pneuspaces / pneuforms

Pneumatic structures have always been associated with mobility, movement, freedom and escape, with particular origins in French society. The promise of inflatables has been explored since the invention of the pneumatic tire by André Michelin in 1895, which promised a new, or pneu, means by which to access distance places. In 1968, the work of the Paris-based architectural group Utopie, dreamt of a society literally built on air and created numerous visions of extraordinary pneumatic structures.

During architecture week, in the French city of New Orleans, Ronald Rael, and a talented group of architecture students from Tulane University, explored a pneu vision for inflatable structures—one that combined the of new methods of 3D modeling (using modo from Luxology) to explore pneu forms and spaces that are site-specific, disruptive and engaging.

The final outcome resulted in two building-sized pneumatic structures installed on the Tulane campus. Dynamic lighting was installed to transform the spaces into beacons that engaged the campus community after sunset.

Project Date: 2013
Project Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Project Team: Ronald Rael and Tulane Architecture Students: Alia Soomro, Kyle Ryan, Drew Hauck, Will Nemitoff, Thomas Ferrer, Logan Legett, Nicole Esser, Shira Latch, Meredith Zelenka, Robert Mosby, Laura Robin, Kayleigh Bruentrup, John Coyle
Additional Project Information: was constructed as part of Tulane School of Architecture A-Weekend