Researchers from the National University of Singapore have created a bevy of robotic swans that test the quality of drinking water in Singapore's reservoirs. More about Robotic swans used to monitor quality of Singapore's drinking water
A beach house wrapped in a pavilion of slatted pine wood on the coast of Chile by LAND Arquitectos has uninterrupted views of the South Pacific. More about Pine-wrapped beach house on Chile's coast offers panoramic ocean views
Swedish design studio Front has created a collection of colourful rugs, then transformed the design to produce matching poufs. More about Front designs modular rugs that can be folded up into furniture
Italian architecture office 2A+P/A has brought an Ettore Sottsass painting to life to create a black barrel-roofed pavilion for an architecture festival in Orléans, France. More about Italian architects convert Ettore Sottsass sketch into pavilion for French architecture festival
American artist Paul Raphaelson has published photographs of Brooklyn's dilapidated Domino Sugar Factory, revealing the eerie rust-covered spaces along the East River that were abandoned in 2004 and demolished a decade later. More about Paul Raphaelson photographs Williamsburg's derelict Domino Sugar Factory ahead of redevelopment
Danish firm BIG has developed a proposal to protect the San Francisco Bay from flooding caused by climate change, which includes building floating villages connected by ferries, a red-hued cycle route, and a highway for autonomous vehicles. More about BIG unveils scheme to protect San Francisco creek from flooding
A team of five designers has created a new brand identity for Russia's tourist board, which references the graphic style of suprematist artworks. More about Russian tourist board unveils new visual identity inspired by suprematist art
Chilean studio Apio Arquitectos has used wooden barns as a reference for this nature retreat, with pitched roofs and facades wrapped in grey metal and pine. More about Apio Arquitectos creates gabled holiday house overlooking Chilean lake
The plastic mirrors typically found in Parisian barber shops provided the cues for this design by French duo Normal Studio, for Scandinavian brand Muuto. More about Muuto launches mirror to match those used by Parisian barbers
The Obama Presidential Center will be presented to the Chicago City Council today. But its proposed siting in the city's Jackson Park will both remove acres of public land and blight Fredrick Law Olmsted's historic landscape design, argues The Cultural Landscape Foundation president Charles A Birnbaum. More about "There is no need to destroy one significant cultural legacy in order to celebrate another"
An injunction that would have prevented Herzog & de Meuron from redeveloping Chelsea FC's football stadium has been blocked by the local council, paving the way for construction to begin. More about Council saves Herzog & de Meuron's Chelsea football stadium from neighbours' injunction
Pale brickwork, oak furnishings and terrazzo flooring combine in this light-filled extension to a Victorian house in London's Shepherd's Bush, designed by architecture studio Al-Jawad Pike. More about Al-Jawad Pike uses pale, exposed materials to extend west London home
Two Jordanian architects have devised a modular, easy-to-assemble system of street furniture to bring ad-hoc playgrounds to cities, refugee camps and other environments lacking in public space. More about Stackable Playscapes system transforms empty lots into playgrounds
Dezeen promotion: lighting brand Zumtobel has worked with Marte.Marte Architects to develop a bespoke lighting system for the huge new halls of the Messe Dornbirn exhibition centre in western Austria. More about Zumtobel showcases versatile lighting systems in Messe Dornbirn exhibition centre
Artist Emmanuelle Moureaux used over 100,000 paper number cut-outs to create this multihued installation designed to visualise the passing of time. More about Emmanuelle Moureaux's rainbow-hued installation seemingly changes colour
Mexico City studio Comunal Taller de Arquitectura has completed a prototype for social housing in a mountain town, using a prefabricated bamboo frame that residents can use to replicate the structure in just seven days. More about Bamboo social housing in rural Mexico can be built by residents in a week
Canadian studio Kl.tz Design has included a staircase with suspended timber steps and a thin metal balustrade in the bright interiors of this renovated home. More about Kl.tz Design renovates light-filled family residence with floating staircase in Montreal
Design duo Estudio Persona has based this range of furniture on the aesthetic of their native Uruguay, which they describe as "far from the exuberantly colourful Latino cliché". More about Estudio Persona's furniture collection channels "Hispanic rock 'n' roll"
British designer Thomas Heatherwick suffers criticism for his latest project, a pair of New Towers with bulging windows, in this week's comments update. More about "It's like someone blew bubbles in the windows of a postmodern tower"
Hong Kong studio James Law Cybertecture has developed a prototype for low-cost, stackable micro homes in concrete pipes, which could slot into gaps between city buildings. More about Micro apartments in concrete pipes designed to ease Hong Kong's housing crisis