This week on Dezeen: with the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016 just around the corner, we examined some of the key themes already emerging from the world's biggest architectural exhibition, including robotic construction (pictured) and the housing crisis.

Curated by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena and opening next week, the Biennale will also feature a retrospective of work by the late Zaha Hadid and a proposal for an off-grid village of greenhouse properties. Paulo Mendes da Rocha is set to receive the Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement.

In other news, a test vehicle kitted out with radar, laser scanners and cameras developed by Uber's Advanced Technology Center is being tested on US streets in a move widely thought to threaten the jobs of the company's taxi drivers. In a statement, Uber said it was aiming to make self-driving taxis as "reliable as water".

OMA's Rem Koolhaas outlined his belief that Zaha Hadid Architects can continue to grow despite the death of its founder and John Puttick Associates dramatically overhauled its plans for the iconic Preston Bus Station.

Critics compared Snøhetta's extension to Mario Botta's San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to a "gigantic meringue" and a "cruise ship", while Beijing studio MAD revealed plans for a Parisian housing block with curvy floors and balconies.

Dutch office MVRDV completed a huge scaffolding staircase leading up to the roof of an office block in Rotterdam and London's Architectural Association released a film showing its first foray into robotic construction.

In design news, American furniture brand Emeco accepted an out-of-court settlement from Ikea after accusing the the Swedish giant of copying the design of one of its chairs, and the UK government revealed that it is considering building spacesports.

Joe Doucet became the latest designer to set up their own brand, launching a range of 3D-printed products by high-profile names, while MIT researchers developed a method for 3D printing artificial fur.

Popular stories this week on Dezeen included a roundup of key projects by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, this year's recipient of the Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the new studio of architecture firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and a refurbished Barcelona apartment featuring barrel-vaulted ceilings.

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