Be Open think tank

Join our #BEOPENReflections open call and win €300! This time we explore how reflections break up boundaries of the reality. Share you visuals via Instagram and don’t forget to add the tag. Rules: beopensocial.com Reflections is the key element of Cross Sections, the collection of images created by the London-based photographer Colin Ross and set designer and art director Elena Horn. It is a series that brings a twist to the traditional still life, with compositions that frame various objects reflected in a foreground mirror. colinrossphoto.com

Dutch architecture studio Houben & Van Mierlo Architecten in collaboration with the Eindhoven University of Technology, is working at the world's first commercial 3D-printed housing project. The houses will be printed using a specially-developed concrete mixture with a low cement content which will result in a low environmental impact. Aptly entitled Project Milestone, the development will see the construction of five multi-level homes which will be produced one after the other, with both printing technology and home design becoming increasingly complex. Initially working with prefabricated concrete elements, the team has an ambitious goal of printing the last home at once on location. Other 3D-printed housing projects in our blog.beopenfuture.com

The ‘Print Your City’ project in Thessaloniki by Rotterdam-based research and design studio The New Raw is a part of the ambitious Zero Waste Future program of Coca-Cola in Greece. The initiative invites citizens to bring their household plastic waste in the lab, design their own custom street furniture, and 3D-print it with the help of a robotic arm. Each object can feature a bike rack or a mini gym, a tree pot or even a dog feeding bowl or a bookcase. The geometries of the objects are based on ergonomic curvatures that accommodate a relaxed body posture. More street furniture with integrated extra functions in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Just one week before we know the winner! The entries for our #BEOPENreflections open call are closing on September 30th. If you are enthralled by the subject of reflections just like us, join our Instagram challenge for a chance to win €300. Read full rules at beopenocial.com and do not forget to add hashtag. Today’s inspiration is an impactful shot by Slovakia-based photographer Maria Svarbova who was mentioned by Forbes 30 under 30. Taking an interest in Socialist era architecture and public spaces, Maria has developed her distinctive style that departs from traditional portraiture and focuses on experimentation with space, colour, and atmosphere. mariasvarbova.com

Korean architect Yong Ju Lee has installed the Root Bench, circle-shaped public furniture with diameter of 30m in Seoul’s Hangang park. Resembling roots of a giant tree spreading throughout the park, it offers people surfaces elevated at different heights to lean, sit or lie on. The main concept of the object is described by the architects as that of spatial connectivity: Root Bench is fused organically into the grass and blurs the boundary between an artificial installation and natural environment. While communicating with each other visitors of the park can find a place for them to relax and simultaneously enjoy the artwork. More creatively designed public seating in our blog.beopenfuture.com

The renowned Rotterdam-based MVRDV studio has designed the Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market in Taiwan, elevating this often-prosaic part of food retail into a place where the public can experience food and appreciate the views. The focal point of the design is a terraced green roof which will house different products of the area, each terrace growing a different crop – pineapples, rice, roses, tea and more. The roof includes sheltered spots, benches and picnic tables. On the exterior, the building blends with the surrounding green hills, becoming a part of the landscape. More bespoke market designs in our blog.beopenfuture.com

Edoardo Tresoldi, one of the most influential European artists, based in Milan, has presented Simbiosi, his new site-specific installation for Arte Stella sculpture park, the renowned open air museum in Italy’s Trentino Valley, which was badly damaged by a storm in 2018 and reopened last spring. Impressed by the ruins left by the storm, Tresoldi ‘rebuilt a ruin’ in his 5-meter-high wire mesh artwork embodying interpenetration between architecture and nature. The artist calls Simbiosi a turning point in his evolution, where he has, for the first time, blended his signature transparency with the materiality of local stones. edoardotresoldi.com

Designing their Landscape for Play, a huge playground in the Matadero Madrid cultural centre, London-based studio Aberrant Architecture was inspired by the work of Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck. The architects researched the many playgrounds created by Van Eyck in Amsterdam after World War II and applied his architectural principles to create a number of colourful patterned objects that invite children to run, climb and create games. The bold colours and patterns contrasting the industrial environment of the former slaughterhouse also reference the post-war graphic design. More unconventional playgrounds in our blog.beopenfuture.com

ODA, an architecture and design firm from New York has developed a dynamic solution for the extension of Beth Rivka School for girls in Brooklyn. Shaped as a 12-storey cube (as the most compact shape) with voids cut into it, the 20.000sqm space incorporates a high school and a pre-school plus fitness and community areas. Occupying limited ground space thanks to its stacked structure, it however addresses the shortfalls of vertical build, such as poor circulation and limited outdoor space. The voids placed strategically throughout the structure introduce the sixth façade and are treated as real spaces while organized layout maximizes walkability. The most notable features of the pre-school design are the four spheres of play, where experiential learning happens in an informal setting. A rooftop playground completes the building. oda-architecture.com

The Spanish designer and the member of BEOPEN Community Patricia Urquiola developed Fordite, a collection of carpets that can boast one-of-a-kind design and a sustainable approach in production. The ever-changing colors of the lower area can vary, as the Himalayan wool, pure silk and aloe used is sourced from the material excess left over from CC-Tapis’s regular production process. More unconventional carpets in our blog.beopenfuture.com