Be Open think tank

Neutelings Riedijk Architects, Netherlands in collaboration with the Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, have designed ‘Naturalis’, the National Research Institute for Biodiversity in Leiden. Founded back in 1820, the institute needed an urgent renovation due to the substantial growth of the number of visitors over the last decade. The architects were challenged to create a sustainable ensemble of the existing offices with the newly built museum, which they chose to connect with a three-dimensional concrete structure of an atrium. The façade of the exhibition halls is wrapped in horizontal layers of stone blocks mimicking a geological structure that contrast to smooth white panels resembling flowing silk designed by van Herpen. Ph: Scagliola Brakkee Fotografie neutelings-riedijk.com  

MVRDV has designed Green Villa, an environmentally progressive office and residential building in the Netherlands whose façade is covered in potted plants, bushes and trees placed on a gridded rack system. According to Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV, the idea from the 90s of city parks as an oasis in the city is too limited. Thus, the architects suggest a whole catalogue of greenery that can populate the exterior of the building, offered with nameplates and additional information, among them forsythias, jasmine, pine, and birch. To guarantee a year-round green façade, plants are selected with consideration of the building’s orientation and have a sensor-controlled irrigation system that utilizes stored rainwater incorporated into the planters. Depending on whether an office, a bedroom or a living space is hidden behind the façade, the plants are supposed to provide either privacy and shade or views of the nearby river. mvrdv.nl

Reflections are not created equal. Each surface, from mirrors to liquids, from glass to metal, offers a totally unique result. That is the theme of our #BEOPENreflections Instagram challenge encouraging creatives to submit their visuals of reflected objects via Instagram. The winner will get a prize of win €300 (rules: beopensocial.com) The work by the New York based photographer Bing Wright is a great example of what the surface can add to the overall picture. In his Broken Mirrors / Evening Sky series he explores the beauty of sunsets reflected in a piece of shattered glass which creates the bespoke pattern impossible to reproduce. bingwright.com  

The Shanghai-based designer Zhekai Zhang created Coffire, a family of pendant lamps which are absolutely unique thanks to his know-how method of staining porcelain with recycled coffee grounds. The sustainable pigment forms random patterns and imperfect textures through a new approach to the traditional Chinese pit firing technique from pottery making. Zhang fires the lamps at temperatures below 1000C, which is relatively low for ceramics and results in interaction between the biodiesel and the sugar in the coffee grounds making them oxidise to create the marbled red colour. The method was inspired by Zang’s research of coffee waste that was a part of a commercial commission to promote a coffee drink. zhekaizhangdesign.com

Sydney-based industrial designer Adam Goodrum created Scape, a family of playful and flexible outdoor elements for Tait. Looking like emerging rock masses, smoothed and weather worn, Scape collection responds to the challenges of the modern city’s environment and supports moments of the everyday: from socialzing and working to lounging and lunching. Engineered with high-performance materials to achieve maximal levels of durability and longevity, the elements are suited for numerous applications across public realm. madebytait.com.au

Barcelona-based studio In-Tenta Design has developed the DROP Box hotel suites – customizable modules that can simply be dropped into any location, no matter how remote. The off-site manufactured units without foundations can be transported via a trailer or a container ship and quickly assembled in any setting, with as little impact on the surrounding nature as possible.  More designer pre-fabricated housing in blog.beopenfuture.com

The summer is over but our #BEOPENreflections open call is in its full swing. Another month to go! Don’t waste your time and share your visuals on the subject of reflections via Instagram to get a chance to win €300. Rules: beopensocial.com We thank all the creatives for their submissions made so far – that is something to be impressed with. The featured visuals are by Ciaran T, Anton S, EVIJ, Vince2x, Gabrielle Aquadro

The Swans, an installation by the Berlin-based artist Marco Barotti, merge audio technology, consumer objects and tech waste into moving sculptures triggered entirely by sound. These artworks serve as a metaphor for the anthropogenic impact on the planet and aim to make people aware of environmental issues. The Swans are crafted from old satellite dishes topped by speakers to serve as their heads, representing the power of mainstream TV and mass media. Having traveled around Europe, the installation is currently open for public in St. Petersburg, Russia. marcobarotti.com

Creative agency Intertrend created ‘The Art of Bloom’, an immersive and interactive experience in Long Beach, California featuring real flowers, cutting-edge lighting technology and augmented reality. Aimed to awaken the senses and create a meditative space, it engages physical interaction through a shower of white translucent petals and vibrant saturated light. Ph: Brandon Shigeta intertrend.com

London-based floral designer Harriet Parry works with flowers across various artistic disciplines. In her ‘Flower Interpretations’ series she references both contemporary and historical, art, fashion and film, transforming famous works of art into floral masterpieces. In her compositions inspired by iconic works by Munch, Klimt, Picasso, Degas or Kandinsky she arranges various blooms in a sculptural way that conveys the very essence of the sources of reference and brings them to life. More artworks by floral designers in our blog.beopenfuture.com