Known as the "hip-hop architect", Michael Ford helps kids from minority backgrounds discover architecture through music. He spoke to Dezeen about the importance of black musicians like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams, who heavily promote their involvement in architecture, in improving diversity in the profession. More
Demolition of a housing project, designed by late American architect Paul Rudolph in the 1970s, has been blocked in its final stage because a resident has refused to move off the premises. More
Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum has cancelled a major retrospective of work by Memphis group founder Ettore Sottsass, blaming the architects' representatives for attempting to "dictate" its curation. More
A record-breaking 31-metre-high ice tower has been installed at the annual winter festival in Harbin, China, featuring a shape inspired by the flounces of a flamenco dancer's dress. More
Readers debate global housing issues in this week's comments update, in response to a proposal by James Law Cybertecture for stackable micro homes in Hong Kong. More
Long checkout queues are a thing of the past at Amazon's new app-enabled store, which allows shoppers to simply walk out with their groceries. More
Dezeen has launched its first ever awards programme to identify the world's best architecture, interiors and design. More
Ironspot brick and a sawtooth roof define the exterior of this new wing for the University of Michigan's architecture and planning college, designed by US studio Preston Scott Cohen. More
Jo Nagasaka's architecture studio has overhauled a capsule hotel in Tokyo, pairing old sleeping cabins with a suite of timber-lined saunas. More
A drug-smuggling operation brought over £10 million worth of cocaine into the UK under the guise of a Leicester-based interior design company, a jury has heard. More
This captioned movie shows an underwater installation by artist Doug Aitken, which involved anchoring three mirrored geodesic domes to the seabed near Catalina Island in California, and inviting people to swim inside. More
Cladding panels have been found with "non fire retardant" written on them at the Will Alsop-designed Chips apartment block in Manchester, UK, in a safety review following the Grenfell Tower fire. More
Dezeen promotion: Young Architects Competitions is inviting designers to submit proposals for a contest that would see an old fortress on an island in southern Sicily converted into an art gallery. More
Dutch designer Pauline van Dongen has created a backpack from a single piece of knitted fabric, which incorporates tiny solar power beads enabling wearers to charge smart devices on the go. More
The age of postmodern architecture is far from over, according to designer Adam Nathaniel Furman. To prove it, he has picked out 10 examples, including a pile of Dutch townhouses and a skyscraper modelled on a clock tower. More
