If you’ve been to Beijing, China, you probably checked out the Olympics stadium and know that architects can be inspired by bird nests. Printednest is another project that brings architects and bird nests back together again.
The original idea of the project was to bring birds back into the cities by providing them with shelter. You can freely download open-source plans to print out your own bird nest at home or at work, then install it anywhere. There are alreay 96 bird nests in 73 cities of 23 countries, and we hope to see this number grow rapidly.
Like in any open-source projects, the designers of the nest are counting on the community to give back and fix any mistake by improving the plans and have the bird nest continually evolve.
I’m a big fan of the project and appreciate its design and core ideas, but I would truly hope that it would have a less “plastic” look-and-feel. Although the website claims that all prints are made with eco-friendly material, the look of the printed product still feels like coming out of a Chinese factory.
About the Author
Mirko Humbert
Mirko Humbert is the editor-in-chief and main author of Designer Daily and Typography Daily. He is also a graphic designer and the founder of WP Expert.