2. Translating Techniques
from Clothing Design
into Architecture
A research project presented to The University of Florida
Graduate School of Architecture in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture
University of Florida
2015
Carrie Manes
Chair: Mark McGlothlin
Co-Chair: Lee-Su Huang
4. iii
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Abstract
Chapter One: Introduction
Architecture and Clothing
A Traditional Rejection
Clothing and Culture
From Ornament to Function
A New Convergence
Chapter Two: Precedent Study
Revealing and Concealing
Materiality and Surface
Framework and Skin
Folding and Pleating
Chapter Three: Analysis and Application
Design Inquiries
The Potential of Folding
Chapter Four: Project Development
Folding Investigations
A Change in Scale
Connection Study
Installation
Chapter Five: Conclusions and Implications
Conclusions
Opportunities for Further Research
Works Cited
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6. v
Figure 1. Chanel’s little black dress.
Figure 2. Illustration from The Little Prince.
Figure 3. Petal Dress by Elena Manferdini.
Figure 4. High Line 23 by Neil M. Denari Architects.
Figure 5. “Cloud Boxes” by SANAA.
Figure 6. Fondation Cartier by Jean Nouvel.
Figure 7. Signal Box by Herzog and de Meuron.
Figure 8. House in New England by Office dA.
Figure 9. Dress by Issey Miyake.
Figure 10. Messe Basel Hall by Herzog and de Meuron.
Figure 11. The de Young Museum by Herzog and de Meuron.
Figure 12. Dress by Vera Wang.
Figure 13. Hoop skirt.
Figure 14. Dress by Alexander McQueen.
Figure 15. Dancing House by Frank Gehry
Figure 16. Seattle Central Library by OMA.
Figure 17. Kinetic Wall by Barkow Leibinger.
Figure 18. Packing Dress by Isabel Toledo.
Figure 19. Tube Jacket by Isabel Toledo.
Figure 20. Dress by Issey Miyake.
Figure 21. Dress from Entfaltung by Jule Waibel.
Figure 22. Folding progression by Jule Waibel.
Figure 23. Production Hall Hettingen by Barkow Leibinger.
Figure 24. Greenwich Street Project by Winka Dubbeldam
Figure 25. Pleated ceiling inside the Yokohama International Port
Terminal by Foreign Office Architects.
Figure 26. Pleated glass system at the Yokohama International
Port Terminal by Foreign Office Architects.
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Figure 27. Diagrams of protein folding.
Figure 28. Foldable solar panel prototype.
Figure 29. Initial folding explorations.
Figure 30. Paper folded in v-pleat pattern.
Figure 31. V-pleat fold pattern.
Figure 32. V-pleat folds with alternate placement of light source.
Figure 33. Paper folded in offset pattern.
Figure 34. Offset fold pattern.
Figure 35. Reverse side of offset fold.
Figure 36. Variations on the v-pleat fold.
Figure 37. Variations on the offset fold.
Figure 38. Room scale tessellation by Ron Resch.
Figure 39. Archipelago Pavilion installation by Chalmers University
of Technology and Röhsska Museum of Design.
Figure 40. Installation by Zaha Hadid Architects from the 2012
Venice Biennale art exhibition.
Figure 41. Cardboard Pavilion by Luigi Alini.
Figure 42. Preliminary sketch of installation idea.
Figure 43. Cardboard pattern pieces, offset pattern.
Figure 44. Connection study.
Figure 45. Folded cardboard units, v-pleat (top) and offset pattern.
Figure 46. One row of folded cardboard tiles.
Figure 47. Assembly of folded cardboard tiles.
Figure 48. V-pleat folded cardboard surfaces.
Figure 49. Offset pattern folded cardboard column.
Figure 50. Corrugated cardboard folded in v-pleat pattern and
connected using brass fasteners.
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List of Figures
7. vii
I would like to thank Professor Mark McGlothlin and Professor Lee-Su Huang for their guidance on this project.
I would like to thank Dr. Frank Bosworth for his advice on research and writing.
I would like to thank Cuhaci & Peterson for their support, which made this possible.
I would like to thank my family for their love, support, and encouragement in everything.
Acknowledgments
9. ix
Abstract
Despite their obvious differences – scale, material, and
permanence being the most apparent – architecture and clothing
undoubtedly have a lot in common.
