Meena Abdula

Origami Shelter

Combining my interests in maths and architecture led me to explore origami for my final major project. In doing so, I gained an understanding of how to manipulate crease patterns. This gave me the ability to adjust the pattern so that it suits my purpose. That is what I did with the Yoshimura pattern. By removing some of the crease lines and rotating the result, I was able to arrive at the final shape. The shape allows for adjustable length and easy construction. To add, the entire shape can be made from one long rectangle meaning it can use up 100% of a material.

After establishing the shape, I focused on decorative elements that I was interested in. During the year, I attended online workshops, one of which was marbling. The results encouraged me to include it in my final project. I included this technique on a smaller scale with paper and larger scale with wood. Along with marbling, the gazebo designed by Michael Hansmeyer inspired me to create interesting shadows. I did this by creating geometric cutouts.

Finally, the people in the interior should help imagine the size of the proposed shelter. Also, they are the Killick family. The Killick family use to be the owners of the Whitehouse in Cheam. The house is now a historic house open to the public. This addition meant that my final result can include local history and therefore help educate.

The entire process is documented on my Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/190365367@N07/collections/72157719176693748

If interested in other projects, have a look at my Instagram @lockdownbyproduct