Be Open think tank

Paris-based Bernard Tschumi Architects, in collaboration with Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute (TUPDI), have designed a 33,000sqm exhibition complex aimed to showcase artifacts from the region’s industrial past. Named Tianjin Binhai Exploratorium, the new museum consists of large-scale cones dotted with portholes with the focal point in the immense central cone. Almost double the height of the Guggenheim Museum, it houses a grand lobby which provides access to all surrounding spaces and allows visitors to spiral through the large exhibition halls stacked on each end of the building. More museums that are visit-worthy for their own sake in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Dutch designer Lotte de Raadt has launched carafes with stoppers shaped like traditional taps handles that clearly display the place where the contents were drawn. The project is aimed to encourage people to consume more local tap water which, unlike bottled water, does not require any polluting plastic or transport. Available in unglazed terracotta which naturally cools water stored inside or transparent glass, the vessels come in different shapes to reflect different sources of Dutch water. The tall bottle with the long neck refers to water from deep underground, while the low, stout bottle is the ideal shape for collecting surface water. More fancy water carafes in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Seasonal greetings to all creatives around the globe from BEOPEN team! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your beloved ones! May the upcoming year be full of inspiration and extraordinary ideas! Ph: BAUMhaus tree by Sergio Sebastián sergiosebastian.es

Studio Malka Architecture with offices in Paris and Los Angeles has designed La Maison d’Egypte (House of Egypt), a student housing complex at La Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. The project is aimed to be an emblem of the Egyptian culture that reflects the diverse fabric of its history. La Maison d’Egypte is conceived not as a single building but rather as a functional superposition of 42 megalithic prefabricated block systems, a physical personalization of each of the nomes, administrative districts of Ancient Egypt. Within the building these provinces are represented by their respective local crafts, furniture, artworks and other objects. Constructive elements have been chosen for their symbolic forces in the history of Ancient Egypt. More inspirational student housing in our blog.beopenfuture.com

The Research Institute of Sweden asked the Netherlands-based Rombout Frieling Lab to design an experimental bus station which transforms the waiting experience. Whenever the bus approaches the station, it emits a combination of lights and sounds, which is different for every bus line. The spectacle is installed in the roof and is visible from afar, informing the transport users about the bus statuses. Rotatable pods are hanging from the station’s roof provide comfortable leaning possibilities and protect the users from the wind. According to the team, the new stop titled Station of Being allows travelers to use the waiting time for themselves until they are politely being woken up. Discover more unique public transport stops in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Moscow-based Aotta Studio has prototyped a mobile capsular microkitchen for home, office and hotel use. These minimalist yet playful modular pods come in three free-standing designs that are utilized as a water cooler, a microwave station, or a coffee pot station. Each unit is made of plywood with eco-friendly coating and is equipped with drawers and pegs to store plates, cups and other utensils needed for a coffee break. The microkitchens look like big toys with their peaceful friendly faces, twig-like legs and bright colour finishes. aotta.com

French architecture firm Hamonic + Masson & Associés has designed a visionary residential tower concept in Limassol, Cyprus that is inspired by the natural geometry of floral corolla. Named Limassol Tower, the building rises from nature with soaring columns that bloom into the corolla-shaped balconies that house private swimming pools and planted green areas with a direct link into each individual apartment. With only a sliding glass door separating interior from exterior, these ‘independent islands’ create a luxurious living experience: they ensure unobstructed sea views, simultaneously providing uttermost privacy for the residents. More distinctive balconies at blog.beopenfuture.com

Vietnamese practice VTN architects has developed a building for the FPT University in Hanoi as the first step on the way of turning it into an environmentally conscious institution. The building features a bold checkerboard pattern of simple box-like modules, with natural trees growing in the recesses. While the vegetation help to reduce heat transfer through the building’s windows, the structure also ensures a lot of natural light, thus reducing the need for artificial illumination, which is crucial in the area that experiences frequent energy shortages. votrongnghia.com

Pforzheim University's graduate Roxanne Flick has created a tea set inspired by lesser flamingos, their visual appearance, the functions of their body, the choice of their nest site, and their behavior. Named Purpur, the collection comprises sugar dispensers, tea cups and a large jug-like teapot created from cast porcelain in soft grey and pink. The idea came to Flick when she saw how flamingoes filtered their food out of the water, which reminded her how humans filtered tea. The teapot is based on the shape of adult birds with their elongated bodies, while the sugar dispenser and creamer are more spherical to resemble the appearance of flamingos’ chicks and the cups are intended to represent their eggs. More bespoke tea service sets in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Sculptural Series by Laura Itkonen, a designer and maker based in Helsinki, Finland encompasses architectural ceramic vessels topped with sculptural elements that balance between art and function. Entirely handmade, the porcelain containers come in muted colours and basic shapes, which let them serve as a stage for surprising decorative elements of the vessel covers, such as rough Finnish earthenware, stacks of matte or shiny cylinders and paint-dipped stoneware. Exceptionally tactile, the bespoke pieces really stand out in the world dominated by mass-production. lauraitkonen.com