'form of wander' bifurcates and weaves over a florida waterfront pier

where the riverfront park recreational space extends onto the active tampa waterway, MARC FORNES / THE VERY MANY situates ‘form of wander.’ as an inverted mangrove, the green-hued aluminum canopy pavilion announces itself among palms as a signal on florida’s hillsborough river. seven trunk-like columns straddle the pathway above the water, inviting visitors to negotiate a winding path. the bifurcating members weave into a tangle of branches, mimicking the root structures of mangroves which take root along florida shorelines — part of the resilient ecology, evolved to withstand hurricane force winds.

all images by NAARO

‘form of wander ‘ demonstrates a structural distinction from other projects by MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY. while the group’s other projects often make use of a structural network, the branches and intersections of the ‘form of wander’ network are not distributed and held in tension, but highly curated and directional. legs splay out strategically to generate interstitial space and frame views. the form projects out toward the water, in swooping cantilevers. the columns aid in that directionality with an implication that the form had been picked up by the wind.

‘form of wander’ creates an atmosphere of filtered light and reflected currents, under faceted members that split, arch, and recombine to produce an open network. gradients follow linear stripes — pale green to brilliant white — which alternately highlight cantilevered edges and shadow the interior portions. the piece is identifiable on the riverfront, regardless of the direction of approach, but emphasizes the greenery to be found on the newly opened julian b. lane riverfront park.

project info:

design & build: MARC FORNES / THE VERY MANY

client: hillsborough county

dimensions: 21’h x 21’w x 52’d

number of parts: 3,123

number of rivets: 10,3184

linear gradient: 6 greens from ‘chatty cricket’ to ‘green whisper’