Dezeen Magazine

This week, Dezeen reported from the world's biggest design fair

This week, we provided extensive coverage of the best installations, product launches and events from the world's biggest design fair, Milan design week.

Since Monday, Dezeen's editorial team has been exploring the annual festival of design and reporting on key exhibitions and trends found in the Italian city.

Peter Pichler builds pyramidal pavilion using 1,600 wooden beams

Highlights included COS and Phillip K Smith III's large-scale mirror installation, MINI Living and Studiomama's series of colourful capsule homes, Italian architect Peter Pichler's pyramidal wooden pavilion, and an American-style diner by Rockwell Group installed in a railway arch.

Hem's new furniture range included a sofa that can be packed into boxes

Among this year's eye-catching product launches were Hem's modular flat-packed sofaHay and Sonos' vibrant speaker range and Lara Bohnic's first seating collection, inspired by the orbits of planets.

Rossana Orlandi to launch initiative to create "guiltless plastic"

Our prediction of recycled plastic being a key trend at the event was validated, as influential Milanese design curator Rossana Orlandi announced the launch of a "guiltless plastic" initiative at her gallery space.

In a similar vein, Israeli designer Erez Nevi Pana's vegan furniture, created by experimenting with different plants and minerals, was displayed in a bid to promote the "guilt-free" movement to the design industry.

Dezeen teams up with Instagram to launch its new @design account in Milan

Dezeen also worked with a number of leading global brands during Milan design week, with founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs discussing the integration of technology into people's lifestyles with Google and design in the age of Instagram with designer Yves Behar and others as part of our collaboration with Instagram to launch its new @design account.

OMA's Qatar National Library opens in Doha

Elsewhere, the Qatar National Library by Dutch architecture firm OMA opened in Doha. The building houses some of the country's most important texts and manuscripts in tiers of marble bookcases within a single open-plan space.

Another Dutch practice, Mecanoo was also in the news, as images emerged of their near-complete arts centre in Taiwan, which will host opera and theatre under a bulging roof.

BIG reveals plans for Swiss hotel with zigzagging ski slope on its roof

In other architecture news, Bjarke Ingels Group revealed plans for a hotel in western Switzerland, complete with a zigzagging ski slope on its roof.

 Zaha Hadid Architects also unveiled a new project, a barrel-vaulted primary school to be built in China's Jiangxi province that will be partially built by robots.
Fuzzy House by SO features stepped roof terrace and public alleyway

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included a bunker-like concrete house in the Thai city of Chiang Mai, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio overhaul of infamous London members' club Annabel's and a hack of an IKEA kitchen for Danish brand Reform designed by Cecile Manz.