When one mentions an origami, images come to mind easily – that of animal-shaped paper, the kind that fits inside your palm. However, the geometrical aspects and advantages of folding structures have been explored on a larger scale for some time now, with impressively practical results. In architecture, an apparently complex yet harmonious facade has yet to leave onlooking eyes indifferent.
And so, something that was originally thought in paper surfaces, now turns into a system when rightly programmed, with modern and desirable results – for example, facades that react to light. In this seminar, we have tried to use parametrization to demonstrate how complexity and simplicity merge, merging digital logic with a simple fold.
In order for the mechanism to work, an axis must work as a hinge for the folding and unfolding. By parameterizing the angle, Grasshopper is able to compute the position of the geometry as many times as angles chosen. From the architectural perspective, this script allows you to control where to start the facade; being able to have the origami system from the first floor upward.
Once mirrored and scale, a simple shape can easily and elegantly cover an entire facade.
Not satisfied with style alone, we also opted for practicality. Having a folding system are able to potentially reduce direct solar penetration inside the building by 50-60%. Also, they can work to slow or redirect the wind by its geometry and angle of folding; in other words, it helps the facade to breathe. Its adaptiveness can be seasonal: in summer the fold block the heat; in winter, the light can be redirected to the interior depending on the material.
