California-based artist Kelly Akashi has created a glass chimney to recount her personal experience of loss after the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles for the 2026 Whitney Biennial exhibition.

Titled Monument (Altadena), and made from 821 handcast glass bricks, the recreated chimney piece evokes chimneys that remained visible on the charred landscape in the aftermath of the devastating wildfire in Pacific Palisades and Altadena in January 2025, which destroyed tens of thousands of structures.

It was placed on a terrace of the Whitney Museum in New York City's Meatpacking District for the institution's biennial survey.

Akashi, who lost her 1926 home and studio in the fire, has been a part of a local artistic cohort working to recover materials following the January 2025 fires.

The 6,550-pound (2,971-kilogram) piece was fabricated and assembled in her Hudson Valley studio to work in unison with a 538-piece replica of the home's former walkway.

She told Dezeen that each of the bricks installed can be viewed as pieces of a metaphorical puzzle that bring her closer to salvaging hope from the ruins of her lost home.

"The work is not a literal reconstruction, so using clay bricks didn't feel appropriate. Solid glass bricks allowed me to rebuild the chimney through a different material language, where weight and fragility coexist." Akashi said.

"In rebuilding each element, I was thinking about how memory is constructed through care and persistence. The form remains, but is transformed. Light passes through it, and the solidity we associate with a chimney is unsettled."

Akashi's work has long interrogated notions of time and memory, leveraging her knowledge of casting and glass blowing to produce art that comments on social and urban issues.

This time, she has applied her practice to the personal experience of losing her own home, and towards recovery.

In Los Angeles, the rebuilding process has been fraught and varied, an element Akashi emphasised in Monument (Altadena).

"The tension between its recognizable form and unusual materiality felt akin to the act of rebuilding in my neighborhood. While we will rebuild, it can never be the same," she added.

"The act of rebuilding is not simply about material endurance; it is a deliberate labor of care, an engagement with history, and an act of reclamation. Each brick carries the record of labor and material transformation; together, they compose a new body that holds the traces of its past," Akashi said.

Her sculpture at the Whitney Biennial is accompanied by a work called Inheritance (Distressed), a relief replica of her grandmother's Corten steel dolly, a family artefact also lost to the Eaton Fire.

Akashi is also a slated participant in the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale.

Earlier this year, Dezeen covered the delivery of prefabricated homes to the afflicted communities in Los Angeles.

Architect Shigeru Ban recently joined the recovery effort through his contribution of a community centre made from shipping containers after other architects raised concerns over the disjointed nature of the recovery.

The photography is by Timothy Schenck.

The 2026 Whitney Biennial is on view from 8 March to 13 August in New York City. For more exhibitions in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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Architecture studio Snøhetta has completed the renovation of Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers in France, unifying its performance spaces around a tilted glass hall that overlooks a landscaped plaza.

The theatre in the Paris suburb of Nanterre dates back to the 1965 Festival de Nanterre, when it began life as a circus tent and subsequently a temporary warehouse. The permanent building was designed in 1976 by the architect Jacques Kalisz.

Snøhetta won a competition to update Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers in 2018, thanks to its proposal to upgrade its existing venues, add a new 200-seat auditorium and reconfigure its public spaces with a focus on flexibility and natural light.

At the centre of the renovation is The Grand Hall, a fully-glazed, multipurpose space that overlooks a newly-created sunken courtyard and planting designed in collaboration with landscape studio Atelier Silva Landscaping.

"The rehabilitation project is neither a rupture nor a spectacular gesture, but a careful transformation aimed at preserving the essence of the place while firmly situating it in the present day," said Snøhetta.

"The intervention responds to the evolution of artistic practices, uses, and audience expectations, while renewing the dialogue between the theatre, the city, and the park," it added.

"The themes of materiality and transparency run throughout the project, serving a building that is clear, legible, and strongly connected to its context."

The Grand Hall maintains the footprint of the theatre's previous foyer, expanded with a new roof and sunken floor that allows access from both the upper forecourt and lower stepped plaza.

A mezzanine area above the hall's flexible double-height spaces provides additional access into the auditoria, while a ceiling with integrated stage equipment enables the entire space to be transformed into an additional performance or meeting venue.

Snøhetta used a "deliberately restrained" palette of concrete, wood and glass for these public areas, with the intention of creating warm, robust spaces and surfaces that would reflect the changing light through the fully-glazed walls.

"Transparency, omnipresent throughout the space, changes the perception of the building throughout the day and seasons, making the theatre’s energy visible and supporting its mission of artistic transmission and dissemination," said the studio.

"By day, natural light animates the volumes and reveals the raw materials; by night, the hall is illuminated, transforming the theatre into an urban lantern," it added.

Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers's main 800-seat auditorium has been entirely overhauled, with the creation of accessible entrances, technical upgrades and improved sightlines. Curtains allow the size of the theatre to be reduced if needed.

Two additional performance spaces include an updated flexible auditorium with mobile seating and motorised platforms, and a new 200-seat auditorium for more intimate and experimental performances with a motorised telescopic seating system.

"These three auditoriums, rationally organised with dressing rooms, team workspaces, and circulation areas, form a compact and legible ensemble where each space is directly accessible and fully functional," said the studio.

Snøhetta recently won a competition to design the new Ontario Science Centre alongside Hariri Pontarini Architects, and is among a number of studios announced to be working on a new masterplan for Istanbul's northern Beykoz district.

The photography is by Jared Chulski.

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In this roundup, we spotlight seven buildings with undulating glass facades that resemble flowing fabric, giving new meaning to the idea of curtain walling.

From a rippling theatre in Brisbane to a pearlescent flagship store in Tokyo, the featured projects each use curtain-like elevations to create a distinct character.

They demonstrate how architects are challenging the ubiquitous trend of rectilinear glazed buildings, proving that all-glass facades don't have to be visually homogeneous.

Read on for seven buildings draped with fabric-like facades:

Glasshouse Theatre, Australia, by Blight Rayner Architecture and Snøhetta

Spanning two street frontages, this rippling glass facade wraps the cantilevered first floor of Glasshouse Theatre in Brisbane.

Its design was intended to minimise the theatre's visual mass while transforming its first-floor foyer into "a kind of public theatre" observable by passersby.

Find out more about Glasshouse Theatre ›

La Samaritaine, France, by SANAA

Japanese studio SANAA updated the La Samaritaine department store in Paris with an undulating glass facade that marks an entrance on the Rue de Rivoli.

According to the studio, the glass pays homage to the rhythm of windows on nearby Haussmann-style buildings while helping to soften the look of the store.

Find out more about X ›

Tiffany & Co, Japan, by Jun Aoki & Associates

Jun Aoki & Associates said it designed this blue-hued facade to feel lightweight, emulating "a wisteria trellis swaying in the soft wind".

Its curved glass panels, which are finished in Tiffany & Co's signature blue colour, bulge at the corners and curve up around its ground-floor entrance like draped fabric.

Find out more about Tiffany & Co ›

Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse, China, by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects

A trio of glass-walled greenhouses forms part of this cultural park, set on the site of a disused steelworks in Shanghai.

The curved structures offer a deliberate contrast with the old industrial building, appearing to "grow organically in between and around the strict existing grid", the studio said.

Find out more about Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse ›

Yale University Center for Innovative Thinking, USA, by Weiss/Manfredi

Weiss/Manfred designed this glass pavilion to juxtapose the brutalist and Gothic-style buildings of Yale University, where it is located.

It has a gentle, wavy shape, formed from 6.7-metre-tall glazed panels lined internally with an automated pleated curtain that enhances its ripple effect when viewed from the outside.

"The glass skin's reflective and transparent quality allows the pavilion to act as a chameleon, mirroring the surroundings and campus activity by day and creating a destination imbued with luminosity at night," said Weiss/Manfredi.

Find out more about Yale University Center for Innovative Thinking ›

Louis Vuitton, Japan, by Jun Aoki & Associates

Jun Aoki & Associates also used undulating glass panels at the Louis Vuitton flagship store it designed in Tokyo.

The facade has a distinctive pearlescent finish, achieved by covering the glass panels with a colour-shifting film. It is intended to resemble water, nodding to its proximity to Tokyo Bay.

Find out more about Louis Vuitton ›

Nordstrom, USA, by James Carpenter Design Associates

This curvy elevation marks the Nordstrom department store, which sits at the base of the Central Park Tower by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill in New York.

The five-storey facade is illuminated by LED lights and lined internally with chainmail, helping to minimise solar gain.

Find out more about Nordstrom ›

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Dezeen Showroom: Ukrainian brand Yakush used snowy landscapes and neon lights as references for this tableware collection, made from hand-sculpted glass.

The Japanese Winter collection includes vases, bowls, jugs, cups, glasses and candleholders, all created as collectible design objects that combine heritage glassmaking techniques with contemporary silhouettes.

The collection comes in two colour options: Clear, which takes inspiration from Japanese wintertime scenes such as wind marks on snow and the diffused glow of shoji paper, and Neon, which adds bright pops of colour meant to evoke the reflection of neon signage on rain-soaked streets.

Yakush founder Masha Yakush researched Japanese archival photography and 1970s cinema for aesthetic inspiration and worked with recycled huta glass, a traditional free-blown sculptural glass from Ukraine and its surrounding regions.

The recycled glass brings subtle variations in tone, density and transparency, adding to the one-of-a-kind character of each item.

"I didn't want to create a collection that would be easily understood by everyone," said founder Masha Yakush. "I wanted it to be complex, layered and alive – something that invites you to look into the glass and see something personal in it."

"This is truly an art collection – it requires labour, attention and understanding," she added.

