The FOLD2 project is featured in the New Wood: Building a Bio-Based Future exhibition that opened on March 9, 2026 in London at the King’s Foundation’s Garrison Chapel, in a distinguished royal setting. The exhibition brings together more than 50 Finnish wood-based innovations and presents forest-based bioeconomy solutions to an international audience.  The FOLD consortium partners are grateful to Virpi Korhonen, the project manager of New Wood exhibitions, for providing us this great possibility to introduce results of the project in this context.

FOLD part of the exhibition showcases the latest outcomes of the novel folding technology developed in the project. The folded wall installation has attracted interest right from the opening of the exhibition. The exhibition presents Miura-ori shapes manufactured from commercially available cardboard rolls in various qualities and thicknesses, shown in different stages and applications. The pattern, available in two scales, has broad application potential. It functions as a flexible cushioning material, that absorbs forces acting on the product and helps keep it securely in place inside the package. As versatile examples, the exhibition presents packaging solutions in which the folded material is shaped to match the product precisely through additional folds, cuts, layered structures and custom inserts developed within the project. On display are packaging applications based on machine-folded cardboard for, among other things, bottles, ceramics and sushi utensils.

The Miura-ori pattern provides also new possibilities for diverse panel applications and visual outcomes. Nature-themed macro photography works by Markus Joutsela are printed to high quality photography paper, and then processed through the first phase of the folding machinery to create origami surface. The folded structure changes the viewing experience of the image by introducing depth, shifting reflections and subtle variations in light and shadow. As the viewing angle and lighting change, the image takes on a more dynamic and spatial character, bringing a new sense of presence to the photographic surface.

The FOLD2 wall installation design and samples from the project at New Wood exhibition was curated and assembled on site by interior architect Markus Holste together with senior university lecturer Markus Joutsela from Aalto University.

The background of FOLD is multidisciplinary research and collaboration, where design, art, mathematics, and material and engineering sciences meet. It is this combination that has enabled the development of a new type of fiber-based folded material and related applications. As a packaging solution, FOLD not only offers an alternative to plastic protection solutions, but opens the way for new types of packaging solutions and a wider ecosystem of materials. Folded fiber material can enable packaging that combines protection, material efficiency, recyclability, visual quality and adaptability in a new way. From this point of view, FOLD can be considered a significant opening in Finnish packaging and material development and conversion.

More information about the exhibition: https://uusipuu.fi/en/new-wood-exhibitions/