid relaxation, concentration, bring hand to eye coordination & sharpen our memory, which is the true remedy of our times today.

This favourite pastime of Japanese people has now reached globally & has been the source of inspiration to many. Used as part of Japanese etiquette of Gift giving & paper adornments, Origami had been used as token of good luck to share with loved ones.

Fig: Origami practiced by Japanese Women

Fig: Early examples of Paper folds

Tracing back to the history of Origami, one can find its origin associated with two continents far away from each other; Asia & Europe. In the Asian context, Origami found its birth with the introduction of paper in Japan in 6^th century. During this time, the practice of paper folding was seen as the ceremonial Shinto ritual. During the Edo period in Japan from 1603 to 1868, with the relative peace across the Japan the economy grew, leading into dramatic development of arts & its patronage. Due to the thriving paper making industry during Edo period, the art of paper folding too flourished. In Europe however the art of paper folding was evolved from napkin-folding, a practice popularized in the 17th century. Elaborate folds to create showy table decorations in the form of animals, birds, ships etc. was developed in courts of Italy & then into Northern Europe. The European tradition of paper folding developed independently of that in Asia. In 1800s, the German educator Friedrich Froebel (creator of Kindergarten), included paper folding in the “early year’s” curriculum for the children. Paper folding was seen as a way children could discover themselves the basics of the geometry.

Fig: Napkin folding art of Europe

Fig: Friedrich Froebel paper folding techniques

Making its way from the past of more than 500 years, Origami today has wider scope of applications from the fields of design to technology.

What is Origami?

Origami is a Japanese art of paper folding, where a flat sheet of paper is transformed into a 3D sculpture using folding & sculpting techniques. Origami word is derived from Japanese words Ori (folding) & Kami (paper). Various aspects of Origami are currently practiced across the globe such as Modular origami which involves fixing no. of modules in order to form a complete composition, Pure Land origami which is purely artistic expression of paper folds in ridge & valley folding techniques, Wet fold origami which involves making delicate bends where paper is made wet to acquire desired shapes etc. to name a few. Folding Techniques such as pleat folds, ridge & valley folds, cushion fold, kite fold, square fold are used extensively. Fold patterns such as linear, diagonal, grid, rotational divisions, translation, reflection, pleats, spans & perbola are used to create various shapes & forms. 

Fig: Origami folds

Fig: Linear Origami folds

Notable contributions in Origami 

Akira Yoshizawa 

Considered to be the grand master of Origami, Akira Yoshizawa had mastered the techniques of paper folding by creating more than 50,000 origami models all throughout his life. Yoshizawa used traditional Origami to understand & communicate geomteric problems. He mastered a new technique called Wet folding, which involves slightly dampening the paper before making the fold giving origami its sculptural form. 

Fig : Akira Yoshizawa's Origami folds

Fig: Wet folding & Diagramming system by Akira Yoshizawa

Relevance of Origami in Design fields

Origami as an art form has various characteristics such as Shape, Form, Composition, Geometry, Fractions, Folds, Patterns, Material, Manipulation & Action which are significant in making designs.  Through the actions of bending, contracting & expanding of simple paper folds in origami, one can develop creative visualisations for product, buildings or spaces. Such actions can help in exploring the spatial & structural ideas, and can act as a tool to create conceptual design expressions for the designers. Playing with paper through origami can help develop variety of modules which can be of both static & kinetic natures. Such modules could help develop innovative ideas in making designs in future. Origami can also aid in academic pedagogy as an approach to teach Design through instilling interest in drawing, folding, geometries & math amongst the prospect learners. Origami plays important role in form finding process, promoting creative manipulations, developing spatial perceptions etc. which are important for designers & architects.

Skills involved in making Origami

Skills such as Eye-hand co-ordination, patience, sequencing ability, visualisation, processing, mathematical reasoning, attention to details & focus are developed through Origami. Various other technical & analytical skills such as Problem solving skills, logical thinking, behavioural skills, thinking skills, flexibility, brain stimulation are also developed through Origami.