Product details:

Product: Japanese Winter tableware
Designer Masha Yakush
Brand: Yakush
Contact: info@yakush.shop

Materials: glass (minimum 60 per cent recycled huta glass)
Colours/finishes: Clear or Neon

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An extension built from timber, glass and limestone unites a 19th-century farmhouse with an adjacent barn at this home in Somerset, overhauled by London architecture studio Forgeworks.

Named House of Blue Lias after a local variety of limestone used for the project, the home is set among the Mendip Hills, which are designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The homeowners tasked Forgeworks with bringing a sense of cohesion to the site, which comprised a 19th-century stone farmhouse and a neighbouring barn that had been poorly converted and suffered from damp.

Alongside the updating of this barn, the studio added a linking volume to stitch the two buildings together, creating a 25-metre-long axis around a central stone hearth.

"The site is typical of rural conversions – historic fabric, inconsistent upgrades, and no clear spatial hierarchy," Forgeworks director Chris Hawkins told Dezeen.

"The challenge was to bring order without over-designing," he added. "Rather than treating the farmhouse and barn as two separate buildings, we designed a new link structure that reoriented the entire property around a shared centre."

"It creates clarity where there was fragmentation and makes the house function as a single home," said Hawkins.

The clients' appreciation for American mid-century architecture informed the low-lying, horizontal form of the linking volume.

This is lined with five sliding glass panels that open it out onto a swimming pool terrace.

A thick wall bookending the barn end of the linking volume, a central hearth and chimney have all been finished in Blue Lias stone - the project's namesake - that was chosen to match the palette of the original farmhouse.

The stone is teamed with timber and stainless steel finishes, chosen for their tactility and durability.

"The aim was permanence without heaviness," Hawkins explained.

"Stone grounds the building in its context, timber brings warmth and rhythm, stainless steel adds a quiet precision. Materials were chosen for their tactile quality, durability, and ability to age well."

Within the barn itself, Forgeworks stripped the interiors back to the stone walls, introducing new insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps.

Externally, a pale rendered finish ties in the barn with the farmhouse opposite.

The barn now houses additional bedrooms and bathrooms as well as a playroom, study and garage for the client's vintage cars.

Forgeworks was founded by Hawkins in 2021 and is based in London and Wiltshire. Previous projects by the studio include the renovation of a 1960s bungalow in Bath.

Other farmhouse renovations on Dezeen include A Place in the Country, which Studio Ben Allen finished with a playful colour scheme, and the "hairy" Church Cottage extension by James Grayley Architecture.

The photography by French & Tye.

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The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features sculptural lights made from unwanted glassware by designer Simon Skinner. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

At Stockholm Creative Edition, Swedish designer Simon Skinner unveiled a series of sculptural lights made from second-hand glass sourced from charity shops and flea markets.

Readers praised the designs, with one calling them "an amazing concept that should be celebrated", while another, less impressed, said, "If the glass were being used as some kind of solar reflector to heat homes for free, now that would be amazing".

Other stories in this week's newsletter included Chris Williamson's plans for a high-speed rail linking Britain and Ireland, the aerodynamic Antarctic Discovery Building by Hugh Broughton Architects with NORR and a two-in-one rug and sofa by Sabine Marcelis.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Tuesday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday, containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

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Second-hand bowls, ashtrays and cat figurines are stacked on top of each other to form these sculptural lights by Swedish designer Simon Skinner, on show this week as part of Stockholm Creative Edition.

The glassware was scavenged from charity shops and flea markets and Frankenstein-ed together to create 20 different lamps in a process that Skinner likens to playing with Lego or arranging flowers – hence the name Buké, like bouquet.

"It's inspired by the art of flower arrangements and the way flowers are picked and put together in different compositions," he told Dezeen.

"I feel like it's a similar process," the designer added. "It's about contrasts and finding balance and harmony in between them."

The lamps form part of Skinner's ongoing Buké series, in which he repurposes familiar, traditional glassware and combines it into unexpected shapes.

This way, a floral etched bowl might be turned upside down to form a lampshade, with an ashtray added on top to serve as an integrated incense holder.

Or a tiny cat sculpture, which could be considered tacky under other circumstances, might be placed on top of a simple, angular bowl with a perfectly proportioned vase serving as the base.

"If you're from Sweden, you would recognise many of these pieces," Skinner said. "Maybe your grandmother had them in her home."

"So taking them and putting them in a contemporary context – that's what I find interesting," he added. "It's exploring collective memory and how it transforms over time."

All of the glassware is sandblasted from either the inside or the outside to unify these disparate parts into a cohesive whole, while simultaneously covering up the bulb.

Which side gets sandblasted is determined entirely by the existing state of the glass, with the soft matte finish used to cover up any scruffs and scratches that were sustained over the years.

"When you work with repurposed material, then you have to follow what the material tells you to do," Skinner said.

The project is a meditation on how the meaning of objects is changed and abstracted over time – something the designer previously explored with his Afropicks project.

Buké is on show from 3 to 5 February as part of The Building exhibition for Stockholm Creative Edition.

The festival, which usually takes place in May, has been moved forward this year to coincide with Stockholm's unofficial design festival, a grassroots initiative spearheaded by local designers and brands after the Stockholm Furniture Fair and its associated design week were cancelled.

The photography is by Gustav Almestål unless otherwise stated.

Stockholm Creative Edition 2026 takes place from 3 to 7 February 2026 at various locations across Stockholm, Sweden. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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A minimalist prefabricated timber house formed the set for Louis Vuitton's Autumn Winter 2026 menswear show during Paris Fashion Week, designed by the brand's men's creative director Pharrell Williams.

The show took place on Tuesday evening within a specially constructed venue in the Jardin d'Acclimatation, next to the city's Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton.

The home, called Drophaus, was prefabricated in collaboration with Japanese architecture studio Not a Hotel and formed the centrepiece of the runway.

It was composed of a large pyramidal roof protruding over a curved glass wall, which encircles the whole house and was designed to mimic a droplet of water.

The structure was positioned in the centre of the runway atop a grassy mound surrounded by a large expanse of lawn, interrupted only by carefully placed plants, shrubbery and flowers.

"The house concept is envisioned as a timeless space for future living situated within a luxuriant garden," said Louis Vuitton.

Boardwalk-style terraces were arranged around the perimeter of the house and provided seating for guests during the show.

Inside the home, timber was also used for the interior, which included a bedroom and a living-dining space, a bathroom and a dedicated listening room with Louis Vuitton-branded vinyl.

Each space was furnished with pieces from Williams's Homework furniture collection, created bespoke for the show.

Among the furniture was a playful, octagonal green lounger in the listening room, characterised by craggy lines that, according to the fashion house, "serve as an homage to the human hand".

Dressed in a range of looks from the Autumn Winter 2026 collection, models paraded through the house and across the lawn throughout the presentation.

The collection brought together houndstooth, herringbone and check patterns with technical yarns to play on the concept of "retro futuristic elegance" and the modern dandy, a term for a well-dressed man.

"Inspired by the shape of a droplet, the idea of which ripples through the collection itself, the home offers a glimpse into the imminent-future life of the Louis Vuitton dandy," said the brand.

Williams was appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear in 2023 following the passing of his predecessor, Virgil Abloh.

Last year, the French fashion house created a giant snakes and ladders board for the brand's Spring Summer 2026 menswear show in Paris.

The photography is courtesy of Louis Vuitton.

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In this week's comments update, readers are discussing Tiffany & Co's flagship store in Beijing, designed by Dutch studio MVRDV with a curving glass facade.

Crafted from translucent, frosted glass fins in an icy blue hue, the store's 20-metre-high facade was intended to pay homage to jewellery created by Italian designer Elsa Peretti for the brand.

"An elegant and carefully considered architectural gesture"

Commenters were conflicted. Of the few commenters to praise the project, Steve Hassler called the store design "beautiful", while Institute of Urban Technology thought "this feels like an elegant and carefully considered architectural gesture."

"Perhaps a little over the top but it makes a statement, that's for sure," contributed John-in-Melbourne.

But other commenters took a less favourable view. "Yet another dull, undulating glass facade for a luxury brand," determined Davvid. "There are too many logos and the interior looks like a banal department store," they argued.

Weetbix was similarly cynical. "On the right side of the main shot, one can see the edge of the just-finished Louis Vuitton flagship store – it deploys the exact same concept of wrapping an existing building in a pseudo-organic, fancy looking second skin," they wrote.

"At this point, this concept is not a concept anymore but a luxury fast-food get-it-done manual," they argued.

What are your thoughts on the Tiffany & Co Beijing flagship? Join the discussion ›

"Looks like a bunch of televisions arranged in a circle"

Another Beijing-based story sparking debate in the comments section was Snøhetta's design for Beijing Art Museum, which will feature a series of rectangular volumes radiating around a circular atrium.

Dezeen commenters were largely unconvinced. "Mid design process, Snøhetta unearths a bunch of old CRT monitors in the studio spring clean," mocked Melon.

Deep State drew a similar comparison, suggesting the plan for the museum "looks like a bunch of televisions arranged in a circle."

Other commenters questioned its necessity. "Is there enough art in the entire world to fill every museum in China?" asked Design Junkie. "Every week we have a new billion-dollar museum featured," they added.

Commenter Leo also had doubts, saying "I am amazed by the size of this thing – if it is supposed to be 'a cultural hub for the local community', it looks way too big."

Do you think the design prioritises form over function? Join the discussion ›

"A pearl of a project"

Also getting readers talking this week was a community centre in Finland by Nervin Architecture characterised by its terracotta-toned palette of concrete, brickwork and tiles.

Karl thought the building "has the appearance of a typical Marin County, California office complex from the 1970s/80s".

Meanwhile, Diorama deemed it "beautiful – a pearl of a project." They reflected that "it needs some touches of green on the exterior, some proper interior decor, but it has good, beautiful bones."

