Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN The 79th Organ is a speculative prosthetic device designed by London-based Odette Dierkx to address the growing crisis of microplastic pollution in the human body. Imagining a future where humans require an additional organ to survive in a plastic-contaminated world, the device uses bioengineered fungi—specifically the plastic-degrading Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom—to filter and break down microplastics from the bloodstream through a process called bioremediation. Shaped like a domed capsule with internal mushroom-like gills, the organ attaches to the abdomen, visibly processing microplastics through a magnifying glass and displaying contamination levels via a dial. Though currently conceptual, the 79th Organ envisions a biologically integrated solution to an increasingly urgent global health threat.

#BeOpenDESIGN Designer Ricardo Daniel de Paula created a fully functional 40% keyboard the size of a standard business card. Engineered from scratch, it features a custom-designed PCB and is powered via a USB-C connector. Despite its compact form, it functions like a real keyboard when connected to a computer, showcasing not only the designer’s technical expertise but also a deep understanding of miniaturization and hardware design.

#BeOpenART Color Path (Sciezka Koloru) by Adam Kalinowski is a temporary public art installation located in Poznan, Poland. The piece is composed of 17 tons of vividly colored aggregates ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm in size, housed within a plywood frame. Visitors are encouraged to walk across the tactile surface, ideally barefoot, activating the work through physical interaction. As people move across it, the materials shift, continually altering the composition of color and texture and transforming the path into an ever-changing landscape. Through this sensory and participatory design, Kalinowski explores how public space can be reshaped by collective presence, emphasizing the social dynamics of shared environments.

#BeOpenDESIGN Tripus by Matyáš Barák is a compact public space installation that transforms industrial gas pipes into a three-legged architectural shelter, offering an intimate retreat within the urban landscape. Designed to address the lack of personal zones in public areas, the structure features welded gas pipes and a central plywood seat, integrating wiring for soft lighting and practical functions like device charging. By day, it serves as a quiet refuge; by night, it emits a gentle glow, enhancing both its utility and atmosphere.

#BeOpenDESIGN The Sungai Carafe is a powerful example of regenerative design that transforms Bali’s glass waste crisis into an opportunity for environmental restoration and community empowerment. Developed through a collaboration between material researcher Sara Howard, Kevala Ceramics, and river cleanup initiative Sungai Watch, the project repurposes discarded glass from polluted waterways into elegant ceramic vessels. This closed-loop system not only diverts over 26,000 kilograms of waste annually but also bypasses extractive supply chains by turning trash into raw material. Each handcrafted carafe reflects its origin through organic forms and textures, while the transparent, ethical process supports local artisans.

#BeOpenDESIGN The Font cutlery collection by Australian studio Hop Design reimagines adaptive utensils with both function and elegance in mind. Designed to serve people with varying levels of hand strength and mobility, each piece is 3D-printed with subtle modifications—such as handle thickness and grip angles—tailored to individual needs. Despite its many variations, the collection maintains a cohesive, minimalist aesthetic, eliminating the medicalized look that often stigmatizes adaptive tools. By blending customisation with design unity, Font offers a dignified, beautiful solution that makes everyone feel included at the table. More inclusive design on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Google Japan’s Gboard Dial Version is a delightfully absurd reimagining of the keyboard, replacing traditional key presses with a rotary dial inspired by vintage telephones. Unveiled as part of their annual tradition of whimsical design concepts, it pokes fun at tech overengineering while showcasing surprisingly refined craftsmanship. Users spin a layered dial to input characters, complete with nostalgic sound effects, and mock productivity claims. While clearly satirical, the design is fully open-sourced, inviting DIY enthusiasts to build their own. More extraordinary keyboards on our blog.

#BeOpenARCH Barn Again, a timber pavilion by London-based THISS Studio and Tom Svilans for the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial, transforms weathered wood salvaged from disused Norwegian barns and landfill into a meditative public space. Selected as one of two "Slow Pavilions" responding to the biennial’s Slow Down theme, it highlights the aesthetic and structural potential of reclaimed materials. Designed to feel like a cocoon, its stepped, textured form reflects both the wood’s layered delivery and its storied past, inviting visitors to pause and reflect amid the city’s bustle. After the event, the structure will be dismantled and reused elsewhere, emphasizing circularity in architecture.

#BeOpenDESIGN Researchers at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia have developed a method to turn recycled plastic shopping bags into glowing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) that can detect toxic iron levels in drinking water. By using pyrolysis and hydrothermal treatment, along with hydrogen peroxide, they break down polyethylene (the main component of plastic bags) into nanoscale CQDs that fluoresce under UV light. These dots weaken in brightness when exposed to ferric ions (Fe³+), allowing for accurate, low-cost sensing of iron contamination. With a strong quantum yield of 10.04%, this innovation offers a promising, eco-friendly tool for portable water testing.

#BeOpenDESIGN Swedish audiovisual artist and woodworker Love Hultén’s latest creation is a custom, guitar-inspired synth instrument that fuses analog charm with digital wizardry, featuring a dancing ferrofluid visualizer that responds to sound. Commissioned by a client, the battery-powered device houses a modified Arturia Microfreak synth, built-in speakers, and an array of tactile controls, including rotary knobs, toggle switches, a joystick, and a steel rod pitch handle. Without strings or keys, the synth relies on sensors, buttons, and dials mapped across its hand-crafted body to shape sound and visuals, offering a fully portable, performative audio-visual experience that blends experimental music with retro-futuristic design.