Application in Design fields

Due to its unique quality of shaping up from 2D to 3D form, Origami surrounds us in almost every endeavour today. From daily utility objects such as envelopes, paper fans, paper bags, pizza boxes, shirt folds etc. to building forms, pavilions, shading devices, canopies, building facades, screens, furniture designs etc. origami is used everywhere.

The Foldability of Origami, helps to create structures which uses minimal material, decreases the labour requirement & construction costs. Such structures can be easily transported, assembled & disassembled whenever required. It can help design spaces in an environment consciousness way causing less damage to environment during its construction process. It can also create temporary spaces as per the need during any event, exhibitions or can be used during disasters as temporary shelters & shelters for site workers.

Fig: Origami – Temporary shelters

The patterns or modules created through Origami are artistically applied in designs of wall panels, roof designs, foldable furniture’s, decorative artefacts such as lamp shades, wall hangings etc. Origami inspired fold patterns are also utilised to create green walls & grass mounds in landscape designs offering unique recreational spaces. Other applications in disciplines such as Biomedical engineering, robotics, automobiles, space structures, biomimetic engineering, fold-cores & metamaterials are also seen today.

Fig: Origami pattern suitable for Shelter spaces

Fig:Origami pattern suitable for wall panels

Fig: Self-openable Origami folds

Scope of Origami in future

The advent of computational data & digital fabrication has greatly favoured to the adoption of Origami in architectural practices. Materials such as steel, cement, polycarbonate sheets, PVC sheets, tensile fabrics, cardboards, compressed wood, MDF sheets, overlays etc. can be employed to achieve the desired forms.

Fig: Origami Stimulator software

Case studies

Case study 01: Bengt Sjostrom Starlight Theatre, United States

This regional theatre facility located in the Rock Valley college campus designed by Studio Gang in year 2003, uses the Origami inspired roof to create a social setting with porous connections with the landscape around. The kinetic roof taking inspirations from paper folding patterns, is a fine example of application of Origami in creating space enclosures. The kinetic roof provides enclosure to provide uninterrupted performances under the roof during rainy season. At the same time, it provides a strong desire to maintain the sense of being outdoors. The simple material palate such as wood (for covering) & steel (for framework) is used for its execution.

Fig: Bengt Sjostrom Starlight Theatre, United States - – Origami application on Roof design

Case study 02: Al Bahar Tower, Dubai

Taking ques from the traditional Islamic lattice shading device “Mashrabiya”, the Aedas Architects have designed a responsive façade for the project Al Bahar Towers in Dubai completed in June 2012. The interesting feature of these towers are the computer-controlled facades which respond to the optimal solar & light conditions. The façade treatment which explores the kinetic composition is afforded by the Origami folds. The Origami paper pleating techniques are one of the conceptual design approaches from which the kinetics can be seen to have been developed. The form of the origami square module with its folding pattern, module size & motion scenarios assures the employability of Origami in application to modular large scale façades. Origami can offer finite set of paper folding techniques which can be catalogued & tested with parametric modelling software’s.  Such screens can provide efficient solution that can be utilized externally to minimize the heat gain while providing appropriate daylighting solutions.

Fig: Al Bahar Towers, Dubai – Origami application on Façade design

Fig: Kinetic Facade

The above case studies outline the application of Origami into the creation of dynamic forms for the sheltering roof profile & as kinetic shading device for high-rise structures. With this considerate approach & right balance of material palate supported by apt technologies, our designs could turn into creative, beautiful as well as functional endeavours.

Conclusion

Being a simple art, involving the minimum raw material, Origami is one of the best & easiest way to improve your skillsets. It is an excellent way to build healthy connections on both personal & professional levels. The self-supporting properties, kinetic behaviour, cost effectiveness & quicker mode of construction, use of modern materials using principles of origami could help transform the spaces & designs in future.  It is truly inspiring to see how a simple piece of paper folding, unites people across borders. So what are you waiting for, grab your piece of paper & get started.

Written by:

Ar. Sujit Vasant Jadhav,

Assistant Professor, Thakur School of Architecture & Planning

Mumbai

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