Conformation of a Flexible Miura Pattern on a Double Curvature Surface

This paper proposes a design method, through a case study, to explore the conformation of any corrugation to a single or double curvature surface using Grasshopper with Kangaroo. The research focuses on the Miura-ori [8] which is one of the simplest 1 DOF rigid-foldable corrugation. It has limited spatial configurations, and at first can’t be conformed to a generic surface, but including the flexibility of the faces it can conforms to a wider range of surfaces. The flexibility of faces, has been simulated triangulating the quadrangular faces and applying a “stiffness” controller to the relative rotation freedom of the new triangular faces. This study is aimed at architects and designers who are not familiar with origami mathematics and physical formulations, and it want to carry out an easy approach with which it can be possible to make preliminary shapes-searching studies before the prototyping. For this reason, widespread pieces of software, used by architects and designers, have been chosen. In the conclusions, the pros and cons which can be encountered using this methodology are highlighted. Some precautions and checking methods are explained to avoid deceitful issues which can be encountered using these kinds of tools.