Dezeen Wire: design critic Alice Rawsthorn describes how the famous Arco lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni has become a cliché for precisely the reasons that made it great - New York Times
More about "When cliché grows out of distinction" - New York Times
Dezeen Wire: new Royal College of Art dean of architecture Alex de Rijke will steer students away from proposing unrealisable "paper architecture" and instead focus on how their ideas could be built (+ movie). More about RCA architecture course to move away from "paper architecture" - new dean
Dezeen Wire: Newham Borough Council are appealing to designers and brands to help them furnish a drop-in centre for victims of domestic and sexual violence during the Olympic Games next month. More about Appeal for help to furnish a domestic and sexual violence drop-in centre
Dezeen Wire: journalist Oliver Wainwright has revealed on Twitter that he will be the new architecture and design critic at UK newspaper the Guardian.
Wainwright, who is currently the features editor at UK architecture weekly Building Design, will take over from Jonathan Glancey, who left the role in February.
More about Oliver Wainwright joins the Guardian as architecture and design critic
The first five winners of this year's TED Prize for urban innovation have been announced. Recipients include London design studio 00:/ for its project WikiHouse, which involves the construction of wooden houses from a downloaded kit of parts. More about TED Prize winners announced
Dezeen Wire: Renzo Piano, Frank Gehry and Kengo Kuma are among more than 70 architects and designers who have donated drawings, paintings and other works to an auction for San Francisco-based charity Architecture for Humanity.
Buyers have until June 29 to bid on the lots, which range from sketches on the backs of napkins to watercolours and digital prints.
More about Architects donate work to charity auction
UNESCO has added Liverpool to the "in danger" list for possible removal of its World Heritage status. In March the city's council approved a £5.5 billion waterfront redevelopment – BBC.
More about Liverpool risks losing UNESCO World Heritage status
Dezeen Wire: the latest American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index shows workloads for U.S. architects fell sharply in May to 45.8; anything below 50 indicates a decrease in demand. It is the first time the index has dropped below 50 in five months.
In contrast, the latest RIBA Future Trends Survey shows the workload index for UK architects has seen a significant increase compared to this time last year. More about Workload drops for US architects - AIA Billings Index
Dezeen Wire: the latest RIBA Future Trends Survey shows that the workload index for UK architects has seen a significant increase compared to this time last year. More about "Upward trend for architects' workloads continues" - RIBA Future Trends Survey
Dezeen Wire: Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira is to be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the opening of the 13th International Architecture Biennale in Venice on 29 August. More about Álvaro Siza awarded Golden Lion for Venice Architecture Biennale
Dezeen Wire: the famous tower nicknamed Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament, which is officially called the Palace of Westminster, in London is to be renamed Elizabeth Tower in honour of the queen's 60 year-reign. - BBC
Dezeen Wire: the final steel beam has been put in place at Four World Trade Center, the first rebuilt tower on the site of the September 11 attacks in New York City. The 298-metre, 72-storey tower was designed by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and has been under construction since 2008.
Ground Zero is also home to two fountains sunk into the site of the former Twin Towers, designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker. Watch an animation of the the fountains here.
The unfinished Freedom Tower nearby is already the tallest building in the city, set to reach 1,776 feet on completion.
See more stories about New York »
More about Four World Trade Center tops out
Dezeen Wire: this weekend The Sunday Times featured us in their Home section's top-ten interior sites, describing Dezeen as "indispensable". Read the full article here.
Dezeen Wire: architect Zaha Hadid said governments should not use austerity as an excuse for building cheap housing, hospitals and public buildings in an interview at the Cannes International Festival of Advertising this week - The Guardian
Hadid was made a dame for her services to architecture last week when the Queen’s 2012 Birthday Honours list was announced.
See all our stories about Zaha Hadid »
More about "Zaha Hadid says austerity is not an excuse for low-quality housing" - The Guardian
News: the V&A museum in London is to open a new permanent gallery to display over 200 pieces from its collection of furniture spanning 600 years. More about V&A museum to open new permanent furniture gallery
Dezeen Wire: designers and architects using AutoCAD have been targetted by a virus that steals plans for new buildings and products and emails them to China, according to an internet security firm - Telegraph
More about "Espionage virus sent blueprints to China" - Telegraph
Dezeen Wire: design show Biennale Interieur 2012 will take place in Kortrijk, Belgium, from 20 to 28 October 2012 and Dutch company Organisation in Design is calling for entries to Ventura Interieur, a city-wide satellite program of shows in collaboration with the biennale. More about Call for entries to Ventura Interieur at Biennale Interieur 2012
Dezeen Wire: a European copycat version of American design flash-sales site Fab, called Bamarang, has been dropped by its founders Rocket Internet - Bloomberg Businessweek
Fab responded to the launch of Bamarang in January by taking over another European clone, Casacanda, and using it to launch in eighteen EU countries since mid February. Yesterday the company announced a take-over of UK rival llustre.com, now Fab UK.
More about Design flash-sales site Bamarang closes down
Dezeen Wire: Austrian architect Günther Domenig, one of the founding partners of Graz studio Domenig & Wallner, has passed away at the age of 77.
He most famously designed the Z-bank in Vienna, as well as his own house at Lake Ossiach. More about Günther Domenig (1934-2012)
Dezeen Wire: just two months after launch, flash-sales site llustre.com has been taken over by American rival Fab to become Fab UK. More about llustre.com becomes Fab UK