Pavillon Nomade

Pavillon Nomade, designed by Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY, arrives like a living sculpture in the historic courtyard of Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan. Commissioned by Louis Vuitton for Design Week 2023, the pavilion is a mobile, aluminum-clad environment that stretches 18 meters long and stands 4.8 meters tall. It is built to travel across continents, embodying the spirit of Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades: objects designed for travel, curiosity, and exploration. From the outside, its shimmering silver surface catches the light, reflecting the neoclassical architecture of the palace and the surrounding courtyard, creating a poetic dialogue between old and new. It is at once a sculpture, a piece of architecture, and an invitation – a space that asks visitors to slow down, observe, and step into an experience unlike anything else in the city.

The pavilion is a masterclass in experimental architecture. Composed of over 1,600 anodized aluminum strips and nearly 38,000 riveted connectors, Pavillon Nomade is self-supporting with no traditional beams or columns. Marc Fornes’ studio, THEVERYMANY, is known for merging computational research with physical fabrication, turning complex engineering into forms that feel organic and intuitive.

The pavilion’s thin, perforated surface allows natural light to filter through, creating moving patterns and soft shadows on the ground. Every curve, every hollow, and every reflective angle was calculated to balance structure, aesthetics, and sensation. Visitors see the pavilion change with the sun, the sky, and the surrounding architecture, emphasizing its nomadic identity – it is never the same twice.

Inside, Pavillon Nomade becomes a space of exploration and surprise. Curving walls, fluid columns, and billowing spherical volumes guide visitors through a labyrinth of semi-enclosed pockets. Small round windows and dark voids offer glimpses into unexpected angles, encouraging curiosity and play. Shadows scatter across the floor like a map, while reflective surfaces create moments of disorientation, heightening the sense that this is a structure both fragile and monumental.

Visitors can move along the pavilion’s contours, follow its surfaces, and discover new perspectives with each step. The design encourages interaction: children, adults, and designers alike can experience architecture as both playful and contemplative, highlighting the experiential approach that Marc Fornes prioritizes in all of his work.

Marc Fornes is a French-born architect and founder of THEVERYMANY, a New York-based studio that explores the intersection of art, architecture, and technology. Fornes is internationally recognized for his computationally-driven, organic structures that are as visually captivating as they are structurally innovative. His works have been exhibited at the Guggenheim, Centre Pompidou, and Art Basel Miami, and are included in permanent collections around the world. THEVERYMANY’s approach is experimental yet precise: the pavilion is simultaneously a structural achievement, a sculptural object, and a spatial experience.

Pavillon Nomade embodies this philosophy fully, translating Fornes’ research-driven, imaginative design process into a work that engages visitors, celebrates movement, and reflects the brand’s ethos of luxury, travel, and exploration.