News: a 24 metre tall viewing tower that looks like a helter skelter and a student housing development in Oxford have been included in a shortlist for the ugliest building completed in the UK in the last 12 months. Update 29/08/13: the winner has been announced as 465 Caledonian Road by Stephen George & Partners. More about Carbuncle Cup 2013 shortlist revealed
Two blocks face each other across the forecourt of this symmetrical housing development in São Paulo by local firm Corsi Hirano Arquitetos (+ slideshow). More about AV Houses by Corsi Hirano Arquitetos
This squishy light by German product designer Simon Frambach can be used as a warm, glowing pillow. More about Soft Light by Simon Frambach
Small windows scattered across the facade of this house extension outside Melbourne by Australian practice Wolveridge Architects limit the amount of direct sunlight entering the building (+ slideshow). More about Blairgowrie House by Wolveridge Architects
German design graduate Tobias Nitsche has developed a chair with a seat and back moulded from lightweight 3D plywood. More about Boss Chair byTobias Nitsche
Over a hundred peg holes puncture the walls of this currywurst restaurant in Vancouver by Canadian studio Scott & Scott Architects, creating spaces to store furniture, hold lighting and display art (+ slideshow). More about Bestie Currywurst by Scott & Scott Architects
Terracotta tiles resembling brickwork cover parts of this house extension in Dublin by Irish practice GKMP Architects (+ slideshow). More about House Extension in Dublin by GKMP Architects
Dezeen archive: following a succession of stories about bakeries and patisseries over the past few days, here's a round-up of shops selling bread, cakes and other sweet treats. See all patisseries on Dezeen »
More about Dezeen archive: patisseries
This timber and concrete beach house in Victoria by Australian firm Wolveridge Architects conceals all its windows behind louvred shutters and has courtyards tucked into its sides (+ slideshow). More about Torquay House by Wolveridge Architects
Product news: this wooden sideboard by Mexican designer Hector Esrawe is intended to reference the way raw materials are stored in piles. More about Stack Buffet by Hector Esrawe
Wooden chairs were piled on top of one another to create the shelves of this pop-up shop for skincare brand Aesop in a Tokyo shopping centre. More about Aesop Midtown Installation by Hiroko Shiratori
This week we reported on high-rise oddities, as a Benidorm skyscraper was rumoured to be built without a working lift and a fake mountain villa was ordered to be removed from the top of a Beijing tower. More architecture and design news follows, plus our Dezeen Music Project track of the week. More about This week on Dezeen
The roof of this house in Paraguay can be lifted open like the lid of a box (+ movie). More about Caja Oscura by Javier Corvalán
A chequerboard of glass blocks allows light to flood in and out of these creative studios in São Paulo by French-Brazilian architects Triptyque. More about Leitão_653 by Triptyque
Czech designer Martin Zampach has produced a range of hexagonal bowls that are each made from three wooden leaves. More about Poly Bowls by Martin Zampach
News: construction has begun on a new federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles designed by US firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM). More about Work starts on SOM's Los Angeles Federal Courthouse
The arced profile of this charred wooden house by architects Horibe Associates is designed to resonate with the traditional temples and shrines of Yoshinogawa, Japan (+ slideshow). More about House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates
Separate schools for art and music are contained within the glass and timber walls of this academy in Latvia by Riga architects Made (+ slideshow). More about Saldus Music and Art School by Made
Product news: this wooden coffee table by Canadian designer Loïc Bard has a gaping mouth for swallowing narrow books and magazines. More about Tokyo Table by Loïc Bard
Brazilian studios MMBB and H+F Arquitetos reference tower blocks from the 1960s with this social housing complex flanking the Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge in São Paulo (+ slideshow). More about Jardim Edite Social Housing Complex by MMBB and H+F Arquitetos