Two origami tigers each the size of a truck will prowl the forecourt of Sydney’s Customs House in celebration of Chinese New Year.

Commissioned by Customs House to raise awareness about the endangered status of tigers in this the Year of the Tiger, the crouching tigers were designed by multinational architectural practice LAVA.

The tigers are inspired by “zhezhi”, Chinese for paper folding (more popularly known by its Japanese name “origami”) and are the size of a truck at 2.5 metres high and 7 metres long, yet weigh only 200kgs.

Made of fully recyclable materials, aluminium and barrisol, the big cats are brought to life with low energy LED lighting.