Be Open think tank

#BeOpenARCH Shanghai-based firm LLLab has used woven bamboo to create a canopy and a cluster of pod-like pavilions to shelter visitors to the Impression Sanjie Liu light show set amongst the limestone mountains of Guilin, China. When entering the site, visitors are guided further by a series of woven bamboo lanterns that gradually increase in size until they become pavilions that are so large that it is possible to step inside them. Further along at the edge of the island, a 140m long woven canopy meanders through the clusters of living bamboo, supported by angled bamboo columns that are concealed within living shoots that extend through circular openings in the roof. More bamboo architecture in our blog

#BeOpenART Australian artist Joel Adler has created a large periscope-like sculpture that provides an immense viewpoint of the ocean below. The artwork consists of a 200kg mirror that reflects previously unseen rock cliff line and crashing water, and is cantilevered by 6 tonnes of concrete and steel. Drawing inspiration from historic naval interfaces and the human-nature interaction, Viewfinder reflects both light and sound to create a mesmerising display of the ocean.

#BeOpenDESIGN Copenhagen-based Natural Material Studio has collaborated with ceramicist Esben Kaldahl to develop conceptual ceramics from biodegradable material made out of powdered scallop and other seafood shells from Denmark's Noma restaurant. The founder of the studio, Bonnie Hvillum, exposes the seashells to the strong heat, after which she grinds the calcinated shells to a powder and mixes them with natural elements to support the clay body. During her research, Hvillum has developed a number of different clays, including a clay that looks like coral and a clay that functions as a glaze. The designer uses various leftover shells, such sea-snails, king crabs and sea urchin shells, to create ceramic glazes in different colours.

#BeOpenARCH Architecture studio Ibuku has teamed up with bamboo architect Jörg Stamm and structural engineering firm Atelier One to develop The Arc, a multipurpose sports court for a private school in Bali. The precise geometrical solution has allowed the structure to enclose a large inner volume with a minimal amount of material. The team has topped the 760sqm building with a complex double-curved roof made entirely from bamboo. The 14-metre-high parabolic bamboo arches support a lightweight organically shaped canopy that extends to the floor allowing for a large floor area that is uninterrupted by supporting columns. The anticlastic gridshells that connect the arches curve in two directions to create a robust structure that echoes the shape of a rib cage held in place by the tension from an outer layer of muscle and skin. More bamboo architecture in our blog

#BeOpenARCH Oregon-based designer Volkan Alkanoglu has completed an organic and undulating pedestrian bridge across a creek in Fort Worth, Texas, that recalls a hull of a ship. Titled Drift, the structure has been made using shipbuilding techniques. The project is an example of plug-and-play urbanism, an emerging sustainable and affordable design strategy that proposes building infrastructural elements off site and dropping them into place. The structure comprises a steel armature clad with CNC-cut and flip-milled timber planks — a product of computational design – that has been fabricated off site and installed in just a few hours.

Oregon-based designer Volkan Alkanoglu @alkanoglu has completed an organic and undulating pedestrian bridge across a creek in Fort Worth, Texas, that recalls a hull of a ship. Titled Drift, the structure has been made using shipbuilding techniques. The project is an example of plug-and-play urbanism, an emerging sustainable and affordable design strategy that proposes building infrastructural elements off site and dropping them into place. The structure comprises a steel armature clad with CNC-cut and flip-milled timber planks — a product of computational design – that has been fabricated off site and installed in just a few hours. #BeOpenARCH #architecture #architectureporn #architecturephotography #plugandplay #urbanism #cnc

#BeOpenART French artist Olivier Grossetête creates ‘unusual, ephemeral and useless’ cardboard structures, from towers to floating bridges held aloft by giant helium balloons, across Europe and in locations such as Mexico and Australia. The installations are built with the help of local communities who contribute to the prefabrication stage in the workshop and in-situ construction using only human strength. Each of the “Monumental Constructions” lasts several days, before local inhabitants are invited to assist the demolition of the structure. After it has been pulled down, the public is asked to trample and jump all over the boxes. According to the artist, the aim of the project is sharing the experience of a collective construction as the final work of art, which enables both young and old to meet and build joyfully together.

#BeOpenARCH Spanish architect duo Selgascano has created the building for Auditorium and Congress Center on the outskirts of Plasencia, which looks like a blue balloon tied to the ground by an orange string. Appearing transparent and weightless, this temporary-looking structure rests 17 metres lower level then the street in an attempt not to conceal the natural contours, unlike other buildings of no particular quality in the area. The structure comprises a volume of concrete and wood wrapped by the skin of EFTE, a clear polymer with a high energy performance which is extremely strong and capable of withstanding thermal stress and chemical aggression. The cross section reveals how the building rests on the land only in the part occupied by the auditorium stage and part of the seating area, while the rest of the volume overhangs its base.

#BeOpenARCH Tokyo Toilet is a project by the Nippon foundation that consists in building 17 design-minded public toilets, accessible for anyone regardless of gender, age, or disability, throughout Shibuya City. Aptly named “A Walk in the Woods,” the design by iconic Japanese architect Kengo Kuma is organized as five “huts” nestled among the lush greenery of Shibuya‘s Nabeshima Shoto park. The huts are linked by a footpath that seems to disappear into the forest and are camouflaged with a cluster of cedar board louvres installed at subtly randomized angles to resemble a natural condition. Each of the five toilets that make up the village is designed with a distinct layout, equipment, and interior to accommodate different special needs, such as child care, personal grooming, and wheelchair access. More design-minded restrooms built as part of Tokyo Toilet project in our blog

#BeOpenDESIGN Designers from Slic3Dart shop have developed a funny way to get kids to wash their hands more often. Their Mickey Soap Dispenser Attachment is a fan-made 3Dprinted product that can be installed onto a handwash dispenser nozzle and distributes the foam into three large blobs instead of one, which makes it look like the iconic Mickey Mouse’s silhouette. The playful item is available in three colour options, as as well as two decorated variants that resemble Mickey and Minnie. via www.yankodesign.com