Marc Fornes in Kazakhstan

The Stripes Effect, a video from Marc Fornes and THEVERYMANY, features the Minima/Maxima World Expo Pavilion in Astana, Kazakhstan.

This playful structure is a multi-ply ultra-thin composite material as thin as a coin. Its structural is 43' high, composed of ultra-thin aluminum. If you scaled an egg up to the same height as Minima/Maxima, it would be much thicker.

Minima/Maxima's strength comes through a self-supporting curvilinear structure -- a series of three layers creating a multi-ply composite. The self-supporting forms find their strength in the double curvature of their form. The layers are constructed in tandem, supporting one another as they gain curvature and height. One layer never exists on its own, but contributes to and benefits from the unified whole.


Minima/Maxima was commissioned for World Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan, where it will stay as a permanent structure.


Marc Fornes is the founder of THEVERYMANY, a design studio and collaborative research forum engaging architecture via encoded and explicit processes. A Rhino and RhinoScript expert, Marc collaborates with McNeel on a regular basis.



Minima/Maxima details: 43' high, 6' wide x 6' depth. 3x2 mm thin. 5,312 structure stripes with 164,252 rivets.

The Stripes Effect, a video from Marc Fornes and THEVERYMANY...