Welcome to Dezeen's 2015 A-Zdvent calendar! This year we're showcasing iconic contemporary bridges in our alphabetical countdown to Christmas, starting with the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan. More about Dezeen's A-Zdvent calendar: Akashi Kaikyō Bridge by Satoshi Kashima
Electric car manufacturer Tesla plans to produce fully self-driving cars to compete with Google, the brand's CEO Elon Musk has revealed. More about Tesla to design fully driverless cars
This family house in Shiga, Japan, is made up of two structures – a simple two-storey block set on a patio, and a small timber pavilion that opens out to a landscaped garden (+ slideshow). More about Maibara House by Alts Design Office combines a windowless block and a small garden pavilion
Design Miami 2015: islands of bronze rest on top of marble tables designed by Chilean studio GT2P for its first collaboration with New York's Friedman Benda gallery. More about GT2P pairs unusual materials in Marble vs Bronze coffee table
Portuguese architects Sofia Parente and André Delgado have converted an old stone barn in Viana do Castelo into a compact two-storey residence (+ slideshow). More about Par-Do transforms stone-walled Portuguese barn into compact residence
Israeli designer Tamara Efrat has combined traditional smocking embroidery with computational algorithms to create a range of patterned bags. More about Tamara Efrat creates smocked bags using Photoshop-like computer program
Contemporary oak cabinetry features alongside original patterned tiles in this 19th-century Barcelona apartment recently renovated by local studio Built Architecture. More about Built Architecture uses oak cabinetry to reorganise a mosaic-floored Barcelona apartment
US firm Aranda\Lasch has completed a store for fashion designer Tom Ford in the Miami Design District, featuring an angular facade that references bold Art Deco motifs (+ slideshow). More about Aranda\Lasch creates pleated concrete facade for Tom Ford flagship Miami store
Google's latest approved patent is for a flexible heads-up display that could be the next version of Google Glass. More about Google granted patent for bendy Google Glass-style device
Architecture firm Conran and Partners has completed its redevelopment of Tokyo's Futako-Tamagawa area, the city's largest building project of the last decade. More about Conran and Partners completes huge development on Tokyo's Tama River
Google has patented a system that could see its driverless vehicles use object sensors, flashing exterior signage and robotic hands to help make them safer for pedestrians. More about Google's self-driving cars could use robotic hands and eyes to communicate with pedestrians
Tents are a quick response to the need for emergency shelter, but "it's money that melts" says Venice Architecture Biennale 2016 director Alejandro Aravena. More about Refugee tents are a waste of money, says Alejandro Aravena
After initial tests with flying robots, online retail giant Amazon has launched a video showing the latest version of its self-piloted delivery drones at work (+ movie). More about Amazon unveils video of its Prime Air delivery drones in action
Polish architect and sculptor Mirosław Nizio has unveiled the first photographs of a mausoleum he is building to commemorate the victims of Polish village massacres during the second world war (+ slideshow). More about Second world war memorial mausoleum nears completion at Polish massacre site
Design Miami 2015: Italian designer Antonio Aricò has created a set of small storage items for organising desks that can be arranged to look like a still-life painting. More about Antonio Aricò mixes and matches objects in Still Alive desk tidy set for Seletti
Japanese designer Wataru Kumano has transformed an old confectionary warehouse into a sweet shop that prepares and serves only one type of sugary treat (+ slideshow). More about Wataru Kumano converts disused Japanese factory into sweet shop
This English countryside residence was designed by Gresford Architects to be self-sufficient, but to still look and feel like a traditional, "normal" house (+ slideshow). More about Gresford Architects completes energy-efficient home modelled on a traditional barn
Design Miami 2015: US firm Aranda\Lasch has used stainless steel tubes to create a series of sculptural chairs that look like they were squeezed out of a tube (+ slideshow). More about Aranda\Lasch unveils loopy Railing chairs made of metal pipes
Plants and ponds are incorporated into the roof, walls and terraces of this concrete house in Singapore to make it feel like it is "enveloped by a garden" (+ movie). More about Chiltern House by WOW Architects features a rooftop lily pond to attract birds
Opinion: the Chicago Architecture Biennial stands out from an avalanche of pointless events by doing things its own way, says Sam Jacob. But can it be sustained? More about "Chicago boldly imagines its own definition of what a biennial might be"