FUTUREFORMS
FUTUREFORMS is a San Francisco art and design studio, founded in 2005 by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno, that designs and fabricates large-scale interactive public art installations — combining parametric design, sensors, LED systems, and digital fabrication — for municipal, corporate, and institutional clients via custom commissions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FUTUREFORMS does
FUTUREFORMS is a San Francisco-based art and design studio, founded in 2005 by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno, that designs and fabricates large-scale public art installations for municipal, corporate, and institutional clients. The studio integrates parametric design software (Rhino, AutoCAD, Grasshopper), digital fabrication tools, embedded sensors, LED lighting systems (including Phillips Color Kinetic LEDs controlled by Pharos controllers), and custom algorithms to produce responsive artworks such as sound-activated LED underpasses (Lightweave), Fibonacci-informed shade canopies (Cosmos), AI-responsive anticipatory architecture (Murmur Wall), and weather-responsive sculptural canopies (Weatherscape). Notable clients span the NoMa Parks Foundation, City of Chattanooga, City of Sunnyvale, University of West Florida, Intuitive Surgical, Uber, and La Nube Children's Museum (collaborating with Snøhetta).
The studio operates on a custom-commission revenue model: projects are acquired through public-art RFQ/RFP processes for government clients, direct corporate commissions, or via art consultants and have individually negotiated one-time fees; no product sales or recurring revenue lines are disclosed. Projects carry multi-year timelines from fabrication to installation. Co-founder Jason Kelly Johnson additionally serves as Associate Professor at California College of the Arts and as past President of ACADIA. FUTUREFORMS maintains a small team (1–10 employees) and an active project pipeline across the United States and select international venues, including the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Strategic positioning is grounded in the founders' exhibition record, academic credentials, and the studio's ability to fuse computational design with physical fabrication at architectural scale; the firm has also experimented with adaptive reuse of its fabrication capacity for PPE during the 2020 pandemic. Distribution is entirely direct-sales to commissioning entities with no intermediary channel structure.
FUTUREFORMS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FUTUREFORMS
- Legal name
- FUTUREFORMS
- Website
- https://futureforms.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- FUTUREFORMS is a San Francisco art and design studio, founded in 2005 by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno, that designs and fabricates large-scale interactive public art installations — combining parametric design, sensors, LED systems, and digital fabrication — for municipal, corporate, and institutional clients via custom commissions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FUTUREFORMS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Art Design Services
- NAICS
- Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Event Fabrication & Scenic/Set Build (Custom Builds, Installations) (BPAFAGAK)
Keywords
Where FUTUREFORMS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
FUTUREFORMS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Public Art Commissions: Custom public art installations commissioned by government agencies, municipalities, universities, and private corporations. Projects include permanent sculptures, shade canopies, interactive installations, and architectural elements for public spaces.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
FUTUREFORMS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FUTUREFORMS is an art and design studio that designs, fabricates, and installs large-scale interactive public art, immersive lighting installations, sculptural shade canopies, and speculative architectural projects. Works are commissioned by municipalities, universities, and corporations through public art RFQ/RFP processes, direct commissions, and art consultant relationships, with installations integrating parametric design, digital fabrication, LED systems, sensors, and kinetic elements that respond to environmental stimuli.
Product overview
FUTUREFORMS is an art and design studio led by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno that creates public art installations, interactive sculptures, and speculative architecture. The portfolio includes permanent public artworks such as Lightweave (interactive LED underpass lighting), Constellations (algorithmic light installation), Radiance and Cosmos (sculptural shade canopies), Orbital (garden folly), One Thousand Suns, Anemone, and Weatherscape. The studio also produces interactive installations including Murmur Wall (AI-powered artwork), Whisper (data visualization), Theater of Lost Species (virtual ecology), and experimental projects like Trilux, Vivisys, Vortex, and Waveform. Additionally, the studio has developed speculative architectural concepts including Super Galaxy (responsive architecture), Xeromax Envelope (responsive building skin), and Xerohouse (desert living prototype). The work is characterized by the integration of advanced fabrication techniques, computational design, interactive technologies, and public engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lightweave Interactive LED lighting installation in a Washington DC underpass that translates ambient sounds from the city into dynamic auroras of patterned LED light, activated by passing trains, cars, and neighborhood sounds.
- Constellations Dynamic and immersive artwork featuring flowing patterns and algorithmic formations of light and shadow, creating a theater-in-the-round that merges digital craft with data visualizations of abstract natural phenomena.
- Orbital Contemporary garden folly featuring three coiled legs spiraling skyward with stainless steel origami skins on the exterior and colorful tactile shingles on the interior, creating a binary inside-outside experience.
- Radiance Sculptural shade canopy with faceted stainless steel skins creating kaleidoscopic patterns of light and shadow, supporting pedestrian interactions in Chattanooga's Patten Parkway.
- Cosmos Dynamic shade canopy for the Intuitive Surgical campus featuring origami-like faceted surfaces informed by the Fibonacci Sequence, creating ever-changing play of light and reflection.
- One Thousand Suns Dynamic sculptural shade canopy with stainless steel and acrylic materials, creating a focal point for downtown Sunnyvale that reflects the diversity of residents and visitors.
- Anemone Immersive pedestrian canopy inspired by California native Anemone plants and gothic fan vaults, featuring perforated Corian shade panels and custom bent steel framework in Albany, California.
