Dezeen Magazine

This week, Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to a robot and unveiled plans for a fully autonomous city

Saudi Arabia dominated the headlines this week, as the country became the first to recognise a humanoid robot as a citizen and announced plans to invest $500 billion into a city that will be run using artificial intelligence.

Sophia, an intelligent humanoid robot created by Hanson Robotics, became the first AI device to be awarded citizenship of a country.

She announced the decision during a panel discussion at the Future Investment Initiative conference, during which she also poked fun at Elon Musk's fears over the future risk posed by robots to humanity.

Saudi Arabia to invest $500 billion in fully automated city spanning three countries

The Saudi Arabian government took plans for technological advancement a further step, announcing a $500 billion investment in a fully automated city to be shared with Egypt and Jordan. The 26,500-square-kilometre city, Neom, will become an independent economic trade zone with its own laws.

Zaha Hadid Architects reveals honeycomb-like oil research centre in Riyadh

In Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, Zaha Hadid Architects completed its King Abudullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre, which made up of hexagonal pods that interlock like honeycomb.

David Adjaye and Ron Arad to design UK Holocaust memorial

Elsewhere, David Adjaye and Ron Arad won a competition the design the UK's National Holocaust Memorial, to be built near London's Houses of Parliament.

Also in the UK capital, mayor Sadiq Khan claimed that Bloomberg's new Norman Foster-designed European headquarters in the city "sends a clear message to the world" that the city is still open to investment despite Brexit.

US-Mexico border wall prototypes
Trump wall prototypes pop up near US-Mexico border

In the US, prototypes of eight designs for President Donald Trump's proposed 30-foot tall border wall were constructed in San Diego, while media mogul Barry Diller launched a final attempt to build Thomas Heatherwick's abandoned treasure island park in New York.

Snøhetta unveils plans for "Europe's first underwater restaurant"

Snøhetta unveiled plans for Europe's first underwater restaurant, that will be partially submerged in the seas of southern Norway, and one of the world's first 3D-printed concrete bridges completed in the Netherlands.

MVRDV presents a hotel you can reconfigure at Dutch Design Week

Our coverage of Dutch Design Week included sustainable foods of the future, household cleaning products turned into waterless capsules, and a colourful reconfigurable hotel by MVRDV.

Al-Jawad Pike combines brick, concrete and timber for restrained London home extension
Al-Jawad Pike combines brick, concrete and timber for restrained London home extension

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included a restrained London home extension, and a New York office with a millennial-pink kitchen and dark nap room.