the elastic sponge by sci arc and ball - nogues studio
image courtesy ball - nogues studio

the elastic plastic sponge was created by students from the southern california institute
of architecture (sci-arc) led by benjamin ball, gaston nogues and andrew lyon of
the ball nogues studio. the large scale installation which could be twisted, arched
and curled to form different types of space including a lounge, a theater, or a large
sculptural mobius strip was created for coachella music festival 2009. each 'cell' within
the elastic plastic sponge supported a fluorescent tube and the tubes shifted in orientation
relative to each other to create the effect of sweeping motion. the form active structure
was designed using 3d software.

the elastic plastic sponge is comprised of 250 cells, each fabricated using custom jigs
designed by sci-arc students. the cell module was an effective way to construct a temporary
structure for assembly and dismantling.


the elastic sponge
image courtesy ball - nogues studio


the elastic sponge
image courtesy ball - nogues studio


the elastic sponge
image courtesy ball - nogues studio


the elastic sponge
image courtesy ball - nogues studio


the elastic sponge
image courtesy ball - nogues studio


the elastic sponge
image courtesy ball - nogues studio


the elastic sponge
image courtesy ball - nogues studio

project team: joanne angeles, benjamin ball, phil blaine, seyoung choi, dina giordano,
ben lloyd goldstein, monica gutierrez, james jones, william kim, anthony lagunay,
andrew lyon, jorge miranda, jeffery morrical, gaston nogues, mandana ozlati, tim peeters