Stitches and seams in clothing construction find parallels in
the construction of buildings.
Designers of both buildings and clothing decide which parts
of their contents are to be revealed, and what is to be concealed.
Opaque materials obscure what is beyond the surface of a building
or garment, while translucent or transparent materials blur the lines
between inside and outside. The placement of perforations in both
fabric and walls can reveal and conceal as well.
Both are concerned with ideas of surface and materiality.
As new technologies have emerged, architecture has become
more fluid and fabric-like. Many of the buildings designed in
recent years have had material effects similar to those found in
clothing. Similarly, designers of clothing have experimented with
architectural forms.
Clothing and buildings can be constructed as a skin draped
over a structural frame. A garment can fit close to the body, or it
can be draped over a framework to create a specific effect. Sports
uniforms, for example, fit tight to the body for function and
performance, while a hoop skirt, in contrast, is composed of fabric
over a frame.
Folding and pleating are two commonly used techniques in
fashion that are translatable into architecture.
This project seeks to explore how ideas about garment
construction and fabric manipulation in clothing design can be
applied to architecture.
What inspiration can architects take from clothing design
for use in architectural design?
What can we learn from clothing design about the role of
the skin and its relationship to the space inside?
How can folding and pleating techniques in clothing design
be translated into concepts to be applied to architecture?
10. “When I think about architecture, I think of it as a piece of clothing that must be
wrapped around human beings.” -Toyo Ito
11. 1
Introduction
Architecture and Clothing
Despite their obvious differences – scale, material, and
permanence being the most apparent – architecture and clothing
undoubtedly have a lot in common. Both buildings and garments
are designed with the human body in mind. Both are essentially
vessels, containers, and shelters. They can portray an identity for
their inhabitants or wearers. They are an embodiment of culture
(Franck).
One can also draw parallels in the creative processes that
lead to the design of buildings and clothing alike. An architect and
a clothing designer may start with sketches and then progress to
mock-ups or models. When it comes to the construction process, a
pattern for a garment is like a set of construction documents for a
building (Hodge 17).
The two disciplines are often influenced by the same
technological innovations. The same digital tools and techniques
are often mutually used; new technology intended for use in
architecture can also be utilized by clothing designers, and vice versa
(Hodge 18).
Architecture and apparel design have an increasingly shared
vocabulary. Words such as foundation and fabric have meaning
in both realms (Fausch 9). There are “structural” garments and
draped, woven, or printed building materials, just to name a few.
A Traditional Rejection
Yet despite the similarities between these two disciplines,
historically architects have tended to reject ideas relating to clothing.
This is likely because of the way fashion is perceived, as ephemeral,
transitory, fleeting, superficial (Castle). Buildings, in contrast, were
traditionally designed largely based on utility, as evidenced by the
widely known architectural precept “form follows function.” Trends
in clothing change from season to season; what was considered “in”
one season might be “out” the next. Buildings, on the other hand,
1
12. “When studying contemporary costume it is impossible to decide which fashion
is ephemeral and which will prove the starting point for the developments of the
future. But it is clear that the clothes we wear are not merely the covering of the
body but the vesture of the soul, and that, at one changing permanent, they will
continue to be not only the expression of our epoch, but the figuration as it were
of human nature itself.” -Francois Boucher1
1 (Boucher 420)
13. 3
Figure 1. Chanel’s little black dress, introduced by Vogue
in 1926 (Miranda).
take much longer to go from design concept to completion, and
have a far longer lifespan than the fast paced cycles of fashion.
New Jersey Institute of Technology professor Karen Franck
commented that the traditional rejection of fashion by architects
may have partially been out of fear that association with it could
cause architecture to be taken less seriously (Franck). Helen Castle
of Architectural Design magazine wrote, “Notoriously conservative,
architects are wary of anything that smacks of the frivolous. This
leads not only to a disregard of color, but also to an all-too ready
acceptance of the ugly. In contrast, the fashion industry is intent on
beauty. It revolves around the beauty of the model and the clothes
she is wearing” (Castle). It seems that the world of architecture
has been hesitant to accept ideas from clothing design due to these
disparities. There has long been “a refusal of fashion in favor of the
rigors of function” (Wigley xxii).
Clothing design, however, is not synonymous with fashion.
