Be Open think tank

This Tree House Module Competition entry by Brazilian architects Camila Simas and Marcos Franchini comprises a series of ‘Treehouse Modules’ adapted to eight forested sites across three different locations in rural France. The concept proposes five different volumes that can generate multiple compositions. For one site, a 65sqm module floats among the forest canopy independently of the tree, which establishes a visual connection with the Mothe Chandeniers castle ruin and the wooden spire of the adjacent chapel. The occupants can also inhabit the space under the suspended treehouse. In this way, it resembles the structure of a tree that allows life to happen under and in between its branches. More projects submitted for the competition in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Launched by French company, Dartagnans, the Tree House Module competition invited young architects to invent their own treehouse concept. The Cocoon entry by Rotterdam-based multidisciplinary practice Score Architecture has been conceived as a unique habitat, where humans, animals and nature coexist in harmony. The proposal encompasses two different bubble-shaped modules designed for humans and animals. One module hangs from the trees, firmly supported with a system of stretched ropes and anchored with steel elements. The second unit is placed on piles, creating an impression that it gently floats on the river. The main bamboo netting structure supports the exterior finish of organic hemp mesh, which provides a natural environment for plants, microorganisms and insects. More projects submitted for the competition in our blog.beopenfuture.com

San Francisco-based landscape artist Andres Amador uses just a rake to create his massive illustrations on sand. During low tide, Amador rakes on the beach, which turns over the sand that is a bit dry on the top but it’s still wet below, using these contrasting lines as brush strokes. His intricate ‘earthscape’ artworks can span over 35,000 sqm and do not last long: within minutes of finishing a piece, and often while still in progress, the returning tide begins resetting the canvas. The past 15 years have seen the artist sketch over 1,000 designs onto different beaches around the world. “My wish is for the viewer to experience a sense of wonder, immediacy, and appreciation for the fleeting aspects of our lives,” says the artist. andresamadorarts.smugmug.com

‘Design for Sustainable Cities’, an international student competition by BEOPEN and Cumulus, is now open for submissions! Top design projects tackling issues caused by rapid urbanization will win €5000, €3000 or €2000. Find details at citydesign2020.com Our inspiration today is a research project by a group of students from the Bartlett School of Architecture, London, who have proposed to use a combination of algae and clay as a building material for an eco-village in an existing township in China. Bryan Law, Dinel Mao and Jie Song have found a way to turn green macro algae, which is harmful to natural environments, into a useful resource through compressing and curing it. The resulting material is lightweight and rigid, while clay performs the role of a naturally derived structural aggregate. Manufacturing of the algae and clay components will be performed on-site using a ramming technique, which will ensure easy, in-situ construction and enable residents to customize the structures by adding additional modules to fit their needs.

In response to the increased number of cyclists in cities, Zeller&Moye, architecture studio with bases in Mexico City and Berlin, has devised Bici, a new way to store bicycles. The solution comprises modules made of paint coated steel profiles featuring functional cut-outs for wheels and locks. Described by the team as an easy-to-use product with a minimal material use, Bici can be installed in multiple locations both indoors (at home or communal parking) and outdoors. All you need is a steady wall and floor of brick, block, concrete, stone, or drywall. The custom-designed frame comes in two versions with different inclinations: the combination of varied angles allows for efficient storage as the bicycles start to overlap with the handlebars. Credits: zellermoye.com If you too have design ideas that can improve inadequate urban infrastructure, you are welcome to submit your entry at citydesign2020.com. ‘Design for Sustainable Cities’, an international student competition by BEOPEN and Cumulus, is now open for submissions! Top design projects will win €5000, €3000 or €2000.

Addressing the increasing number of people working from home after the pandemic struck is My Room in The Garden, a prefabricated home office pod by London-based architectural firm Boano Prišmontas. The low-cost solution comes as a set prefabricated elements, and the designers claim it can be assembled in one day with just an Allen key – as easy as IKEA furniture. The structure is made of digitally fabricated birch plywood modules that can be customized according to each space and user’s needs. The modular design enables the home office pods to grow infinitely, by just adding more modules. The solution targets both private home-owners and companies that could reduce their rent cost for big offices by purchasing instead home office pods to their employees. More home office solutions in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Studio Zhu Pei, architecture practice from Beijing, has completed the Museum of the Imperial Kiln in a historical area of Jingdezhen, China, known as the ‘porcelain capital’ of the world. The complex comprises more than half a dozen brick vaults, each a different size, curvature, and length, integrated with the many existing Ming and Qing imperial ruins, some of which were discovered during the project’s construction. The shape of the vaults is based on the traditional form of the kiln, the apparatus used to create pottery for centuries. A series of arched exhibition spaces lightly vary in size, some of them are enclosed, and others are open to the sky. Interior natural light is achieved with skylights inspired by the smoke holes of the ancient brick kilns. Semi-outdoor areas under the arches allow the visitors to enjoy a picturesque scene of the vaults reflecting in the water, while the low horizontal gaps encourage them to sit down on the floor to see the long horizon of the ancient kiln ruins. studiopeizhu.com

London-based designer Ponsawan (Mo) Vuthisatkul has created a series of food serving tools that are designed to fight obesity caused by the growing size of portions. Called The New Normal, the project uses the idea from nutritionists that we can easily compare food portion with the individual hand size: e.g. a fist of rice, a palm of beef burger, a thumb of butter, two hands of salad etc. Similar to clothes sizing, the collection features six serving utensils of varying sizes; two extra small, a small, medium, large, and extra large, so that the eater can choose the appropriate tool for themselves. More tableware designed to restore our connection with food in blog.beopenfuture.com

For his Antiquity limited-edition series, Sebastian Errazuriz, Chilean designer based in New York city, has transformed Greek and Roman masterpieces from renowned museums into functioning bookshelves blurring the boundary between art and design, the sacred and the mundane. The iconic sculptures are 3D scanned, digitally manipulated, re-cast in marble and enveloped in a wooden ‘scaffold’ that functions as shelving. More statement shelving systems in our blog.beopenfuture.com

BE OPEN Art is happy to announce that Raluca Bararu, illustrator based in Romania, has been voted the Most Celebrated Artist in 3 months by the visitors of art.beopenfuture.com Congratulations to Raluca Bararu whose impressive illustrations have gained her a majority of votes! See more of Raluca’s works at art.beopenfuture.com/raluca-bararu/