Saturday 5 July 2014

Simple Folds/ Form finding in Architecture

The feasibility of folded patterns inspired by Origami in real construction has been carried out in different materials through years now. Results have shown astonishing variability in form evolution as well as stability. Complex geometries can be generated in an economic way by this Japanese art of paper folding. It not only fosters a sense of aesthetics but also our hands and eyes elaborate in a dialogue in understanding the potentials of such forms.

My curiosity is not only in folding paper just for mere fun but it extents more into form finding and overall structural benefits that it could provide. Here is a link to an interesting research I came across on the use of Origami for folded plate structures with a prototype made of wood.  http://www.ewpa.com/archive/2008/june/paper_286.pdf 

Yoshimura Pattern folds to generate a form


This is a basic Pleated Roof structure that I tried using an A3 sheet with the folded pattern as per the drawing below. This pattern is also referred to as Yoshimura pattern. 


Pattern on an a3 sheet to understand the folds for the form evolved.



Side view of the folded sheet

A lot of architecture and engineering has incorporated origami for form finding and developed large spanning structures using simple pleated forms. A great example of this is seen in Yokohama international port terminal which also utilizes similar Yoshimura pattern which gives it the structural rigidity required to span the large space.

One end pressed for evolving a different form with the same pattern

Nazish

Monday 30 June 2014

O1 - Origami Spring


I dare you to finish this one without tearing the paper once!! Haha! Its not impossible but definetely its gonna give you some hard time!! The folds are pretty simple but its the twisting of the sheet that takes all your patience. I made mine with an a4 sheet divided as per the figure below. Again the dotted lines representing the valley folds and the other the ridges.


Layout for Origami spiral on an a4 sheet.

Wuhoo! And my spring works! Check out the video to see how!



Here is a link to a detailed tutorial on how to make the origami spring that I found on youtube! Go for it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4bMH8XCQrM

Nazish


Shared/ Origami Dresses/ Jule Waibel

Origami Dresses by Jule Waibel!! A Must Watch!!

http://player.vimeo.com/video/84571430


T2 - Magic Ball/ Tessellations



View taken inside a magic Ball


To the untrained eye, a square of paper is but a scrap, but for an origami artist, it has endless possibilities. When we fold a plain piece of paper into something else, It’s not just a change – but a transformation – something that once was has become something new - almost magical.

Looking at the pattern below you might think twice to risk doing it! But trust me my time was really worth spent on this. It took me a couple of hours to finish the folds; some done while I was travelling back from work, some while entertaining myself with television serials. All you need is patience with precision and just keep following the folds.

Alternate water bomb Pattern for magic ball evolution, which can be turned insisde out, with double sided folds at ridges.

The a3 sheet is divided into 44 equal parts horizontally and 16 equal parts vertically as shown above. All these folds are ridges and the diagonal folds shown as a hatch are all valley folds. This pattern consists of only water bombs which are alternatively arranged. The edges are taped to get the ball - like shape; although this is against origami principles. You can see the results below.


The best part of this pattern is that we can turn it around entirely even with the edges taped!! I shall update a picture of that soon!

Nazish

Sunday 29 June 2014

T1 - Origamic tessellaions

It was one of those days when I was jobless in the evening and wanted to do some origami! That's when I remembered watching some interesting Parametric folds by Ron Resch. It is amazing how he creates many paper tessellations! I was very eager to try one of those so I grabbed an a3 sheet and started folding so as to get approximate squares on my sheet. 


I made sure all the square boundaries were Ridges. Now my a3 sheet had 192 squares(12 x 16 ). once my ridge folds were clean enough, I started on my valley folds to create water bombs around a square. My sheet looked something like the one below!





Yea I know you can barely make out but I was too excited to fold than to click another. I started pressing in the ridges and valley folds to make my water bombs. The following images in sequence shall explain how my parametric folding trial turned out!





Now you can very well see the highlighted squares and the water bombs in between. The most interesting part is to see the folds from below. Just like imagining it to be a roof form and watching how its interiors would look like.





Its amazing how interesting tessellations can be produced from basic paper folds. Although this method is very primitive compared to softwares available in the market to generate a variety of organic forms and tessellations; but some great work has been able to come out from this  traditional method!
Hoping to do many more tessellations soon and also doing the same on a much larger scale!

Nazish