The symbols of institutional power embodied in US government buildings lend an air of legitimacy and dignity to public institutions. The contemporary City Hall - born from medieval Guild Halls and Puritan Meeting Houses - often still relies on centuries-old symbols of power and dominance. But does this tradition engender the sense of community identity and civic engagement valued today?

The capacity of origami to transform something simple and boring into something infinitely complex produces a sort of tranquil beauty. Through a series of basic folds, origami makes tangible the understated beauty of simplicity. By way of origami, prescriptive, dominating City Hall constructions become symmetrical, colorful works of geometry that engender balance, detail, and interpretation.