Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN Developed by Milan-based product designer Oguz Ergin, Verticale is a smart furniture concept that combines a simple side table and a laptop desk in one design. In one mode, it is not tall enough to work on but is perfect to be used as a bedside table holding a book or a drink and providing enough storage inside its open drawer. When turned on its side, Verticale transforms into a makeshift laptop table without compromising a storage space. Manufactured using plywood, the piece is lightweight so that it would be easy to turn it on its side or back on its legs.

#BeOpenART The inspiration for the Dance With The Wind Art Installation by creative duo Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan in Pindung, Taiwan, is the visualization of wind traces. The location is famous for the strong wind during the winter, and this art installation coheres with the surroundings. The shaped structure consists of ductile steel and bamboo, which bounce when there is wind around the art installation. The organic swirl-like form reflects how the shapes in nature coexist with wind, while the topography of the LED strip light is to visualize the current between the art installation.

#BeOpenDESIGN Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Jisho Design has created a teahouse from food-waste-based materials at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Along with paper tubes and cork floor panels, the teahouse is made using varied materials made from food waste including coffee grounds and discarded pasta, which are common foods in Venice. The architects claim that the pasta-based components are as durable as concrete and are waterproof thanks to a silicon-based liquid coating. Following the exhibition, the pavilion will be disassembled into pieces of furniture.

#BeOpenARCH People’s Architecture Office (PAO) has designed a series of interactive installations and ultra-small public buildings to quickly form rich activities and events in a small park in Mentougou, Beijing. One of the recently completed structures is the Amoeba Public Restroom that has a distinct undulating shape. The Amoeba project not only serves its practical purpose but also enhances the overall experience better for all who visit the park becoming an integral part of the vibrant social hub.

#BeOpenART #BeOpenNEWS We are happy to announce the second winner for BE OPEN Regional Art, a new competition for emerging artists, aimed to support those whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities. Every month, works by 20 emerging artists from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, etc. were posted at the online gallery for the public to select the Regional Artist of the Month. In April, May and June the title was given to Keyonne ‘Keeks’ Yarde, Barbados; Kamlah Kew, Antigua & Barbuda and Anna Gibson, Barbados. Based on the amount of votes by the public and BE OPEN’s art community members, Kamlah Kew has become the Artist of the Region for the Caribbean. Congratulations!

#BeOpenDESIGN Fabricated by William Ellery by Trevor Davis, Beachcomber Gear is a collection of beach accessories that can transition from beach use to metropolitan use. One of the multi-purpose items is Seatpack. The portable inflatable chair is durable enough to be around water and sand without wearing down, but also works pleasantly in one’s living space. Once deflated, it stows into its fabric anchor that is originally meant to keep the seating in place on the beach, so it will not be easily blown away if the wind is strong. More bespoke beach accessories in our blog

#BeOpenART #BeOpenNEWS We are happy to announce the second winner for BE OPEN Regional Art, a new competition for emerging artists, aimed to support those whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities. Every month, works by 20 emerging artists from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, etc. were posted at the online gallery for the public to select the Regional Artist of the Month. In April, May and June the title was given to Keyonne ‘Keeks’ Yarde, Barbados; Kamlah Kew, Antigua & Barbuda and Anna Gibson, Barbados. Based on the amount of votes by the public and BE OPEN’s art community members, Kamlah Kew has become the Artist of the Region for the Caribbean. Congratulations!

#BeOpenDESIGN Back in 2019, KFC, purveyor of world-famous fried chicken, collaborated with Saint Petersburg-based streetwear brand Mam Cupy to launch limited-edition hat design that can be used to hold crispy pieces of chicken when it is turned upside-down. The bucket hat boasts white and red stripes and an upside-down logo depicting Colonel Sanders. More fast food inspired fashion in our blog

#BeOpenARCH Inspired by the pinecones that can be seen everywhere on the Fushan Mountain, China, local engineering practice Tengyuan Design has conceptualized Fushan Ecological Greenway project in the only remaining ecological green space in the city center. The steel grid structure comprises two paths. The steps of the inner ring are suitable for a fast pass, and the ramps of the outer ring are designed for strolling and sightseeing. The two paths converge on the viewing platform at the top, where people can enjoy a wonderful 360 degree visual experience. The shape of each floor of the structure is twisted from the hexagon, and each floor gradually decreases upward, forming a highly rational and vivid image. The project adopts renewable materials, low carbon technology, and assembly technology, which fully reflects the design concept of green, ecological, and open.

#BeOpenDESIGN UAE-based studio Roar’s design for Jaipur Rugs' first showroom in Dubai nods the architecture of the rug manufacturer's home city, and in particular its famous Escher-esque stepwells — reservoirs built with staggered terraces and sets of stairs going all the way down. The resulting design features cascading staircases covered with rainbow-coloured decorative rugs that make a striking impression in the double-height space while connecting the ground-floor browsing area to the offices and sales suites on the mezzanine.

