MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY sculpts bright green hyperbolic paraboloid pavilion

MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY has installed ‘HYPARBOLE’ at the entrance of rhode island college’s fine arts center. the architectural sculpture acts as a gateway to creative practices going on within the building behind it. the bright green pavilion welcomes students, faculty, and campus visitors into the creative domain. the design process underwent countless experiments and prototyping, before the final iteration was conceived. the installation becomes an icon for its home institution, and celebrates the notions of place, perception, and innovation.

the design ream used structural pleating, a solution developed by MARC FORNES / THE VERYMANY
all images courtesy of MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY

the oculus sits at an impressive 22 feet above the ground, making it a force majeure that disseminates into three concrete bases. to minimize fabrication costs, MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY designed a geometrically-efficient surface. the structure responds to the work of 20th century architect felix candela. ‘our treatment would exchange his reinforced concrete for our signature single-surface in aluminum, disbanding with an abundance of material in the process,’ describes the studio. ‘through development, we reinforce the idea that designing for this kind of fabrication would compromise neither structure, form, nor efficiency.’

the installation is a combination of 582 1/8 inch body stripes, 1/4 inch anchor stripes, and 1/2 inch anchor plates

the pavilion utilizes a complex, geometric shape — known for its strength and ability to distribute weight. the hyperbolic paraboloid is three dimensional with a double-ruled surface. ‘HYPARBOLE’ is the sum of many individual parts. the design team describes the culmination of the individual, aluminum pieces as ‘efficiently nested onto a sheet of flat material for a more economical process of fabrication,’ a process known as structural pleating developed by MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY. 

HYPARBOLE celebrates the notions of place, perception, and innovation

HYPARBOLE is a permanent structure commissioned by rhode island college

the pavilion welcomes visitors into the creative spaces of the fine art’s center

the pavilion is inspired by 20th-century architect felix candela

candela created concrete hyperbolic geometries

the designers sought to create the most efficient structure, in terms of the amount of material and overall cost

three main elements for the design were the structure, form, and efficiency

the design process required multiple phases of experimentation

the pavilion is located on the campus of rhode island college in direct proximity to the fine arts center

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