Be Open think tank

#BeOpenARCH Swiss studio HHF Architects has built a home for a family of five that seems to be floating above the terrain. Named House H, the building located in Starnberg, Germany, features an open ground floor that seems to blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The reflective façade elements are made of chrome-plated steel to provide the necessary degree of privacy, which combined with large glass glazing forms the almost invisible exterior enclosure of the ground-level living area. The peripheral wooden deck accentuates the floating condition as well as the link between inside and outside.

#BeOpenDESIGN Berlin-based product designer and a recent Falmouth University graduate Atle Loevberg has developed a hearing aid that blurs the boundary between clinical assistive technologies and jewellery. The device comprises an open structure that naturally reflects the shape and function of the ear. Users can add bespoke attachments and functions to the opening of the hearing aid to better reflect personal tastes, cultures and values. The designer hopes brands and designers would be interested in developing their own attachments for their audiences. More hearing aids that double as stylish accessories in our blog

#BeOpenART Designer Adam Nathaniel Furman has created a colourful structure called Babs Baldachino as a monument to LGBTQ+ people involved in activities relating to the Commonwealth Games sports event. The structure comprises a stepped floor that visitors can use as seating and a striped pyramid roof with rounded planes extending perpendicularly from each side. Thanks to the bright contrasting colours of its decorative scheme, the monument reminiscent of to the Victorian bandstands in the parks is visible from far away despite its small size. Furman designed the monument to be easily disassembled, transported and reassembled so it can be used after the event.

#BeOpenARCH Amsterdam-based UNStudio has created a residential building in Munich, Germany, with apartments designed to be reconfigurable in order to maximise their internal floor space and adaptability – e.g. as families get bigger or smaller. The grid system will include different plug-in furniture units that function as space partitions and can be slid out of the way when not needed. The flexibility lies in the fact that each element can work in different configurations and that the resident can choose an individual layout of plugins based on a catalogue of nine elements. The system makes it possible to transform a living space into a bedroom or a large office using the partitions. The team hopes that the system can be altered, scaled-up and expanded upon for other cities. More stories on modular architecture in our blog

#BeOpenNEWS Our new open call #BEOPENCleanEnergy is dedicated to promoting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular focuses on SDG7, calling to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all". In order to encourage more people take action, and join sustainable initiatives worldwide, we suggest posting visuals that represent a cleaner, safer, happier and more sustainable world, achievable with affordable and clean energy. What picture or artwork, or photograph of today represents that better future for you, and inspires you to move forward? Please share your positive vision with the global community by joining our #BEOPENCleanEnergy Instagram open call. The entries will close September 30, 2022. BE OPEN Community members will then select the winning post from a shortlist of submissions with the highest number of likes by Instagram users. The winner will receive a €300 prize. Find details at beopensocial.com

#BeOpenARCH Local based architecture studio ODA has been inspired by fractal patterns when working on the 126 East 57th Street skyscraper in New York. The 118 metre high building holds 175 units varying in size from studios to three-bedroom apartments. The fractal design breaks down the scale of the 30-story tower as it comes down to meet the ground. There are semi-open outdoor spaces where the structure doesn't make room for patios in the fractal subtractions made from it.

#BeOpenARCH Real estate brokerage the Alexander Team has team up with with metaverse real estate development firm Everyrealm to launch The Row, a members-only metaverse community featuring 30 virtual properties created by artists, each of which has designed a "3D architectural landmark" that will be sold as an NFT. Barcelona-based studio Six N. Five headed by an award-winning Argentinian digital artist Ezequiel Pini has contributed a sculptural building designed to mimic cellular organism. The project not only proposes to adapt architecture to nature, but speaks of our repentance and forgiveness for the damage we have caused in the physical world. The adaptive architectural system interacts with nature in an imaginary ecosystem of cliffs, mountains, and virtual dreamscapes.

#BeOpenARCH Auckland-based firm Crosson Architects has designed Te Pae (“to perch” in the language of the Maori tribe), a low-maintenance lifeguard tower that is robust enough to withstand the severe North Piha coastal environment. To reference the black sand, North Piha is known for, the team opted for black oxidized concrete as the main building material for this coastal sculpture. The concrete sections of the structure were pre-fabricated in the factory, delivered to the remote location and assembled on-site to minimize the disturbance on the fragile beach. The tower is sustainable, utilising operable windows for ventilation, with high levels of insulation, sun protection, thermal mass, and natural light.

#BeOpenARCH Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has conceived as a disc-shaped rentable villa for the local hospitality brand Not A Hotel. According to the architects, the design has a vague boundary between the inside and outside and is connected to the earth. Located on an idyllic island, the villa is designed without a front or back and features large circular openings punctuating the building's walkable swooping green roof, which offers breathtaking views across its surroundings. The interior set beneath its sloping meadow roof will take shape as a curving space that follows the circular footprint of the structure.

#BeOpenARCH MASK Architects has teamed up with Jiang & Associates Design (J&A) to develop the interior design of the Zhengzhou metro Line 7 stations. The team was inspired by Nanhuan Park famous for its flowers and roses that attract people to come and take pictures of the beautiful natural landscape and environment. Aiming to create the continuous flow from outside to the interior of the metro station, the team has come up with as an expandable, mobile, and modular set of flower-like structures that can be organized in various patterns for the commuters’ flows to be directed to their platforms. Named Flower Clouds, the 3D bespoke structures will be built using 0.1 mm stainless steel mesh that is easy to mold and sculpt into different shapes and curves. More bespoke metro stations in our blog