"Overhangs to windows is a novel idea – here's hoping it catches on," wrote Jb.

What do you make of it? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page and subscribe to our weekly Debate newsletter, where we feature the best reader comments from stories in the last seven days.

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A curving glass veil that appears to be "constantly changing as you move" cloaks the exterior of the flagship Tiffany & Co store in Beijing, designed by Dutch studio MVRDV.

Located in the Taikoo-Li Sanlitun neighbourhood, the store's 20-metre-high curving facade is crafted from translucent, frosted glass fins in an icy blue hue associated with Tiffany & Co.

According to MVRDV, it was designed to play with changing light over the day and give "an ethereal presence" to the four-storey building.

"When viewed from an angle, the layering effect of the dense glass fins amplifies the effects of the light, highlighting the facade's shape," said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs.

"The light filtering through and reflecting off of the translucent glass creates a delicate interplay that is constantly changing as you move," he continued.

"As you pass close to the building, you see glimpses in between the fins to the jewellery inside."

The Beijing flagship is the fifth store designed by MVRDV for Tiffany & Co, including one in Shanghai's Taikoo-Li Qiantan retail development and another in Singapore's Changi Airport.

MVRDV said its facade design for this shop pays homage to jewellery created by Italian designer Elsa Peretti for the brand, specifically her sculptural Bone Cuff.

At night, the blue-tinged glass was designed to glow outwards for a lantern-like effect, with lighting modules concealed within the support brackets.

MVRDV claimed that the facade was designed to be fully demountable, with the individual glass fins and brackets designed to be easily removed and repurposed at the end of their useful lifespan.

The interior of the store, overseen by the brand's in-house design team, is dominated by a neutral material palette typical of Tiffany & Co, enlivened by sculptural light fixtures and glass display cases.

Another store recently completed for Tiffany & Co, which was designed by Japanese studio Jun Aoki & Associates in Ginza, Tokyo, features a similarly translucent, curving glass facade.

Elsewhere in China, MVRDV recently completed a hill-shaped viewpoint in Chengdu and a converted cement factory in Shanghai.

The photography is courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

Project credits:

Architect: MVRDV
Founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs
Design team: Aser Gimenez Ortega, Simone Costa, Türker Naci Şaylan, Monica Di Salvo, Natalia Lipczuk, Sanel
Beciri and Sofia Mermigka Angeli
Co-architect: At Zero Design
Contractor: Permasteelisa Gartner Hong Kong
Lighting designer: Cooley Monato Studio

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Local practice Bétyle Studio has transformed a former agricultural building in Marseille, France, into a compact home featuring rooms separated by glass blocks that allow light to filter through.

The client asked designers Carla Romano and Nicolas Cazenave de la Roche to create an interior that could function both as her daily workspace and a private retreat for hosting friends and family.

The agricultural outbuilding, constructed in 1820, is attached to a farmhouse and was originally built from limestone rubble with a traditional timber frame. The total floor area of the living spaces is just 45 square metres.

The owner was attracted by the building's historic character, including its thick, windowless walls that could not be altered without compromising its structural integrity.

"The entire approach consisted of imagining a solution that could bring clarity and fluidity while respecting the agricultural spirit of the building," Cazenave de la Roche told Dezeen.

Bétyle proposed adding an internal wood and glass framework that is set back from the masonry ceiling and walls.

The hollow volume functions as a partition, storage area and light filter that facilitates free circulation around the space and allows natural light to permeate throughout.

"The main constraint was the light, as creating new openings would have weakened the walls," Cazenave de la Roche added.

"We therefore had to reconfigure the interior volumes without touching the existing envelope, and imagine a way to diffuse light throughout the space."

The internal volume defines the office, bedroom and corridor spaces while also incorporating key functional elements, including storage, a dressing room and a desk space.

Sandblasted glass bricks positioned along the edges of the central structure ensure privacy while allowing daylight to pass through and creating a lantern-like effect at night.

The internal structure's walls are made from okoumé wood stained a deep-red shade to complement a ceramic stoneware floor that evokes the patina of traditional Marseille terracotta tiles.

To create a sense of cohesion throughout the project, Bétyle commissioned bespoke furniture, cabinetry, architectural hardware and lighting pieces, including a pendant lamp designed specifically for the office.

"The project relies on a network of craftspeople whose savoir-faire gives depth and authenticity to the final result," said the designers, who collaborated with a team of carpenters, metalworkers and other artisans.

Some of the interior elements recall the building's original agricultural use but have been reinterpreted to fit their new purpose. The stainless-steel bathroom vanity evokes feeding troughs, while farm hooks fixed to the wooden panels now function as hangers.

The handmade wooden bed base features an intricate star-shaped inlay pattern that references the studio's name. The baetyl is a sacred stone, believed to be part of a meteorite, that is regarded in some cultures as a symbol of stability and permanence.

"It adds a touch of refinement and anchors the night area within a narrative, somewhere between craftsmanship, symbolism and the studio's architectural identity," added Cazenave de la Roche.

The Figuier residence is Bétyle's first interior project and its fully bespoke design reflects the studio's approach to creating contemporary spaces that display a deep respect for their historical context.

Other projects in Marseille include a bao restaurant by Neri & Hu and an apartment within architect Le Corbusier's iconic Cité Radieuse housing block.

The photography is by Mathilde Hiley.

The post Bétyle Studio transforms historic French farm building with wood and glass partitions appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom: Italian furniture brand Miniforms and Greek designer Yiannis Ghikas have released a new version of their Murano glass Soda table in a transparent finish that has a hammered texture.

Soda Iced is the latest colour variation in the blown-glass side and coffee table design that Ghikas and Miniforms first launched in 2020, favouring deep candy hues like amber and amethyst.

Miniforms describes the new transparent Iced colour as airy yet striking, with a pattern that "seems to vibrate from within" while remaining smooth to the touch on the outside.

The Soda tables are made by the skilled glass artisans on the Italian island of Murano – among the few people in the world capable of realising Ghikas' challenging design.

Each table takes three master glassmakers to create, using a single 20-kilogram piece of glass.

The process involves modulating the molten glass mass just before blowing to achieve the hammered effect.

Product details:

Product: Soda Iced table
Designer: Yiannis Ghikas
Brand: Miniforms
Contact: carolina@miniforms.com

Material: blown glass
Colours/finishes: Iced
Dimensions: 380 (diameter) x 450 or 550 (diameter) x 300 millimetres

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

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The post Soda Iced table by Yiannis Ghikas for Miniforms appeared first on Dezeen.

Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron has designed bubbly glass trophies for the Art Basel Awards that aim to capture the shape of breath in glass.

The amorphous trophies will be presented to the gold winners of the inaugural Art Basel Awards, taking place in Miami Beach, Florida, in December as part of Miami art week.

To honour the recipients, Herzog & de Meuron wanted to create unique glass objects that look like breath suspended in mid-air. Each of the clear glass trophies was hand-blown, so that no two are the same.

"Each time you breathe, it gives a different shape, like every thought we have is different," said studio co-founder Jacques Herzog.

"I love that glass, like clouds, can always be interpreted differently," he added. "Sometimes you see figures, sometimes you don't. That endless transformation reflects human creativity."

Herzog explained that the studio experimented with gold and smoke traces, but ultimately settled on the "pure expression" of clear glass.

"That's the real beauty of it," said the architect. "It's something everyone can recognise in their own way."

Herzog worked with Swiss artisan and Glassworks founder Matteo Gonet to create the trophies, beginning with simple sketches on the floor of Gonet's studio.

The preliminary drawings featured intertwining forms referencing smoke or clouds, which eventually became solid glass objects.

"When I was approached about designing the award, at first I thought it was a very unlikely proposal," said Herzog.

"But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed interesting because it's so different from anything that's ever been done for an award," he added.

"Because it's Art Basel, the award should be very special. The more I thought about it, the more I felt motivated and excited."

International art fair Art Basel launched its dedicated awards programme in June to recognise achievements across the creative spectrum.

Herzog & de Meuron has completed architecture projects all over the world, most recently completing a "quasi-invisible" renovation of Marcel Breuer's brutalist 945 Madison Avenue in New York for auction house Sotheby's.

Founded in 1978 by Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the studio also designs furniture and earlier this month used its stools and floor lamps to create reading spaces as part of an event at the SKWAT art centre in Tokyo.

The photography is courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron.

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Japanese studio Jun Aoki & Associates has used translucent glass panels to create a flowing exterior for Tiffany & Co's flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo.

Situated on a corner plot in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district, the 66-metre-tall mixed-use building is largely occupied by Tiffany & Co, while offices and restaurants occupy the upper floors.

Its exterior was designed by Jun Aoki & Associates to both "fit in and stand out" among Ginza's "mosaic-like" fabric, studio founder Jun Aoki said, and is clad with curving glass panels finished in Tiffany Blue.

"We were very conscious that the design could easily become too rigid and imposing. So, early on, our core vision was a 'facade like a wisteria trellis swaying in the soft wind'," Aoki told Dezeen.

"For this large project, we couldn't just do a single massive facade nor a patchwork."

"To make sure it didn't look too heavy, we needed a subtle 'shimmer' that would both fit in and stand out," he said.

The store's 13-storey structure has been divided into three volumes to distinguish its programmes, outlined by a terrace on its fourth floor and another recess towards its top.

Individual panels, which have been attached to an inner, glazed facade using supports, wrap around the volume to create curved edges that bulge outwards at its corners.

According to the studio, each rippled glass panel was designed with a unique curved shape. They are also removable to allow for future maintenance.

"The three-dimensional curved glass panels, which account for 25 per cent of the total surface area, present a significant challenge: not only does each panel have a unique curved shape, but the angle of the supporting marionettes also varies at each support point," Aoki explained.

