XOZZOX

The art
and engineering
of tensegrity
structures

Objects in which solid struts are linked by cords or membranes — achieving structural balance through the interplay of tension and compression.

Explore Structures Our Services
About Tensegrity

Structures in perfect balance

Tensegrity structures are objects in which solid struts are linked by cords (cables) or membranes. The tension of cords and/or membranes is taken up by the struts which counteract the compressional force exerted by them. The structure takes on a shape in which all forces are balanced.

The artist Kenneth Snelson was the first to elaborate the concept since the end of the 1940's. The term Tensegrity was coined by the architect Buckminster Fuller.

XOZZOX Design and Consulting services support you in constructing, optimizing, and building tensegrity structures — from structure definition, form finding and optimizations, to custom interactive visualizations.

We create digital models and physical tensegrity objects using a diverse range of materials for struts and cords.

Applications

Architecture
Bridges, domes, large-span structures, trade fair eye catchers
Engineering
Foldable support structures, actuators
Life Sciences
Structural stability of cells, prosthetics
Art
Sculptures and spatial installations
Structures

Digital & physical tensegrity objects

More objects are exhibited in the virtual "Tensegrity Gallery" — free entry.


Use W A S D or arrow keys to pan Click object in menu to switch model Click rotate in menu to toggle rotation Click VR icon for full-screen or VR headset mode

Photos of physical objects, built from various materials and using different techniques to join tendons with struts. Click any image to enlarge.

6struts increasing lengths 1 to 2
"Six struts increasing lengths 1 to 2" ca. 20×20×19cm, polished aluminum, PETG, stainless steel
Two X Configurations
"Two X Configurations" ca. 10×10×10cm — anodized aluminum & elastic cord
Porters Five Forces Configuration 1
"Porters Five Forces — Config. 1" ca. 19×17×18cm — anodized aluminum & stainless steel
Porters Five Forces Configuration 2
"Porters Five Forces — Config. 2" ca. 19×20×18cm — anodized aluminum & Nylon
Etude 9 struts
"Etude (9 struts)" ca. 9×10×10cm — aluminum & Nylon
Six struts two lengths
"Six struts, two lengths" ca. 40×40×40cm — anodized aluminum & elastic cord
Squishy for Chanel Prototype
"Squishy for Chanel" — Prototype ca. 21×21×21cm — PVC tubes & elastic cord
Tetrahedron on Tip
"Tetrahedron on Tip" ca. 19×19×20cm — PVC tubes & elastic cord
2X One
"2X One" ca. 110×110×110cm — stainless steel
Porter Prototype
"Porter Prototype" Anodized aluminum

More to come…

Services

Custom tensegrity design & consulting

Our services are based on custom computer-aided design, simulation, and optimiztion software for tensegrities. Contact us also for physical models and general consulting on the benefits and constraints of tensegrity structures.

01
Structure Derivation
  • Derivation from polyhedra — Snelson or Tensegritoy mode
  • Regular polyhedra (Platonic solids)
  • Semi-regular polyhedra (Archimedean solids)
  • Non-convex polyhedra (e.g. Goldberg icosaeder)
  • Johnson solids
  • Interactive topology generation per customer demand
02
Form Finding and Optimizations
  • Manual form finding by modifying cord and strut lengths, e.g. to
  • - Maximize smallest distance between struts
  • - Maximize or align angles between struts
  • - Minimize cord length variance
  • - Minimize cord tension variance
  • under constraints like fixed nodes, cord lengths, max/min tenstions, external loads
03
Deliverables
  • Strut and cord lengths compilations
  • Unstretched lengths for elastic cords per strut-cord joint
  • Compressional and tensional force data
  • Strut-cord connections nodes geometry, 3d-printable nodes
  • Renderings, stereographic images, screencam movies
  • Digital object models in gLTF or DXF format
References

Clients & partners

Some of the customers and partners we have had the pleasure and honour to work with.

University of Bath
Dept. of Architecture & Civil Engineering — Bath, UK
BMW Group
Research and Innovation Center — Munich, Germany
Chanel S.A.S
Paris, France
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Applied Computing & Mechanics Dept. — Lausanne, Switzerland
peter haimerl . architektur
Munich, Germany
Innovation Imperative
London, Great Britain
merge conceptual design
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Tivoli Gardens
Copenhagen, Denmark
Parti Pris Agency
Paris, France
Downloads

Tensegrities Simulation Application

Virtual Tensegrities v1.2

A Java application simulating selected objects and allowing interactive strut length modification (JRE, the Java runtime edition, downloadable from →here , is required to run this).
After downloading, start by double-clicking the file (no installation required). Or from the command line:
java -jar "VirtualTensegrities v1.2.jar"

Size
330 kB
Requirements
Java 1.5+
Platform
macOS / Windows / Linux
License
CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Download v1.2