Mark Wigley, author and former dean of Columbia University’s
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation,
wrote that “…what unites architecture and clothing is immediately
dissociated from the forces of fashion so obviously at work in
clothes. Style is distinguished from fashion as the channel of a large
river is distinguished from its multiple tributaries” (Wigley 321).
Clothing and Culture
In contrast with architects’ traditional rejection of
ideas concerning clothing, London architecture studio Fashion
Architecture Taste (FAT), in their slogan “Taste not Space,”
contended that ideas of style and taste – “the things dismissed by
architectural culture as frivolous and ephemeral – are actually the
points where culture resides” (Jacob).
Clothing can make a social statement. Renowned Dutch
painter Piet Mondrian wrote, “Fashion has a deep meaning: fashion
is cultural expression. Although it may be an exteriorization,
like the various forms of art, it nevertheless shows inner content”
(Wigley 281-282).
Clothing is about more than just a single season or soon-to-
fade trend. Classic silhouettes – for example, the little black dress
(Figure 1) – have stood the test of time (Miranda). And although
new trends will emerge, designers will always be experimenting with
various techniques and learning how to reinvent old ones, which can
in turn provide new ideas and inspiration for architects.
14. “As architecture is the art and science of building, so dress is the art and
science of clothing. To construct and decorate a covering for the human body
that shall be beautiful and healthy is as important as to build a shelter for it when
so covered that shall be beautiful and healthy.” –E.W. Godwin1
1 (Wigley 133)
15. 5
From Ornament to Function
The history of women’s clothing in particular reveals a
significant shift from the ornamental to the functional. In the
nineteenth century, it was common for couturiers to create ornate
customized garments for women. Dresses often featured corsets,
bustles, and trains, and were adorned in ruffles and bows (Boucher
388-389).
Beginning in 1914, World War I marked a major turning
point. Women had to take on new roles, including nursing, working
in factories, and replacing men in the workforce. “Changes in the
way of life brought about changes in costume” for women of the
time (Boucher 408). Clothing needed to be functional and allow for
freedom of movement. After the war, clothing continued to adapt,
as women were freer to work, to dance, and to play sports. The
1920s saw the introduction of new garments for specific physical
activities, such as golf, tennis, and swimming (Boucher 411). The
popularization of dances such as the Charleston brought about
shorter hemlines for skirts (Boucher 413). These silhouettes became
the new standard for daily wear; “to be modern was to be mobile
and to have this mobility registered in one’s dress” (Wigley 128).
Architecture also saw a shift from the ornamental to the
functional. The modernist style, which began in the twentieth
century, discarded ornamentation to reveal only the functional
structure and skin of a building. Decoration was viewed as excess,
and excess was seen as “dishonest, inefficient, wasteful, or even
sinful” (Pell). Wigley wrote that “the look of modernity is that of
utility perfected, function without excess, the smooth object cleansed
of all representational texture” (Wigley 3).
The lack of decoration that characterized modern
architecture meant that buildings would not quickly be outdated
as is often the case with clothing. “Ornament is aligned with time,
rather than against structure. To produce a modern architecture is
not to strip the ornament off a building, but to preserve the building
from the fast-moving time of the fashion world that would render it
ornamental, whether the particular look is highly decorative or not.
To be a modern architect is to act in a way that does not accelerate
architecture’s inevitable participation in the evolution of fashions”
(Wigley 174).
Architecture and clothing alike have seen transformations in
modern history based on changing functions and new technologies.
Both modern architecture and modern clothing are reflections of
modern life (Wigley 340). Modernist architect J.P.P. Oud wrote of
both clothing and buildings as “arriving to beauty by the way of
function” (Wigley 339).
A New Convergence
Clothing designers looked to architecture for inspiration in
their work long before it was common for architects to in turn take
ideas from clothing. But in recent years, architects have increasingly
begun to also draw inspiration from other disciplines, clothing
design being one of them. The notion of taking ideas from dress
does not mean that a building will have to sacrifice performance;
instead, this new connection has the potential to add another
dimension to it. A building can take concepts from clothing without
becoming just another trend.
Stitches and seams in clothing construction find parallels
in the construction of buildings. Designers of both buildings and
garments decide which parts of their contents are to be revealed,
and what is to be concealed. Both are concerned with ideas of
surface and materiality. Both can be constructed as a skin draped
over a structural frame. Folding and pleating are two commonly
used techniques in fashion that are translatable into architecture.
