After years of delay, a new public library by Steven Holl has broken ground in Queens, on a prominent site overlooking the East River and the Manhattan skyline (+ slideshow). More about Steven Holl's long-delayed Queens library finally breaks ground
Chinese studio MAD has unveiled its design for a kindergarten enshrouded beneath a cloak of asphalt shingles, which is now under construction in Japan's Aichi Prefecture. More about MAD to drape new skin over a house "like a piece of cloth" to transform it into a nursery
Slate-grey bricks applied in zigzagging rows give the walls of this London house extension a faceted texture that contrasts the smooth, pale yellow brickwork of the original property (+ slideshow). More about Fraher Architects includes textured brick cladding on north London house extension
This cast-concrete library sits on a stretch of deserted beach facing the East China Sea and features a tiered reading hall topped by a curving ceiling (+ movie). More about Vector Architects completes a seaside library with board-marked concrete walls
These four asymmetric wooden pavilions completed by German studio Barkow Leibinger in a Bavarian village accommodate a thinktank for a computing and microelectronics institution (+ slideshow). More about Timber-clad pavilions by Barkow Leibinger form a campus for a computing thinktank
This holiday home in the Scottish Highlands by Glasgow-based Dualchas Architects features a glazed base that hugs a gravelly slope and a cantilevered upper level that stretches out towards the sea (+ slideshow). More about Beach House by Dualchas Architects stretches out towards the sea
Architecture office Adept and landscape studio Mandaworks have been selected to masterplan three key sites within one of northern Europe's largest urban development areas – the Stockholm Royal Seaport. More about Adept and Mandaworks to transform 18 hectares for Stockholm's Royal Seaport
A colossal iron staircase bursts through the medieval stone walls of this fortified tower in rural Italy and into a copper-clad extension, as part of a renovation by local studio Gianluca Gelmini (+ slideshow). More about Gianluca Gelmini inserts an angular iron staircase inside a medieval Italian fortress
Tasked with designing a house that doesn't take over its whole site, Swiss architect Christian von Düring created a timber-clad upper storey that straddles two smaller ground-level structures (+ slideshow). More about Christian von Düring completes a house designed to function like a bridge
Photo essay: Canadian photographer Christopher Forsyth has spent the last seven months shooting the subterranean stations that make up Montreal's four-line metro system (+ slideshow). More about Christopher Forsyth embarks on a project to document all of Montreal's metro stations
A concrete staircase with a granite surface is suspended inside the atrium of this house in Porto Alegre, Brazil, which is divided into two parts connected by a bridge (+ slideshow). More about Casa 2V by BR3 Arquitetos features a bridge, a courtyard and a granite-topped staircase
The four buildings that make up this affordable housing development in Santa Monica, California, all feature mint-green solar shades on their facades, and are organised around a "starfish-shaped" courtyard (+ slideshow). More about Kevin Daly Architects builds a low-cost housing community in Santa Monica
This house in Spain by architect Ramón Esteve is fronted by solid stone walls, behind which rooms are organised around a swimming pool and terrace (+ movie). More about Casa El Bosque is a house flanked by stone walls on the edge of a Spanish forest
American architecture firm SOM has completed work on a controversial 50-storey hotel and condominium tower on a site directly opposite New York's Museum of Modern Art. More about SOM's Baccarat tower in New York overlooks MoMA's sculpture garden
After almost five years in the making, architecture studio FAT and artist Grayson Perry have completed their fairytale-inspired Essex holiday home, which was designed as a shrine to the fictional character Julie Cope (+ slideshow). More about Grayson Perry and FAT reveal the elaborate interiors of their House for Essex
This house in Tokyo was constructed using an industrially manufactured steel framework and cladding, making it look more like a factory than a residence (+ slideshow). More about Niji Architects uses steel components to build factory-like Boundary House
British architect Guy Hollaway has unveiled plans for the "world's first" purpose-built multi-storey skatepark, which he says will help prevent young people from moving away from a sleepy British seaside town (+ slideshow). More about Guy Hollaway plans to "put Folkestone on the map" with world's first multi-storey skatepark
London studio Haworth Tompkins has completed its £80 million refurbishment of Brutalist icon the National Theatre, including the addition of an all-new aluminium-clad theatre production facility (+ slideshow). More about Haworth Tompkins completes renovation of Denys Lasdun's National Theatre
Claesson Koivisto Rune has designed an art gallery in Marfa, Texas, which is the Stockholm studio's first completed project in the USA. More about Claesson Koivisto Rune pays tribute to Donald Judd with first US building
New York architecture studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro has unveiled a preliminary design for a new museum in Colorado Springs dedicated to the legacy of US Olympic and Paralympic athletes (+ slideshow). More about Diller Scofidio + Renfro unveils spiralling design for US Olympic Museum