Dezeen archive: we've noticed a lot of black cropping up in architecture and design lately, so we've created an archive of all the black houses on Dezeen. See all our stories about black houses »
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Japanese studio MDS has completed a countryside retreat with south-facing rooms in the foothills of the Yatsugatake mountains (+ slideshow). More about Yatsugatake Villa by MDS
News: developers are building a private city on the outskirts of Guatemala City as a safe haven from the crime-ridden capital. More about Developers building crime-free private city outside Guatemalan capital
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma built this temporary hut using cedar, ETFE plastic and magnets to pay tribute to a humble dwelling chronicled by Japanese author Kamono Chomei over 800 years ago (+ slideshow). More about Shimogamo Jinja Hojoan by Kengo Kuma and Associates
News: Zaha Hadid's planned extension to a centre for studying Middle-Eastern culture at the University of Oxford is set to begin construction later this month (+ slideshow). More about Zaha Hadid's Oxford college project to start on site
A gigantic yellow giraffe pokes its heads out from the roof of this nursery and childcare centre in Paris by French studio Hondelatte Laporte Architectes (+ slideshow). More about Giraffe Childcare Centre by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes
News: in 2012 the total number of skyscrapers constructed around the world failed to increase for the first time in six years, says the annual report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, revealing the continued impact of the global financial crisis that started in 2007. More about Skyscraper construction stalled in 2012
This doctor's surgery in the Austrian Alps by Graz-based architects Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher was inspired by small wooden hay barns that dot the local landscape (+ slideshow). More about Medical Practice in Ramsau by Hammerschmid Pachl Seebacher Architekten
This animation by architect Andrea Stinga and graphic designer Federico Gonzalez depicts the best-known buildings of 26 famous architects, one for each letter of the alphabet. More about The ABC of Architects by Andrea Stinga and Federico Gonzalez
These shots by photographer Edmund Sumner show some of the first visitors able to scale the roof of the O2 Arena in London, thanks to a new fabric walkway designed by architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Bblur Architecture (+ slideshow). More about Up at the O2 by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Bblur Architecture
The angled columns of an earthquake-proof structure frame a series of window slits on the exterior of this Tokyo research laboratory by KINO Architects (+ slideshow). More about Spiralab by KINO Architects
News: the American architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable, who won the first Pulitzer Prize for criticism, has died aged 91. More about Ada Louise Huxtable 1921-2013
News: Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is now inviting guests to rent a holiday home he built for his family in the mountain hamlet of Leis in Vals (+ slideshow). More about Zumthor lets his holiday home to guests
Venice Architecture Biennale 2014: architect Rem Koolhaas has today been confirmed as the director of the next Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014 and wants to use the opportunity to readdress the "fundamental elements of architecture". More about Rem Koolhaas confirmed as director of Venice Architecture Biennale 2014
Competition: we're giving readers the chance to win one of five copies of The New Wave in Danish Architecture, a book featuring contemporary projects by Danish architects such as BIG and NORD. More about Competition: five copies of The New Wave in Danish Architecture to be won
Japanese studio FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects designed this concrete house in Shiga to be deliberately alien to its neighbours (+ slideshow). More about House of Silence by FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects
These conceptual office units by American designer Victor Vetterlein are designed to be bought up by companies and sent out to employees' back gardens so they can work from home. More about MOSS office for working from home by Victor Vetterlein
London firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has completed Neo Bankside, a set of six-sided apartment blocks beside the Tate Modern art gallery on the edge of the River Thames. More about Neo Bankside by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
French architect Emmanuelle Weiss has added a contrasting dark brick extension to a red brick house outside Lille (+ slideshow). More about Maison D by Emmanuelle Weiss
Danish architects Tredje Natur and PK3 have designed a series of artificial islands that will transform Copenhagen's harbour into a recreational area filled with wildlife and water sports (+ slideshow). More about Blue Plan for Copenhagen Harbour by Tredje Natur and PK3