Comments
"One of the most beautiful houses I have seen in years"
In this week's comments update, readers can't agree whether Peter Zumthor's Secular Retreat is worthy of praise. More about "One of the most beautiful houses I have seen in years"
-
Architecture
Wulf Architekten brightens German disease research centre with Velux skylights
Dezeen promotion: Wulf Architekten has used Velux's modular skylights at a research centre in western Germany, to flood its entrance and oval-shaped laboratory building with natural light. More about Wulf Architekten brightens German disease research centre with Velux skylights
Design
Dutch Invertuals presents products that champion using less
Eindhoven-based design studio Dutch Invertuals has curated an exhibition of 10 objects, to question whether – in the anthropocene era – it is possible to reduce the volume of non-essential products in our lives. More about Dutch Invertuals presents products that champion using less
Architecture
Slats shade LOHA's San Vicente 935 apartment building in West Hollywood
American firm Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects has completed a housing block in Los Angeles that features a central courtyard and open-air stairwell lined with wooden slats and white wire mesh. More about Slats shade LOHA's San Vicente 935 apartment building in West Hollywood
Architecture
Plat Asia's Forest Dining Club immerses diners in Chinese woodland
Beijing-based architecture studio Plat Asia has completed a restaurant in the Chinese resort town of Aranya featuring three glass-walled dining rooms that look out onto a surrounding forest. More about Plat Asia's Forest Dining Club immerses diners in Chinese woodland
Design
Giant mirrored ball installed in Tokyo office to encourage city to think beyond 2020 Olympics
A seven-metre high silver sphere has been placed in the atrium of a Tokyo office by artist Akira Fujimoto and architect Yoko Nagayama, as the zero in the number 2021, to draw attention to the year after the Olympics takes place. More about Giant mirrored ball installed in Tokyo office to encourage city to think beyond 2020 Olympics
News
There is "no good Brexit" say Foster, Rogers and Chipperfield in open letter to UK prime minister
Over 1,000 leading architects have signed a letter to the UK prime minister stating that Brexit would be "devastating" to the architecture profession. More about There is "no good Brexit" say Foster, Rogers and Chipperfield in open letter to UK prime minister
Architecture
Valentí Albareda turns bomb-blasted banana warehouse in Barcelona into triplex apartment
Crumbling brick surfaces hint at the rich past of this triplex apartment in Barcelona, designed by architect Valentí Albareda with arch-shaped openings and warm oak floors. More about Valentí Albareda turns bomb-blasted banana warehouse in Barcelona into triplex apartment
Design
Refugio shelters aim to make solitary bees feel at home in cities
Mexico-based creative studio MaliArts has designed a series of three structures for solitary bees living in built-up areas to help welcome nature into urban environments. More about Refugio shelters aim to make solitary bees feel at home in cities
Video
Thomas Heatherwick hopes Coal Drops Yard will be "new heart" for King's Cross
Thomas Heatherwick explains his desire to create a new public space for London in this exclusive video interview Dezeen filmed at the recently opened Coal Drops Yard shopping centre in King's Cross. More about Thomas Heatherwick hopes Coal Drops Yard will be "new heart" for King's Cross
Design
Claesson Koivisto Rune creates nine objects that reference its Villa Widlund
Architecture studio Claesson Koivisto Rune has worked with Japanese makers to create nine pieces for Tokyo lifestyle store Time & Style, which are based on a house it built overlooking the Baltic Sea. More about Claesson Koivisto Rune creates nine objects that reference its Villa Widlund
News
Yves Béhar responds to Pittsburgh synagogue shooting with Lies Cost Lives graphic
Designer Yves Béhar has created this graphic in the wake of the mass-shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue to warn against rising anti-semitism in the US, which he blames on president Donald Trump's "current culture of lies". More about Yves Béhar responds to Pittsburgh synagogue shooting with Lies Cost Lives graphic
Interiors
Yoko Kitahara spa blends Japanese and Arabic designs in Jaffa
An Ottoman-era home in Jaffa has been refurbished as a spa, where Japanese elements sit alongside original Arabic details like arched ceilings and stone walls. More about Yoko Kitahara spa blends Japanese and Arabic designs in Jaffa
News
Phaidon names Spencer Bailey as editor-at-large
Spencer Bailey, the former editor of Surface magazine, has been named editor-at-large for Phaidon's architecture and design publications. More about Phaidon names Spencer Bailey as editor-at-large
News
"I can only do so much" to protect the environment, says Peter Zumthor
Architects may be limited in their power to prevent climate change, says Peter Zumthor, but they can help by designing buildings to last for centuries rather than decades. More about "I can only do so much" to protect the environment, says Peter Zumthor
Architecture
Michael Hsu creates Llano Retreat for remote spot in Texas Hill Country
American studio Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has used charred wood, local stone and large stretches of glass to form this country home for an Austin family. More about Michael Hsu creates Llano Retreat for remote spot in Texas Hill Country
Design
Tadashi Kawamata fills Lisbon's MAAT with plastic to warn about ocean debris
Paris-based artist Tadashi Kawamata has created a monumental installation of ocean plastic in the Oval Gallery of Lisbon's Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology. More about Tadashi Kawamata fills Lisbon's MAAT with plastic to warn about ocean debris
Promotion
Kaldewei's digital tools help architects plan bathrooms efficiently
Dezeen promotion: German bathroom brand Kaldewei is using building information modelling data to provide industry clients and private customers with digital models of its products. More about Kaldewei's digital tools help architects plan bathrooms efficiently
Architecture
Skylights and stairways puncture Studio Libeskind's MO Museum in Lithuania
Black and white stairways splice and spiral through the Studio Libeskind-designed MO Museum of modern art in Vilnius, Lithuania. More about Skylights and stairways puncture Studio Libeskind's MO Museum in Lithuania
Design
Christie's sells AI-created artwork painted using algorithm for $432,000
An artwork created by Paris-based art collective Obvious using artificial intelligence has been sold at Christie's auction house in New York for nearly half a million dollars. More about Christie's sells AI-created artwork painted using algorithm for 2,000