Origami-Innovative Structural Forms & Applications in Disaster Management

Abstract

Origami from ori meaning \folding\, and kami meaning \paper\ is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD .It has since then evolved into a modern art form. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of paper into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, and is now being innovatively extended to architecture and structural forms. Folded structures have their roots in Origami. These are used when there is a necessity to drain a roof surface, using kinked girders in the place of a flat girder supported on both ends. The possibility of intersection of these simply folded structures result in folded frames which can be unfolded or folded easily. The paper presents concepts of Origami and its development into different structural forms .Study of one such innovative form and its evolution is presented in detail based on physical models and a case study. The paper also explores the power of origami (which is developed using paper folding technique) into possibility of being advantageously employed for collapsible structures which can have appropriate use in disaster management as emergency shelters. An overview of form stability which enables origami based forms\' use for appropriate applications, innovative construction materials such as ferrocement etc; is also presented.