Be Open think tank

Japanese studio Nendo has designed a home for three generations of the same family in a quiet residential area of Tokyo. Aptly titled Stairway House, the building features a huge stairway-like structure that interrupts the floor plan of the house uniting the first floor where the older couple’s rooms are arranged with the two upper floors where the younger and their child reside. The faux stairway runs from the yard, through the glazed facade and right up to the top floor where it expands further out through the skylight. Enclosed inside the stairway are functional elements, such as bathrooms and a staircase for actual use, with the upper part transforming into a semi-outdoor greenhouse. More architectural staircases in our blog.beopenfuture.com

BE OPEN and Cumulus offer €12,000 for design projects to support UN’s SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) as part of their Design for Sustainable Cities free-to-enter student competition. We welcome creative solutions that help tackle issues caused by rapid urbanization. Our inspiration today is the Spiral Tower, the world's first "climate-neutral high-rise attraction” envisioned by a consortium of Dutch companies - engineers KCI, electrical specialists Bosch Rexroth, steel experts Hillebrand and creative agency NorthernLight. The design team took the idea of an observation wheel and redesigned it to have a smaller physical footprint and the ability to generate its own sustainable power. The innovative construction encompasses a steel mast with vertical gardens and passenger cabins spiraling up and down its façade, and is powered by solar panels and a windmill at the top. Credit: northernlight.nl Submission for the Design for Sustainable Cities competition closes Dec 31, 2020. Check out citydesign2020.com for more details.

The first prize for the contest launched by Pandemic Response CoLab at MIT asking designers and researchers to reimagine personal protection equipment was awarded to the Social Mask concept by Burzo Ciprian, a young designer and engineer from Romania. Apart from a filter ventilation system, the removable modular device at the front of the mask integrates biosensors and Bluetooth capabilities, which allows the intelligent mask to connect to the user’s phone via an app with different functions like temperature tracking and particle status checking for asymptomatic users. Collecting the data from the mask, the algorithm realizes a percentage of the possible infection with SARS COV-19 and builds a map with all the surrounding users on it, so that an uninfected person can avoid the area with possible infections. More technologically advanced face masks in our blog.beopenfuture.com

London architecture practice Sam Jacob Studio has created the Electric Nemeton, an installation that references the Christmas tree tradition, and specifically the forest groves called Nemetons that acted as gathering places in Celtic culture. The structure comprises a series of modular tree-like pyramids of different sizes held four metres above the ground on trunks of galvanized steel, emulating a forest of Christmas trees. Timber sections are used to construct the tree-structure, with coloured scaffold net panels forming its canopy and lighting accentuating its translucent qualities. When one walks around the structure, its colours fade and bleed from one another. As public space has taken on new significance during COVID-19, the Electric Nemeton contributes a little more to the possibilities of winter life outdoors, expressing an idea of hope for the return of our social and public lives. via samjacob.com

As part of his How Do You Like Your Eggs project, the Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Basse Stittgen has created cups and dishes from discarded eggs. The designer explains that while an average of 6.4 billion hens lay 1.1 trillion eggs each year, a big share of eggs is often damaged and wasted due their short shelf life and fragile shell. Stittgen uses expired egg whites and shells collected from the sorting station of the farm he is collaborating with to create fully degradable bioplastic that is then thermoformed into bio-plastic cups with zero additives. With the project, the designer hopes to create awareness of today’s throw-away culture. More tableware created using food waste in our blog.beopenfuture.com

The design team of the international practice B+H, Scandinavian firm 3XN and Chinese Zhubo Design has recently won an international design competition for the new Shenzhen Natural History Museum dedicated to interpreting the laws of natural evolution. Named Delta, the winning project rises seamlessly from the adjacent picturesque Yanzi Lake and features a terraced green rooftop, which highlights the museum’s organic geometries and extends the surrounding public park network. The undulating shape is covered with lush greenery and provides a space for a whole range of activities throughout the day — from early morning jogs to late evening strolls. Credits: bharchitects.com

Oasys by the international architecture and design office MASK architects is a modular multifunctional complex in Abu Dhabi designed to offer residents a spacious natural refuge amid the dense urban environment. The complex encompasses a group of structures inspired by the appearance of palm leaves that can be adapted to spaces of all scales and environments, standing as a barrier from heat, UV rays, noise and wind. The palm canopies include nozzles that spray mist into the air to create a cool atmosphere, the branch formations of the structure protect visitors against wind and sound, while the roofs feature solar panels to harvest solar energy. More solar-powered architecture in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Japanese design studio Simplicity has created a sophisticated collection of tableware that puts as much importance in its sustainability as it does in aesthetics. Named Wasara, the series is composed of plates, platters, bowls, tumblers, wine and coffee cups and cutlery made from tree-free materials, bamboo, reed pulp and sugar cane fiber, which have been chosen for their biodegradable, earth-conscious properties. The tableware is fully biodegradable and compostable, which reduces the burden on the environment. Embodying the unique aesthetic, values and spirit of traditional craftsmanship, the designs are sturdy and simple and have flowing forms and a texture that resembles handmade Japanese paper. More designs that take disposable tableware to a new level in our blog.beopenfuture.com

BE OPEN Art is happy to announce that Daniele Cenni, self-taught collage artist from Italy, has been voted the Artist of the Month by the visitors of art.beopenfuture.com Aiming to showcase emerging talents, every month we invite people passionate with art to choose the best artist among those exhibited in our online gallery. Congratulations to Daniele Cenni (aka Zella) whose witty collages have gained him a majority of votes in November! We also take the opportunity to applaud all the featured artists and thank everyone who voted. See Zella’s works at http://art.beopenfuture.com/daniele-cenni/

BE OPEN and Cumulus offer €12,000 for creative design solutions to support UN’s SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) as part of their Design for Sustainable Cities student competition. The competition with the prize money of €12,000 is free to enter for students and graduates of all art, design, architecture and media disciplines worldwide. The submission is open till the 31st of December 2020 at citydesign2020.com