In The Orb, architect Marc Fornes (THEVERYMANY) pushes the boundaries of structural engineering and digital fabrication with an ultra-thin aluminum shell composed of over 2,000 individually shaped facets. Held together by an astonishing 200,000 rivets, the self-supporting structure achieves an impossible delicacy—its gossamer-thin panels forming a continuous, curvilinear surface that seems to defy gravity. Fornes’ signature approach merges computational design with meticulous craftsmanship, resulting in a 10-meter-tall, 26-meter-wide sculpture that appears both organic and precisely engineered, like a giant cellular organism frozen in mid-growth.
The project exemplifies Fornes’ pioneering work with “structural stripes”—a technique where overlapping aluminum bands create strength through geometric arrangement rather than bulky supports. Each component is digitally modeled to bear specific loads, then fabricated using aerospace-grade techniques before being assembled on-site in a puzzle-like process. The riveted connections allow for subtle flexibility, letting the entire structure breathe with thermal changes while maintaining its striking visual continuity. Daylight plays across the faceted surface, transforming static metal into a shimmering, kinetic-looking envelope that shifts with every change in perspective.
Beyond its technical brilliance, The Orb offers an immersive spatial experience. Visitors can move through its undulating openings, discovering how the structure’s thinness creates surprising acoustic effects and light refraction. Fornes challenges conventional notions of material permanence here; though made of metal, the piece feels ephemeral, its reflective skin dissolving into the surroundings. This duality speaks to contemporary architecture’s evolving relationship with technology—where algorithms generate forms humans alone couldn’t conceive, yet whose realization still depends on skilled hands and age-old fastening techniques.
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in Bahia. 