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
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
This library extension in the centre of Bruges is covered in sheets of pre-rusted Corten steel, deliberately contrasting the white plasterwork of the original building (+ slideshow). More about Studio Farris adds rusty steel extension to a library in Bruges
A dramatically scooped roofline creates a spiky steeple and a triangular entrance for this church in southern Norway by Link Arkitektur (+ slideshow). More about Ålgård Church by Link Arkitektur features a concave vaulted roof
Prominent names in the contemporary art world are fighting to save the Russell Page-designed viewing garden at New York's Frick Collection museum. More about Artists rally to protect Russell Page garden at New York's Frick museum
Chicago is expected to be named as the location for the Obama presidential library next week, with David Adjaye tipped to be the project's architect. More about Adjaye in the frame for Obama library ahead of official announcement
The Museum of Shit is housed in an Italian castle and is dedicated to demonstrating "what a useful and living substance crap really is" (+ slideshow). More about Italy's Museo della Merda is full of shit
Bornstein Lyckefors Architects pays tribute to an agricultural technique known as slash-and-burn with this forest museum near Torsby, Sweden, clad with wooden logs (+ slideshow). More about Log-clad museum by Bornstein Lyckefors honours the legacy of Finnish slash-and-burn farmers
Rem Koolhaas' firm has converted a century-old distillery in Milan into a new arts centre for Fondazione Prada, featuring a "haunted house" clad in 24-carat gold leaf and a cinema camouflaged by mirrors (+ slideshow). More about OMA's Fondazione Prada art centre opens in Milan
Children's play areas located beneath the zigzag roof of this community centre by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma have been landscaped to form a hilly indoor terrain that can be clambered over or used as slides (+ slideshow). More about Community centre by Kengo Kuma features playrooms with undulating floorboards
Each of the 304 ribs of bamboo that make up this Buddhist temple represent a victim killed when a ferry sank off the coast of South Korea (+ slideshow). More about Wise Architecture erects bamboo temple on South Korean coast for victims of a ferry disaster
The chunky quartzite walls of this library on the outskirts of Paris are faceted to accommodate the span of a century-old walnut tree at the centre of the site (+ slideshow). More about Paris library by Agence Pascale Guédot angles around an old walnut tree
Italian architect Renzo Piano has completed his new home for the Whitney Museum of American Art – an asymmetric steel and concrete assembly in Manhattan's Meatpacking District (+ slideshow). More about Renzo Piano's new building for the Whitney set to open
Moshe Safdie's firm has unveiled its design for the National Medal of Honor Museum in South Carolina – a five-pointed structure that will present the history of the USA's most revered soldiers. More about Safdie Architects designs museum to honour American war heroes
Peeling plaster and exposed brickwork reveal the interventions made by BEL Architecten to convert this former Antwerp warehouse into a cultural centre (+ slideshow). More about BEL Architecten leaves rough surfaces on show in warehouse converted into a cultural centre
London studio Matheson Whiteley has revitalised a trio of dilapidated 1940s warehouses to create a new contemporary art gallery opposite one of the city's historic churches (+ slideshow). More about Modern Art gallery takes over three London warehouses opposite a Hawksmoor church
A refurbished schoolhouse with a serrated profile forms one of three tourist facilities designed by OUJAE Architects for a remote but scenic island off the coast of South Korea (+ slideshow). More about Korean island visitor centre by OUJAE Architects features a remodelled schoolhouse
Japanese designer Eriko Kasahara has completed a riverside wedding chapel featuring a multi-hued slate skin and a bright white interior that takes it cues from a bridal veil. More about Slate-clad chapel by Eriko Kasahara boasts a veil-inspired ceiling structure
The bell tower of this monastery on the outskirts of Valencia features a ridged surface with a cross-shaped cut-out to indicate the buildings' use to passers by (+ slideshow). More about Hernández Arquitectos' minimal white monastery features a concrete-clad bell tower