#BeOpenARCH GDS Architects’ Tower Infinity, a 450-meter-tall structure planned near Incheon International Airport in South Korea, redefines what a skyscraper can be by aiming not to stand out—but to disappear. Nicknamed the "invisible tower," it uses a high-tech system of cameras and LED panels to project real-time images of the surrounding environment onto its glass facade, creating the illusion of transparency from certain angles. Rather than focusing solely on height, the design embraces subtlety, serving as a symbolic “anti-monument” that blends into the skyline. Structurally, the tower features a diagrid system and mega-bracing to maintain both stability and its crystalline aesthetic. Programmatically, it functions as a vibrant public hub, with observation decks, theme park attractions, cultural spaces, and promenades.

#BeOpenART For the 2025 Brisbane Festival, artist duo Craig & Karl transformed three of the city's pedestrian bridges into vibrant, inflatable landmarks that blended architecture with pop-art exuberance. Their installations, part of the Walk This Way public art trail, featured colorful arches, domes, and character sculptures that responded to the distinct design of each bridge, from the sweeping curves of Kangaroo Point to the sculptural canopy of Neville Bonner. With geometric patterns, bold colors, and playful forms, the inflatables invited pedestrians to experience familiar routes in unexpected ways, turning everyday crossings into joyful, shared encounters with art. More inflatable public art ibstallations on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN The ALMA aroma pin from Cement Produce Design redefines personal fragrance by combining elegant design with subtle, wearable scent diffusion. Crafted from anodized aluminum and shaped like a stylish button, this handcrafted pin discreetly holds a cotton pad infused with essential oils, creating a gentle, continuous aroma that follows you throughout the day. Perfect for anyone wanting to carry their favorite fragrance without overpowering others or dealing with bulky diffusers, ALMA transforms scent into a personal, portable experience that seamlessly blends fashion, function, and wellness. More unconventional aroma diffusers on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN The NocFree & redefines what an ergonomic keyboard can be by merging comfort, aesthetics, and versatility into a sleek, modular design. Unlike traditional ergonomic keyboards that often sacrifice visual appeal for functionality, the NocFree & embraces premium design cues like a CNC-milled aluminum chassis and Apple-inspired proportions, while offering a split, low-profile, gasket-mounted structure for refined tactile feedback. Its wireless, three-piece setup with optional tenting not only promotes better posture and reduces fatigue but also transforms the desk into a customizable workspace.

#BeOpenDESIGN Almaty-based designer Daniyar Uderbekov presents UDRB, a modular sneaker concept that blends sustainable design with traditional Central Asian footwear. Inspired by the makhsi boot, the shoe features a 3D-printed TPU sole, breathable leather bootie, and climbing rope lacing. Its glueless, dismantlable construction allows easy repair, replacement, and recycling, aligning with slow fashion values. By combining modern 3D printing with cultural heritage, Uderbekov offers a future-forward, customizable sneaker that emphasizes durability, minimal waste, and craft continuity.

#BeOpenDESIGN Iguaneye has unveiled their latest ergonomic footwear, the "Ultimate Hippie Flip-Flop," a uniquely designed shoe inspired by Amazonian tribes who protected their feet using natural rubber. The Iguaneye Jungle features a two-part rubber sole that molds perfectly to the foot's contours, offering a secure, second-skin-like fit without causing irritation—thanks in part to its innovative toe separator placement. Assembled like a 3D puzzle, the shoe was developed using Rhinoceros 3D software and prototyped with SLS 3D printing by Inpact in Portugal, using flexible materials like Duraform Flex and TPU.

#BeOpenNEWS Deadline extended for the Cyprus Future Heritage Competition! Submit your creative entries by NOVEMBER 30, 2025

#BeOpenDESIGN The AIR Chair by Francesco Feliziani reimagines a basketball hoop into functional seating. Using parts salvaged from an old basketball stand, Feliziani transforms the net into a woven seat, the acrylic backboard into a support, and the stand’s steel framework into the chair’s structure. The result is a design that feels both athletic and poetic, blending playfulness with precision. More designs that reconsider the creative potential of discarded objects on our blog.

#BeOpenART #BeOpenNEWS Anastazie Anderson, Prague-born and UK-based painter, has been named BE OPEN Art’s Artist of the Month for September 2025, securing a spot in the selection for Artist of the Year 2025. The annual winner will receive a €1,000 cash prize and a dedicated promotional campaign to support their artistic development. This recognition highlights Anderson’s distinctive large-scale paintings, which blend personal, cinematic, and digital imagery into emotionally resonant, dreamlike scenes, and celebrates her as an emerging voice in the contemporary art world. Congratulations to Anastazie on this well-earned recognition!

#BeOpenDESIGN Designed by Dustin Feider and his team, 02 Treehouse's Redwood Ripple Treehouse features a 500-square-foot structure supported entirely by trees through precision-engineered, laser-cut steel frames. A spiraling staircase, inspired by the organic elegance of fungi, leads to a wooden deck shaped like an inverted ship’s hull, while vibrant net tunnels below invite playful exploration. Suspended walkways connect to the Crystal Ball, a glass-paneled geodesic dome that shimmers with color-shifting LEDs, transforming from a serene lookout by day into an enchanted lantern by night.