This project seeks to explore how ideas about garment
construction and fabric manipulation in clothing design can be
applied to architecture.
16. 7
Figure 2. Illustration from The Little Prince (Saint-Exupery).
Precedent Study
There are numerous examples of the qualities that buildings
and clothing share. Although there is some overlap and none are
absolutely confined to one category or another, case studies have
been grouped for the purpose of this examination into four main
concepts: revealing/concealing, materiality/surface, framework/
skin, and folding/pleating.
Revealing and Concealing
Much of the practical role of clothing deals with the
difference between what is concealed and what is revealed. Opaque
materials obscure what is beyond the surface of a building or
garment, while translucent or transparent materials blur the lines
between inside and outside.
In his 1943 book The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
told the story of a young boy and his drawing of a boa constrictor
that has swallowed an elephant (Figure 2). When the boy shows
his first drawing, simply a shaded outline, to people, they think
that his illustration is of a hat. But when he draws snake showing
the elephant inside, the viewer sees something else entirely (Saint-
Exupery). This story is an example of how perception can change
drastically based on what is kept hidden and what is exposed.
2
17. 8
Figure 3. Petal Dress by Elena Manferdini (Hodge). Figure 4. High Line 23 by Neil M. Denari Architects (Hodge).
18. 9Figure 5. “Cloud Boxes” by SANAA (Chin).
Architect Elena Manferdini has designed both buildings and
clothing. Her Petal Dress (Figure 3), part of her 2005 Clad Cuts
collection, features laser-cut perforations that enhance the curves of
the body (Hodge 146-147).
High Line 23 Condominium Tower in New York City
(Figure 4), designed by Neil M. Denari Architects, has been
compared to clothing in the way that its skin curves and folds, and
reveals and conceals parts of its interior (Hodge 78).
SANAA’s competition-winning design for the Taichung
City Cultural Center (Figure 5), nicknamed “Cloud Boxes,” is
an example of a design that blurs the lines between interior and
exterior. Its translucent skin allows views into and out of its public
gathering spaces and walkways. Plazas between buildings create
active spaces outdoors (Cruz).
20. 11
Figure 7. Signal Box by Herzog and de Meuron (Hodge). Figure 8. House in New England by Office dA (Hodge).
Similarly, the glass façade of the Fondation Cartier
building in Paris (Figure 6), designed by Jean Nouvel, reflects its
natural surroundings, while allowing views of the exhibits inside.
Nouvel described it as an “interplay between structure and nature”
(Sveiven).
Herzog and de Meuron’s Central Signal Box (Figure 7) in
Switzerland is clad in strips of copper that twist in places to allow
light to enter from the outside during the day, and shine from within
at night (Furuto, Flashback: Signal Box / Herzog & de Meuron).
House in New England by Office dA (Figure 8) also has a
twisting façade, which reveals the windows behind (Hodge 178-179).
Clothing and buildings are both strategically designed in
what they reveal and what they keep hidden, creating a specific
impression for those who observe them.
21. 12
Materiality and Surface
Texture is an important element of clothing design.
Garments are made from a extensive variety of fabrics light and
heavy; loosely and tightly knit; structured and flowing.
The Cloud collection (Figure 9) by Issey Miyake Inc.,
founded by Japanese designer Issey Miyake, features garments with
folded texture steamed into the fabric (Issey Miyake Inc.).
As new technologies have emerged, architecture has become
more fluid and fabric-like. Many of the buildings designed in recent
years have had material effects similar to those found in clothing.
The architects behind Swiss architecture firm Herzog and
de Meuron were inspired by fashion (Hodge 121). Their design
for the aluminum façade of the Messe Basel New Hall (Figure 10)
in Switzerland was intended to reduce the effect of the scale of the
large exhibition space, as well as to control natural light and create
views to the outside (Dezeen).
Figure 9. Dress by Issey Miyake (Issey Miyake Inc.).
22. 13
Figure 10. Messe Basel New Hall in Basel, Switzerland, by Herzog and de Meuron (Dezeen).
23. 14
Figure 11. The de Young Museum in San Francisco, California, by Herzog and
de Meuron (Basulto, AD Special: Herzog & de Meuron by Duccio Malagamba).
Their design for the de Young Museum (Figure
11) in San Francisco, with its perforated copper skin,
was inspired by the effect of light shining through trees.
