Advanced Wooden Joints – Japenese Joinery with a focus on rotation.

ORI.KIGUMI.KAITEN — FOLDING.INERLOCKING WOODEN JOINTS.ROTATION

The Japanese tradition of wood-to-wood connections enables the creation of complex joints without additional metallic elements in a force-locking manner. These joints are crafted with the highest precision to achieve a surface-to-surface force connection.

Such self-locking joints typically work by sliding two precisely fitting elements into each other, which are then force-locked using a small pin or a small board. There are special variants that are not slid into place but are brought into position through rotation.

When folding, a surface is rotated along a joint into a new position in relation to a second surface. Origami describes the Japanese art of paper folding. Since paper is neither stretchable nor compressible, precise geometric knowledge is necessary to do justice to this art form. The modern tools available to us today allow us to create a variety of target geometries through folding. Since folded objects can often be interpreted as stable shells, they are often used as inspiration for the design of load-bearing structures. However, these folded structures are usually not folded from a single sheet but are assembled in their final form.

In the course, these self-locking joints will be analyzed and further developed with a focus on folded surface structures. The goal is to join folded structures from wooden panels in a flat state, then fold them into their final form, and connect them force-lockingly in their geometry.

The course takes place every Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM when there is an input session or a workshop. In between, there are purely correction sessions where students can individually discuss their projects as part of a desk crit. Students are expected to develop and present an overall geometry and an individually developed detailed solution including an assembly mechanism. Rhino and Grasshopper are very helpful for this course and are required.