A
hybrid word, the cross of '
tension' and '
integrity'. A
structure with tensegrity keeps its
shape through
equally applied tension.
A concept attributed to either R. Buckminster Fuller or the sculptor Kenneth Snelson, tensegrity is the word used to describe structures made of building blocks (usually pipes) that never touch, but instead are held in place through an elaborate series of very tense wires. Such structures tend to look fragile, but are very strong.