The goal of the research is to introduce a novel design method to consistently integrate structural folding in architecture. The proposed method is aimed at supporting the design process starting from the early conceptual stages. It allows the designer to interactively generate an architectural space based on a free-form folded geometry; it provides, at the same time, the possibility to evaluate the structural properties of the folded system (i.e., its global stability and the magnitude of the internal forces) and to use them as active parameters of the design process. While giving the designer full control on the spatial and structural opportunities of folding, the relationship between the form and the flow of forces inside the folded system is made evident, thus enhancing the effectiveness of folding as a design operation. In this framework, folding is regarded as a way to combine architectural and engineering thinking toward a holistic approach to design.