A team of Illinois-based scientists have developed a form of "Martian concrete" that could be used to build architectural structures on the surface of the red planet. More about Scientists develop Martian concrete for building architecture in outer space
From back-to-front high heels that force the body into awkward shapes, to concrete shoes that are too heavy to lift, designers seem intent on creating footwear that is almost impossible to walk in. Zaha Hadid, Studio Swine and Benjamin John Hall are among the culprits. See more impractical footwear »
More about Today we like: shoes you can't walk in
Irish footwear designer Sandra Plantos has created a collection of shoes that are too heavy to walk in (+ movie). More about Sandra Plantos' abstract concrete shoes purposefully prevent movement
These four house-shaped volumes may look like individual homes but they actually define different areas of the same residence, designed by Shuhei Goto Architects in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture. More about Four gabled towers form House in Kosai by Shuhei Goto Architects
London studio Carmody Groarke has been selected to design the new members' room for the V&A museum in London. More about Carmody Groarke to design new members' room for V&A museum
CES 2016: Pittsburgh startup 360fly has unveiled an advanced version of its globe-shaped action camera that records panoramic, high-definition video footage. More about Spherical 360fly action camera captures 360-degree video footage
Rounded windows and skylights allow daylight to filter into this Parisian swimming pool by Mikou Studio, which features a grassy rooftop solarium (+ slideshow). More about Mikou Studio completes Paris swimming pool designed using Feng Shui philosophy
Dutch designer Merel Bekking is working on a design object based on the subconscious preferences of Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, whose brain she scanned last year (+ movie). More about Merel Bekking scans the brain of Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs to create his "perfect" design
LA-based Optimist Design has completed a recording studio in Berlin for Red Bull, marking the latest addition to the energy drink company's network of music venues around the globe (+ slideshow). More about Optimist Design creates Red Bull music studio inside former Berlin power station
One-minute movie: Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton's Seabin features a submersible pump that continuously sucks water into the device, separating rubbish and harmful liquids from seawater. More about Australian surfers design floating bin that filters rubbish from the ocean
Spanish architect Alberto Villanueva's Mars Utopia concept would see the planet transformed into an inhabitable environment using towers formed by bacteria (+ slideshow). More about Architect proposes Mars Utopia towers to terraform red planet into breathable environment
Wirth Architekten used wood from a storm-felled tree and brick from a burnt-down farmhouse to create this multi-use garage for a residence in Germany's Lower Saxony region (+ slideshow). More about Perforated brick garage by Wirth Architekten doubles as an al-fresco dining room
An Australian duo have created a floating rubbish bin that can be installed in marinas to filter litter from the water (+ movie). More about Floating Seabin cleans the ocean by sucking rubbish from the water
New York firms Dattner Architects and WXY have completed a rectilinear garage wrapped in a metal fins and a sculptural salt shed made of reinforced concrete for the city's sanitation department (+ slideshow). More about Dattner and WXY create distinctive buildings in New York for dump trucks and road salt
CES 2016: footwear company Digitsole's Smartshoes connect to the wearer's smartphone or smartwatch to warm cold feet, track footsteps, and lace themselves up like the Nike trainers worn in sci-fi film Back to the Future II. More about Digitsole presents Back to the Future-style self-lacing trainers
CES 2016: new electric car company Faraday Future has entered the automotive industry with a high-tech supercar, which runs on a modular battery that can be easily resized for its upcoming vehicle designs (+ movie). More about Faraday Future unveils FFZero1 modular all-electric supercar concept
London-based Rodić Davidson Architects has become the latest architecture studio to build a house on the shingle landscape of Dungeness beach in Kent, England (+ slideshow). More about Black-stained house built on Dungeness beach by Rodić Davidson Architects
CES 2016: wearable technology company Fitbit has released a smartwatch with customisable straps and frames at the CES tech fair in Las Vegas, which officially opens today (+ movie). More about Fitbit launches fitness-focused Blaze smartwatch at CES 2016
Folded tiles of perforated metal envelop this dance school in Paris by Lankry Architectes, creating a pattern of triangular facets (+ slideshow). More about Parisian dance school by Lankry Architectes features faceted metal walls
Japanese design studio Nendo has combined Japanese and Latin characters to create a crest-style logo and colour-coded packaging for Iwate Kura beer. More about Nendo creates family crest logo and packaging for Japanese craft beer