POP-UP ORIGAMI ROOF

2024

POP-UP ORIGAMI ROOF

POP-UP ORIGAMI ROOF

Co-designers: Yasushi Ikeda, Mori Hayashi, and the Yasushi Ikeda Laboratory, Graduate School of the University of Tokyo. Sponsors: Taiyo Kogyo Corporation, Super Resin Industry Co., Ltd.

So that children could keep practicing sumo, a 9×9m membrane roof was designed over the sumo ring (dohyo). It can be laid flat during construction, high winds, or snowfall, eliminating the need for scaffolding or temporary supports while achieving extreme lightness and low cost. The design draws on a study of the relationship between origami and tensegrity, and on a tensioning mechanism using arched beams that flex and adapt to deformation.

As of October 2024, the roof has withstood two major typhoons and remains in trouble-free use. Presented at IASS2024, the international conference held in Zurich.

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