The Orb, a new pavilion in Google’s Charleston East Campus, mesmerises and captivates. The installation, conceived as an ‘anchoring artwork’ for the tech giant, began life as an international, open competition for architects and artists organised by Burning Man on behalf of Google. The result, selected out of 45 semi-finalist proposals during a six-month process including a public vote, is set at the entrance of the company’s Mountain View, California complex. Designed by New York computational design experts The Very Many, led by founder and architect Marc Fournes, it elegantly marks the point where public and private space intersect.
'The Orb', Google HQ pavilion by The Very Many, USA
Standing tall and dramatic in its twisting, organic shapes that span 10m in height, the piece is made out of an ultra-thin, self-supported, aluminium shell structure in a crisp white hue. Its folds and myriad of tiny perforations create an intricate play of light and shadow. The ‘puzzle structure’s’ slender pieces were laser cut and powder coated in Europe and shipped to California during the pandemic – a logistical challenge in itself, Fournes points out.
Sat comfortably in the open plaza, the structure is meant as a moment of ‘productive distraction.’ ‘Underneath the airy and acrobatic minimal surface of The Orb, we carve out a moment of shade, where you can slow down even as you remain connected. Inside, the riveted surface and non-linear environment beckons attention and distracts you from your devices,’ the architect explained. ‘We call it “visual wandering” -- the journey your eye takes to understand an unfamiliar space. It’s our meditative challenge to the viewer, to figure out how it comes together, to see the continuities across parts, and to discover new details while finding unique perspectives each time you return.’
The newly unveiled commission was awarded to The Very Many in 2018. It makes the most of Fournes’ extensive experience in computational design, honed at architecture practices such as SOM, Ross Lovegrove and Zaha Hadid Architects, which blurs the boundaries between art and architecture.
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Inside the process of creating the one-of-a-kind book edition gifted to the Booker Prize shortlisted authorsFor over 30 years each work on the Booker Prize shortlist are assigned an artisan bookbinder to produce a one-off edition for the author. We meet one of the artists behind this year’s creations
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Chris Wolston’s first-ever museum show bursts with surreal forms and psychedelic energy‘Profile in Ecstasy,’ opening at Dallas Contemporary on 7 November, merges postmodern objects with Colombian craft techniques
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The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom Malibu beach pads to cosy cabins blanketed in snow, Wallpaper* has featured some incredible homes this month. We profile our favourites below
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This refined Manhattan prewar strikes the perfect balance of classic and contemporaryFor her most recent project, New York architect Victoria Blau took on the ultimate client: her family
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Inside a Malibu beach house with true star qualityBond movies and Brazilian modernism are the spur behind this Malibu beach house, infused by Studio Shamshiri with a laid-back glamour
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An Arizona home allows multigenerational living with this unexpected materialIn a new Arizona home, architect Benjamin Hall exposes the inner beauty of the humble concrete block while taking advantage of changed zoning regulations to create a fit-for-purpose family dwelling
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Michael Graves’ house in Princeton is the postmodernist gem you didn’t know you could visitThe Michael Graves house – the American postmodernist architect’s own New Jersey home – is possible to visit, but little known; we take a tour and explore its legacy
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Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into bouldersThe American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
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Ballman Khaplova creates a light-filled artist’s studio in upstate New YorkThis modest artist’s studio provides a creative with an atelier and office in the grounds of an old farmhouse, embedding her practice in the surrounding landscape
