In this week's comments update, readers are finding it hard to see the beauty in a red, white and blue tower block designed by architect Jean Nouvel. More about "Looks like a bad 1960s tower block dressed in a gaudy Hawaiian shirt"
US studio Smitharc Architects has designed a family dwelling in Durham that features cypress cladding and ample windows, reaching out into the natural landscape. More about Smitharc Architects situates Blue Dog Residence on wooded property in North Carolina
Dark pigments create the illusion of precious stones in this series of geometric concrete furniture by Belgian design studio Sment. More about Pigmented concrete emulates sculptural stone in Gestalt furniture by Sment
Johannes Torpe Studio aimed to create the aesthetic of a "futuristic lab" within this bike store near Copenhagen, which features illuminated white walls and mechanical hoists attached to the ceiling. More about Johannes Torpe Studio creates laboratory-style bicycle store for United Cycling
UK architects have attacked the government's new Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, which has been set up to improve the design quality of homes and places. More about UK's new commission for beautiful buildings is "tedious hangover from 1980s" say architects
Herbert Bayer created the Bauhaus' typographic identity. As we continue our Bauhaus 100 series celebrating the school's centenary, we explore how the Austrian designer's lettering became synonymous with the school. More about Herbert Bayer: designer of the Bauhaus' universal typography
University of Cape Town researcher Suzanne Lambert has created a zero-waste building material made with human urine, which hardens at room temperature, as an alternative to environmentally taxing kiln-fired bricks. More about Bio-bricks made from human urine could be environmentally friendly future of architecture
Dezeen promotion: Amsterdam-based design platform What Design Can Do is asking architects and designers for proposals that can help cities transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. More about What Design Can Do asks designers for innovative solutions in Clean Energy Challenge
Bohinc Studio has applied urushi, a traditional Japanese lacquer made of tree sap, to a series of boxes made from Katsura tree wood and cotton. More about Lara Bohinc creates interlocking urushi lacquer boxes
London-based architecture studio Hawkins\Brown has added a brick extension to a 19th century warehouse to create an office block at 53 Great Suffolk Street in Southwark, London. More about Hawkins\Brown's office extension mirrors Victorian brick warehouse
Japanese architect Tadao Ando has turned an old brick building in Chicago into an architecture-focused exhibition centre. More about Tadao Ando designs Wrightwood 659 exhibition space in Chicago
A sculptural white staircase, a sprawling rooftop terrace and High Line views are among assets at the penthouse topping Zaha Hadid Architects' 520 West 28th in New York. More about million penthouse in Zaha Hadid's 520 West 28th revealed in new photos
Architecture firms Snøhetta and Dialog have completed a new hub for Calgary's public library system, with a crystalline exterior and an atrium clad in timber slats. More about Snøhetta and Dialog's New Central Library for Calgary features vast wood-lined atrium
Chinese studio Bentu Design aims to highlight the amount of waste produced by the ceramics industry with its Wreck furniture range. More about Bentu Design creates Wreck furniture from ceramic waste
American firm Craig Steely Architecture has encircled this California dwelling with a curvy wall, which keeps views focused upward rather than outward. More about Craig Steely surrounds Roofless House in Silicon Valley with sinuous wooden wall
Polish design studio Beza Projekt has created an aquamarine shared working space in Warsaw, designed to look more like a club than an office. More about Beza Projekt creates aquamarine co-working space in Warsaw
Threefold Architects has completed a simple brick pool house with an outdoor fireplace, and a matching gym, at either end of a London garden. More about Pared-back garden pavilions by Threefold Architects provide space for poolside relaxation
A team led by US architect David Hertz has developed an energy-efficient technology for harvesting fresh drinking water from the air, which is contained within a shipping container for easy transport. More about WEDEW turns air into drinking water by creating artificial clouds in shipping container
British comedian, actor and television presenter Sir Lenny Henry will be the host for the first ever Dezeen Awards ceremony taking place later this month. More about Sir Lenny Henry to host inaugural Dezeen Awards ceremony
To continue our Bauhaus 100 series exploring the key projects and figures of the influential design school, we take a look at its home in Dessau, designed by Walter Gropius to embody the school's core principles and values. More about Walter Gropius designed school in Dessau to reflect the Bauhaus values