Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN Ghiotto is an innovative boccia ramp designed to promote social interaction among children with and without disabilities in school environments. Developed by Diego Reggiani as a university project at Politecnico di Milano, Ghiotto emphasizes universal design, offering a simple, adjustable structure that encourages inclusive play and fosters early social connections. The ramp’s key features include a six-position tilt mechanism that allows children to control the game’s intensity, a built-in storage area for boccia balls, and ergonomic dimensions based on anthropometric data for both wheelchair users and non-disabled children.

#BeOpenDESIGN Shelter Wear is an innovative wearable design created by Tokyo-based fashion student Yoon Myat Su Lin, inspired by the devastating effects of natural disasters like the earthquake in Myanmar, which left many displaced without shelter. The garment transforms from a stylish outer jacket into a fully functional tent, with sleeves that double as backpacks for carrying essential items. This multifunctional piece merges fashion with emergency preparedness, offering mobility and protection during crises while reducing the need for bulky, separate emergency gear. More shelter garments on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Rosana Escobar's project, Unravelling the Coffee Bag, reimagines fique, a Colombian agave plant fibre traditionally used for coffee bags, by repurposing waste materials from its production process into sustainable furniture and textiles. Escobar identifies discarded byproducts, such as soft, fluffy fibres from harvesting and durable woven coffee bags, and transforms them into felt for rugs and yarns for furniture. Collaborating with local fique producers, she creates a collection of functional items like benches, stools, and rugs rooted in traditional craftsmanship and the existing lifecycle of the material.

#BeOpenDESIGN The German high-end sneaker brand nat-2™ has developed a patented upper material made partly from recycled coffee grounds. Crafted in Germany and handmade in Italy, these 100% vegan sneakers are available in both high-top and low-top styles, with up to 50% of the upper material made from repurposed coffee grounds. The result is a smooth, fine texture that subtly emits the natural scent of coffee. The sneakers also feature eco-conscious materials like cork insoles, rubber outsoles, and recycled PET bottles for the suede-like finish. More designs transforming coffee waste into sustainable products on our blog.

#BeOpenARCH Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré has designed the UNESCO Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects to raise global awareness of the illicit trafficking and loss of cultural heritage, featuring 600 stolen or disappeared artefacts sourced from Interpol’s database. Rendered in an earthy palette, the virtual museum is housed within a globe and organised around a spiralling gallery that branches into region-specific zones, symbolising the cultural gaps left by stolen objects. Drawing inspiration from the baobab tree and its hidden roots, Kéré uses light-filled openings and abstract forms to convey how cultural heritage underpins community identity, spirituality, and resilience, while emphasising the global importance of restitution and repatriation.

#BeOpenDESIGN At CES 2025, Yukai Engineering unveiled Mirumi, a clip-on furry robot with expressive puppy-like eyes and sloth-like arms that cling to bag straps and interact with passersby through nods, head turns, and shy gestures. Equipped with an inertial measurement unit and distance sensor, Mirumi responds to taps, motion, and nearby movement by looking around, bowing slightly, tracking people with its gaze, hiding its face when startled, and shaking its head when jostled.

#BeOpenDESIGN Tokyo-based designer Masahiko Ito has developed a saddle-shaped school chair called Saddle Seat to improve children’s posture, encourage movement and maximise concentration. Inspired by the natural link between posture and attention, the narrow, curved seat promotes an upright, alert sitting position while still allowing subtle fidgeting, which Ito believes is key to sustained focus. Made from three low-impact components - a steel tube frame, an oil-finished birch plywood seat and a solid timber backrest - the chair combines ergonomic thinking with sustainable material choices. Ito argues that better posture not only supports concentration but can also reduce long-term physical and mental health issues associated with prolonged sitting.

#BeOpenDESIGN Unveiled in front of Fukuyama Station for the Hiroshima Architecture Exhibition 2025, Junya Ishigami’s Clouds Descend is a sculptural, cloud-like kiosk that doubles as the show’s visitor information centre. The bent-steel structure was inspired by Ishigami’s visit to sponsor Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, where he was struck by the power of shaping massive steel plates. Echoing shipbuilding techniques, the kiosk’s welded, three-dimensional steel form is weighted at its base to balance like a self-righting toy, giving it the appearance of a delicate cloud skimming the ground.

#BeOpenDESIGN Carbon Cell is a British materials company transforming agricultural waste into a carbon-negative, compostable alternative to traditional polystyrene foam. Made from biochar derived from crop residues and mixed with bio-based polymers, the lightweight rigid foam sequesters nearly as much carbon dioxide as is contained in its structure while delivering similar performance to expanded polystyrene in packaging and insulation. Unlike conventional foams that persist as plastic pollution, Carbon Cell’s material breaks down in home composting conditions, leaving behind stable biochar that continues to lock away carbon and enrich soil. More carbon-negative materials on our blog.

#BeOpenNEWS #BeOpenART BE OPEN Art is pleased to announce Victoria Martínez as the Artist of the Month for December 2025, selected through a public vote from a curated shortlist of outstanding emerging artists featured on our online gallery. Victoria Martínez is a Uruguayan audiovisual producer and visual artist whose practice bridges decades of cinematic storytelling with an intimate exploration of memory and everyday life. Stay tuned! The Artist of the Year 2025 will be announced soon, selected from among the monthly winners, and will receive a €1,000 prize along with a dedicated promotional campaign to support their artistic practice.

