Dezeen Magazine

Richard Rogers's New York skyscraper won't get off the ground

Dezeen Wire: plans for a 40-storey tower designed by British architect Richard Rogers to sit on top of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York have been shelved following the Chinese backer's decision to pull out – The New York Times

See a skyscraper in London completed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners earlier this year.

Habitat is "as good as dead" - Elle Decoration editor

Dezeen Wire: Elle Decoration editor Michelle Ogundehin has declared British furniture brand Habitat "as good as dead" in an article on the magazine's blog, stating "I give it two years max" – read the blog post

Ogundehin says that the retailer, which closed all but three of its UK stores earlier this year, failed to react to competition within the market and "increasingly misunderstood 'Lifestyle'," its key selling point. She claims that Habitat has lost its original focus on innovation and simplicity, and rubbishes plans by current owners the Home Retail Group to sell Habitat products at Argos and Homebase outlets, adding that their one remaining interest is to "flog stuff."

See our previous story on Habitat going into administration.

Sebastian Wrong at Qubique 2011

Sebastian Wrong, design director for British brand Established & Sons, gives a tour of their exhibition inside the former fire station at Berlin Tempelhof airport in this movie Dezeen filmed at new Berlin design fair Qubique 2011 last month. More about Sebastian Wrong at Qubique 2011

Pio Baroja Nursery by Rstudio

A series of circular apertures puncture the rectangular concrete buttresses of a nursery in Valencia by Spanish architects Rstudio. More about Pio Baroja Nursery by Rstudio

House in Hiyoshi by Camp Design Inc.

Glass screens slide back and forth across a timber grid that divides this apartment in Japan. More about House in Hiyoshi by Camp Design Inc.

$180 billion spent on royalty fees annually - Washington Post

Dezeen Wire: the U.N. World Intellectual Property Agency has reported a rise in the amount paid as royalties and licensing fees from $2.8 billion to $180 billion in the last 40 years, representing a 60-fold increase – The Washington Post

The report shows that high income countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Britain and the United States continue to lead the way in research and development but that China's share in the global market has risen from 2.2 percent in 1993 to 12.8 per cent in 2009.

Last week we reported on measures being taken by the UK government to improve intellectual property laws, designer James Dyson also raised the issue when he accused a Chinese manufacturer of copying one of his brand's vacuum designs and Elle Decoration editor Michelle Ogundehin has criticised companies who reproduce classic products.

Wayne Rooney hires architects to design garden shed

Dezeen Wire: England footballer Wayne Rooney has hired architects Pulmann Associates to design a shed in the garden of his £4 million home – The Sun

"The London River Park: place for the people or a private playground?"- The Observer

Dezeen Wire: architecture critic Rowan Moore claims that corporate facilities integrated into the plans for the controversial London River Park would turn it into a "gigantic hospitality suite with a fairly nice walkway threaded through it" – The Observer

Moore describes architects Gensler's proposal as "the latest example of a widespread type of the 21st century, the pseudo-public space." He criticises the design for the walkway and rentable pods, describing them as "offensively indifferent" to their historical surroundings and says the project organisers should learn from New York's High Line park in order to turn a good idea into a popular public space.

See our previous story on the 35-metre model of the London River Park.

House 712 by H Arquitectes

The perforated brick walls of this triangular house in Barcelona overlap at the corners. More about House 712 by H Arquitectes

Dezeen is five: our five most memorable stories

Dezeen is five years old this week!  In the first of a series of stories celebrating our anniversary, Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs selects his five most memorable stories of the past five years: More about Dezeen is five: our five most memorable stories