A 150-year-old farm complex in Switzerland has been converted into an assortment of office and apartment blocks by Zürich studio EM2N (+ slideshow). More about EM2N converts century-old Swiss farm into housing and office complex
Architects love staircases, and this year we've seen all kinds – from smooth concrete curves and twisting corkscrews, to structures built from reclaimed wood and rusty steel. Dezeen's architecture editor Amy Frearson has selected 10 of the best. More about Dezeen's top 10 staircases of 2014
News: Michael Graves' seminal Portland Public Services Building will be spared from demolition, despite being described as a "white elephant" and requiring an estimated $95 million for renovation. More about Postmodern Portland Building will be saved, says architect Michael Graves
Solar panels provide all the energy needed to power this colourful brick dormitory designed by architect Louise Braverman to house medical staff at a rural village in Burundi. More about Solar-powered housing by Louise Braverman accommodates medical staff in an African village
We've published hundreds of weird and wonderful residences on Dezeen over the past year, from super-skinny city houses to wintery chalets, underground bunkers and revamped farmhouses. Architecture editor Amy Frearson picks her favourites. More about Dezeen's top 10 houses of 2014
This concert hall in Poland by Spanish studio Barozzi Veiga features ribbed glass cladding and a spiky roof, giving it the appearance of an icy crown (+ slideshow). More about Translucent glass concert hall designed by Barozzi Veiga with a jagged roofline
A white spiral staircase that contrasts with the surrounding stone walls is one of several modern interventions that architect Elisabete Saldanha has added to this converted farmhouse in Portugal (+ slideshow). More about Elisabete Saldanha combines historical features with contemporary details at House in Guimarães
With Rem Koolhaas curating the Venice Biennale and Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and Moshe Safdie pulling no punches, 2014 was a busy year for opinionated architects. Dezeen's editor Anna Winston chooses her architecture quotes of the year. More about Dezeen's top architecture quotes of 2014
The owners of this brick house in the Netherlands, by Reitsema & Partners, can drive their car up a shallow ramp into a sheltered parking area that frames a view of the low-lying landscape. More about Villa SR by Reitsema & Partners has a parking space driven through its middle
These four "finger-like" extensions to a Vienna restaurant, by PPAG Architects, feature mirrored walls that reflect the surrounding parkland, and windows that slide up above the roof (+ slideshow). More about PPAG Architects adds mirrored extension to restaurant in Vienna's Stadtpark
It's rare to find new houses in Japan that haven't been designed by Japanese architects – but this Tokyo residence with a textured glass facade is the work of Dutch architect Wiel Arets (+ slideshow). More about Glass-coated Tokyo house by Wiel Arets looks like it's been shrink wrapped
This wooden summer house raised off the forest floor on three concrete beams was designed by architect Johan Sundberg for a patch of woodland by the Swedish coastline (+ slideshow). More about Timber summer house by Johan Sundberg expresses "Scandinavian architectural DNA"
Movie: architect Rossana Hu explains why she and her partner Lyndon Neri turned the theme of "feeling good in architecture" on its head in their keynote speech at this year's Inside Festival. More about Neri&Hu's architecture "challenges the accepted values of society"
News: Sou Fujimoto is one of three architects that have been selected to design buildings for a Hungarian museum complex in Budapest's City Park (+ slideshow). More about Sou Fujimoto to create House of Hungarian Music at new Budapest museum park
Opinion: the now-defunct architecture firm FAT proposed a green bridge for London's River Thames in the 1990s as a form of social criticism. Now life is imitating art with Thomas Heatherwick's Garden Bridge, FAT co-founder Sam Jacob feels an apology is necessary. More about "The Garden Bridge is a magic bullet for a certain idea of the contemporary British city"
News: three international design teams, including architects Snøhetta and Allied Works, have developed designs for Hawaii's bid to host Barack Obama's presidential library. More about Hawaii unveils designs for Obama Presidential Centre bid
This glazed garden pavilion by architecture studio Barkow Leibinger offers scenic study spaces for resident fellows at the American Academy in Berlin (+ slideshow). More about Barkow Leibinger's Fellows Pavilion offers study spaces in a lakeside garden
Hexagonal slate tiles cover this extension to a west London home designed by architects Christian Ducker and Tyeth Gundry to create a bright and spacious new kitchen (+ slideshow). More about Gundry and Ducker's Slate House is an extension clad with hexagonal tiles
A grid of white concrete frames the alternating glass and timber walls of this library in a French village by Studio 02 Architectes (+ slideshow). More about French village library by Studio 02 Architectes presents a gridded facade of wood and glass
Movable egg-shaped huts on a beach in South Korea were popular with readers this week, so we've collected together 13 strange and beautiful examples of mobile residences, refuges and retreats from the pages of Dezeen – including a tiny house delivered via helicopter. More about 13 unusual mobile homes and hideaways