This blackened plywood box added by architect Antonin Ziegler to one end of a rural home on France's northern coast provides a private library and garage for its inhabitants (+ slideshow). More about Blackened timber reading room extends a coastal home in northern France
Foster + Partners has been appointed to design an £8 billion transport system for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that will encompass a network of new metro, ferry, bus, and cycle terminals. More about Foster + Partners to design all stations and trains for new Jeddah transport network
Japanese studio Nendo used grey and white crosses for the packaging of this line of skincare products based on the practices of Chinese medicine. More about Nendo designs brand identity for skincare based on Chinese medicine
Dezeen promotion: Italian design company Kristalia has released its latest product, the Hide Chair 1085 edition by architecture and design studio Bartoli Design. More about Kristalia launches natural hide chair by Bartoli Design
A swimming pool on a "massive concrete cone" sits in front of this summer house, which has been elevated above the tree canopy of a Croatian island to offer views out to sea (+ slideshow). More about Turato Architects raises Gumno House above the forest canopy of a Croatian island
Milan 2015: British industrial designer Jasper Morrison will debut a USB charger for Swiss electronics accessories brand Punkt during Milan design week next month. More about Jasper Morrison designs a USB charger to power multiple devices
Japanese designer Eriko Kasahara has completed a riverside wedding chapel featuring a multi-hued slate skin and a bright white interior that takes it cues from a bridal veil. More about Slate-clad chapel by Eriko Kasahara boasts a veil-inspired ceiling structure
Design Indaba 2015: Royal Collage of Art graduate Ackeem Ngwenya has designed a set of all-terrain wheels to help farmers in rural Africa carry heavier loads to market and replace the traditional method of "head-carrying" (+ slideshow). More about Roadless wheels aim to help African farmers transport goods from remote villages
Milan Expo 2015: architect Jacques Herzog has launched an attack against the 2015 Milan Expo – for which he was one of the original masterplanners – branding it a vanity fair that he thinks will be embarrassing and a waste of money. More about Milan Expo will be an "obsolete vanity fair" says Jacques Herzog
An Edinburgh roof extension, a house that cantilevers across a beach and Steven Holl's new wing for the Glasgow School of Art are among the projects shortlisted for Scotland's national architecture awards (+ slideshow). More about Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland reveals 2015 awards shortlist
A layer of glass envelopes this pair of homes in Zurich, while a zigzagging concrete partition between them is the only opaque wall in the building (+ slideshow). More about Crooked concrete wall divides Zurich building by Christian Kerez into semi-detached homes
Swedish car manufacturer Volvo has created a light-reflective spray designed to enhance the visibility of cyclists on city streets after dark (+ movie). More about Volvo's reflective Life Paint turns bicycles and clothes into high-visibility objects
Milan 2015: Milan's furniture fair has become a celebration of marketing over design and has helped feed the public perception of design as a superficial discipline, according to design critic Alice Rawsthorn. More about Salone del Mobile presents design as a "superficial stylistic tool" says Alice Rawsthorn
Dezeen promotion: Italian brand Ceramiche Refin has unveiled a new collection of porcelain tiles influenced by industrial architecture and urban infrastructure. More about Ceramiche Refin launches tile collection based on urban surfaces
This family home near Milan features a partially exposed steel and timber frame modelled on the historical rural farm buildings in the surrounding area. More about Paolo Carlesso clads Italian family house with cement panels
Milan 2015: London designer Lee Broom will transform a street of disused shops into a fake department store to present 20 new products in Milan next month. More about Lee Broom to create pastiche department store inside empty shops for Milan exhibition
A tall white wall wraps around the base of this house in Tsukuba City, Japan, screening it from the street and creating the illusion of a triple-level structure (+ slideshow). More about Japanese house hides a balcony and terrace behind tiered walls
Photo essay: New York photographer Richard Silver travels the world shooting well-known buildings over the course of a single sunset and splicing the pictures together to create a single image – a technique he describes as slicing time. More about Richard Silver splices images of iconic buildings to show the passing of time
Brazilian designer Bianca Cheng Costanzo has created a woollen blanket from 180 triangles hand-sewn into tessellated pyramids (+ slideshow). More about Wool pyramids form origami-inspired Bloom blanket
The bell tower of this monastery on the outskirts of Valencia features a ridged surface with a cross-shaped cut-out to indicate the buildings' use to passers by (+ slideshow). More about Hernández Arquitectos' minimal white monastery features a concrete-clad bell tower