Origami Architecture

How it all started?

I always loved 3D pop-up books when I was young. It was almost 10 years back when I stumbled across another type of pop-up, that not only taken my breath but I was so intriguing in its design and execution - an origami architecture. I picked up an art knife and started practising with some old magazine covers with geometric patterns, from simple to complex ...

What is OA?

Origami Architecture is an art of paper cutting and folding created in the early 80's by Masahiro Chatani, a Japanese architect. It consists of a simple sheet of paper that the artist cuts and folds to create a pop-up shape as the card is opened. Most of the arts are three-dimensional reproduction of famous building architecture and amazing geometric patterns which are made using cutting and folding of paper or thin paperboard.


There are two phases in creating an OA -

1. Model design - this involves creating the 2D plan of the intended origami architecture. Converting a three-dimensional image out of the two-dimensional surface requires skill akin to that of an architect.
2. Model execution - this is the cutting of the designed 2D plan and folding it into a 3D shape. The execution requires different skills from the artist: to be patient, delicate and attention to details.

Masahiro Chatani

Masahiro Chatani was both a Japanese architect and a professor. He is considered to be the founder of origamic architecture. He graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1956 and became an assistant professor at the Institute in 1969. He also became an associated assistant professor at Washington University in 1977. In 1980 he was promoted to full professorship at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He became a professor emeritus fifteen years later, and continued to lecture at a number of institutions, including the Japan Architectural College, Hosei University, and the Shizuoka University of Art and Architecture. Professor Chatani died on November 19, 2008, at the age of 74. During his life time, he was considered the world’s foremost origamic architect.


Extract from Wikipedia

The Gallery

Many of the models shown in the gallery are designed by renowned OA artists. Some designers who share their models remain anonymous. I would like to thank the artists who shared their designs. The models are then executed by myself, or other family members. Over the years, I have also designed some OA models based on building in Melbourne. One of my pride is the OA model for "The Shrine of Remembrance" in Melbourne.