MINIMA|MAXIMA | MARC FORNES/THEVERYMANY

MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY

Photos by NAARO

Minima | Maxima stands at a crossroad of extremes: an ultra-thin shell of just 6mm rises to a height of 43 feet by way of its sprawling, double-curved surfaces. In this whimsical yet durable universe created by MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY, curves win out over angles. Branches, splits and recombinations make columns and beams irrelevant. A “networked'” surface rolls in, on and around itself, transforming into a space that upends preconceived notions of enclosure, threshold and limit, while also providing its own support.  Towards the base of the Minima | Maxima, its rolling surfaces begin to softly corrugate, its zig-zag angles gently tuck into a full pleat as they meet the ground platform. The visual transition -- from pleated base to smooth and doubly-curved, continuous surface -- is subtle, yet its structural effect is significant, allowing it to rise to impressive heights. It bends in all directions, but still manages to stand upright on its own.

This project is the tallest-thinnest freestanding work by MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY, and extends the studio’s research and development efforts to achieve structural integrity through ultra-thin, self-supporting assemblies that find strength in the double curvature of their form. The studio’s innovative “structural stripes” accumulate in different directions to compose and strengthen these complex surfaces.

Three layers of flat, aluminum stripes -- white and white sandwiching pink -- are cross-laminated, supporting one another as they assume curvature and gain height. One layer never exists independently, but contributes to and benefits from the unified whole. The innovation lies in this multi-plication, where aluminum, an isotropic or non-directional structural material takes on anisotropic (directional) structural properties in its patterned, composite form. The system warrants comparison to fiber technology -- such as carbon or glass fiber -- yet is unique in that unlike fibers, each individual component does not need to be in tension. The assembly requires no mold or temporary scaffolding, and because it is mechanically bonded, the system allows for recomposition and correction during construction.

Minima | Maxima was commissioned for World Expo 2017, an event with a history of architectural and engineering innovations. It is situated prominently on the grounds in Astana, Kazakhstan, where it will continue to live as a permanent structure. There it remains a destination of interest for visitors to the rapidly developing city, an environment that incites curiosity from afar and opportunities for play, discovery and quiet contemplation inside.

MARC FORNES, registered and practicing Architect DPLG, leads THEVERYMANY, a New York-based studio specializing in large-scale, site-specific structures that unify skin, support, form, and experience into a single system. Over the last ten years, Marc has designed and built a number of organic, thin-shell constructions that push the limits of form, structure, and space. This body of work is situated between the fields of art and architecture, with particular focus in the realm of public art. Each public artwork aims to provide a unique spatial experience for its visitors, while also contributing to the visual identity of a place and catalyzing community engagement.

This practice is propelled by Marc’s expertise in computational design. THEVERYMANY represents a body of research that continues to advance new parametric outcomes and implement complex techniques in architecture and beyond. Each project evolves previous inquiries, and further investigates design though codes and computational protocols, addressing new ways to describe complex curvilinear self-supported surfaces into series of flat elements for efficient fabrication.

Some of these prototypical architectures have acquired and displayed by institutions and galleries including the Centre Pompidou (Paris), where Y/STRUC/SURF is part of the permanent collection, the FRAC Centre (Orleans, FR), and the Storefront for Art and Architecture (New York). Marc has also exhibited at the Guggenheim, GGG Art Basel Miami, Art Paris and sold at auction at Phillips De Pury.

Marc has shared his research as a TED fellow, in public lectures and through academic appointments, artist residencies and workshops. With Francois Roche, he co-founded “(n)Certainties,” a graduate studio at Columbia University with visiting semesters at the University of Southern California and at Die Angewandte in Vienna. He has taught at University of Michigan, Princeton and Harvard GSD with Patrik Schumacher.

In 2007 Marc designed and launched www.scriptedbypurpose.net, the first exhibition exclusively focusing on scripted processes within design, curated for the European section at the 2008 Architecture Biennale in Beijing.

Marc’s professional experience in the UK, US and France include SOM, Ross Lovegrove and ZAHA HADID Architects. At ZHA, Marc was project architect for an experimental Mediatheque in Pau, France. He directed extensive material research and geometrical development for what would have been the largest self-supported carbon fiber shell to date.