Tensegrity structures always seem impossible and that’s mainly because the compression elements are not connected to each other. We’re used to buildings and structures being somewhat “stacked” but here that doesn’t happen. They still work when the tension elements provide a state of self-equilibrium.

In this video I discuss how tensegrity structures work and what they have been, and could be, used for.

For more background:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlis_...
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth...
o Check out the referenced letter to Rene Motro as well as the pdf “Kenneth Snelson, Art and Ideas”
• https://www.bfi.org/about-fuller/big-...
• https://www.scholarpedia.org/article/...

The Lego-LIKE model can be purchased here: https://jkbrickworks.com/kits/ and this is their YouTube channel:    / jkbrickworksvideo  

The toy can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Toy-...

I’m not endorsing these and I don’t make any money if you buy one, but they are lots of fun!

I'm Paul Kassabian. I'm a structural engineer and a Principal at SGH in Boston, MA. I taught graduate students at MIT for nine years and currently teach on/off at Harvard's Graduate School of Design (GSD). These are videos based on my structural design projects and years of teaching structures to students.

MUSIC:
I purchased the license for use (before posting my video) from Pond5.com:
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Publisher: Kero Herning - IPI/CAE: 825536431
Composer: Kero Herning - IPI/CAE: 825536431