These glass panels curve around and above the store's ground level to reveal a glazed front. Here, a signed entrance at the street corner guides visitors into the space.

Inside, the store occupies four floors with glass cabinets backed by sheer curtains that wrap around the glazed facades, alongside a basement level.

To prevent a blue-hued light from shining through the exterior panels onto the products, a ceramic printing technique was implemented to create an ideal interior lighting environment.

The upper floors, which contain offices and restaurants, have carpeted interiors enclosed by full-height openings and open-air terraces.

Also in Tokyo, I IN has used glossy surfaces and Edo purple to create a "new form of Japanese luxury" for a department store in Ginza and Symbolplus has used natural materials for the renovation of its own office.

Previously, Jun Aoki & Associates completed Louis Vuitton's Tokyo store with a pearlescent facade and its flagship Osaka store with curving glass sails.

The photography is courtesy of Taisei Corporation unless otherwise stated. 

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Architect Santiago Calatrava has added a stone and glass office building beside the Stadelhofen Station in Zurich, which includes a multi-level bicycle parking facility.

Named the Haus zum Falken, the eight-storey building sits on a narrow, triangular plot at the eastern end of the Stadelhofen railway station, which was previously updated and expanded by Calatrava in 1990.

Calatrava designed the office building to have a "meandering composition" – cladding its steel and stone form with glass panels that highlight folds in its facade.

"The area around the Haus zum Falken is very familiar to me, as I was involved in the construction of the Stadelhofen Station here for eight years," Calatrava explained.

"Architecture here is more than functional – it is an artistic event in the city," he continued.

"The glass facade forms a meandering composition through the vertical rhythm of profiles and glass."

Solid stone was used to form the building's base, from which the glass facade rises in an arched form.

Flanked by a public square, the building's entrance is sheltered by its upper floors and complete with a glazed front framed by soft-edged stone pillars.

"Subtle stone details extend toward the lower edges of the glass facade, establishing a dialogue between the grounded plinth and the glass body above," Calatrava said.

A curved motif extends to the interior, which opens up to a double-height lobby adorned by a wooden relief and expansive ceiling light.

From here, elevators provide access to the four floors of office space above, and is paired with a staircase provided at the building's opposite entrance.

At this end, the building opens up to a skylit, four-storey atrium where the sculptural stairwell serves as a "dynamic centrepiece that connects all levels".

Each of the upper levels offer column-free office spaces lit by openings across the glazed facade.

Meanwhile, a three-storey public bicycle parking facility provides space for 800 bikes below ground and is accessed via a ramp at ground level.

The Haus zum Falken is complete with a green roof equipped with photovoltaic panels, while the facade acoustics render noise pollution "virtually imperceptible" on the interior, according to the studio.

Recently, Calatrava's steel and glass Gare de Mons station designed as a "monumental bridge" reached completion in Belgium and Holloway Studio unveiled images of its redesign of the UK passenger terminal for LeShuttle's Channel Tunnel service.

The photography is by Ingo Rasp. 

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Italian duo Draga & Aurel has created a collection of striking furniture from Murano glass, resin and concrete, which forms their Dubai Design Week debut.

Crafted in collaboration with local brand Collectional, the pieces are currently on display in an installation at Dubai's annual Downtown Design fair.

Central to the collection are the bulbous Soffio lamps, formed from translucent sheets of glass combined with globular components salvaged from 1970s chandeliers.

"It all started with a kind of 'rescue me' gesture, saving the vintage glass bubbles we discovered here and there," explained studio founders Draga Obradovic and Aurel K Basedow.

The pair travelled to Venice, where "Draga wants to celebrate all her birthdays", and collaborated with local glassblowers to create the lamps.

"We gave the bubbles new life by combining them with newly blown pieces, creating a dialogue between past and present," they told Dezeen.

"We also revived traditional blown-glass techniques, from craquele to cotisso and gold-leaf inserts, pushing them even further through our own creative experimentation," added Obradovic and Basedow.

The Cava coffee tables are squat, geometric slabs of concrete layered with epoxy resin, a material that the studio has become known for.

Despite the different elements, both the resin and the concrete were poured into moulds to create the handcrafted furniture. The liquid resin was coloured in burnt red and amber hues before it set.

"We like to think that, through the production process, which demands care and attention at every single step, we give these 'humble' materials a new life, transforming them into something precious, into jewels," reflected Obradovic and Basedow.

The duo applied sea salt to the slabs of resin and concrete to give them a more textured and tactile finish before attaching the materials to complete the tables' composition.

Alongside the Cava coffee tables, Draga & Aurel also designed Lava – similar furniture with rounded, more refined resin tabletops.

Stendhal is an architectural console table made from ruby-red resin supported by two pillar-like concrete legs, while Rescue Me is a low-slung cabinet made from a patchwork of multicoloured resin cupboards positioned atop a transparent plinth.

"For our debut at Dubai Design Week, we wanted to present a synthesis of our expressive studio language," said Obradovic and Basedow.

As Dubai Design Week kicks off across the Emirati city, explore projects from last year's edition, including a parametric cardboard pavilion by British designer Ross Lovegrove and spiky palm tree-style lamps by Spanish studio Masquespacio.

The photography is courtesy of Draga & Aurel.

Dubai Design Week 2025 takes place from 4 to 9 November 2025 at various locations across Dubai, United Arab Emirates. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

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The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features the Gare de Mons station in Belgium by Santiago Calatrava. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.

Swiss-Spanish architect Calatrava has completed the Gare de Mons station in Belgium, a 165-metre-long glass and steel structure that traverses platforms and bus stops.

This week's newsletter also included the completion of the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, Nike's reveal of a motor-assisted running device concept and an exclusive interview with Albanian prime minister Edi Rama.

Dezeen Agenda

Dezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every Thursday containing the most important news highlights from Dezeen. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features the hottest reader comments and most-debated stories, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

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American architecture studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro has completed an expansion to the Miami flagship store of jewellery brand Cartier, which has a bulbous facade informed by a vintage Cartier piece.

Located in Miami's Design District, on the corner of NE 39th St and the walking corridor Paseo Ponti, the building has a wraparound facade designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro to be semi-transparent and preserve the store's "sense of mystique", according to the studio.

The glass facade scallops around the building's perimeter on both levels and forms a cross above its entrance. The glass features a lightly etched pattern "adapted from a 1909 Cartier brooch," according to Diller Scofidio + Renfro founding partner Elizabeth Diller.

"It's a privilege to continue our dialogue with Cartier with Miami's flagship opening in the heart of the Design District," said Diller.

"We conceived the wraparound facade in undulating glass to draw in passersby while knitting together the store and the street. Etched on its surface is a pattern adapted from a 1909 Cartier brooch, which produces a diaphanous effect, allowing views into the store while preserving its sense of mystique."

The two levels of the store are largely open on the interior, which was outfitted by New York-based interior designer Laura Gonzalez and informed by Miami's natural landscape.

White display units trimmed in a soft gold fill the display floors, which are offset by light pink and blue tones throughout the space. In some corners, such as those that wrap around a display counter on the second level, the walls are rippled.

Large, white ceiling soffits also contain organically-shaped cut-outs, while the second level contains structural columns covered in leaf-shaped panels.

A "VIP room" on the second level also contains a textured column and a ceiling with small orbs that descend along the perimeter. The space is covered in a leafy wallpaper and a light green carpet with a rippled pattern, while the furniture features soft curves.

The building also contains a roof terrace, which was outfitted with plants and seating areas.

The two levels are connected by a Camelia-green marble staircase lined in gold stringers and handrails.

A bright mural depicting coral, palm trees, and Miami's skyline lines the wall behind it.

"I imagined the store as a sensory journey," said Gonzalez. "Each space evokes a different emotion: vitality and movement at the entrance, intimacy in the VIP lounges on the first floor, conviviality on the terrace with its welcoming, custom-made wavy benches."

"The entire journey is designed as a succession of landscapes intended to arouse curiosity and wonder."

Gonzalez recently completed the Printemps store in New York City's One Wall Street tower, while Diller Scofidio + Renfro completed a mosque in Qatar.

Elsewhere in the Design District, NBA star Jimmy Butler and DE-YAN collaborated on a coffee shop and retail space, and New York studio Sugarhouse Design and Architecture completed a store for fashion brand Cult Gaia with a hand-painted facade.

The photography is courtesy of Cartier

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Swathes of glass and steel make up the sinuous exterior of the new Gare de Mons station in Belgium, which has been designed by Swiss-Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Located along the international Paris to Brussels train line in Mons, the station's sculptural structure is organised around a raised gallery volume that stretches 165 metres across the site.

Conceptualised by Calatrava as a "monumental bridge", its volume traverses a series of 350-metre-long platforms and bus stops that extend outwards from the gallery's underside.

Calatrava won the competition for the existing station's redevelopment in 2006. It serves as a link between a previously disconnected residential area to the north and the historic quarter to the south, while also introducing new facilities like offices, underground parking and retail space to the site.

"This project transcends the challenges of constructing a new railway station," Calatrava said.

"Conceived as a monumental bridge spanning the tracks, it has ignited a profound transformation in its surrounding areas," he added.

Externally, the station's flowing glass and steel form is crowned with a sloping roof that rises to a peak.

Glass canopies extend from the gallery roof at both its north and south entrances to shelter central staircases flanked by escalators that lead up to the station's interior.

Within the station, the structure's large triangular truss structure is left exposed, with curved, glass entrances to platforms, shops and other facilities framed by its structural curves.

An operable skylight lined with wooden supports runs along the gallery's peak to both draw daylight and ventilation through the space.

Additional wooden details add warmth to the internal facades and are complemented by blue limestone flooring.

"The central gallery is fully enclosed and insulated, ensuring a comfortable temperature during the colder months," Calatrava said.

