Opinion: despite significant improvements last year, architecture's archaic equality problems haven't gone away. The American Institute of Architects' decision to award its 2015 Gold Medal to another mature white man isn't helping, says Alexandra Lange. More about "Was it too much to hope for first a woman and then a partnership?"
Comments update: could Google's modular smartphone prototype topple the market dominance of Apple's iPhone? More about "I can see this knocking Apple off its perch"
News: Taichung mayor Lin Chia-lung has temporarily halted development of Sou Fujimoto's tree-inspired 300-metre tower for the city, which he says is "problematic" in terms of structure and safety. More about Mayor pulls plug on Sou Fujimoto's Taiwan Tower over safety and cost concerns
Cologne 2015: Chinese studio Neri&Hu has installed its vision for the home of the future – overfilled with furniture – at the imm Cologne trade fair (+ slideshow). More about Neri&Hu's Das Haus installation is designed to "unsettle people"
These five houses in Córdoba, Argentina, each feature two wings that stretch away from the hillside to seek out the best light and views (+ slideshow). More about Five houses by Carlos Ciravegna cantilever out from a rocky hillside in Argentina
Northmodern 2015: stackable vases with a rubberised coating and geometric-patterned textiles are among homeware items by Danish brand Ferm Living on show at the Northmodern design fair in Copenhagen. More about Ferm Living adds graphic textiles and rubber coated vessels to homeware collection
Chinese studio Naturalbuild has created an office and event space in a Shanghai warehouse that previously belonged to Huang Jinrong – a notorious 1930s underworld figure (+ slideshow). More about Historic Shanghai "gangsters' warehouse" transformed into an office by Naturalbuild
Flowers are framed within the sliced spherical tops of these glass vases by Norwegian designer Kristine Five Melvær (+ slideshow). More about Kristine Five Melvær's Liv vases encircle flowers with a glass hood
This timber-clad casino by a lake in eastern France is one of three that Data Architectes designed to offer an alternative to the "locked universe" typically favoured for this type of building (+ slideshow). More about Lac du Der Casino by Data Architectes could be mistaken for a school or a museum
Design lecturer John Edmark has created a series of designs for 3D-printed sculptures that appear to move, utilising an effect similar to a zoetrope (+ movie). More about 3D-printed sculptures create optical illusions using the Fibonacci sequence
Northmodern 2015: Eindhoven studio OS & OOS has designed a modular lighting system joined by rubbery connectors that allow users to create sculptural installations (+ slideshow). More about Mono-Light by OS & OOS twists and bends into different configurations
Dutch studio OMA's research branch AMO has created a series of symmetrical linked vestibules to form a disorientating runway for Prada's Autumn Winter 2015 menswear show (+ slideshow). More about AMO simulates an infinite catwalk for Prada menswear show
Product designer Andre Fangueiro has created a small pebble-shaped device that uses ultrasonic sound waves to clean clothes (+ movie). More about Dolfi is a tiny ultrasonic washing machine for delicate clothes
News: Google is holding discussions with some of the world's biggest automotive manufacturers in an attempt to bring self-driving cars to market by 2020. More about Google in talks with Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen to realise driverless cars
News: construction of Rafael Viñoly's 432 Park Avenue skyscraper in New York – the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere – was temporarily halted following a complaint about falling construction material. More about Work resumes on Viñoly's 432 Park Avenue tower after complaint of falling debris
Wooden ceiling beams extend beyond the walls of this boxy black house in Japan by Apollo Architects & Associates, creating a canopy above a secluded entrance courtyard (+ slideshow). More about Trellis canopy shades courtyard of Pergola house by Apollo Architects
Maison&Objet 2015: Basque designer Jean Louis Iratzoki has moulded the shell of a chair from a plant-based polymer that is fully recyclable and biodegradable (+ slideshow). More about Jean Louis Iratzoki designs "first bioplastic chair"
Visitors to an office-themed installation by Aberrant Architecture were invited to take a spin on an office chair below a ceiling suspended just 1.5 metres above the ground (+ movie). More about Aberrant's styrofoam ceiling installation celebrates wasting time at work
A row of aluminium ribs curves away from the serrated glass facade of this research laboratory in England to help shelter occupants from the sun (+ slideshow). More about Laddered metal fins angle from the facade of Cambridgeshire laboratory by Abell Nepp
Stockholm 2015: Dutch designer Richard Hutten shaped this circular seat to mimic the way architects denote chairs on floor plans (+ slideshow). More about Architects' sketches of chairs influence Richard Hutten's seat for Offecct