Its materials were chosen to blend in with its natural
surroundings (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco). Its
skin is suggestive of a sheer fabric such as in the mesh
dresses (Figure 12) in designer Vera Wang’s Spring 2014
Ready-to-Wear collection (Phelps).
When materials in clothing become like
architecture, and materials in buildings become more like
clothing, there is often a play between hard and soft, rigid
and fluid.
25. 16
Figure 13. Hoop skirt (Hodge).
Figure 14. Dress by Alexander McQueen (Hodge).
26. 17
Figure 15. Dancing House by Frank Gehry, nicknamed “Fred and
Ginger” (Sokol).
Framework and Skin
In clothing, a garment can fit close to the body, or it can be
draped over a framework to create a specific effect. Sports uniforms,
for example, fit tight to the body for function and performance,
while a hoop skirt (Figure 13), in contrast, is composed of fabric
over a frame.
Alexander McQueen was renowned in the fashion world
for his futuristic, often architectural clothing designs (Figure 14). He
was praised for his “ability to combine contrasting qualities – such
as hard and soft, rigid and fluid, violent and fragile – in the same
garment” (Hodge 154).
The sculptural form of Frank Gehry’s Dancing House
(Figure 15) in Prague, nicknamed “Fred and Ginger” for dancers
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – specifically, the tower named for
Rogers - has been described as “a feminine frame cinched at the
waist and wrapped in a billowing glass dress” (Dameron).
28. 19
Figure 17. “Kinetic Wall” installation by Barkow Leibenger (Dezeen).
The steel and glass skin of the Seattle Central
Library (Figure 16), by the international firm Office for
Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), has been described
as being draped over its programmatic volumes like
fabric (Hodge 184).
Barkow Leibenger’s “Kinetic Wall” installation
(Figure 17) consisted of a wooden frame with
fabric stretching over it. Motorized nodes moved
perpendicular to the frame to stretch the fabric and
create a back and forth effect that was able to be
programmed, hinting toward a future of controllable
dynamic building systems (Dezeen).
29. 20
Figure 18 (left), Packing Dress, and Figure 19, Tube Jacket, both sculptural garments by Isabel Toledo (Hodge).
30. 21
Folding and Pleating
Folding techniques are widely used by clothing designers. In
their most basic form, such as the crease in men’s trousers or darts
in dresses, folds are used to make fabric lie flat against the body.
Clothing designers have used folds and pleats to create
sculptural garments. New York designer Isabel Toledo considers the
function of her often-structural pieces when designing them, and
carefully chooses fabrics similar to the way in which an architect
considers the properties of building materials (Hodge 218). Her
Packing Dress (Figure 18) and Tube Jacket (Figure 19) are just two
examples.
One of the most well known collections by Issey Miyake
is his “Pleats Please” brand, whose garments feature sculptural,
architectural shapes (Hodge 164). A blue dress with structural folds
(Figure 20) is just one example of the label’s aesthetic.
Figure 20. Blue sculptural dress, Issey Miyake (Issey Miyake Inc.).
32. 23
German designer Jule Waibel constructed a series
of collapsible objects – a dress (Figure 21), an umbrella, and
a handbag – out of sheets of material in her project entitled
“Entfaltung,” which means to unfold (Waibel). The images below
show the progression of the designer creating one of her folded
dresses for an exhibition (Figure 22).
Figure 21, opposite page, and Figure 22. Dress and folding progression from Entfaltung by Jule Waibel (julewaibel.com).
34. 25
Figure 24. Greenwich Street Project in New York City by Winka
Dubbeldam of Archi-Tectonics (Hodge).
Likewise, folding and pleating have been employed for
functional purposes in architecture.
Barkow Leibinger’s Production Hall Hettingen (Figure
23) in Hettingen, Germany, used a folded skin to bring the scale
of the large industrial building closer to that of the neighboring
homes (Production Hall Hettingen).
The Greenwich Street Project (Figure 24), in New
York City, designed by Winka Dubbeldam of Archi-Tectonics,
features a skin that appears to have pleats created by bends in
the glass façade (Hodge 88).
35. 26
Figure 25. The pleated ceiling inside the Yokohama International Port Terminal by Foreign Office Architects (Ferre, Sakamoto and Kubo).
36. 27
Figure 26. The pleated glass system at the Yokohama International
Port Terminal by Foreign Office Architects (Ferre, Sakamoto and
Kubo).