Visitors can descend to the platform from the central space via stairs, escalators and elevators.

Sheltered beneath roofs extending from the central volume are seven passenger tracks, along with 29 bus stops and taxi stands complete with built-in wooden benches.

Meanwhile, below ground, two underground parking facilities are held alongside a 200-unit bike parking facility, which features large structural trusses reminiscent of the upper levels.

Other spaces include offices, back-of-house facilities for staff and a unit for a childcare facility.

Elsewhere, images of redesigns to the UK passenger terminal for LeShuttle's Channel Tunnel service were recently unveiled and a rail and bus station was designed as an "iconic entry point" for Los Angeles.

The photography is by Oliver Schuh of Palladium Photodesign.

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In this week's comments update, readers are discussing an office building with a glass facade in Buenos Aires by Rafael Viñoly Architects.

The Vilo Tower office building features double-height floors linked by a concrete scissor stair enclosed in glass.

"Very elegant and clean"

Commenters were torn. AlfredHitchcock thought "visually, it's quite stunning". This sentiment was echoed by Karl, who called it "quite the gem of a building!"

Miles Teg also had nothing but praise."If you set out to build an all-glass office tower, this should be the way to do it," they argued, adding "Very elegant and clean."

However, Leo issued a word of warning, writing "it's hard to believe that someone who lived in Buenos Aires would propose a greenhouse as an office." They continued: "Everyone inside will be cooked in summer."

What's your take? Join the discussion ›

"Cheap and cheerful and removable"

Also stoking debate in the comments section this week was a viewing tower in the Czech Republic constructed from two long, narrow shipping containers.

Marius questioned the logic. "The view from the top of the hill was great to begin with, but we couldn't help ourselves – as always, we had to improve it by adding some carbuncle."

But the project had just as many admirers as detractors, with Colin MacGillivrary, arguing "it's a good idea – cheap and cheerful and removable."

"Love this!" exclaimed Yada yada yada, before suggesting it was "the kind of thing that could be built as a temporary structure in all sorts of interesting places."

Have you had your say? Join the discussion ›

"They should all have letters"

Also providing plenty of fodder in the comments section was a story about the updated logos for Microsoft's Office applications, which have been redesigned for the first time since 2018.

HeywoodFloyd thought "they look great, they should all have letters though."

But not everyone was convinced by the redesign. "It's like with other trends – they come and go," contributed Maciej Zalucki.

For Bunkermentality, "the word 'tacky' springs to mind." They thought "the 2013 version was the best, it's all downhill from there in terms of legibility and recognisability."

What do you reckon? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page and subscribe to our weekly Debate newsletter, where we feature the best reader comments from stories in the last seven days.

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Architecture studio Rafael Viñoly Architects has completed a 16-storey skyscraper in Buenos Aires featuring double-height floors linked by a concrete scissor stair enclosed in glass.

The Vilo Tower office building serves as a headquarters for airport operator Corporación América. It is located along the busy Avenida del Libertador thoroughfare in Buenos Aires, which weaves along the city's coastline.

It stands 60 metres tall at 16 storeys, with a facade made of translucent 7.15 metre by 2.2 metre glass panels.

Its curved corners are free of visible mullions, which "dissolve the interior and exterior boundary", according to Rafael Viñoly Architects.

The building's structural staircase and elevator shaft stand as an exposed spine on the backside, while the glass-enclosed floors extend outwards along its front.

Along its facade, the floors are double-height with a mezzanine level at the centre, while single-storey spaces are tucked towards the back of the building.

According to the studio, the structure is a "hybrid", made up of a traditional concrete structure paired with a "two-storey module" that creates interior flexibility and "spatially varied floor plates".

"In designing Vilo Tower, Rafael Viñoly succeeded in creating an architecture of transparency and rationality," said Rafael Viñoly Architects partner Román Viñoly.

"It elegantly dialogues with its surroundings and gives its occupants the greatest layout flexibility. The way the design reveals its hybrid structural system is a hallmark of our firm's commitment to putting logic at the center of architectural expression."

The building's base was imagined as an "urban greenhouse" and expands three storeys, with the ground floor submerged below street level.

A public restaurant sits below and connects to the main elevator bay via a curving, black-clad spiral staircase, while concrete pillars extend the height of the space.

The remaining floors are outfitted with office space clad in a light wood and black accents, including dark-hued office furniture and textured ceiling and wall panels.

The uppermost floor contains a terrace wrapped in the same double-height glass panels that cover the building, while its ceiling is open to the sky.

The building is aiming for LEED v4 Core and Shell Gold certification.

Rafael Viñoly Architects recently completed a skyscraper in New York City with a similarly exposed concrete core and unveiled plans for a terminal at the Florence Airport in Italy covered in a vineyard.

The studio's founder, Rafael Viñoly, passed away in 2023.

The Uruguayan architect was raised in Buenos Aires and began his career studying architecture at the University of Buenos Aires. He would later go on to open his first office in the city.

"The [Vilo] building marks my father's final contribution to the city that gave him his start as an architect," said his son Román.

The photography is by Daniela Mac Adden

Project credits:

Architect of record and lead designer: Rafael Viñoly Architects
Structural engineer: Curutchet del Villar
MEP / FP engineer: GNBA
Lighting designer: Cappiello + Partners
Construction manager: Amarilla

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Milanese design studio 6AM has created candy-like Murano glass cubes "reminiscent of stone architecture" for the debut collection of Bottega Veneta creative director Louise Trotter.

The cubes, which were made using a cast-iron mould by 6AM, were used as the seats at Trotter's first Bottega Veneta show during Milan Fashion Week.

The 43-centimetres-high, translucent stools were grouped together in colour gradients and featured slightly uneven surfaces and indentations that resembled legs.

6AM, which is led by Edoardo Pandolfo and Francesco Palù, described the stool design as a "blown glass cube, crafted with the support of a complex cast-iron mold".

"Its sculptural silhouette and bold proportions, reminiscent of stone architecture, contrast with the inherent imperfections of glass, introducing a sense of fluidity and movement," the studio added.

The design studio created the seats in 10 different colours, which it said were "carefully selected to enhance the interplay of transparency, density, and light."

Made from Murano glass, a traditional material from the Italian island of Murano, the cubes formed a vibrant background for Trotter's inaugural Bottega Veneta show.

The space was also decorated with hanging installations made from cords by South Korean designer Kwangho Lee.

The catwalk show itself drew on "the extravagance of Venice; the energy of New York; the essentialism of Milan," the brand said.

Next year also marks the 60th anniversary of Bottega Veneta and Trotter drew inspiration from the brand's roots for her first collection, which featured sculptural, structural looks in a wide range of materials.

Tactile feathers and patterned leather were juxtaposed with fringes and fake fur in saturated colours.

"I like that the Bottega is a workshop – one with a long and multifaceted history in Italy," Trotter explained.

"It involves the collective effort of craft; with craftsmanship, the people who make it, and the people who wear it matter. It's where the hand and the heart become one."

Bottega Veneta previously worked with Italian architect Gaetano Pesce to create seats for one of its shows, with Pesce designing a swirling resin set for the summer 2023 show under former creative director Matthieu Blazy.

Last summer, the show audience was seated on animal-shaped beanbags that lined the catwalk.

Earlier this year, the brand opened a new pop-up store in Harrods, London, which was informed by modernist architecture.

The photography is courtesy of Bottega Veneta.

Milan Fashion Week took place 23-29 September at venues across the city. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

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A curved volume wrapped in black-glass panels stretches between two rocky outcrops at Ånderkleiva, the headquarters of a fishing company in Norway, by architecture studio Snøhetta.

Located on a narrow plot in the northern municipality of Ibestad, the 1,510-square-metre building has been created for Magne Arvesen & Sønner on a site adjacent to its existing fish pens.

Ånderkleiva's defining feature is its upper levels, which are wrapped in black glass and curve between two rocky outcrops, supported in the middle by a large concrete column wrapped in Corten steel.

According to Snøhetta, this design was intended to echo the surrounding hills while ensuring the interiors look forward towards the sea and the company's aquaculture facilities.

"The curved shape is a direct response to the site conditions," Snøhetta architect Marius Hauland Næss told Dezeen.

"By anchoring the structure at both ends and pushing the centre outward toward the sea, we achieved a sweeping arc that creates a striking experience: a taut outer facade facing the ocean, the fish pens, and the elements, and a sheltered inner side nestled against the mountain," added Hauland.

Inside, Ånderkleiva contains office spaces, industrial halls, storage facilities and an aquaculture learning and innovation centre. Its elevated positioning means it is accessed from two levels, and there is space for large vehicles and machinery to pass beneath it.

Office areas are reached from a road linking to the fourth floor, while the learning centre is accessed at ground level.

The facade of the upper volume, which is wrapped in black glass with stainless steel fins, was designed to reflect the landscape, creating an ever-changing elevation for the building.

"The facade was deliberately designed as a reflective glass surface that mirrors its surroundings, especially the dramatic views and shifting weather and light conditions," explained Hauland.

"The experience of the facade changes depending on where you stand along its curve," he continued. "The vertical stainless steel profiles are also reflective and serve to break up the surface while further amplifying the mirrored effect of the environment."

According to Hauland, the facade design is not a threat to birds, and the client has "not experienced any issues" or collisions since the building’s completion.

The concave rear elevation has a more industrial look, featuring a metal walkway along its length, alongside geometric concrete cladding panels and red window frames.

Ånderkleiva's interiors were designed to facilitate focus while maintaining visual connections, with a mix of rooms with glass partitions and private workspaces for employees.

According to the studio, the heart of the headquarters is the control room, which overlooks the fish pens.

The interiors were finished with an industrial palette, including exposed concrete elements and perforated-metal acoustic panels on the ceilings, chosen to reflect the purpose of the building.

