Formed of aluminium profiles and galvanised steel cables, the foldable units use a tensile structural system to keep their weight to a minimum. The canopy provides shade, weather protection and resistance to debris, with elegantly detailed edges that can be joined together to create a continuous waterproof shelter.
Designed for use individually, or accumulated to provide an annex to a building, its lightweight frames and forms adapt to accommodate a range of crowd sizes. Assembled collectively, their increased size gives greater strength, becoming highly resilient to loading and winds.
The concept for Tensilation began as a computational design of a formation which was infinitely expandable, and it could take any number of forms to suit a variety of applications.
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Tensilation was the result of an intense period of collaboration between Grimshaw's Industrial Design team and the tensile structure manufacturers MDT-tex, culminating in the canopy's debut at Clerkenwell Design Week 2015.
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