The Yokohama International Port Terminal in Yokohama,
Japan, designed by Foreign Office Architects (FOA), features folds
and pleats that function structurally (Figure 25). While these
techniques may on the surface appear to be decorative, each
decision was strategically made based on the intended effect, as well
as a variety of logistical considerations which included structural
feasibility, cost of construction, and environmental concerns like the
earthquakes and typhoon winds the area is susceptible to. All of
these factors influenced its design (Ferre, Sakamoto and Kubo).
One of the primary concepts of the design was to place
all of the focus on the horizontal surfaces; vertical surfaces were to
appear invisible. There would be no columns and no stairs. Ramps
would be the main mode of circulation, reinforcing the concept of
horizontal continuity. All aspects of the design were strategically
orchestrated to maintain this continuous effect. Flexible spaces for
varying uses were to transition gradually rather than be explicitly
delineated. Glazing and handrail systems were designed to become
invisible (Ferre, Sakamoto and Kubo 15; 40-45).
Inspired by origami books, thin steel plates were folded to
create the structural strength required to span the space without the
use of columns (Ferre, Sakamoto and Kubo 15).
A system of folded glass (Figure 26) was developed to
resist wind loads while maintaining the connection between inside
and outside without any vertical visual obstruction. No metal or
mullions were to be exposed. The glass was even tilted in order to
reduce reflection and make it essentially disappear (Ferre, Sakamoto
and Kubo 45-46).
Folding and pleating, while often appearing to be used for
aesthetics, can be employed for functional purposes in both clothing
and architecture.
38. 29
Design Inquiries
I decided to focus my study on the last precedent group: folding and
pleating. Through the precedent analysis and into the next step of
the project, I asked three questions:
o How can architecture take inspiration from clothing design
despite the perception that fashion is fleeting?
o What can we learn from clothing about the role of the skin
and its relationship to the space inside?
o How can folding and pleating techniques in clothing
design be translated into concepts to be applied to archi-
tecture?
The Potential of Folding
In his book Folding Techniques for Designers, Paul Jackson
wrote, “All designers crease, pleat, bend, hem, gather, knot, hinge,
corrugate, drape, twist, furl, crumple, collapse, wrinkle, facet, curve
or wrap two-dimensional sheets of material, and by these processes
of folding, create three-dimensional objects. These objects will
perhaps not be origami-like in appearance, or the folding may only
be a detail, but most will nevertheless have been folded – wholly
or in part – in some way. Since almost all objects are made from
sheet materials (such as fabric, plastic, sheet metal or cardboard), or
are fabricated from components used to make sheet forms (such as
bricks – a brick wall is a sheet form), folding can be considered one
of the most common of all design techniques” (Jackson 9).
Jackson went on to say that despite the fact that folding is so
common, it is infrequently the subject of study by designers. This
may be due to the fact that people tend to associate origami with
children’s pastimes. But this is an outdated perception (Jackson 9);
in reality, folding has vast potential in various disciplines.
Origamist and physicist Dr. Robert J. Lang, in his lecture
entitled From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes, said, “Surprisingly,
Analysis and Application
3
39. 30
origami, and the structures that we’ve developed in origami, turn
out to have applications in medicine, in science, in space, in the
body, consumer electronics, and more” (Lang, The math and magic
of origami). Lang has done extensive studies on the connections
between origami, mathematics, and science. His work ranges from
the more artistic side of origami, featuring imaginative sculptures, to
computer simulation for the development of complex folded systems
for use in automobile airbags (Lang, Robert J. Lang Origami).
“Whenever there’s a need in the industry to take a flat sheet and
somehow make it smaller, there’s a potential for origami to have
an application,” he explained (Gould). His simulation technology
allowed the behavior of the airbag to be simulated without the
need to physically deploy it by crashing a car (Lang, Robert J. Lang
Origami; Gould).
Professor, computer scientist, mathematician and artist Erik
Demaine, who was inspired by Lang while studying computational
geometry (Gould), has also extensively studied origami and related
algorithms (Demaine). He has used the study of folding to look at
the behavior of protein molecules, which has potential implications
in the development of pharmaceutical drugs (Gould; Kher). Studies
have found that proteins fold themselves into certain shapes (Figure
27), but when they fold in the wrong way, it can result in diseases
such as Alzheimer’s (Pande Lab, Stanford University). In the 2009
documentary about origami Between the Folds, Demaine explained,
“The hope is that by developing a mathematical model of how
proteins can fold, we can design, synthetically, a protein that is
useful, say, in the drug world. If we can solve protein folding, we
can design custom drugs that will fight particular viruses” (Gould).
Researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) have experimented with origami techniques
because of the potential in taking a large object, fitting it into a
smaller space for launch, and then easily deploying it in space
(Landau; Manke and Palca). A team including researchers from
NASA and Brigham Young University has worked to develop a
prototype for a foldable solar panel (Figure 28) in collaboration with
Lang (Landau).
Folding has the potential to bring about new ideas in
a variety of disciplines, many unexpected, and it has potential
implications for new ideas in architecture.
Figure 27. Diagrams of protein folding
(Pande Lab, Stanford University).
40. 31
Figure 28. Researchers at NASA have developed foldable solar panel prototypes with the potential to be used in space (Landau).
42. 33
Folding Investigations
I began my project with a series of folding investigations
(Figure 29). These first studies were hands-on, experimenting with
folding techniques using paper, instead of generated by a computer.
Each folded model was made from a single uncut sheet, and no tape
or glue. I started with 70 pound drawing paper and 100 pound
vellum surface Bristol paper. These first models were surface-
based instead of volumetric. I started with repeatable geometry
that would have the potential to later be stitched together. I began
with fundamental folding methods, which could be modified or
deformed in subsequent steps. The goal for this investigation was
for the folded models to be able to stand on their own. I intended
to contemplate ideas of light and shadow, collapsibility, rigidity, and
the static and dynamic qualities of the folding experimentations.
After experimenting with various folding techniques, I chose
two patterns to focus on: the v-pleat pattern (Figures 30-32) and
the offset pattern (Figures 33-35). From there I experimented with
variations (Figures 36-37): different angles, perforations, and various
cutouts, some of which could fold over to provide stability. Both
patterns, once folded, had the ability to then collapse back into a flat
surface.
The first experiments were done completely by hand.
Then, once I narrowed my study down to two patterns, I used a
laser cutter to quickly print fold patterns and test multiple variations.
Project Development
4
44. 35
V-Pleat
Figure 30, opposite page. Paper folded in v-pleat pattern. In this
configuration, the folded paper is flexible in the horizontal direction,
but rigid in the vertical direction.
Figure 31. V-pleat fold pattern. Green lines represent mountain folds,
red lines represent valley folds, and blue lines represent universal
folds.
Figure 32. V-pleat folds with alternate placement of light source.
46. 37
Offset
Figure 33, opposite page. Paper folded in offset pattern. This pattern
has flexibility in both directions.
Figure 34. Offset fold pattern. Green lines represent mountain folds
and red lines represent valley folds.
Figure 35. Reverse side of offset fold.
49. 40
Figure 38. Room scale tessellation by Ron Resch (The Institute for
Figuring).
Figure 39. Archipelago Pavilion installation by Chalmers University of
Technology and Röhsska Museum of Design (Grozdanic).
Figure 40. Installation by Zaha Hadid Architects from the 2012 Venice
Biennale art exhibition (Basulto, Venice Biennale 2012: Arum / Zaha
Hadid).
Figure 41. Cardboard Pavilion by Luigi Alini (Alini).
50. 41
A Change in Scale
After the initial folding exploration,
I then decided to experiment with folding at
a larger scale. I moved from single sheets of
paper to poster board, a large roll of thick
brown paper, and cardboard.
I chose to develop the project at
an installation scale. I investigated several
examples of installations: a large folded
tessellation, a parametrically designed metal
pavilion, a large pleated metal column, and a
folded cardboard pavilion (Figures 38-41). I
then decided to focus my study on creating
an installation from corrugated cardboard. I
looked at the earlier paper folds and sketched
some ideas (Figure 42).
One constraint was the maximum size
of available cardboard sheets, 32 by 40 inches.
The installation would be built from many
folded cardboard units, like repetitive tiles all
connected to one another. I came up with a
pattern in which the modules would overlap
with one another to connect, but would allow
only two pieces of cardboard to overlap at any
one place due to the thickness of the material
(Figure 43).
Figure 42. Preliminary sketch of installation idea.