- Weatherscape Sculptural canopy at La Nube Children's Museum in El Paso that channels dynamic weather conditions, triggering optical, material, and sound effects including wind, water, and sun elements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Lightweave enhances pedestrian safety in underpass while creating interactive urban experience
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use FUTUREFORMS
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
FUTUREFORMS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
FUTUREFORMS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EndrestudiocoreStructural engineering partner for multiple projects including Lightweave, Constellations, Orbital, Weatherscape, and One Thousand Suns. Provides structural design and engineering expertise for large-scale public art installations.
- Chorus Public ArtcoreArt consulting firm providing expertise on public art programs. Worked with FUTUREFORMS on One Thousand Suns project at CityLine Sunnyvale.
- ARUPcoreInternational engineering firm providing structural engineering for Cosmos installation at Intuitive Surgical campus and Weatherscape at La Nube museum.
- Kay+Hannah Art AdvisoryminorArt consulting firm providing advisory services for Cosmos project at Intuitive Surgical campus.
- NoMa Parks FoundationcorePrimary commissioning organization for Lightweave in Washington D.C.'s NoMa district, partnering with D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to fund and support the permanent public artwork.
- WMWAminorLandscape architecture firm serving as Landscape Architect for Radiance project at Patten Parkway in Chattanooga, collaborating on the larger redesign including pedestrian-friendly streetscape.
- SnøhettacoreWorld-renowned architecture firm designing the La Nube children's museum building in El Paso. FUTUREFORMS collaborated on Weatherscape installation as part of the museum's terrace design.
- GyroscopeminorExhibition design firm providing exhibition design services for Weatherscape project at La Nube children's museum in El Paso.
- Dorka KeehnminorArt consultant providing advisory services for Orbital project at Uber's Mission Bay campus in San Francisco.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FUTUREFORMS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Aranda\Lasch: New York–based design studio working at the intersection of architecture, computation, and material experimentation, including public installations and large-scale fabricated structures. Strong overlap with FUTUREFORMS' parametric-design and digital-fabrication approach.
- Random International: London-based studio known for large-scale responsive kinetic installations such as Rain Room and Zoological. Most directly comparable peer given shared focus on technology-driven public installations that respond to environmental or visitor input.
- Barkow Leibinger: Berlin/New York architecture practice known for fabricated experimental pavilions and installations integrating technology and lightweight structures. Similar in scale, materials experimentation, and architectural-art positioning.
- Jenny E. Sabin Studio: Cornell-led architectural design lab producing data-driven, materially innovative public installations and pavilions. Comparable in fusing computational design, materials research, and public-facing artwork.
- Studio Drift: Dutch studio creating large-scale sculptural and kinetic installations (e.g., Fragile Future, Shylight) that fuse art, nature, and engineering. Closely comparable in scale, materials, and public-art positioning relative to FUTUREFORMS.
- MOS Architects: New York–based experimental architecture practice producing digitally fabricated installations and speculative structures. Comparable as a small, computationally-driven studio working at the architecture-art interface.
Emerging players
- ESI Design: Experience-design firm creating interactive, technology-driven installations for museums, brands, and public spaces. Comparable in fusing interactive technology with public-facing experiential design, though generally delivers branded experiences rather than civic public art.
- Jenny Holzer Studio / LED light-art practices: Broader category of artist studios producing LED-driven public commissions (e.g., Jenny Holzer, Leo Villareal). Comparable in delivering large-scale public light installations for civic and corporate clients, but typically operate as fine-art practices rather than parametric-design studios.
Broad incumbents
- Snøhetta: Global architecture and design firm collaborating with FUTUREFORMS on Weatherscape at La Nube. Operates in adjacent public-realm and cultural-building territory but at significantly larger scale and broader service offering.
- teamLab: Japanese interdisciplinary art collective producing immersive, technology-driven installations at much larger scale and global footprint. Comparable in digital, sensor-based public art but operates at a fundamentally larger commercial scale than FUTUREFORMS.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FUTUREFORMS social profiles
Digital presenceFUTUREFORMS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FUTUREFORMS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
FUTUREFORMS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FUTUREFORMS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FUTUREFORMS
What does FUTUREFORMS do?
FUTUREFORMS is an art and design studio that designs, fabricates, and installs large-scale interactive public art, immersive lighting installations, sculptural shade canopies, and speculative architectural projects. Works are commissioned by municipalities, universities, and corporations through public art RFQ/RFP processes, direct commissions, and art consultant relationships, with installations integrating parametric design, digital fabrication, LED systems, sensors, and kinetic elements that respond to environmental stimuli.
Is FUTUREFORMS a public or private company?
FUTUREFORMS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was FUTUREFORMS founded?
FUTUREFORMS was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is FUTUREFORMS based?
FUTUREFORMS is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does FUTUREFORMS make money?
One revenue line is on record: public Art Commissions.
Who are FUTUREFORMS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Aranda\Lasch, Random International, Barkow Leibinger, Jenny E. Sabin Studio, Studio Drift and MOS Architects. Emerging players are ESI Design and Jenny Holzer Studio / LED light-art practices. Broad incumbents are Snøhetta and teamLab.
Does FUTUREFORMS have an API?
No public API is recorded for FUTUREFORMS.
What industry is FUTUREFORMS in?
FUTUREFORMS's product category is Public Art Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAL, Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design, with a secondary code of BPAFAGAK, Event Fabrication & Scenic/Set Build (Custom Builds, Installations). Its NAICS code is 71151 and its SIC code is 7330.