A new trifunctional ligand, L-ala, containing a carboxylate donor group, a homochiral center derived from L-alanine and a strong p-p stacking, 1,8-naphthalimide synthon, has been used to prepare the copper(II) complex [Cu(L-ala)(2)(4,4'-bipy)(H2O)(2)]center dot 4.25H(2)O that has a homochiral, helical, supramolecular metal-organic framework 3-D structure, organized in one dimension solely by strong non-covalent forces.