51. 42
Figure 43. Cardboard pattern pieces, offset pattern. Tiles were designed to overlap for connection, but only two pieces of cardboard at any
one point due to the thickness of the material.
52. 43
Ideal clampsBead ties Brass fasteners Duo lock snaps Fishing line
Hook and eye Magnet Nylon screw Twine White wire
Connection Study
I spent some time studying how the cardboard tiles would
connect to one another. Logistically, it needed to be able to come
apart and be put back together, which ruled out tape, glue, and
other adhesives. I searched a hardware store, a craft store, an office
supply store, and even the fishing section of a sporting goods store
to explore various connection options for the structure (Figure
44). I then narrowed it down to two that worked best for this
application: brass fasteners and nylon screws.
Figure 44. Connection study.
53. 44
Figure 46. One row of folded cardboard tiles.Figure 45. Folded cardboard units, v-pleat
(top) and offset pattern.
54. 45
Installation
The installation was to be surface based, to explore the
ideas of architecture as clothing. It would be made from multiple
folded tiles strategically overlapped and fastened together (Figures
45-47) but able to be taken apart and stored for transport and
later reassembled. Initially, I wanted to create an engaging spatial
structure that started at the ground and extended overhead and
back down, so that people could walk underneath it and explore it
at a human scale. I wanted to start with a v-pleat pattern on one
side and transition to the offset pattern for the overhead condition
and the other side. I planned to create the overall structure, and
then study the effects of light created by perforations similar to
those in the paper models.
As I worked I realized the challenges in creating the
structure I envisioned. The v-pleat pattern worked well because
it has the ability to only collapse in one direction; it stays rigid in
the other. The offset pattern, on the other hand, is flexible in both
directions. It worked well for a vertical condition, where gravity
held the folds in place. But when I tried to transition it overhead,
the folds in the cardboard would not hold like they did in paper,
and it fell flat. Because of its flexibility in both directions, the
offset pattern seemed ideal to compose the overhead condition,
but that was also a major factor in why it didn’t work for this
particular material. I discovered that a more rigid material that
would hold the creases would be better suited for an overhead
application. Another possibility would be to introduce the idea of
framework and skin, and create a frame over which to drape the
folded skin.
Although the installation itself did not turn out as I
anticipated, I was able to explore folding as a generator of design.
I was able to study the language it created as pattern at a human
scale. I discovered that the v-pleat pattern worked well for a flat
surface (Figure 48), while the offset pattern was successful as a
column (Figure 49).
Figure 47. Assembly of folded cardboard tiles.
57. 48
Figure 50. Corrugated cardboard folded in v-pleat pattern and connected using brass
fasteners.
58. 49
Conclusions
Clothing is for one person to wear. Architecture is like
clothing for more than one person. People wear clothing in a literal
way; they wear buildings in a metaphorical sense.
The questions I asked in my study were:
o How can architecture take inspiration from clothing design
despite the perception that fashion is fleeting?
o What can we learn from clothing about the role of the skin
and its relationship to the space inside?
o How can folding and pleating techniques in clothing
design be translated into concepts to be applied to archi-
tecture?
Ideas relating to clothing may be seen as transitory due to
ever-changing fashion trends, but there is much to be learned from
the construction of garments that can be applied to the design of
buildings. Studying architecture as a kind of clothing allows us to
take a closer look at the scale of the body and how a building can
relate back to the human scale. It teaches of the balance between
what is concealed and what is revealed; of transparency, opacity,
solid and void.
The study of folding in architecture introduces issues of
movement, pattern, light and scale. Folding a two-dimensional
material into a three-dimensional shape can give it structural
strength as in the case of the Yokohama International Port
Terminal. It can bring a large building down to the scale of a
neighborhood as in the Production Hall Hettingen.
The potential for folding in architecture is just beginning to
be explored.
Conclusions and Implications
5
Opportunities for Further Research
The idea of architecture as clothing opens up possibilities
for additional exploration, as does the study of architecture in
relation to the scale of the human body.
A system that can unfold and collapse into a flat shape has
potential implications for structures that are portable or that can
move in response to environmental conditions.
A folded installation can be used to explore ideas of
revealing and concealing, materiality and surface, and framework
and skin.
The knowledge about folding, material and scale gained
from this project can be used as the starting point for further study
on buildings as clothing, or folding as a generator for architectural
design.
59. 50
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