Flexible Physical Body by Blending Architecture and Structure Using Origami

Flexibility is one of the key concepts in the formation alphabet of architecture but it is less frequently taken into account in the area of physical body and it has more been dealt with of the diversity or free plan designing types in micro-scales. When the architectural spaces’ context needs flexibility, the structure, as well as the architectural form, should be both designed because the most important challenge in investigating flexibility in architectural context is structure and flexibility has to be granted to the body of structure and that in a macro-scale. The present article aims at investigating flexibility in the architectural context for which the structure should be coordinated with the behavioral architecture. Origami technology solidifies and renders flexible its structure to be followed by physical flexibility and structural stability and this is why it has drawn the attention of the structural and architectural engineers. In this regard, origami is utilized as a factor linking the structure and architecture. The diamond origami pattern possesses the intended properties in terms of architectural flexibility and structural stability and it was subjected to loading in the form of a model made of steel plates in finite element software. The findings indicated that the diamond origami pattern provides the required flexibility for adaptation to the various environmental conditions by blending architecture and structure in the building’s physical body and that the diamond pattern’s adaptability is feasible in all the sub-branches.