Alpha Beta Gamma by Emanuele Pizzolorusso
These polished marble blocks by Milanese designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso can be arranged on your desk to make miniature monuments. More
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"World's 'lightest material' unveiled by US engineers" – BBC
Dezeen Wire: a team of engineers based in California have created a material made from a lattice of hollow metallic tubes that they claim is the lightest in the world – BBCThe substance is 100 times lighter than Styrofoam and consists of 99.99% air. Tubes with a wall thickness 1,000 times thinner than a human hair are used to create the lattice structure that gives the material it's strength. Potential applications include shock and sound absorption and thermal insulation.
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Mountain Hill Cabin by Fantastic Norway
Norwegian architects Fantastic Norway have designed a mountain lodge with a sloping roof that you can ski over. More
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South Korean road signs by Studio Dumbar
The Seoul office of Dutch designers Studio Dumbar has redesigned the national road signage system for South Korea. More
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Occupy movement establishes new protocols of protest design – The New York Times
Dezeen Wire: in her latest article for The New York Times, design critic Alice Rawsthorn examines the symbols and slogans adopted by the Occupy protest movement in cities around the world.Rawsthorn explains that the name 'Occupy', which originated at the Occupy Wall Street protest against the banking and democratic system, "is a stellar example of both what is known in marketing as an umbrella brand name and what the anti-corporatists in the movement could call beating them at their own game." She adds that the use of hashtags and slogans short enough to send on social networks such as Twitter have helped the movement spread globally and could represent a new protocol for protesters involving "the repeated use of a few carefully chosen words," rather than images.
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Kutaisi Airport by UNStudio
Amsterdam architects UNStudio have designed a new international airport for Kutaisi, Georgia. More
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Competition: six Hello Fresco T-shirts to be won
Competition: we've teamed up with Australian T-shirt company Hello Fresco to give away six of their latest designs. More
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The Shard "will be loved" – Renzo Piano
Dezeen Wire: Italian architect Renzo Piano says his London skyscraper, The Shard, will be loved by the public, because "it will be accessible, because it is transparent, understandable and not mysterious" – The TelegraphThe public will be able to access restaurants and a viewing gallery at the top of Europe's tallest building, which fellow architect and friend of Piano, Richard Rogers suggests "will be one of Renzo's major works [and] one of his major successes."
Piano believes that skyscrapers such as The Shard represent the most responsible approach to tackling the issue of urban sprawl, stating: "It is more socially correct to intensify the city and free up space on the ground. The city is fragile and vulnerable, so we have to be careful."
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Shoes by Kobi Levi
Dezeen in Israel: these high-heeled shoes that look like inflatable sex dolls are part of a collection of footwear by Tel Aviv designer Kobi Levi. More
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Tiger and Turtle - Magic Mountain by Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth
Walking along this elevated pathway by German artists Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth is like being on a roller coaster. More