#BeOpenARCH In the Atlantic island of São Miguel, in the Azores, Italian/Portuguese architecture practice Mezzo Atelier has converted an old stable from the beginning of the 20th century into two guesthouses aptly named the Pink House. The aged pink and ochre tones are the main identity of the area where the building sits. To adapt the project to contemporary regulations, new openings were carefully placed within the colorful façade, as well as on the stone wall. A new volume was added to the existing structure to create a second, smaller house that is carefully integrated with the original building. More pink buildings in our blog

#BeOpenARCH Casa Torre (Spanish for Tower House) completed by local practice Albor Arquitectos in the Cuban city of Cienfuegos, where the practice is based, is organized with an open floor plan anchored by a stair tower between the street and garden. Elevated above the urban fabric, the dwelling is characterized by a lush garden that travels vertically, climbing the full height of the tower.

#BeOpenARCH Designed for a small Swiss family by Zurich-based Studio Anna Jach, House with an Eye is an extension and renovation project that centers around sustainable and efficient construction. The project’s iconic feature is a digital art with a programmed 3D shadow relief integrated into its rear façade. CNC-wave-cut vertical planks cast a dynamic shadow of an open eye in the morning and a closed eye in the afternoon, creating an illusion that interacts with its surroundings.

#BeOpenDESIGN Introduced by California-based company Advencher, FinalPress is a simple, zero-waste, portable, and multi-functional coffee maker that is great for home, outdoors, camping, and traveling. The device made of stainless steel follows the principles of one of the most beloved tools by coffee lovers—the French press. The coffee is brewed right in the mug. All you have to do is fill the filter with coffee and stir the tiny contraption around the hot water or milk in your cup. The final step is pressing the plunger, which is powered by springs. The FinalPress is also eco-friendly, as no paper filters or coffee capsules are needed to prepare the brew.

Architect Tim Fu crumples pieces of high-GSM paper and uses them as a visual input for the AI tool. He then uses names of prominent architects as a prompt for the AI, instructing it to manipulate the image in the style of his choice. The AI then turns the haphazard folds in the paper into architectural details. For instance, the building inspired by Hadid’s organic approach has a fluid appeal to it too, almost as if it were carved by water, wind, and erosion. #BeOpenARCH

#BeOpenNEWS And the winner of Better Energy by Design competition focused on SDG#7 is… We are happy to announce that the First prize of €5,000 goes to Miguel Acebron, a young architect from the University of Navarra in Spain, for the prototype of BOTIJO: a fridge that works with water and wind, a new take on a traditional Spanish porous clay vessel used to cool water. Miguel’s prototype allows cooling the contents of the Botijo below 5ºC by boosting the drying of the outer surface with an air flow. The BOTIJO is the first passive fridge that preserves medicines and fresh food in stable thermal conditions. The Founder’s Choice prize (€3,000) will soon be allocated by the Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina, and the fate of the Public Vote prize (€2,000) will be decided by the ongoing online vote.

#BeOpenDESIGN Lee Lin’s Muah furniture series has been inspired by the designer’s observation of warehouses boxes — objects that play an integral yet understated role in our everyday lives, from containing our daily necessities to shipping orders all across the world. The series combines both unused, brand new boxes and discarded ones. Lee Lin skillfully cuts and trims the boxes, shaping them into a block shape, before coating them with multiple layers of paint that are allowed to thoroughly dry. Each block possesses inherent flexibility, and can be stacked into versatile compositions to be used as chairs, benches, tables, or decor objects according to the user’s specific needs. via designboom

#BeOpenNEWS Speaking on finalization of Better Energy by Design competition focused on SDG#7, Elena Baturina, Founder of BE OPEN, stresses that is certain that “involving young creative people to developing solutions centred on the SDG agenda is a very wholesome way of raising awareness of sustainability principles and encouraging development of promising innovative ideas able to contribute to achieving them.” The Second prize of €3,000 is awarded to Qin Zhou from School of Design, Zhejiang Sci-tech University, China, for Engershe: Let Heartbeats Generate Electricity. The project researches the feasibility of transforming human kinetic energy into usable electric energy by using the piezoelectric effect of 2D material nanofibers such as MoS2 in clothing.

#BeOpenDESIGN London-based design firm LAYER has teamed up with US furniture brand KFI Studios to create Vale, a sustainable collection of chairs and stools defined by a pressed felt shell made from recycled PET bottles. The plastic bottles are broken down and spun into a tactile non-woven felt that is heat-pressed into the desired shape. The resulting material is soft and quite impact-resistant, durable, and easy to maintain. More recycled and recyclable furniture in our blog

#BeOpenNEWS BE OPEN congratulates the first winners of Better Energy by Design competition focused on SDG#7 and open to students, graduates and young professionals in the fields of art, design, architecture and media. Achievement of SDG7 is impossible without ensuring that a growing number of households, communities and production companies use green energy technologies. Therefore the participants were asked to reflect on “What can be done to prompt breakthrough of clean energy technologies into our lives?” From today on, we will introduce you to the winners of the First, Second and Third Prizes, who have been selected by an international jury. The Third prize of €2,000 goes to Naama Nicotra, an industrial designer and a recent BA in industrial design from the Holon Institute of Technology, Israel. Naama’s NakedPak is a concept series of “naked” food dishes wrapped in algae-based bioplastic that can be augmented with spices and cooked and eaten with its contents.