Kinetic Architecture and Foldable Surface

In the recent decades, the flexibility of the modern human requirements and the growing need for economic sustainability have increased the interest in architecture with changeable configuration. In this sense, there are many examples defined as interactive or responsive architectures, in which the configuration can adapt to users' requirement or climate changes. In particular, a series of activities, from humanitarian or environmental emergencies to social and cultural events, require lightweight, easily transportable and transformable objects. An answer to these requirements can be provided by the use of a type of mechanism that is defined as “folding”. The University of Catania has formed a multidisciplinary research group addressed to develop a project called KREO (Kinetic Responsive Envelope by Origami). The goal is to realize a pre-folded reusable envelope, in composite material. In the present article the first results are shown, related to the analysis of the state of the art, the base material and the possible applications.