News: China will produce as many world-class designers as Japan within 20 years, according to Hong Kong-based industrial designer Michael Young. More about “China is a dream scenario for a designer” - Michael Young
Israeli engineer and systems developer Izhar Gafni has invented a cardboard bicycle that's strong, waterproof and costs less than £10 to manufacture (+ movie). More about Cardboard Bicycle by Izhar Gafni
Cornices are commonly used to decorate the junctions between walls and ceilings, but at the new Boston shop for skin and haircare brand Aesop, cornices cover the walls and form shelves for the brand's signature brown bottles. More about Aesop Newbury Street by William O’Brien Jr.
News: the US military is developing its own 3D printers for the frontline which will enable soldiers to quickly and cheaply produce spare parts for their weapons and equipment. More about US military invests in 3D printing on the frontline
Travellers visting the Mexican town of Tepoztlan can spend a few nights, months or even years at this three-armed concrete guesthouse by architects Cadaval & Sola-Morales (+ slideshow). More about Tepoztlan Lounge by Cadaval & Sola-Morales
Product news: this carbon-fibre and aluminium bicycle with no upright in the diamond-shaped frame weighs just eight kilograms. More about 77|011 Metropolitan Bike by Rizoma
The locker room at the London School of Economics is now a village of cabinets with house-shaped profiles and bold graphics. More about The Locker Room by Belsize Architects
This home on a golf course complex in Belas on the outskirts of Lisbon consists of five smaller houses connected by interior passages.(+ slideshow) More about House in Belas by CHP Arquitectos
To prove that germs aren't all bad, Paris-based studio Bold-design came up with an activity kit that uses bacteria to turn sand from the beach into stone souvenirs (+ slideshow). More about Memorabilia Factory by Bold-design
In a movie filmed by Alice Masters for the Design Museum's annual Designers in Residence exhibition, Lawrence Lek explains how he created a modular system of plywood pieces that can be bent into objects including a stool and a pavilion. More about Lawrence Lek at Designers in Residence 2012
Interieur 2012: Studio Makkink & Bey built a house of scaffolding and stairs to represent the transient, roaming lifestyle of the future as their contribution to the Future Primitives series at last month's Interieur design biennale in Kortrijk, Belgium. More about Lost in Translation by Studio Makkink & Bey
The peeling, brightly painted walls of an abandoned house provide a striking backdrop to this collection of over-dyed handmade rugs by American designer homeware brand ABC Carpet & Home. More about Color Reform Spectrum Edition by ABC Carpet & Home
This student housing block in Norway by MEK Architects is named MySpace, as the architects imagined the building as a social network where each of the 116 residents can get to know one another (+ slideshow). More about MySpace student housing in Trondheim by MEK Architects
In the latest movie from our Designed in Hackney Day, designer Dominic Wilcox speaks about Sounds of Making in East London, a vinyl recording of atmospheric urban noises. More about "It was nice to hear the sounds of east London on Tokyo radio" - Dominic Wilcox
Product news: Montreal-based designers St-Ely have created a sofa made up of three interchangeable modules with sliced-off corners. More about Ear Sofa by St Ely for Lerival
As areas affected by Hurricane Sandy began the recovery process this week, Iwan Baan's photos of New York during the ensuing blackout featured in our most popular story. More about This week on Dezeen
French designer Jérôme Dumetz placed a wheel on each corner of this wooden sideboard to turn it into a miniature truck (+ movie). More about Not For Highway Use by Jérôme Dumetz
This thatched visitor centre by architects Wingårdhs sits beside the shallow waters of Sweden's Lake Tåkern, the annual nesting habitat for over a hundred species of bird (+ slideshow). More about Tåkern Visitor Centre by Wingårdhs
News: designer and urbanist Dan Hill has been announced as the new managing director of Fabrica, the Benetton Group’s communication research centre in Treviso, Italy. More about Fabrica appoints Dan Hill as managing director
Our second story this week about Japanese architects no.555 features a low-budget house inspired by animals' nests beside a rice field in Matsumoto (+ slideshow). More about MYZ Nest by no.555