Novel Transformations of Foldable Structures

Most foldable structures have been designed to optimize collapsibility and structural performance. Likewise, they have been solely applied to a limited number of architectural shapes such as arches, domes or geodesics. While the constant folding process between retracted and deployed states, has been the main concern of designers, non-constant transformations and the in-between states remains unexplored. This research will study non-constant transformations in the in-between states, with the aim to find novel shapes and extend the repertoire of current applications. Initially, existing structures will be modified in order to find what type of shape transformations can be produced. Finally, a novel solution, through a digital model and a kinetic physical prototype, will be proposed