Today is Cinco de Mayo, the annual celebration of Mexico's victory against France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. To mark the occasion we're showcasing beautiful Mexican houses, including a home with a rooftop stable and Casa Wabi by Japanese architect Tadao Ando (pictured), described as "paradise on earth" by one Dezeen reader. See more Mexican houses »
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Open Platform for Architecture is moving forward with plans to build a subterranean residence that will slice into a mountain near Beirut and feature a glass swimming pool for a roof (+ slideshow). More about OPA finds backer for cliffside residence sunken into Lebanese mountain
The United Arab Emirates is considering proposals for an artificial mountain that could help increase the country's rainfall. More about UAE plans manmade mountain to increase rainfall
Researchers and students from the University of Stuttgart employed robots to mould and stitch together this laminated plywood pavilion, which is based on the anatomy of a sea urchin (+ movie). More about Robotically fabricated pavilion by University of Stuttgart students is based on sea-urchin shells
The volume dial is the only focal point on London designer Paul Crofts' pared-back amplifier, created for new hi-fi company Audioberry (+ slideshow). More about Paul Crofts designs minimal white amp for Audioberry
Chilean architects Guillermo Hevia García and Nicolás Urzúa have created a concealed garden fenced in by distorting mirrors for the Santiago edition of MoMA's Young Architects Program (+ movie). More about Distorting mirrors frame a secret garden in Santiago's Parque Araucano
Eighty-five modular foam seats modelled on "common concrete building blocks" will stack to form a beach installation by French furniture brand Smarin during the Cannes Film Festival (+ slideshow). More about Smarin to scatter 85 foam blocks across a beach for Cannes Film Festival
US studio Allied Works Architecture is nearing completion of a massive new home for the National Music Centre of Canada. More about Massive music centre by Allied Works scheduled to open later this year in Calgary
Now that the dust has settled on Milan design week, we've put together a newsletter featuring our pick of the top trends, shows, products and new stories, including a surreal sexual rehabilitation clinic (pictured) and Patricia Urquiola's revamp of Italian brand Cassina.
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More about The best of Milan design week 2016
Rio 2016: car brand BMW has worked with the US Paralympic team to create a racing wheelchair that they claim to be both faster and more comfortable than previous models. More about BMW redesigns racing wheelchair for Paralympic athletes
The developer of New York's Two World Trade Center tower, Silverstein Properties, is uncertain whether it will retain Bjarke Ingels Group for the project or go with original architect Foster + Partners. More about BIG and Foster both still in contention for Two World Trade Center tower
Today's Google Doodle features an illustration of American writer and urban planning activist Jane Jacobs, who successfully campaigned against major infrastructure projects in New York and Toronto. More about Google Doodle celebrates urban design writer and activist Jane Jacobs
London Design Festival 2016: Benjamin Hubert, Alison Brooks and dRMM are among the architects and designers that will create installations for this year's London Design Festival, which is also set to include a crazy golf course part-designed by the late Zaha Hadid (+ slideshow). More about London Design Festival announces installations for 2016
Milan 2016: Indra Nooyi, CEO of giant food-and-drink conglomerate PepsiCo, established an in-house design team three years ago after noticing the brand's products looked the same as everyone else's. At an event in Milan last month she explained the impact it has had – and why she personally attended the design fair (+ transcript). More about "Design is improving the top line and the bottom line," says PepsiCo CEO
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has been chosen to create the United Arab Emirates' national pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020, with a design modelled on bird's wings (+ slideshow). More about Santiago Calatrava selected to design UAE Pavilion for Dubai Expo 2020
French-Brazilian studio Triptyque has revamped a 85-metre-high office block in Rio de Janeiro with zigzagging glazing and solar panels so it can generate its own electricity (+ movie). More about Triptyque overhauls 1970s office tower in Rio to make it more environmentally friendly
Milan 2016: in this Dezeen movie for Caesarstone, designer Tom Dixon explains how the four sculptural kitchens he created for The Restaurant installation in Milan were designed to satisfy "the mini celebrity chef" in people. More about The Restaurant by Caesarstone and Tom Dixon aimed to "open up what a kitchen could be"
An installation by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama originally created for the 1966 Venice Biennale has been reconstructed near Philip Johnson's iconic Glass House in Connecticut (+ slideshow). More about Yayoi Kusama installs 1,300 floating steel balls at Philip Johnson's Glass House estate
Amsterdam collective Fiction Factory has developed a modular building system of cardboard components, which can be assembled in just one day to form houses or offices (+ slideshow). More about Fiction Factory builds prototype for "groundbreaking" cardboard house
Swiss architect Mario Botta, whose San Francisco Museum of Modern Art building reopens next week with a Snøhetta-designed extension, has put his stamp on the iconic Fixpencil tool for architects. More about Mario Botta adds chequered pattern to architects' Fixpencil