Oricrete - design and manufacturing methodology for folded plate structures made of novel cementitious composites

The present paper shows an approach for the design and production of folded plate structures made out of novel cementious composite materials. The idea of the approach is derived from the Japanese art of paper folding, origami. The spatial structures are obtained by folding of planar elements provided with prescribed crease lines. The aim of the present work is the development of a design and manufacturing method for the production of free-form structural members with optimized mechanical properties applicable as facade and load bearing segments. Due to the high variability of forms and the large amount of degrees of freedom of the fold patterns, a support by numerical simulation in all phases of design and production is required. The method has a high potential to reduce the production costs compared to traditionally fabricated shell structures with complex curved formworks. New fields of application for cementious composite materials can be entered that are characterized by low material consumption, a high exploitation of the material and a systematic manufacturing process.