Milan 2013: Congolese music performed with mobile phones, carpentry workshops making fantasy coffins and a photo-documentary inspired by the failed Zambian space programme are all part of an exhibition of African design and culture in a Milanese department store next week (+ slideshow). More »

Dezeen and MINI World Tour: we speak to architect David Adjaye, fresh off the stage from his presentation at Design Indaba, about his relationship with Africa and why he believes the continent provides a great opportunity for architects.  More »

Dezeen Wire: discarded bottles sourced from hotels, restaurants, homes and foreign embassies are being filled with sand and used as bricks to create curved-walled houses in a Nigerian village - BBC

The bottles are bound together with mud resulting in durable walls that are sustainable, cost-effective and provide insulation from the sun's heat. The resulting buildings are also bullet-proof – a useful benefit in an area plagued by violence. An estate of 25 houses is currently being built with plans for a school to follow.

See our previous story on a house made from sand bags in South Africa.

Foster + Partners have completed two modular headquarters for Moroccan bank BMCE in Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco. More »

[audio:http://dezeen.s3.amazonaws.com/Dezeen_podcast_-_David_Adjaye_at_the_Design_Museum.mp3|titles=Dezeen podcast: David Adjaye]
In this Dezeen podcast for the Design Museum architect David Adjaye talks to curator Gemma Curtin about Urban Africa, an exhibition of his photographs on show at the museum in London. More »

Lille office Coldefy & Associes Architectes Urbanistes (CAAU) have designed a conference centre for Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, West Africa. More »