Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY has filled the public areas of the Department of Computer Science at the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation in Rennes, France, with two permanent installations: “Under Stress” and “Sous Tension”.
The structures engage the spaces with their intricate and gestural movements that effortlessly travel over the areas. They provide visitors with iconic hubs for informal and spontaneous social gatherings while expressing the tension between the dynamic interactions from the multi-directional and converging paths within the public spaces. More than a signal for the school, they become elements of enhancement for the school’s identity.
The lightweight, ultra-thin structures are the result of an on-going research from the studio into custom computational protocols for optimization of surface tension, geometric description for information modeling, and (re)assembly efficiency up to logistics of transportation.
Multiple generative steps were developed to form a continuous, structurally performing skin system. An initial topological mesh object, connecting on six distributed anchor points within the space, is submitted to an iterative surface tension process. A seventh extra anchor toward the ceiling, not physically connected, is added in order to maximize double curvature along the surface, and therefore embedding inherent stiffness.
all images © Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY