News: construction has begun on a new federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles designed by US firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM). More about Work starts on SOM's Los Angeles Federal Courthouse
The arced profile of this charred wooden house by architects Horibe Associates is designed to resonate with the traditional temples and shrines of Yoshinogawa, Japan (+ slideshow). More about House in Kamoshima by Horibe Associates
Separate schools for art and music are contained within the glass and timber walls of this academy in Latvia by Riga architects Made (+ slideshow). More about Saldus Music and Art School by Made
Brazilian studios MMBB and H+F Arquitetos reference tower blocks from the 1960s with this social housing complex flanking the Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge in São Paulo (+ slideshow). More about Jardim Edite Social Housing Complex by MMBB and H+F Arquitetos
This house in Kanazawa by Japanese architect Takuro Yamamoto is punctuated by a series of interconnecting voids, including a terrace with a shallow reflecting pool (+ slideshow). More about White Cave House by Takuro Yamamoto Architects
German firm Archequipe has renovated a townhouse in Cologne's Deutz district with a gabled facade that steps back and forth to respect the boundaries of a neighbouring residence. More about Haus KLR renovation by Archequipe
Mesh sections in the walls and floor of this Corten steel bridge in Norway provide views of the Suldalslågen river rushing beneath it (+ slideshow). More about Høse Bridge by Rintala Eggertsson Architects
News: architects including Alvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura and Kengo Kuma will create installations inside London's Royal Academy of Arts for an upcoming architecture exhibition. More about Alvaro Siza and Kengo Kuma to feature in major exhibition at London's RA
News: Kengo Kuma's latest proposals for a new outpost of the V&A museum in Dundee, Scotland, have been granted planning permission, following a redesign to reduce costs (+ slideshow). More about Green light for Kengo Kuma's redesigned V&A at Dundee
Blackened wood buildings teeter on the edge of a precipice at this housing development in Sweden by Scandinavian firm Arkitema Architects. More about Prästgården by Arkitema Architects
News: architecture studios OMA and BIG are among the ten collaborative design teams selected for an initiative to revitalise parts of the USA devastated by Hurricane Sandy. More about OMA and BIG to rebuild Sandy-affected communities
Portuguese architect João Mendes Ribeiro clad this swimming pool pavilion with mirrored panels so it disappears into the surrounding orchard (+ slideshow). More about Swimming Pool in Chamusca da Beira by João Mendes Ribeiro
Portuguese architect João Branco has revamped a cluster of farm buildings and animal pens to create a weekend retreat for a family in Portugal's Sierra de Janeanes district (+ slideshow). More about House in Serra de Janeanes by João Branco
News: a Chinese businessman who built a house covered by an artificial mountain on top of a 26-storey apartment block in Beijing has been told to remove it or face having it demolished. More about Man ordered to remove fake mountain villa on top of Chinese tower
Since publishing a residential extension in Italy by architects Plasma Studio earlier this month, we've picked another faceted house from the studio's archives located in the same South Tyrollean village. More about Cube House by Plasma Studio
Vietnamese studio Vo Trong Nghia Architects has completed a house in Ho Chi Minh City with half of its floors screened behind hollow concrete blocks and the other half exposed to the elements (+ slideshow). More about Binh Thanh House by Vo Trong Nghia and Sanuki + Nishizawa
South Korean architect Moon Hoon designed this home with missing corners for a figurine collector and his family (+ slideshow). More about Conan House by Moon Hoon
Interview: following the popularity of the hyper-realistic computer renderings of Staithe End house that we published earlier in the month, Henry Goss, the architect and visualiser who produced the renders, talks to Dezeen about how 3D visualisations are becoming indistinguishable from real photographs. More about "The addition of real-world imperfections is taking architectural visualisation to the next level"
Je Ahn of London-based Studio Weave discusses how a series of design and build workshops are reintroducing architects to working on site in this movie by Stephenson/Bishop and Andy Matthews. More about "Architects are pushed away from what's happening on site" - Studio Weave
Chilean architects Mathias Klotz and Lillian Allen have renovated a castle-like residence in Santiago's Parque Forestal to create a restaurant, exhibition space and ice-cream parlour (+ slideshow). More about Restaurant Castillito by Mathias Klotz and Lillian Allen