Rupert Maleczek will give an insight into the interplay of folding and fabrication in the context of architectural design. The application of folding principles to larger sheet materials for the design and fabrication of three-dimensional shell configurations requires the adaptation of certain constraints. Although the basic principles and theorems are valid regardless of the scale, some issues that play a major role at the paper scale can be neglected at the metre scale and vice versa.
The scaling process also changes some approaches in the design phase. Instead of working with single square sheets as a material base, the construction industry has long relied on the assembly of elements as a classic operation to take shape. Therefore, not only will large foldable configurations of single sheets spanning several metres be shown, but also configurations of smaller folded elements assembled into large configurations.
Rupert will show and explain some of the projects he has been involved with, including digital approaches and results, as well as physical prototypes such as a foldable wooden bridge and some beam experiments spanning up to 10 metres.