Recorded at CDFAM Computational Design Symposium, NYC, October 29-30, 2025
https://cdfam.com/nyc-2025/
Organization:
STILFOLD
https://www.stilfold.com/
Presenter:
Julia Hannu
Greener by Every Fold. Strength in Every Curve.
Presentation Abstract
This talk introduces STILFOLD’s innovative origami-inspired manufacturing process, where metal sheets are folded into form. The process uses both straight and curved crease folding, expanding the possibilities of how sheets can be transformed into products. This, to make curved crease folding accessible to a wider community of designers and engineers – moving it from a niche research technique into a scalable industrial method. Our aim is to develop a more environmentally friendly way of making things – reducing the number of parts, energy consumption, material use and transportation needs. Achieving this involves multiple layers of complexity: from designing folding patterns of efficient structures to developing dedicated folding systems for production at scale.
The presentation will share insights into how STILFOLD is pushing to transform folding into a sustainable and practical approach to manufacturing – and what that could mean for the future of design, engineering, and production.
Speaker Bio
Julia Hannu is a Software Engineer and Computational Design Lead at STILFOLD, where she develops digital tools and algorithms to enable new approaches to sustainable manufacturing and design. Her work centers on transforming complex geometric challenges into practical, efficient, and user-friendly solutions. With a background in architecture and an MSc in Architectural Computation from UCL, she combines experience from practice and academia to bridge technology, design, and sustainability.
