Commissioned by Edmonton Arts Council to construct an “architectural folly” in the Canadian city’s Borden Park, Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY realized a colorful pavilion — called “Vaulted Willow” — made with 721 aluminum stripes.
Vaulted Willow is an architectural folly exploring lightweight, ultra-thin, self-supported shells through the development of custom computational protocols of structural form-finding and descriptive geometry. The project’s aim is to resolve and delineate structure, skin and ornamentation into a single unified system.
The surface is formulated through a fabrication strategy of intricate shingles assembling into a striated structural skin. The shingles are similar yet unique digitally fabricated stripes that overlap through extended tabs to double material thickness.
The stripe colors originate from Vaulted Willow’s surrounding environment, though for it to be an iconic destination within Borden Park, the colors are pushed toward artificiality. The greens and blues blend into a synthetic magenta, overlapping to reveal a two-way Cheshire scheme.
Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY is known for intricate installations: recently, he turns New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture into immersive sound and light installation titled “Situation Room.”
all images courtesy of Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY