Ingrid Siliakus carefully cuts and folds layers upon layers of paper, to create some of the most amazing origami building designs.

The Dutch artist has been fascinated with paper architecture, ever since she first set eyes on the work of Japanese professor, Masahiro Chatani, who invented this art form, in the early 1980s. She studied his artworks for years, before starting to create paper buildings, herself. Over the years, her skilled improved, and she began making origami replicas of some of the most famous structures in the world, like the Colosseum of Rome, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, or the Palace Del Marques De Salamanca.

Paper architecture is so incredible, because the artist is basically creating a beautiful design, from a single sheet of paper. Ingrid uses 20 to 30 prototypes, before finishing one of her artworks, creating the first layer, with a single shape, and adding layer after layer, until she is satisfied. After the design stage, where the skill of an architect is needed, comes the cutting and folding stage, where she uses her surgeon-worthy precision. Her artworks are between 160 and 300 grams heavy.

Check out more of Ingrid Siliakus’ incredible origami masterpieces, on her online gallery, and her Flickr stream.