Abstract: A spatial structure based on the Kresling origami has multiple stability states under external compression. To realize an intelligent structure with a programmable failure mode, the finite particle method (FPM) is used to study the instability of spatial structures based on the Kresling origami. We propose a method of controlling the structural stiffness by adjusting the material, prestress, and structure arrangement. The calculation of the cable, rod, and membrane structures using the FPM is introduced. The method is verified by a bi-stability analysis of the Kresling pattern. The instability modes of the cable-rod model, the cable-rod-membrane model and the nested model based on the Kresling origami are analyzed. The influences of the elastic modulus, prestress level and structural arrangement on the structural instability mode and strain energy conversion are investigated. At last, the programmable failure of a double-layer Kresling structure is realized by adjusting the Young’s modulus of the structure, providing a new method for the design of intelligent structures in the future.