Tensegrity Space Frame Light: A Marvel of Design and Engineering

Michal Maciej Bartosik's Award-Winning Lighting Structure

The Tensegrity Space Frame Light is a testament to Bartosik's ability to merge form and function seamlessly. Inspired by the works of Kenneth Snelson and Buckminster Fuller, Bartosik has created a lighting structure that eliminates redundancies between light and structure, producing a seemingly discontinuous field of light defined only by its inherent and modular structural logic.

What sets this design apart is its unique application of tensegrity properties. Bartosik uses the light source (lamp) and electrical conduit (wire) in a way that they work mutually in compression and tension. This approach eliminates the need for a physical armature, making the lamp and wire both the light and the fixture. The result is a lighting structure that is as much an engineering strategy as it is an economic one, embodying Fuller's principle of 'Less for more'.

The Tensegrity Space Frame Light is not just a lighting structure; it's a design that suggests new possibilities for a marriage between structure and lighting. Its scalability and the economy of its production speak to a commodity of endless configuration and use. The design's luminous form gracefully resists the pull of gravity with a simplicity that affirms the paradigm of our epoch: To achieve more whilst using less.

Creating the Tensegrity Space Frame Light was not without its challenges. Bartosik had to answer two key questions: Can tensegrity yield a module that can tessellate orthogonally in three directions? Can the market supply a fluorescent lamp that is inexpensive, slim, and with a power supply whose capacity exceeds that of a conventional ballast? The design phase involved computer simulations and model building to test the limitations of computer space in the absence of gravity.

The Tensegrity Space Frame Light is a testament to Bartosik's innovative approach to design. It's a design that not only challenges traditional norms but also pushes the boundaries of what's possible in lighting design. It's a design that embodies the spirit of innovation and the pursuit of excellence, earning it the Golden A' Design Award in 2014.