Welcome to Intension Designs. As the pun suggests, these pages are about tension structures - specifically a class of structures known as tensegrities.
Tensegrities are unique in that their forms are self stabilized and independent of gravity or external bracing. They are based on the discovery by artist Kenneth Snelson and additional work by Buckminster Fuller that it's possible to design structures where tension is continuous and compression is discontinuous. In other words, tensegrities are islands of compression (struts, vectors) within a continuous web of tension. The resulting forms exhibit remarkable properties such as resilience and flexibility combined with the ability to withstand dynamic stress by transferring loads to all parts of the structure simultaneously. All tensegrities are tension structures but not all tension structures are tensegrities- e.g. a spider's web relies on an external structure for support (branches etc.), and canopy architecture requires ground anchoring systems structurally similar to a spider's web.
The significance of tensegrity structures has not been fully appreciated in engineering, architecture, or biology. Yet it is clear that living structures demonstrate the qualities of tensional integrity, and researchers have been exploring the links between tensegrity and biology for several decades. Donald Ingber at Harvard has been working at the cellular level while physician Stephen Levin has focused on the macro level of gross anatomy. This site is devoted to the new research and specifically outlines a biotensegrity description of anatomical structure. Tensegrity forms can model human anatomy based on a systems approach to biomechanics, and suggest a new approach to diagnostics and treatment based upon a scientific understanding of structure.