News: architecture firm Snøhetta has concluded the first phase of a major overhaul of New York's Times Square, continuing the initiative started in 2009 to pedestrianise large sections of the popular tourist destination. More about Snøhetta completes phase one of Times Square transformation
News: online home rental brand Airbnb is to replace a set of aluminium chairs at its new San Francisco headquarters after Emeco, the company that makes the original Navy Chair, pointed out that they were fakes. More about Airbnb removes "knockoff" Navy Chairs from new headquarters
News: online design retailer Fab has changed its strategy yet again, ending its relationship with external designers and brands across Europe and instead focusing on selling its own custom-designed furniture. More about Fab "taking a break" from selling designers' work in Europe
News: Google has joined up with automotive manufacturers including Honda, Audi, Hyundai and General Motors to integrate its Android smartphone operating system into cars. More about Google joins forces with major auto brands to bring Android to car dashboards
News: car brand Nissan has unveiled a revised design for its new London taxi to replace the city's famous black cabs, having altered the look of the vehicle in an attempt "to better reflect the iconic nature of the traditional black cab" (+ slideshow). More about Nissan updates its new London taxi design to make it "easier to recognise"
News: a fighter jet incorporating 3D-printed parts has successfully completed a test flight, making it the first combat aircraft produced using additive manufacturing. More about First combat aircraft with 3D-printed parts completes test flight
News: a survey of UK design and digital agencies has revealed annual increases in salaries and bonuses that indicate a recovery from the financial crisis affecting the design industry, though unpaid internships and free pitches are still on the rise. More about Pay rises and bonuses suggest better times ahead for UK designers
News: the owners of an observation deck on the 94th storey of Chicago's John Hancock Center are considering adding a glass box into which visitors would be strapped and tilted forward to experience a bird's eye view of the city below. More about Tilting glass attraction proposed for observation deck of Chicago's John Hancock Center
News: architect Santiago Calatrava is facing legal action from his home city of Valencia because parts of the opera house roof at his City of Arts and Sciences complex are falling off just eight years after completion. More about Valencia to sue Calatrava over falling masonry at City of Arts and Sciences
News: architect David Adjaye has designed an office campus featuring ten conical towers as the centrepiece of a new 65-hectare urban development under construction in Kampala, Uganda. More about David Adjaye designs office campus for new 65-hectare development in Uganda
News: London retailer and furniture designer Zeev Aram (pictured) is among figures from the design world awarded in the New Year Honours 2014. More about Zeev Aram awarded in New Year Honours 2014
News: the Russian designer of the AK-47 assault rifle Mikhail Kalashnikov has died aged 94. More about Mikhail Kalashnikov 1919-2013
News: researchers in Australia have developed a pen to deposit regenerative stem cells onto damaged bone and cartilage in a process similar to 3D printing. More about 3D-printing BioPen "draws" with living cells to repair damaged bones
News: Rem Koolhaas' OMA has won the competition to design a new bridge across the river Garonne in Bordeaux with plans for a 44-metre-wide structure that will accommodate traffic and pedestrians, but could also be used for hosting events. More about OMA wins Bordeaux bridge competition
News: 3D-printed eye cells could "aid in the cure of blindness" according to researchers at The University of Cambridge, who have successfully printed adult nerve cells for the first time. More about 3D-printed eye cells could "cure blindness"
News: the architecture and design department at the V&A museum in London has acquired Katy Perry Lashes (pictured) and Primark jeans as part of a new "rapid response" strategy for collecting objects as soon as they become newsworthy, to reflect the changing way fast-moving global events influence society (+ interview). More about V&A acquires Katy Perry false eyelashes as part of new "rapid response collecting" strategy
News: here are the first photographs of Denton Corker Marshall's visitor centre at Stonehenge - a prehistoric stone circle in England - which finally opens to the public tomorrow (+ slideshow). More about Stonehenge Visitor Centre by Denton Corker Marshall opens tomorrow
News: London architecture office FAT has announced that it will shut down its studio next summer, after "exploring the potential of the projects as much as possible". More about FAT architects announce studio closure
News: Jony Ive is now more important to Apple than Steve Jobs was when he died and the company "would be in trouble if he left", according to the author of a new biography of the computer giant's chief designer (+ interview). More about Jony Ive "more important to Apple now than Steve Jobs was"
News: the American Institute of Architects has named Californian architect Julia Morgan as the first female recipient of the AIA Gold Medal, 56 years after her death. More about Julia Morgan becomes first woman to receive AIA Gold Medal