Several red and orange details emulate the buoys of the surrounding water, including the steel framework of the industrial halls.

Outside the main building, Snøhetta has also created a separate storage and office facility with a sawtooth roof and concrete cladding that match the rear elevation of the main office building.

Snøhetta is an architecture and design studio founded by Kjetil Thorsen and Craig Dykers in 1989.

Ånderkleiva is not the first industrial fishing facility by the studio. In 2018, it completed one in Sortlandssundet that is divided into four distinctive buildings with colourful facades.

Elsewhere, Snøhetta is currently developing a mountain-like, mixed-use development in Malaysia and working with Benthem Crouwel Architects to create a Dutch city hall with a "powerful silhouette".

The photography is by Sebastian S Bjerkvik.

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British designer Lee Broom has created his first landmark project for the London Design Festival – a site-specific sculpture on the city's South Bank comprising dozens of pulsing illuminated glass shades.

Beacon is installed at the entrance of the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall and was designed by Broom as a tribute to the site's history and its famous brutalist architecture.

The installation's title references the 1951 Festival of Britain, which was held on the South Bank and was described as a "beacon of change" that aimed to showcase the best postwar arts, science, technology and design.

Broom, who is known for his statement lighting designs, created a monumental chandelier-like sculpture that is informed by the Royal Festival Hall's postmodern architecture and the brutalist materiality of the adjacent Hayward Gallery.

"I've always been hugely inspired by London and its architecture, especially the city's brutalist and modernist buildings, and having lived here most of my life, the Southbank Centre has long been a place of creative resonance for me," the designer explained.

"There were so many architectural and cultural references I wanted to weave into Beacon," he added. "It is a tribute to both the history and the future of this iconic location."

Beacon consists of multiple black lamp posts topped with recycled glass shades. The form recalls the iconic street lamps designed in 1870 by George John Vulliamy, which were installed along the Thames embankments.

"By reimagining the language of street lamps as components of a vast, sculptural chandelier, Beacon acts as a luminous welcome to the Royal Festival Hall, visible across the Thames," Broom told Dezeen.

"The chandelier form carries a sense of drama and spectacle, but also of gathering and illumination," he added.

The sculpture's prominent location ensures it is visible from key locations along the river, including the Embankment and the Waterloo and Golden Jubilee Bridges.

The lighting elements are programmed to display a dynamic light show that coincides with the hourly chimes of Big Ben's clock tower, starting quietly before building to a crescendo.

"Big Ben is one of London's most enduring symbols, and it felt like a beautiful way to tie Beacon into the daily rhythm of the city," Broom explained.

"By synchronising the choreography of light with the chimes of the clock across the river, Beacon becomes part of the fabric of London. It transforms the installation into more than a static object; it becomes a living part of the city, weaving together time, history, and presence."

The installation was developed by Broom in collaboration with Czech glass producer Brokis and sustainability specialist Materials Assemble, who helped with the engineering and fabrication.

Broom told Dezeen that the biggest challenge was designing the sculpture so it could be disassembled and reused in the future. The lighting fixtures are set to be sold as standalone pieces or smaller chandeliers, with a portion of proceeds from their sale going to charity.

The glass elements were made at Brokis' factory in the Czech Republic using fusing technology developed to upcycle discarded glass fragments.

The glass is imprinted with a textured detail that replicates the Baltic pine grain that famously adds a natural touch to the cast-concrete walls of the Hayward Gallery.

The Beacon installation represents the first time Broom has been invited to create one of the London Design Festival's landmark projects, which showcase innovative design, materials and technology.

Broom said the project felt like a full-circle moment, as his first collection was launched during LDF in 2007. He has since created over 100 products that blend craft and materiality in innovative ways, including a chair that pays homage to musical instruments and a lighting collection informed by outer space.

His previous installations include a kaleidoscopic sculpture made from lights and mirrors, as well as a 10-metre-tall Christmas tree built from individual pendant lights.

The photography is by Luke Hayes.

Beacon will be displayed for the duration of the London Design Festival, from 13 to 22 September 2025, and will remain in place for the Southbank Centre's Winter Light festival, running from late October 2025 to early February 2026. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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From a privacy-conscious home in Japan to a vaulted greenhouse in Chile, this roundup spotlights buildings from around the world that are brightened by luminous glass bricks and blocks.

Popularised in the 1930s, glass bricks and blocks can be found in architecture around the world, typically in the form of facades and windows, but also internally as partitions and screens.

The hollow bricks have gone in and out of style over the past century, but the eight buildings listed below suggest they are regaining popularity, primarily as a way to maximise natural light in a space while also offering a level of privacy.

Glass-block walls can also be used to create playful patterns of light and shadow on an interior throughout the day, and transform buildings into ethereal lantern-like sculptures at night.

Read on for eight buildings bejewelled with glass bricks and blocks:

Optical Glass House, Japan, by Hiroshi Nakamura

This shimmering glass-brick facade encloses a residence on a busy road in Hiroshima. The bricks were used to provide privacy, while also allowing mottled glimpses of life on either side.

Approximately 6,000 bespoke blocks form the two-storey-high wall, which also casts dancing patterns of light on a tree-filled courtyard positioned immediately behind it.

Find out more about Optical Glass House ›

Brest Post Office renovation, France, by Chatillon Architectes

French studio Chatillon Architectes used glass bricks in the extension of this 1950s post office in Brittany, which it converted into flats.

The bricks, which give a modern quality to the building, were paired with concrete details and wooden loggias.

Find out more about the Brest Post Office renovation ›

Casa de Vidrio, Chile, by Max Núñez Arquitectos

Square glass blocks form the pair of vaulted roofs on top of this greenhouse, completed by Max Núñez Arquitectos in a private garden in Chile.

The blocks were chosen as they refract light, helping to create a warm environment for the tropical plants inside while ensuring there is no direct sunlight.

Find out more about Casa de Vidrio ›

Glass Brick House, Belgium, by Delmulle Delmulle Architecten

Delmulle Delmulle Architecten used a glistening glass-brick facade to maximise light within this three-storey home, which is hemmed in by houses on a terraced street in Ghent, limiting space for windows.

"The house is situated on a very challenging plot – extremely small and completely enclosed on all sides," studio founder Seger Delmulle told Dezeen. "The main challenge was to make the most of the minimal available space and natural light."

Find out more about Glass Brick House ›

The Glass Fortress. Thailand, by Archismith

The Glass Fortress is the plant-filled entrance pavilion to a sales office in Bangkok, designed by local studio Archismith. Its defining feature is its facade formed of 20,000 rectangular glass bricks.

Archismith chose the glass bricks to "reduce the claustrophobic feeling of the space", which has eight-metre-high walls designed to block out traffic noise and the unsightly construction work surrounding the site.

Find out more about The Glass Fortress ›

Crystal Houses, the Netherlands, by MVRDV

MVRDV created this townhouse's partially see-through facade in 2016 from hundreds of glass bricks and a transparent high-strength glue. The building was originally home to a Chanel boutique, but today its tenant is fashion brand Hermès.

The glittering bricks, which merge with the existing terracotta brickwork of the townhouse to create the illusion of a dissolving wall, were used as an alternative to a plain glass shopfront. There are also glass window frames and architraves.

Find out more about Crystal Houses ›

Maryland House, UK, by Remi Connolly-Taylor

At Remi Connolly-Taylor's self-designed home and studio, a statement red staircase is enclosed within a tower of square glass blocks.

Described by Connolly-Taylor as "a spine to the house", it is designed to maximise natural light while retaining privacy and maintaining light standards to the adjoining neighbours

Find out more about Maryland House ›

Glass-Block Micro House, Vietnam, by ROOM+ Design & Build

In its renovation of a compact house and shop in Ho Chi Minh City, ROOM+ Design & Build replaced two street-facing walls with translucent glass blocks to enliven the building.

When light glows from within at night, "the house becomes a magically sparkling lantern in the middle of the neighbourhood", the studio said.

Find out more about Glass-Block Micro House ›

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A 3 Days of Design exhibition showcased the work of glass pioneer Carlo Nason, who rebelled against Murano traditions by favouring pure form and transparency, rather than colour and decoration.

Nason was born into one of Murano's oldest glassmaking families, V Nason & C, but broke away from convention to explore a more subtle and delicate approach to glass craft.

He played with transparency and iridescence, sometimes adding subtle stripes or delicate bubbles, across a range of rectilinear, curved and irregular volumes.

Some of his most impressive works were unveiled in the exhibition Illuminari: Carlo Nason Son of Murano, which was on show at Form Portfolios' studio in Copenhagen as part of 3 Days of Design.

Form Portfolios is a US-based company that specialises in the management of design heritage. After recently discovering Nason's work, CEO and founder Mark Masiello wanted to share it with a wider audience.

"He's a glassmaking maestro," Masiello told Dezeen. "He took three generations of glassmaking experience, extracted different elements and reassembled them in his own way."

"He pushed the limits of glass, but in a pure form, not a colourful form. He created subtleties," Masiello said.

Nason produced his first glass pieces for the family business when he was just 18, but it wasn't until he went to work for a family friend, Gianni Mazzega, that he found freedom to develop his own style.

He created over a thousand works over the course of his career, including designs that can now be found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Corning Museum of Glass and the Museum of Glass in Murano.

Form Portfolios' team visited Nason in Murano to select the works for the exhibition. Now aged 90, he has lived in the same house overlooking the Venetian lagoon for the past 80 years.

"That must have been a major inspiration to him," said Masiello.

"One of the most remarkable aspects of Carlo's work is that he often worked in glass that was the same colour, but if you layer it and layer it, the colour changes," he continued.

