
The follow-up video by Yoshiny Yo, below, is a really wonderful step-by-step demonstration of how this balance of tension and compression forces are working: Related slideshow: ArchDaily’s Tensegrity Structures. But it was his student, the sculptor Kenneth Snelson, who, in 1949, created the first structure to be defined as a “tensegrity”.
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In contrast to the pyramids, columns, and brick-on-brick buildings of the past, which pile solid elements compressively, one on top of the other, Fuller imagined a world full of unconventional structures that maintain their stability, or integrity, through a pervasive tensional force, hence the term tensegrity.įuller began developing his vision in the 1920s, at a time when many were exploring new directions in design and architecture. It was coined by Buckminster Fuller, the iconoclastic architect, engineer, and poet, to describe his vision of a new kind of architecture, one that looked like it was built by nature instead of by humans. Tensegrity is a term with a rich and sprawling history. Tensegrity is a portmanteau of “tensional integrity.” More about tensegrity structures from Scholarpedia: Recommended supplies for the activity: At least eight popsicle sticks, some thin but sturdy thread, sharp tools for cutting and drilling into the sticks (an X-acto knife and a small drill or awl will work), and a hot glue gun.Įach step of this tensegrity tutorial is slowly demonstrated. Make your own tensegrity structure-a mind-bending model that “supports loads through compression bars placed between a network of tensioned cables”-with this easy-to-follow DIY tensegrity tutorial from Yoshiny Yo.
