From 2023 to 2025, the Folded Structures Lab collaborated with Professor Tomohiro Tachi’s group (Tachi Lab) at the University of Tokyo. The collaboration involved a series of research exchanges between the two groups, on fabrication and analysis methods for large-scale architectural and structural applications of curved-crease origami.

Initial work developed a modular building system from curved-crease origami columns with an elastica surface curvature, which tessellate and interlock so that a single repeating component forms quasi-continuous walls. Desktop prototypes validated a parametric shape grammar for the walls, and a building-scale cardboard prototype and a bistable, deployable wall were built. Later work developed multistable blocks (CC-blocks) that deploy from flat and hold their shape under load. Two interlocking block types form curved walls and multi-storey assemblies that can be reconfigured with tension cables, and furniture-scale CC-chairs made from polypropylene bubble sheet serve as stools or assemble into benches, beds, walls, and vaults.

Project Team: Munkyun Lee, Tomohiro Tachi (University of Tokyo); Mahmoud Abu-Saleem, Joe Gattas (University of Queensland).

Other Project Pages:

• Tachi Lab, The University of Tokyo. Tachi Lab
• Connecting Artifacts. Connecting Artifacts 04

Further Information:

• Lee, M., Abu-Saleem, M., Tachi, T., and Gattas, J. M. (2026). A lightweight building construction system using curved-crease origami blocks. In Origami8, Volume I (8OSME 2024). Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-8664-3_18
• Lee, M., Gattas, J. M., and Tachi, T. (2026). Multistable curved-crease origami blocks for reconfigurable modular building system. In Proceedings of IASS Annual Symposia 2025, México City, México. Preprint: arXiv:2509.07337