Dezeen Magazine

Oxford Street Pedestrianised

This week, plans for Cheesegrater 2.0 and a car-free Oxford Street were revealed

This week it was announced that London's Oxford Street will be converted into a pedestrian-only zone, and SOM revealed visuals for a 56-storey skyscraper in the City that resembles its would-be neighbour, the Cheesegrater.

Planned changes to London's main shopping street were revealed in visualisations that show a pedestrianised zone filled with public art. London major Sadiq Khan called it "a hugely exciting moment for the capital."

SOM Architects Leadenhall
SOM designs tapering skyscraper that would dwarf neighbouring Cheesegrater

In other London news, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill unveiled a tapering high-rise tower at 100 Leadenhall Street that bears a striking resemblance to the neighbouring Cheesegrater by Rogers Stirk Harbour.

V&A acquires entire one-bedroom flat from Robin Hood Gardens

The V&A museum acquired a three-storey section of Robin Hood Gardens, a well-known brutalist social housing estate currently being razed in east London.

Salvaged pieces of the concrete facade are being stacked onsite before their transit to the museum's storage facility.

Six ideas to transform Britain's decommissioned gasholders make shortlist in RIBA competition

RIBA was also looking at the UK's architectural past as it announced the six-strong shortlist for a competition to repurpose decommissioned gasholder sites, which included a crematorium and a multi-storey charging station for driverless cars.

WeGrow by Wework
BIG designs kindergarten in New York City for WeWork

In the US, BIG designed a kindergarten for co-working company WeWork in New York, which will feature wooden play areas and large stone-like grey pods stacked like river stones.

A proposal was released by wHY of an oscillating bicycle and pedestrian pathways along the Manhattan side of the East River, in response to New York City Economic Development Corporation's call for ideas to connect the city's 32 miles of coastline.

Uber and NASA
Uber and NASA to launch flying taxi service by 2020

In travel news, Uber signed a partnership with NASA to create an on-demand flying taxi service for Los Angeles that is scheduled to begin flights by 2020. Meanwhile, a new form of self-driving train that runs on roads made its maiden voyage in the Chinese city of Zhuzhou.

Jean Nouvel's completed Louvre Abu Dhabi is spanned by a huge geometric-patterned dome

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included Jean Nouvel's geometric-patterned Louvre Abu DhabiSnøhetta's Oscar Niemeyer-inspired Aesop store in London and Adidas' new retro football kits for FIFA World Cup 2018.