Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN Seoul-based designer Hyunbin Yang has found inspiration in discarded parts of he fruits to create Peel-Pal, a button stand for cutlery and utensils. There are five “flavors” of the utensil stands to choose from: orange, watermelon, kiwifruit, lemon, and grapefruit, all of them resemble peels of the corresponding fruits that often take an arch shape. To make the stand more stable, a support is attached under the fruit-peel stand. The variants follow the colors of the fruits as well.

#BeOpenDESIGN Seoul-based studio PESI has designed a collection of tables utilizing planks of simple processed cardboard that have the appearance of wood. Named Lumber, the tables are designed to be easily assembled and, once no longer needed, disposed of. The studio wanted to find a new formative language in cardboard furniture, which is commonly folded like 'orgami' or laminated with layers. To cut sections for the Lumber table, they turned to the die-cutting press, one of the standard methods for processing cardboard. After that, the processed cardboard was rolled and squared to look like a rectangular lumber and assembled using only PVC rivets. A total of eleven types of rectangular lumbers made by cardboards can be combined in various ways to form six types of tables, that vary in length and height. More cardboard furniture in our blog

#BeOpenARCH Aiming not to disturb the environment on a large plot of land in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, his customer chose for his holiday home, local studio Fabián M Escalante H Arquitectos wrapped the building around the existing trees. Seeking to create a subtle intervention in the landscape, but at the same time a space for multiple activities, the architect developed a public programme that allows to experiment with the space. The façade of Rancho Sierra Allende is characterized by a gabled steel-clad volume of a double-height bar. This shape allows the team to play with two transversely intersected triangles: a tree stretches through the larger triangle, which is partly open to the outside, while the second one embraces the interior space. More buildings built around trees in our blog

#BeOpenARCH In Auckland, New Zealand, local architectural practice Collingridge and Smith Architects (CASA) has developed an early learning center founded on the Maorian concept of Nga Hau E Wha, the four winds symbolizing a meeting place for people from all backgrounds. Named Kakapo Creek, the project embodies this idea in a torus-shaped building, which encompasses an open-air playground and communal space at its center with four primary classrooms arranged around it. Other features that help achieve ‘carbon zero’ goals include heating and cooling provided by electrical heat pump units hidden above the ceiling in bathrooms; low LED wattage; natural ventilation and glazing to reduce heat loss; green roof and wall insulation well over the building code minimum.

#BeOpenARCH The Top of the Rock Observation Deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City will be enhanced by a number of visitor attractions. Proposed by a real estate company Tishman Speyer, the project includes a Skylift viewing platform and a globe-like Rooftop Beacon, as well as a Lunch atop a Skyscraper experience, which pays homage to the famous photograph of the same name showing construction workers sitting on a steel beam having lunch. The rooftop Skylift will take on a lens shape with fluted detail and will feature a circular observation platform enclosed with a glass balustrade, which will offer visitors panoramic views of the city. via www1.nyc.gov

#BeOpenDESIGN Aiming to extend the uses of a conventional chair, Barcelona-based designer Ivan Pérez Jové has conceived Drom, a multifunctional piece of furniture with a minimalist and sculptural design that is ideal for home, hospitals, airports, etc. It can serve as a chair, a high stool or, if the user sits the other way round, the upper part can be used as a “table" either to support a laptop or to take notes in a notebook. Besides, thanks to the lack of armrests and the sleek design, several items can be placed one next to another to create a bench. The design is free of mechanisms, which results in a durable and minimalist seat that adapts to all types of spaces and situations.

#BeOpenDESIGN Italian studio Space Caviar has constructed Dixit Algorizmi: The Garden of Knowledge, an indoor installation with glossy reflective steps resembling traditional water basins for Uzbekistan’s first pavilion at this year's Venice Art Biennale. The team opted for stainless steel for the shiny mirror-like flooring to create the effect of walking on water and turn the interior into a miracle of a garden. Gardens are very important in the tradition of Islam and the Arabic tradition in many parts of Central Asia, and this particular layout was informed by the garden at the House of Wisdom, an academic centre in 9th-century Baghdad where medieval scholars, including the renowned Persian mathematician Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, studied.

#BeOpenDESIGN Paying tribute to Ethiopia, one of suppliers of coffee beans and supposedly the country the drink comes from, designer Cheese C has conceptualized The Origin, a coffee maker shaped like the outline of the country on the map. Partly cylindrical and partly rectangular, the metal achromatic gadget reminds of a traditional mocha pot butt goes without the spout and the handle. The finishing is not smooth though as it intentionally makes it look like it has corrosions and scratches. via yankodesign.com

#BeOpenDESIGN Paying tribute to Ethiopia, one of suppliers of coffee beans and supposedly the country the drink comes from, designer Cheese C has conceptualized The Origin, a coffee maker shaped like the outline of the country on the map. Partly cylindrical and partly rectangular, the metal achromatic gadget reminds of a traditional mocha pot butt goes without the spout and the handle. The finishing is not smooth though as it intentionally makes it look like it has corrosions and scratches. via yankodesign.com