#BeOpenARCH Glass Brick House in Ghent uses glass bricks not as a decorative accent but as the core architectural strategy. Faced with an extremely tight infill site and openings possible only at the front, Delmulle Delmulle Architecten designed a double-skinned glass brick facade that filters daylight deep into the home while preserving privacy from the street. The translucent surface softens light, reduces glare, and gives the house a shifting presence throughout the day, glowing outward at night. Paired with a restrained material palette and an inverted layout, the project demonstrates how glass bricks can perform simultaneously as structure, envelope, and atmosphere in contemporary residential design. More spectacular glass buildings on our blog.

#BeOpenNEWS BE OPEN has been granted observer status with the United Nations Environment Programme, recognizing its multi-year educational initiative dedicated to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and marking a significant milestone in the foundation’s mission. Since 2019, BE OPEN has focused on empowering young creatives to address urgent global challenges through SDG-focused competitions, financial grants, educational opportunities, and platforms for idea exchange. With six completed competitions and one ongoing, the foundation has consistently supported innovative solutions aimed at building a more equitable and environmentally sustainable world. As a UNEP-accredited observer, BE OPEN will now participate in international discussions, contribute insights, and collaborate with leading environmental organizations, strengthening the role of creative-minded youth in shaping sustainable policies and practices.

#BeOpenDESIGN Platoo is an interactive sensory meal plate concept by designer Tej Belkhode that reimagines toddler mealtime without screens. Using tactile textures, gentle colors, and thoughtfully shaped compartments, the plate turns eating into hands-on play, encouraging curiosity, mindful interaction, and healthier relationships with food through screen-free, sensory exploration.

#BeOpenDESIGN NGHOI Studio’s Chill Out Chair translates the unguarded comfort of a park bench into a sculptural single seat. Inspired by how people naturally stretch their arms across a wide backrest when sitting alone outdoors, Beijing-based designer Ng Hoi designed the chair with wing-like extensions that gently guide the body into a relaxed, open posture. Whether placed in a home or office, the chair evokes the calm of a verdant park, offering a quiet moment of retreat and ease wherever it sits.

#BeOpenART Down in the Clouds is a trio of playful, inflatable pavilions nestled among the rice paddies of Xiangshan, where soft, cloud-like forms seem to hover lightly above the rural landscape. Designed by Increments Studio and Practice on Earth, the project responds to the gradual erosion of village life in China by reimagining how architecture can support agrotourism and local economies. Somewhere between land art and civic infrastructure, the café, reading room, and film pavilion create intimate yet surreal spaces for gathering, reflection, and cultural exchange.

#BeOpenNEWS #BeOpenART In 2026, BE OPEN Art continues BE OPEN Regional Art, a regional competition for emerging artists aimed at supporting those whose work best represents their regional, cultural, and ethnic identities. Throughout the year, the BE OPEN expert community will select artists who most strongly reflect the artistic traditions of their region to be featured in the BE OPEN Art Gallery, providing them with greater international visibility. The new stage of the programme will focus on Northeastern Africa, covering the following countries: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Egypt, and Madagascar. Visitors are invited to vote on the BE OPEN website to select the Regional Artist of the Month. At the end of the four-month stage, the expert community will choose one overall recipient from the four monthly selections, who will receive an award of €500. Vote now!

#BeOpenNEWS As the year comes to a close, we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported and participated in our initiatives. Thank you to our subscribers, partners, and supporters for being part of our journey this year. Together, we made a difference. Here’s to continued impact in the year ahead! Photo credits

#BeOpenNEWS Join the DESIGN EQUALITY with Innovation Competition! Step into BE OPEN’s 7th international competition, dedicated to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — and showcase how your creativity can help shape a fairer, more sustainable world. DESIGN EQUALITY with Innovation invites students, graduates, and young professionals to present visionary ideas that champion equality through the power of design and technology. Your ideas can inspire global change — and we want to see them. Submit your entry today at designequality2025.com Let’s create a future where equality and innovation go hand in hand.

#BeOpenNEWS Last Call! Only 2 days left to apply. The Cyprus Future Heritage Competition is closing soon, with submissions accepted until December 31. Artists, artisans, and designers are invited to reinterpret Cyprus’s weaving and embroidery traditions in bold, contemporary ways. Submit before the deadline at cyprusfutureheritage.com

#BeOpenARCH EARTH, designed by Sou Fujimoto for NOT A HOTEL, is a visionary villa on Ishigaki Island that blurs the line between architecture and landscape. Its circular footprint encloses a private courtyard while sweeping curved glass walls frame panoramic ocean views and flood the interior with natural light. The living roof, covered in native grasses and seasonal plants, allows the villa to blend seamlessly into its coastal preserve, creating a dwelling that feels grown rather than built. Balancing futuristic form with ecological sensitivity, EARTH delivers both luxury and environmental harmony, making it a standout example of next generation sustainable design. More grass-covered roofs on our blog.