Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN Brooklyn-based design studio Crème offers a sustainable alternative to disposable coffee cups made from homegrown vegetables. The team uses the centuries-old practice of moulding gourds, fast-growing plants that bear robust fruit each season. Once dried, the gourds' strong outer skin becomes watertight, so they can be used as decorative or functional vessels. Using custom-designed 3D-printed moulds, the studio managed to develop a stackable set of cups that mimic the silhouette of a classic faceted glass cup. It claims that the cups can be manufactured on a mass scale. More sustainable alternatives to disposable coffee cups in blog

#BeOpenDESIGN Berlin-based digital design studio Ulises makes use of an artificial intelligence tool Midjourney to conceptualize a series of public elements, such as bus stops, made from translucent inflatable PVC and stacked with books. Named Cultural Constellations, the project aims to bring culture to the streets imagining surreal urban streetscapes, which are filled with street libraries providing a cozy nook for passers by to take a rest while navigating the city.

#BeOpenARCH Called Tellus, the kidney-shaped nursery school building by Stockholm-based Tham and Videgard Arkitekter curls around a courtyard sheltering the main entrance. The façade clad in bright yellow wooden batons partially covers some of the windows to filter sunlight into the nursery. The windows are freely placed at different heights for children of different age to have an access to views.

#BeOpenDESIGN The Foundry by Tinkah looked at the most abundant and unused natural resource in the UAE — desert sand – and developed a composite material that takes its characteristics into a moldable medium. The new material combines the visual, tactile and heat insulative properties of sand with the castability of slip ceramic. Iron, calcium, silica, aluminum and magnesium are just a few of the elements found in desert sand, each sample varying in composition. More innovative materials to produce a coffee mug from in our blog

#BeOpenARCH Taking cues from the peaceful aesthetics of the Jingu Shrine in the city of Ise, local Tomoaki Uno Architects has filled an office space in the suburb of Nagoya, Japan, with rows of large tree trunks. The unique workspace reminiscent of a tranquil forest is a part of the renovation project of the unused office space in the pre-existing Ogimacha House, also designed by the team of Tomoaki Uno.

#BeOpenDESIGN Take Kiss Out by Korean designer Jang Wooseok transforms the experience of coffee drinking bringing a human touch to the action. This disposable coffee cup lid shaped like the full lips and protruding nose allows the user to "kiss when coffee." Different from conventional coffee lids, which have a usual hole to put a straw or to drink directly, Take Kiss Out looks like a human face. The first prototype only featured lips, and Wooseok felt something was missing at first testing. In technical practicing (i.e. kissing), he realized how important nose was, so he added a nose and face muscle and enlarged lips on the lid. More coffee cups shaped after human body parts in our blog

#BeOpenDESIGN Our new Instagram open call #BEOPENGoodMorning celebrates all those things that help us wake up and get ready for the day – coffee in your favourite mug is one of them. Our inspiration today is Coffee Ceremony, a collection of chairs, stools and a table created by British artist Hugh Miller based on a Japanese coffee-making ritual he observed while travelling. Each piece takes inspiration from Japanese design principles, as well as Western cabinetry techniques, and serves a different stage of the ritual. We invite you to share your visions of a good morning with the global community by contributing to our #BEOPENGoodMorning Instagram open call. The entries will close May 31st, 2023. The winner will receive a €300 prize.

#BeOpenARCH Commissioned to build a residential house in Gujarat, India, multidisciplinary studio Design ni Dukaan discovered that the client was absolutely disinterested in how the house would look from the outside. This resulted in an inside-out approach to the design, wherein the experience of space from within took precedence over the external form. Two concrete walls curve towards a main entrance that is covered by a concrete canopy and leads to a central courtyard. This central open space lets natural light into the house, while a covered walkway connects the outdoor courtyard and indoor spaces, protecting the interior from the harsh tropical sun and hot winds. More Indian houses designed to keep interior spaces cool in the hot summers in our blog

#BeOpenART Local El Estudio Normal and Martín Huberman have collaborated to create a site-specific installation for the Lollapalooza festival’s 2023 edition in Buenos Aires. Aptly named Capot (Spanish for car hood), the sculptural object is crafted from 95 Volkswagen Golf car hoods that are arranged in the shape of a pine cone and serves as an artistic backdrop for the event, as well as a support stage for resting in between concerts.

#BeOpenARCH Studio Ágora Arquitectura has completed a peculiar two-storey residence in Barcelona. Resting on the existing brick base, which was derelict prior to being revamped through new visual extensions, is the upper level that takes shape as a prefabricated Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) volume coated in whitewashed cork plates.