Be Open think tank

Casa Ojalá by Italian architect Beatrice Bonzanigo is a 27 sqm wooden yurt-like cabin that can be reconfigured into 20 different layouts thanks to its sliding walls, movable floor and ceiling panels, and fabric partitions that can be rolled up using a system of ropes and pulleys. The circular structure can be installed anywhere and operate off-grid thanks to its rainwater collection system and solar panels. Inside, the cabin features two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living space, all of which can be continuously transformed into one another without changing the original structure and shape. More transportable homes in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Chinese West-Line Studio has designed a gateway to the Zhuhai National Park located in the region of Chishui and known by the unique so-called Bamboo Sea. Comprising a dense assembly of vertical lines, the park’s main entrance pavilion constructed of concrete and bamboo immerses the visitors into the Bamboo Sea. The programme also includes a smaller tea pavilion and a network of boardwalks extending onto the forested mountainside. All structures are raised above the landscape to minimize their impact on the environment. Local technologies and sustainable materials were used during the construction process. The choice of materials includes bamboo poles steamed to make it resistant to decay, anticorrosive bamboo plywood and rustproof blackened metal. A large pond is built under the gate, so that water evaporating from its surface creates a fog in the early morning and at sunset as well as during winter and rainy days. On a sunny day, this natural phenomenon enhances the effect of the pavilion blending with the surrounding Bamboo Sea. http://www.china-west-line.com/

As many people these days do not have possibility to head to the gym, regular working out at home looks like an ideal scenario to partake in regular activity. The Habit Furniture, a group of Hong Kong based designers, has developed a set of multifunctional fitness furniture you won’t have to hide in a closet as no one would ever suspect it was workout equipment. The set comprises a space-saving wooden bench that doubles up as a coffee table if flipped over and two dumbbells stowed away under the bench that can serve as side tables or stools when not being used as weights. More designer exercise equipment for your home in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Serbian architecture studio ARCVS has won a design competition with their Elbow Shadow project of a pedestrian and cycle bridge in Novi Sad, Serbia. Spanning over the Danube River, the two-storey multifunctional bridge will include 2,500 sqm of private spaces divided equally into offices and hotel rooms as well as a publicly accessible pathway with food stalls and shops. Spanning between the city’s 17th century Petrovaradin Fortress and its port, the Elbow Shadow will nod to the aesthetic of the old industrial buildings with its bracket-shaped Corten steel structure. Two spiral ramps on either side of the bridge will make the bridge accessible for both pedestrians and cyclists. More reinvented multifunctional bridges in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Fragile Future III by Amsterdam-based Studio Drift is a multidisciplinary light sculpture made of a thin three-dimensional copper frame structure connected to 1,200 light emitting dandelions. The sculpture contains real dandelion seeds that were hand picked and glued to LED lights, this labour-intensive process used as a clear statement against mass production and throwaway culture. The project is a mix of high-tech and poetic imagery in which light functions as a symbolic and emotional ingredient. Fusing nature and technology, the sculpture refers to the fact that light lies at the basis of all life. Fragile Future is represented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery. studiodrift.com

Canadian artist Guy Laramee creates mind-blowing landscapes employing repurposed books as a sculptural medium. One of his favorite mediums are bound stacks of old dictionaries and encyclopedias which he carves using a method of sandblasting. To the resulting dramatic representations of natural landscapes, he later applies paints, pigments, and beeswax. The completed pieces depict climatic canyons, plateaus, cavernous hollows, and dense vegetation. When photographed up close, his works look very much like aerial or satellite topographies of Earth. More book sculptures in our blog.beopenfuture.com

BE OPEN develops its commitment to support emerging creative talents by running an online gallery, BE OPEN Art. Conceived as an online platform for discovering and collecting art, BE OPEN Art aims to provide an opportunity of global visibility to emerging artists who emphasize social consciousness, philosophical and aesthetical solutions for the wrongs of the contemporary world, yet have no patronage or financial opportunity to show their work to art professionals, investors or the general public. Regular public votings will help select top artists out of the featured list, and the Artist of the Year will get a monetary prize from BE OPEN. art.beopenfuture.com

To celebrate the launch of a new sustainable store in Greenwich, UK, IKEA teamed up with local artists and designers for their Wildhomes for Wildlife project to create a series of incredible animal homes, such as insect towers, bat shelters and bird boxes, repurposed from the company's used furniture. The artist Rob Lowe, also known as Supermundane, has contributed a colourful and graphic DOM bird house built from an old Industriell shelving unit. The birdhouse features an entrance perfect for giving small birds access to the nesting box at the back. More designer habitats for birds and bees in our blog.beopenfuture.com

We only have one Earth. Join our #BEOPENThinkFuture Instagram open call promoting sustainable consumption, design and production and win €300. Rules: beopensocial.com If you share the values of UN’s SDG 12 devoted to responsible consumption and production, check out the Capsule, a contemporary hourglass filled with microplastic instead of sand, by London-based industrial designer Brodie Neill. Microplastic is literally everywhere in the ocean, it has been discovered even at the deepest point of ocean, in Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean. The designer works with environmental agencies and beach combers, using plastic collected from these partnering sites in each individual piece. These locations are engraved on metal caps on either end of the hourglass. brodieneill.com

Commissioned to develop a habitable, off-shore environment in the event of rising sea levels, the architecture firm BIG has envisioned Oceanix City, a floating settlement for 10,000 people, comprising hexagonal modules clustered in groups. The low-level buildings, planned to rise four to seven stories, would be constructed on land from locally sourced materials, such as wood and bamboo, after which they would be towed to sea and anchored in place. Like the islands themselves, the structures are designed to survive a category-five hurricane. The floating city would be self-sufficient due to a number of incorporated renewable energy resources, such as wind and water turbines and solar panels, as well as food production and farming facilities. Check out a series of posts on floating architecture in our blog.beopenfuture.com