FUTUREFORMS Merges Architecture and Technology
Kalin Ned — May 17, 2026 — Art & Design
References: v2com-newswire
FUTUREFORMS — a Bay Area studio led by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno — has activated public spaces through works that blur the boundaries between art and architecture by appealing to digital craft as a driving force. Some noteworthy projects by the firm include Orbital at the OpenAI Headquarters plaza in San Francisco and Weatherscape in El Paso.
Orbital is a contemporary garden folly composed of thousands of digitally crafted bespoke aluminum and steel elements with a highly reflective perforated stainless steel exterior and an intimate, glowing interior sanctuary. The digital craft-inspired installation invites visitors to approach, touch, enter, and sit inside the glowing sanctuary — an urban place designed to pause, reflect, or meet a friend. Weatherscape, on the other hand, is a 70’ x 40’ sculptural canopy for the children's museum that channels sun, wind, and water into kinetic energy and mist.
FUTUREFORMS process of digital craft relies on computational logic. The METAXIS exhibition at the California College of the Arts, which features over 20 models, 3D printed prototypes, and speculative artifacts from the past decade, offers consumers a rare glimpse into how such works come to be.
Image Credit: Matthew Millman
Orbital is a contemporary garden folly composed of thousands of digitally crafted bespoke aluminum and steel elements with a highly reflective perforated stainless steel exterior and an intimate, glowing interior sanctuary. The digital craft-inspired installation invites visitors to approach, touch, enter, and sit inside the glowing sanctuary — an urban place designed to pause, reflect, or meet a friend. Weatherscape, on the other hand, is a 70’ x 40’ sculptural canopy for the children's museum that channels sun, wind, and water into kinetic energy and mist.
FUTUREFORMS process of digital craft relies on computational logic. The METAXIS exhibition at the California College of the Arts, which features over 20 models, 3D printed prototypes, and speculative artifacts from the past decade, offers consumers a rare glimpse into how such works come to be.
Image Credit: Matthew Millman
Trend Themes
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Digital Crafting Public Spaces — An emerging aesthetic where digitally fabricated elements create tactile, inhabitable installations that redefine urban pause points and social exchange.
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Kinetic Environmental Sculptures — Objects that integrate wind, water, and light to generate microclimates and sensory experiences, transforming passive plazas into responsive ecosystems.
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Computationally Designed Custom Fabrication — Parametric workflows and 3D printing enabling bespoke, scalable components that merge structural performance with finely tuned ornamentation.
Industry Implications
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Urban Design & Placemaking — Public realm practitioners can expect shifts toward programmable installations that alter pedestrian behavior and civic engagement through crafted form and light.
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Architecture & Construction Tech — Building professionals may encounter opportunities in modular, digitally driven fabrication that compresses timelines while delivering high-design bespoke elements.
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Cultural Institutions & Museums — Exhibition makers and museums are positioned to host immersive, digitally crafted works that blend education, interaction, and spectacle for diverse audiences.
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