Be Open think tank

#BeOpenART #BeOpenARCH American artist and MIT graduate Matthew Mazzotta has built Cloud House, a pavilion with a cloud that rains over its roof whenever someone is sitting inside. The structure is built from reclaimed roof in the form of a typical gabled profile and is topped by a roof of corrugated metal with a cloud-shaped resin element supported by a pipe. Pressure sensors in the floors are activated whenever a person sits on one of the two rocking chairs in the pavilion. Real rainwater from an underground storage tank is then transported into the cloud, which releases the liquid through tiny holes to simulate rain creating the warm pleasant sound of the drops hitting the tin roof. The water is then collected back into the storage tank through hidden gutters in eaves of the roof to be brought back up to the cloud again.

#BeOpenDESIGN Japanese designer Yanagisawa Sera has reimagined a folding chair making it more applicable for the modern consumer. Aptly named Hide And Seek, this illusory chair looks like a conventional umbrella when folded, but can be opened up to reveal a seat to be used by those who might need a portable chair – e.g. while taking public transit. Crafted with durable stainless steel rods, the frame of the umbrella is strong enough to support up to 160 pounds of weight, while a stretched helps distribute the weight, allowing the chair to actually take the weight of an adult human. The best part about the entire product is that it fits in standard backpacks and handbags.

#BeOpenDESIGN Normally we don’t pay much attention to the quality of the water we bathe with. However, mineralized hard water filled with chemicals can dry out our skin and even prevent soaps and shampoos from working effectively. In collaboration with Stok Labs, a New York City-based company Miio Studio has come up with a design-conscious solution named the Vand Shower Purifier, which comprises a shower head that filters out pollutants, harmful minerals, chemicals, bacteria, and viruses. Sitting between the water outlet and the shower head is an active filtration system designed to fit most showers. While showering, the water passes through Vand’s dual filtration system embedded within its looped design, purifying water in just mere seconds. One filtration cartridge removes harmful substances, while the other enriches water with essential vitamins and minerals that makes our skin healthier. More designs to enhance your showering experience in our blog

#BeOpenNEWS New #BEOPENUrbanGreen Instagram open call for visual responses is on! Rustling of leaves, touch of grass under bare feet, breath of flower scent – those are simple sensations we, urban dwellers, keep on forgetting. Plants in the city boost one’s spirits, no matter if that is about lush green park, a modest potted plant on your balcony or the sight of a powerful grass-blade forcing its way through the cracks in the pavement. Share your visuals of happy green within an urban context via Instagram with the #BEOPENurbangreen hashtag, as a way to celebrate people’s ability to creatively interpret the reality, and get an opportunity to receive a €300 prize. The entries will close June 30, 2021. More details at beopensocial.com This challenge continues the series of open calls inspired by the UN’s SDG Programme, a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

#BeOpenDESIGN Swiss design student Sarah Harbarth turns banana peels into a sustainable source of construction material. KUORI is an entirely compostable material that can be sewn, cut, glued, and processed through laser cutting, injection molding, granulate production and foil extrusion. The range of KUORI products includes a pair of eyeglasses with a tortoise-shell-like speckled frame, a 3D printing filament suitable for creating goods like phone cases, a vegan and recyclable leather alternative (showcased in the form of a watch strap), as well as a biodegradable shoe sole, which solves the problem of micro-plastics rubbing off onto the ground while we walk. More recycled materials made from banana plants in our blog

#BeOpenDESIGN German design duo Johanna Hehemeyer-Cürten and Lobke Beckfeld has upgraded a conventional paper bag. The SONNET 155 bag is made from a composite of two locally sourced raw materials: cellulosic production waste from the textile industry, and pectin, a plant-based polysaccharide extracted from skin leftovers that are a by-product from juice production. The translucent material slightly resembles leather and is 100% biodegradable in water and soil. The elegant minimalist design that enhances the bag’s texture and translucence, and a variety of vivid pastel colours derived from natural pigments represent sustainability as a treat rather than a burden.

#BeOpenNEWS Have you already voted for the project that you think deserves the Public Vote prize of €2,000 in the Design for Sustainable Cities student competition? The online vote is on at my.citydesign2020.com and will last until midnight of April 30th. However hard it might be to choose the best one among so many innovative and creative entries, give your ‘heart’ to the one that resonates with you most and truly deserves your support. You can leave one vote for each of the projects you like.

#BeOpenART In his series entitled Impermanent Sculptures, Brazilian photographer Vitor Schietti incorporates a technique known as light painting to surround trees and other natural objects with fiery streaks of illumination. To create his artworks, Schietti perfectly times his exposures. After choosing a location, whether in his hometown of Brasília or in more remote landscapes, and finding the perfect balance between the brightness of the fireworks he uses for his light paintings and the natural twilight, the photographer captures the resulting streaks of light with a slow shutter speed. “The light becomes a brush, the space around me is the canvas,” says the artist.

#BeOpenARCH Architecture studio Waterfrom Design has designed Tea Community Centre in Xiamen, China, which consists of a simple pavilion for preparing and serving tea above ground and a larger basement concealed beneath the surface of a pool of water. The submerged space, described by the architects as "the cave below the lake," can be used for a variety of different activities, like dining, lectures and exhibitions. A shallow pool of water covers the roof of this space but it is possible to see down into it, as it is punctured by a large circular courtyard. A tree in the centre of the courtyard symbolizes of a traditional gathering space in a village. More inspiring tea houses in our blog

#BeOpenDESIGN Inspired by the concept of “what is taken from the community, must be returned to the community,” Hong Kong design firm HIR Studio has created a series of public benches in a local town hall, by using recycled household plastic waste from the same district. The plastics recovered from the city’s Shing Mun River are cleaned, processed, and ground into pellets before being melted and re-moulded in large ovens at a furniture factory in Sha Tin. The seating is composed of a series of trapezoidal plastic modules connected together with metal rods. All modules are identical and each rotates to a specific angle, forming curvilinear shapes. When no longer needed, the benches can be recycled again. The project offers locals an opportunity to enjoy the tangible benefits of recycling their own waste.