What will the house of future look like? Most likely, it will have a brain and a heart. Home automation is already a trend, and so is the sustainability. And though the cost of sustainable and ‘smart’ houses is still out of reach for most people, quite soon these buildings will become more customary.

In order to be called ‘smart’ a house should have a number of facets and means of internal control; the same applies to a ‘sustainable’ house. It is not only about energy saving — it is as much about the building materials (the way they were obtained and how they react to surrounding environment and people inside the house). Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting houses that meet the highest standards of sustainability – with each being an eye candy at the same time.

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While psychologists discuss the numerous ways the technology boom is changing our self-identities, the fashion quickly adapts to the new environment. It is no longer a question of how you look — but of how many ultra-technical options are available to you and how much popularity that might bring you. Interested? Check those new trends in fashion — the ways the technology is transforming the conventional idea of ‘clothes and accessories’.

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The best offices of our time might show the most vivid example of contemporary design: they mix the functional with stylish, the latest technology — with the cozy atmosphere. They turn the corporate spirit and the company image into a new form of storytelling. And become places which can not only be admired from an aesthetic point of view but simply… make us jealous. Let’ take a tour through the most interesting working spaces of the world.

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Art Basel these days is as much about sales as it is about performances. The show that connects Basel, Miami and Hong Kong, works not only as a mirror for the current art market but also as an indicator of global art trends. Now that the 48th edition in Basel is over (the show was on from June 15 to June 18), we can sum up a few interesting observations.

Though Art Basel generally attracts a more prestigious pack of collectors than any other fair, this year the demand for pricey, well-established art was unusually high even for this world’s top art fair. The early sales indicated the reaction of the market towards political and economic turbulences. Besides, a growing number of visitors and buyers from China, Korea and Japan, ensured demand for ‘weighty’ artists. And if the previous years were more about search for new stars on the arts scene,  this year the approach is much more down-to-earth.
The works sold as mega-deals were by the following artists’:   Philip Guston, Piero Manzoni,  Alberto Burri, Marlene Dumas, Wolfgang Tillmans.

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“Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition, and myth frame our response”, as Arthur Schlesinger once said.

What about art then? Technology is redefining art in completely new ways. And now that the era of AI is approaching, chances are all our lives (with our memories, traditions, and myths) will not be able to stand up against technology. Let’s take a look at some of the inspiring artists’ works — where art is created with (or by) hi-tech devices.

Addie Wagenknecht is ‘an anti-disciplinary, experimental artist who works in the fields of emerging media, open source, pop culture and hackivism’. Her chandelier made of security cameras made her famous when it was sold for $16,000 at the watershed Paddles ON! auction in 2013.

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John Thackara is a writer, blogger, and master of stories about practical steps taken by communities to realize a sustainable future.  He is the author of 12 books, among them Design after Modernism: Beyond the Object (1987), and Lost in Space: A Traveller’s tale (1995). His most recent book, the best-selling In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World, was published by MIT Press in May 2005, and has since been published in nine other languages. He has lectured in more than forty countries. In 2013 John Thackara spoke at BE OPEN Senses and Tastes Talks in Milan.

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The BE OPEN Foundation is happy to announce the winner of our #BeOpenDesignDetails open call. Our congratulations go to Aakriti Kumar @differniture, a product designer from India. Aakritri’s impressive “Intrepid Bench” has won her the prize of €300. The winner was selected by a jury comprised of BE OPEN Founder Yelena Baturina and members of the advisory board from the list of entries with the most views and likes.

Once again we thank all of the contestants: we’ve received several hundred visual entries during the four weeks of the challenge. Please, stay tuned, the next open call will be announced shortly!

Dear friends,

we are happy to present you the finalists of our #BeOpenDesignDetails open call. They have been chosen by the BE OPEN Community jury from the submissions with the highest ratings of likes by Instagram users. The challenge was dedicated to the details and to the ways in which the most customary, little things around us mend and blend into our designs.
1. @saiffaisal.designworkshop
2. @differniture
3.@aquadro_studio
4. @esthershavon
5. @judehank2

Dear friends

Today we are giving you the longlist of our #BeOpenDesignDetails open call participants! The top 15 were chosen from the most liked/viewed Instagram posts with the tag #BeOpenDesignDetails:

1. saiffaisal.designworkshop 
2. linestory
3. differniture 
4. luciaspaccaforno 
5. manuhitagupta 
6. esthershavon 
7. designclinicindia 
8. alubiadiseno 
9. aquadro_studio
10. dupreez.abby 
11. fmgg8 
12. tooche.jp 
13. judehank2 
14. firssthand 
15. pixelkar 

Once again the BE OPEN team thanks all the participants for taking part in the call to action! We have been lucky to witness your work and artistic vision! 

Please, follow us for updates: we will publish the finalists’ list shortly . And if you haven’t found yourself in the list, please do not be discouraged, the new challenge is coming up in June!

Dear friends!

The submissions to our #BeOpenDesignDetails open call are now closed. The BE OPEN team thanks all the participants for supporting the challenge and sharing your creative visions with us. We are hugely impressed by the number of unique and talented works submitted to our open call. It will not be an easy task to choose the winner. Please, follow us for updates: we will publish the finalists’ longlist next week. We are happy to welcome everyone to the BE OPEN think tank!