Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN Local advertizing agency CJ Workx has collaborated with the developer AP Thailand to develop world’s first non-rectangular football fields in the community of Khlong Toei, a densely populated area of Bangkok, Thailand. The ‘Unusual Football Field’ project includes a series of irregularly-shaped plots converted into practical football fields that redefine the boundaries of the traditional 105 by 68 meter rectangular pitch. The project demonstrates that otherwise vacant asymmetrical spaces can be utilized for outdoor recreation and illustrates the belief that ‘space can change one’s life’. The campaign was multi-awards winning with eight Grand-Prix worldwide.

#BeOpenART Inspired by Scotland qualifying for their first major football tournament in over 20 years and the excitement around the Euro 2020 Championship, Scottish artist Craig Black created ‘The Fusion Series – Footballs’, an artistic representation of the brand colours of various countries' football kits. The eye-catching acrylic fusion paint-pouring technique resulting in stunning marble-like effect is used over nine footballs, each representing a country competing in the Euro 2020 tournament. The artworks have been captured in still images as well as video in order to showcase the mesmerizing process the artist uses to create each unique installation.

#BeOpenARCH Constructed with hand cut local yellow sandstone, The Rani Ratnavati Girls’ School designed by New York-based practice Diana Kellogg Architects for the non-profit Citta Foundation will address the need to educate girls and empower women from the neighboring villages in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The building’s oval forms were inspired by universal symbols of female strength, the curvilinear shapes of local forts and the surrounding natural landscape. A ramp leads up from the courtyard to a blue-tiled mosaic walkway that runs along the oval rooftop. Hiding it from view is a perforated wall referencing latticed Jali screens, a traditional architectural feature that protects a dwelling’s privacy. Inside, there are ten classrooms facing the oval courtyard, featuring openings that allow ventilation and sunlight into the space.

#BeOpenDESIGN Singapore-based design studio Forest and Whale has developed a food container that can be composted together with food waste – or even eaten – once it is emptied. The bowl is made of wheat husk, which has been ground into smaller pellets and complemented with a small amount of natural binder and water before being pressed within two metal moulds at high temperature. The container features four precut lines for the user to tear off pieces of it to use as a tool to help eating, for according to the studio’s research, in many cultures, salads are accompanied by a slice of bread or a bread stick used in a similar way. According to the studio, the Reuse container is best suitable for takeaways that will be consumed within two to three hours, as it can only hold a salad with dressing for a couple of hours, after which it will slowly start softening and losing rigidity. More ingenuous sustainable food containers in out blog

#BeOpenARCH Dutch practice MVRDV has proposed a radical transformation of the Heuvel shopping centre in Eindhoven, which is going to connect it with the city. Seeking to transform the ageing building into a an open and accessible shopping, residential, and cultural quarter, the plan includes replacing the existing covered passages with open streets so that they better integrate with surrounding public spaces. It also proposes converting the complex into seven new city blocks, and expanding it upwards from the roofs that are made green and accessible. A new stacked building, the Muziekgebouw, intended for a music venue, will be added to the shopping centre and topped with a climbable glass outer shell set among the rooftop parks.

#BeOpenDESIGN Greenery interventions in the urban context let us enjoy the summer even if we are stuck in the city. That’s what our #BEOPENUrbanGreen Instagram open call is about. Share your visuals of lush vegetation or tender grass leaves within the cityscape on Instagram and do not forget to add #BEOPENUrbanGreen hashtag – winning €300 is as easy as that. Learn more at beopensocial.com Our inspiration today is the impressive project by the British designer Thomas Heatherwick. Named Little Island, the newly opened park is supported by 132 concrete columns set at different levels in the Hudson River in New York City. The mushrooms-shaped columns forming the island create an undulating platform accommodating 400 species of plants and 100 types of tree, lush lawns for visitors to sunbathe in summer, as well as performance spaces, including an amphitheatre that frames the water behind the stage.

#BeOpenDESIGN Athens-based studio Tenon Architecture has transformed an existing space of the Hyades Mountain Resort in Southern Greece into a Wooden Cave. The curved surfaces of the space rendered in wood help to recreate a warm and welcoming environment that retains the archetypical feeling of a natural cave, which once provided shelter for humankind. The project comprises a guest room with two integrated beds, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room with a fireplace, enclosing visitors within a well-equipped contemporary shelter. The curved structure, which consists of 1,112 different curved wooden pieces, was constructed on-site by two team members without using any digital fabrication methods. The drawings of each piece were produced algorithmically and transferred on-site, where the pieces were processed manually and converted into 55 larger modules. These were then hand-carved and shaped before the final assembly of the structure. More eye-catching wooden interiors in our blog

#BeOpenDESIGN Heading to the beach? Check out this innovative beach umbrella, which opens like the solar systems on NASA spacecrafts and promotes a more sustainable approach to summer leisure. Developed by international design and innovation firm CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and architect Italo Rota for Sammontana, Italy’s leading gelato brand, the design features foldable photovoltaic panels that absorb sunlight from the whole hemisphere and convert it into electricity, powering coolers and nebulizers underneath. In particular, a mini-refrigerator allows users to keep food and drinks fresh even during the warmest hours of the day. The team hopes that the concept can be scaled up further to provide power to any beach resort.

#BeOpenDESIGN Chinese practice WAA (We Architech Anonymous) has transformed a 1970’s warehouse complex for grain storage in the north of Beijing into ‘The Playscape’ for a broad range of age groups, drawing inspiration from popular culture of the past. The project seeks to minimize the use of gadgets and screen time. In order to promote activity-based sensory learning, the project employs spatial concepts such as an adventure playground, a maze, as well as spaces for children with nooks to explore and play hide-and-seek. Three main architectural interventions – ‘pipe’, ‘roof’, and ‘mound’ – allow children to dream and develop senses relating to equilibrium (balance) and proprioception (awareness). The existing cluster of warehouses encircling a courtyard provides for three internal play spaces. Playspace 1 is a single level low pitched crawlspace used for 2-4 year olds, which also features a soft space topography for babies supplemented with a restaurant and library. Playspace 2 is a layered environment for older children, which includes a subterranean interactive environment, a steep climbing topography and multifunctional classrooms connected by the ground level with a single slide. All buildings have a looped roof terrace easing parents observation of children.

#BeOpenARCH Based in Ho Chi Minh City, MIA Design Studio has designed a pavilion for architectural events in Thủ Đức, Vietnam, to evoke a pile of straw - an image that belongs to the Vietnamese countryside. Although it may appear disordered at first sight, the Straw Pavilion encompasses a delicate skeleton of metal mesh into which wooden battens are slotted and tied perpendicular to one another. Set within a parkland area alongside a canal, the structure blends harmoniously with the surrounding greenery. A narrow footbridge crosses over the river to the pavilion, while the U-shape of the structure wraps around a small area of decking that serves as the platform for events.