This week's Dezeen Mail includes MAD's sinuous opera house in China (pictured), Kengo Kuma and Toyo Ito's rival proposals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic stadium and Lego's latest offering for architecture lovers.
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More about Dezeen Mail issue 284 features a selection of this week's best stories and discussions
The letter Q in the Dezeen A-Zdvent calendar is another design by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava: the fourth bridge to be built in Venice since the 16th century. More about Dezeen's A-Zdvent calendar: Quarto Ponte sul Canal Grande by Santiago Calatrava
Glasgow designer Fraser Ross has created a collection of seven conceptual human organs that would perform extra functions like squirting ink and spinning silk (+ movie). More about Fraser Ross' synthetic organs combine human and animal attributes
The Royal College of Art has announced Adrian Lahoud will be the new dean of the school's architecture department, replacing Alex de Rijke. More about Royal College of Art appoints Adrian Lahoud as dean of architecture
Canadian firm Bourgeois Lechasseur Architects has completed a gabled family home in rural Quebec featuring a facade of cedar tiles (+ slideshow). More about Woodland Quebec home by Bourgeois Lechasseur features a facade of wooden tiles
A team of Canadian designers and artists has created an installation in Montreal consisting of 30 illuminated seesaws. More about Designers create winter installation for Montreal featuring 30 glowing seesaws
Batons of charred timber and layers of turf help this pair of holiday cottages by PK Arkitektar settle into the rugged landscape of south-west Iceland (+ slideshow). More about Rural Icelandic cottages by PK Arkitektar have turf roofs and burnt timber cladding
Stockholm studio Form Us With Love has added a collection of colourful square sound-absorbing tiles to its Baux range of architectural products (+ slideshow). More about Form Us With Love's acoustic tiles for Baux can be arranged into pixellated patterns
Brazilian studio Epicentro has overhauled an old building in São Paulo to create a space for a florist, adding second-hand cabinets and tables to display plants and flowers (+ slideshow). More about Epicentro fills São Paulo flower shop with vintage furniture
Oslo offices Studio Vatn and Groma have transformed an industrial storage unit into a studio for a Norwegian film company, divided into different departments by translucent screens (+ slideshow). More about Oslo warehouse converted into film production facility for Storyline Studios
Columns and struts modelled on tree trunks and branches frame this extension to a home in Ghent, designed by Atelier Vens Vanbelle to feel like a continuation of the garden. More about Tree-like columns support roof of Ghent house extension by Atelier Vens Vanbelle
LA-based architect Clive Wilkinson has drawn up conceptual plans for a giant shared office that would hover above London, enabling people to simply walk upstairs to their mobile workplace. More about Clive Wilkinson suggests "carpet bombing" London with a co-working office in the sky
Three enormous helium balloons supported the hazardous elevated pathway of Olivier Grossetête's Pont de Singe, the letter P in our alphabetical countdown of iconic bridge design. More about Dezeen's A-Zdvent calendar: Pont de Singe by Olivier Grossetête
Beirut product designer Richard Yasmine has created a marble and brass side table with removable phallic legs for "kinky-minded people". More about Richard Yasmine's Glory Holes table has brass dildos for legs
Beijing studio MAD has completed an opera house in the Chinese city of Harbin, featuring an undulating form that wraps two concert halls and a huge public plaza (+ slideshow). More about MAD's sinuous Harbin Opera House completes in north-east China
Beams supporting the rear extension of this Victorian house in west London are painted vivid red to create a bold contrast with the property's traditional interior. More about Tigg Coll Architects integrates bright-red steel frame in London house extension
Stockholm-based Note Design Studio has created minimal furniture for live cooking demonstrations at the newly opened Mall of Scandinavia. More about Note Design Studio creates Dining Theatre for Europe's largest mall
Terracotta-coloured tiles clad this house on Belgian farmland, designed by architect Pascal François to match the region's traditional agricultural architecture "without the slightest ambition to be trendy" (+ slideshow). More about Contemporary Belgian barn house by Pascal François is covered in clay tiles
Art director Scott Kelly has designed a collection of 103 flags to represent the planets featured in sci-fi film series Star Wars. More about Star Wars planets receive fictional flag designs by Scott Kelly
Stripy metal panels wrap the exterior of this Japanese house apart from a section at the front, creating a visual effect that prompted architect Takeru Shoji to name the building after a cardigan (+ slideshow). More about Metal skin wraps the exterior of Niigata residence by Takeru Shoji Architects