_{Image courtesy of NAARO}

Minima | Maxima World Expo Pavillion
Located in Astana, Kazakhstan
Completed in July of 2017

Minima | Maxima is the latest Structural Stripes “Crawling Assembly'” from MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY. This permanent installation provides a moment of contemplation amid the busy grounds of World Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Why, among visitors of all ages, does it seem instinctive to engage the structure playfully For instance, to tuck one’s body inside a pleat at the base, assuming a contorted curved form that matches the structure itself.

_{Image courtesy of NAARO}

The project extends MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY’s research and development efforts to achieve structural integrity through ultra-thin, self-supporting assemblies, which find strength in the double curvature of their form. In the whimsical yet durable universe the studio creates, 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, entrance/exit, and threshold, while also providing its own support. It bends in all directions, but still manages to stand upright on its own.

_{Image courtesy of NAARO}

This surface is ultra-thin: just 6 mm of aluminum. If an egg were scaled up to the same height Minima | Maxima, it would be much thicker. Towards the base of the structure, the rolling surface begins to softly corrugate, its zig-zag angles gently rising into a full pleat as they meet the ground platform. The visual threshold of this transition -from pleated base to smooth and doubly-curved, continuous surface – is subtle, yet its structural effect is significant in achieving the height of 43‘.

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