"It's like when you stare into water – when the light hits it and it's rippling, you get that sense of depth, which I think he captured perfectly in his designs."

Key pieces include a floor lamp resembling a stack of bricks, all with different levels of transparency, and a pendant featuring three semi-spheres of bubbled glass neatly layered.

Among the more daring pieces are lamp-vase hybrids, including one where a water-filled cube has a ball of light at its centre. Others include bulging lamps akin to jellyfish and a table lamp with an organic ripple texture.

The exhibition comes a year after Form Portfolios staged the exhibition Jens Quistgaard Around The Table, celebrating the legacy of a "world-famous unknown Dane".

A wider Carlo Nason exhibition was recently presented in Italy, at the Triennale Milano, but Masiello felt it would be special to introduce the designer to the burgeoning design scene in Scandinavia.

"The debut of the Illuminari exhibition is a heartfelt moment for me and my family," said Alberto Nason, Carlo's son.

"My father devoted over six decades to perfecting his craft, so receiving this recognition in Copenhagen during 3 Days of Design is a profound honour," he said.

The photography is by Sofie Hvitved.

Illuminari: Carlo Nason Son of Murano was on show from 18 to 20 June 2025 as part of 3 Days of Design. Visit Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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Designers Andrés Reisinger, Helle Mardahl and Laurids Gallée are among the contributors for Project Materia, a 3 Days of Design exhibition that pays homage to the Italian artisan town of Pietrasanta.

The project is a collaboration between Copenhagen design gallery Tableau, led by floral designer Julius Værnes Iversen, and contemporary art platform Edition Solenne, which produces limited-edition works.

They invited nine designers to produce works in bronze, marble and glass – the three "foundational materials" that have been used for centuries by artists in Pietrasanta, the town made famous by Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo.

The results include tables featuring animal forms, a marble bowl that resembles a miniature quarry, a bronze side table inspired by a tree and a pair of stools that resemble packing crates.

Alongside Reisinger, Mardahl and Gallée, the other Project Materia contributors chosen by Tableau were Cathrine Raben Davidsen, Forever Studio, Jacob Egeburg, Louise Roe, Onno Adriaanse and Willem van Hooff.

"I chose a selection of designers and artists that all work with a different angle on material," explained Værnes Iversen.

"It's more of a material research than a showcase," he told Dezeen. "We wanted to show what the different materials can do, then also what each artist can bring to these materials."

The Project Materia exhibition began with a visit to Pietrasanta, which is located near the marble quarries of the Apuan Alps in Tuscany.

Michelangelo put the town on the map when he began making sculpture there in the early 1500s. Many other artists, notably Isamu Noguchi, Jean Arp and Fernando Botero, have since gone there to work in marble and bronze.

Pietrasanta is still home to dozens of marble workshops and bronze foundries, while the world's most famous glass artisans can be found 200 kilometres away, on the Venetian island of Murano.

"These works were produced in the same facilities where Michelangelo made his work," said Værnes Iversen. "The marble was taken out of the same mountain where his marble came from."

According to Værnes Iversen, the use of bronze in the exhibition makes it a particularly unusual project.

"Bronze is normally used for fine art, not for functional art," he said.  "It's very expensive to produce, so it's mostly used for sculpture."

For 3 Days of Design, the works were presented on a stepped green installation in a Copenhagen courtyard.

Austrian designer Gallée created pieces blending the figurative forms of the Renaissance with the smooth curves achieved with digital design tools. They include a marble table with horse forms and a bronze table made up of fish.

"I was conscious of the historical significance of these materials," said Gallée.

"They have such a long legacy in figurative sculpture, and I wanted to tap into that tradition while also reinterpreting it through a contemporary lens."

Spanish designer and digital artist Reisinger created a trio of vases that resemble delicate flowers, while Danish artist Raben Davidsen created a table and two vases, each boasting voluptuous curves.

"I see function as integrated into a poetic intention," said Raben Davidsen.

"These objects are meant not just to be used, but also to be contemplated. They can hold memory, ritual, or stillness – function becomes a vessel for emotional resonance."

Danish glassware designer Mardahl and Dutch ceramic designer van Hoof both created alternate versions of their best-known works. Mardahl's is a stone edition of her Bon Bon vessel, while van Hoof's is a glass model of his I Didn't Do Enough vase.

Other standout pieces include a dish by Copenhagen-based gallerist Roe, formed of balls of green marble, and a table by Dutch designer and wood specialist Adriaanse, made from overlapping marble pieces.

"Knowing that the material used in my table was formed millions of years ago makes it feel incredibly special and humbling to be able to design with it," said Adriaanse.

Project Materia is on show at Landemærket 10 in Copenhagen from 18 to 20 June as part of 3 Days of Design. Dezeen Events Guide offers a guide to the festival plus more events and shows around the world.

The photography is by Armin Tehrani.

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Design studio Nendo has created a set of beer glasses for Japanese brewery Sapporo, featuring bell-shaped bases that make a cheerful clinking sound when they touch.

The set of two matching glasses is the latest in a series of quirky products created by Oki Sato's studio in response to a brief from Sapporo Black Label, calling for the "perfect glass" to suit different scenarios.

Following on from last year's design, which featured a wavy silhouette intended to maximise the beer's aroma and flavour, the "perfect cheers glass" adds a further sensory element to the drinking experience.

In addition to seeing, smelling and tasting the liquid, the bell-shaped design produces a pleasantly crisp and resonant tone when clinking glasses, much like a champagne flute.

"Rather than designing for the lively clinking of beer mugs in a large gathering, the focus was to design the quiet and delicate 'cheers' shared between two people," Nendo said.

Recognising that filled beer glasses usually produce a relatively dull sound when used for a toast, the designers added a bell-shaped foot at the bottom of the glass.

The size and thickness of this base were refined over numerous iterations to achieve the optimal tone and resonance when the glasses are brought together.

Crystal glass was used to achieve the perfect clarity of sound. The pieces are manufactured in the Czech Republic by artisans capable of working to tolerances as precise as 0.1 millimetres.

The result is a beer glass with a familiar form but a unique detail that embodies Nendo's signature playful design approach.

Sato founded Nendo in 2002 and has since developed hundreds of projects that aim to redefine everyday experiences by introducing a touch of whimsy or cleverness.

The studio recently revamped the interiors of France's high-speed TGV trains and was also responsible for the spherical cauldron used at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Nendo has previously worked on other projects related to beer drinking, including a beer can with two angled pull tabs that help to create an ideal foam when pouring.

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A glazed conservatory with a pleated roof is among the enhancements to the century-old Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, designed by New York studio Weiss/Manfredi and landscape firm Reed Hilderbrand.

The project – called Longwood Reimagined – involved a range of updates to the 1,100-acre (445-hectare) horticultural garden in the town of Kennett Square, located about an hour's drive from Philadelphia.

Situated in the verdant Brandywine Valley, the property was once the private estate of wealthy industrialist Pierre S Du Pont, which he purchased in 1906. Upon his death in 1954, the property became a public garden and today features more than 10,000 species of plants.

Over a decade ago, the site's nonprofit owner, The Longwood Foundation, set out to update a central portion of the site, totalling 17 acres (6.9 hectares). In addition to new landscapes, the project called for several new structures and the renovation of existing facilities.

New York-based studio Weiss/Manfredi served as the architect, and Massachusetts-based Reed Hilderbrand was the landscape architect. The studios aimed to shape a narrative journey for visitors, creating different experiences for the different spaces.

"We envisioned this transformation of 17 acres as a cinematic journey, a sequence of experiences that range from intimate to grand, reshaping the western grounds into a cultural campus that brings Longwood into a new century," said studio principals Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi.

The centrepiece of the project is the West Conservatory, a 2,973-square-metre (32,000-square-foot) glazed building that holds a Mediterranean garden. Featuring a roof with "asymmetrical, crystalline peaks", the building appears to float over a shallow pool.

"The pleated roof, branching columns and tapered perspectives extend the marriage of architecture and horticulture that is intrinsic to Longwood's identity," said Weiss and Manfredi.

Inside the West Conservatory, one finds canals, bridges, stone paths and brick-lined terraces. The garden features 60 species of permanent plants, with an additional 90 species introduced seasonally throughout the year.

The main level of the building is passively cooled and heated via a series of 300-foot-long (91-metre) tubes buried underground. Fresh air passes through the "earth ducts" and is naturally cooled or warmed by the earth, depending on the season.

The building's lower level is cooled and heated by a system of 128 geothermal wells drilled approximately 96 metres deep (315 feet).

In addition to the West Conservatory, a smaller conservatory – this one totalling 353 square metres (3,800 square feet) – was built to conserve a tropical landscape created in 1992 by the late Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.

Called the Cascade Garden, the installation consists of lush plants, rock walls, pools and waterfalls. It formerly was on view in an older building on campus and represents Marx's only surviving project in North America.

Beyond the conservatories, the project entailed the utilisation of an existing administrative building called the Grove, which contains staff offices, classrooms and a 20,000-volume library. A glazed facade features tall screens and roof canopies that help mitigate solar heat gain.

Longwood's fine-dining restaurant was relocated to a new space behind the main conservatory. A retaining wall was removed to make way for the eatery, which has a vaulted ceiling and large arched windows providing direct views of a central fountain.

The project also entailed restoring a century-old structure that holds a prized orchid collection and creating an outdoor bonsai gallery.

Clipped hornbeam hedges were used to create rooms within the open-air bonsai gallery, where some plants are more than 110 years old. Charred wood walls, cast-stone panels and cypress pedestals are among the other design elements, along with Yoshino cherry trees.

Adjacent to the bonsai gallery is a workshop, which is housed in a former potting shed.

The sweeping project also entailed interventions in the spaces between the buildings, such as new trees, generous promenades and shaded overlooks. A new arcade brings renewed focus to the property's historical Waterlily Court, which was also restored.

