The cyclisation of poly-β-carbonyl-substrates controlled by polyketide synthases intricately governs the biosynthesis of a wide range of aromatic polyketides. Analogous small-molecule catalysed processes would conceivably induce selective cyclisations of noncanonical polycarbonyl substrates to provide products distinct from natural polyketides. Herein, we report a secondary amine-catalysed twofold cyclisation of noncanonical hexacarbonyl substrates furnishing enantioenriched tetra-ortho-substituted binaphthalenes. The substrates were prepared by a fourfold ozonolysis of dicinnamyl biindenes and converted under catalyst-control with high atroposelectivity. Privileged catalysts and ligands were readily accessible from the binaphthalene products stemming from the noncanonical polyketide cyclisations.Poly-β-carbonyl chains, assembled by nonreducing polyketide synthases from acetate units, are biosynthetically diverged into a myriad of aromatic natural products. In particular their selective folding, aldol cyclisation and ensuing dehydration result in a broad range of skeletal variation, while tailoring steps further extend the diversity of the polyketide architecture (Fig. 1a). 1-3 Moreover, subsequent enzymatic dimerisations provide structurally markedly unique atropisomeric scaffolds, typically with control over the configuration of stereogenic axes. [4][5][6] Whereas the radical intermediates of dimerisation processes set the basis of biomimetic strategies, they also dictate the regioselectivity for ortho-and para-phenol couplings. 7,8 Taking into account that natural polyketides are restricted to a β-oxygenation pattern, [9][10][11] we anticipated that noncanonical 12 polyketide cyclisations governed by small-molecule catalysts would furnish valuable tetra-ortho-substituted atropisomeric biaryls distinct from dimerisation products. Considering the findings of stoichiometric biomimetic polyketide cyclisations, [13][14][15][16][17][18] we hence conceived a stereoselective polyketide cyclisation by means of catalytic substrate activation. More specifically, the controlled polyketide folding of substrate 2, characterised by a noncanonical oxygenation pattern (≠ β) obtained by an oxidative olefin cleavage of biindene 1, would directly give rise to atropisomeric binaphthalenes 4 by virtue of a twofold arene-forming aldol condensation (Fig. 1b, 2→4).