Barkow Leibinger

Tensegrity describes a closed structural system composed of a network of elements that are mutually supportive in compression and tension to achieve equilibrium and exceptionally rigid structures that do not experience bending moments. The system was described by Buckminster Fuller as ‚islands of compression in a sea of tension’ and it is utilised to construct lightweight, durable, and adaptable structures with great potentials for architecture and engineering.
A model of a tensegrity tower was developed for the office's internal exhibition series "Engineering Speculations", which uses the Stabwerk construction to create a prototype for a multi-storey residential building. The structural experiment was later used again in the "Tensegrity Späti" installation in Logroño, Spain.