Other horticultural and botanical gardens in the US include the "world's first net-positive energy" botanical garden in Florida by studios Olin and Overland, and an Oregon botanical garden that features an aerial tree walk, a wooden event pavilion and other elements designed by Land Morphology and Olson Kundig Architects.

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Czech glassworks Moser has developed a series of hand-blown crystal vases featuring crisp lines and an atmospheric colour palette that evokes the design of brutalist buildings from the mid-20th century.

The Magnus collection was designed by Moser's creative director Jan Plecháč, who initially became interested in the principles of brutalism more than a decade ago while studying architecture at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (UMPRUM) in Prague.

Plecháč wanted to explore how brutalist principles could be applied to a completely different material and felt that the contrast between the movement's uncompromising aesthetic and the fragility of hand-blown crystal would produce intriguing results.

"The collection emerged from my deep and lasting fascination with brutalism – a movement known for its clarity, strength and raw, unrestrained approach to mass and form," Plecháč told Dezeen.

"Each vase in the Magnus collection has its own character, shape and scale, yet they're bound by a shared visual language," he added.

"Like a series of architectural volumes, they communicate together while retaining individuality. The goal was to channel the essence of brutalism into something unexpected – glass that behaves like architecture."

The bold lines and proportions of Plecháč's vessels were designed to evoke brutalist buildings, typically characterised by expressive and functionalist forms that display elements of their construction.

The collection's colour palette also references interiors from the brutalist period, which often featured warm, earthy tones to complement the ruggedness and raw materiality of the architecture.

The vessels are made using a traditional process known as underlaying, which enables colours to be layered in order to produce a dynamic visual effect that shifts and responds to light.

The Magnus collection is the first in Moser's history to combine shades of topaz and blue, which together create a subtle yellow-green hue, while the base of the vases is finished in smoky reddish-brown tones.

"This mood, this sense of both warmth and austerity, was exactly what I sought to infuse into the glass – creating not just colours, but an emotional connection to the space they inhabit," he explained.

The collection comprises three different-sized vases, crafted at Moser's workshop in Karlovy Vary using artisanal methods including hand blowing, surface cutting, melting and colour mixing.

This melding of heritage and innovation is typical of Plecháč's approach since he became Moser's creative director in 2022. The 168-year-old brand is renowned for its handmade crystal artworks, but Plecháč is keen to ensure it also produces objects that are suited to modern design sensibilities.

"By honouring traditional techniques we're able to push the boundaries of what's possible, creating something that feels both timeless and forward-thinking," he added. "Through this collection, we're not just preserving our past; we're shaping the future of Moser."

Before joining Moser, Plecháč was known for his fruitful collaboration with Czech glassworks Lasvit, as well as his work with fellow UMPRUM graduate Henry Wielgus.

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Milan-based design studio 6AM has installed Murano glass lamps, sconces and other objects among unfinished shower stalls located in the basement of the Piscina Cozzi pool house in Milan for the city's design week.

The Two Fold Silence exhibition displays new and existing work by 6AM, as well as prototypes, such as unfinished chandeliers and a towel rail made of glass murrini rods and stainless steel brackets.

The 41 pieces were installed on the walls and floors of a long series of unfinished shower stalls in the basement of the 1930s Piscina Cozzi building, designed by engineer Luigi Secchi.

Although the upper floor contains an expansive, working swimming pool, hydrotherapy facilities originally planned for the basement were never finished due to worsening circumstances under Italy's fascist regime during the building's completion.

6AM reflects this "incompleteness" with its works in a variety of stages.

"This is not about the creation of discrete works, but rather the orchestration of moments and gaps," said the studio in a statement. "Each object is both a declaration and an omission, a presence haunted by its own incompleteness."

"The venue defined the installation," the studio continued.

"We didn't want to impose a structure on the space but rather respond to it. Its raw, untouched state guided how we positioned the works – some aligned with the existing architecture, others interrupting it."

"The contrast between the rationalist structure and the more instinctive, experimental nature of some pieces created the tension we were aiming for"

A chandelier designed in collaboration with architectural designer Hannes Peer marks each entrance to the long rows of shower corridors that fill the basement.

Visitors snake through each row, which contain 14 stalls each, with lamps, sconces or other objects designed by 6AM installed periodically.

The pieces include the Quadarto wall lamp. Part of the studio's newest works informed by industrial lamps from the 1920s, it is composed of six lattimo handblown glass cubes that each feature a different finish, including small, blue letters spelling "6:AM" scrawled across a corner.

Another single Quadarto cube was screen-printed with "Exit" across its surfaces, and in a neighboring stall, the studio displayed a modular shelving unit made of industrial glass found at construction sites.

6AM was founded in 2018 by designers Edoardo Pandolfo and Francesco Palù. The brand is based in Milan but works extensively in Murano to create its glassworks.

Other exhibitions and installations on display during Milan design week 2025 include a minimalist installation by Hermès at the former 1940s sports court La Pelota and a waterfall installation by Samuel Ross.

The photography is by Melania Dalle Grave.

Two-Fold Silence is on display at Piscina Cozzi from 6 to 12 April 2025 as part of Milan design week. See our Milan design week 2025 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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Dezeen Showroom: Czech lighting brand Bomma worked with glassmakers Studio Dechem to release a pendant light that features a fringe of multicoloured glass.

Fragment Line lighting comprises a metal strip that holds a pair of parallel rectilinear glass panels. It is suspended by vertical rods at two points along its frame.

These sheets are comprised of individual glass fragments fused together by molten glass – a technique developed by Studio Dechem.

"Fragment Line captures the dialogue between light and nature, where melted shards drift like clouds over horizons," said Bomma. "The diversity of these fragments enables a fascinating play of light refraction."

Due to its linear silhouette, it is intended for installation above tables and kitchen islands in domestic interiors, as well as in meeting rooms, bars and lobbies.

Users can select from two directions of light and either cool or warm toned lighting, depending on where and when it is used.

Product details:

Product: Fragment Line
Designer: Studio Dechem
Brand: Bomma
Contact: info@bomma.cz

Materials: glass, metal
Colours/finishes: white or black glass, brushed silver or brushed gold
Dimensions: 1400 x 125 x 163 millimetres

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

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A splash-shaped installation and a glass light imprinted with a tree branch feature in this video edited by Dezeen for Czech glass brand Lasvit as part of Milan design week.

Titled Splash, the installation sits at the heart of the brand's Soaked In Light exhibition at the Eurolace lighting fair, Hall 6.

Splash was designed by Martin Gallo for Lasvit

Created by Lasvit designer Martin Gallo, Splash is an assemblage of fused glass fragments that have been moulded to resemble water in motion.

Overhead spotlights penetrate the installation, which has been suspended from the ceiling, to cast ripple-like patterns of light and shadow on to the surrounding surfaces.

The exhibition also debuts a pendant light by French designer Patrick Joiun.

Called Vera, the concept features a suspended vertical glass cylinder that has been imprinted by a tree branch to resemble the texture of bark.

According to Lasvit, the inspiration for the design came from a visit Jouin paid to the brand's glassworks in Nový Bor, Czech Republic.

The texture of the wood was achieved by adapting a technique used to make fused glass.

Instead of using a traditional mould, molten glass was poured directly on to a tree branch.

The resulting fused glass cylinder was then enclosed by a second skin made of smooth, handmade borosilicate glass.

Lasvit's art director Maxim Velčovský also unveiled LOOMO, a collection of gold-coloured wall sconces with fabric textures, while Czech designer Jan Plecháč launched Niveo, an attempt to capture the chaotic energy of hailstorms in the form of sculptural handblown glass.

Soaked in Light is open to the public at Hall 6, Stand C39 D38 from 8-13 April at this year's Milan design week.

See our Milan design week guide 2025 on Dezeen Events Guide for more information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Lasvit. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Dezeen Showroom: clusters of puddle-like glass pieces illuminated by thin LED elements define the 141 lighting series by Canadian brand Bocci.

Formed from free-pouring ladles of hot glass over rods, the 141 lighting series was designed by Bocci to be hung as a single piece or in groups.

"At Bocci, accidents and the unintended are at the heart of our practice," said Bocci's co-founder Omer Arbel.

"We focus on inventing processes, not designing forms, always embracing the unexpected," added Arbel. "141 reflects this – it's forward looking while demonstrating a renewed respect for restraint and simplicity."

The LED light winds through the individual clear glass pieces, replacing the rod over which the hot glass was poured to create them.

Bocci said the experimental design nods to the brand's origins, bearing similarities to its first light named 14, which launched in 2005 as a result of "unintended accidents".

"This journey of exploration and refinement has culminated in the 141, a dynamic free poured glasswork born from years of experimentation," said Bocci.

Product details:

Product: 141 lighting series
Brand: Bocci
Contact: designteam@bocci.com

Materials: ladle-poured glass, LED lamp, electrical components
Colours/finishes: clear glass with nickel hardware
Dimensions: 250 to 380 millimetres

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

Dezeen Showroom new releases newsletter

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This month's Dezeen In Depth newsletter examines the environmental impact of glazed skyscrapers and features an interview with former Space10 head Kaave Pour. Subscribe to Dezeen In Depth today!

Despite ongoing criticism of their environmental impact, glass skyscrapers continue to dominate city skylines. Jon Astbury investigates why.

The latest edition of Dezeen In Depth also features an interview with former Space10 head Kaave Pour and an opinion piece by Catherine Slessor on art deco.

Dezeen In Depth

Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. Each edition includes an original feature article on a key topic or trend, an interview with a prominent industry figure and an opinion piece from a leading critic. Read the latest edition of Dezeen In Depth or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Thursday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Debate is sent every Tuesday featuring a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories and Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours on Dezeen.

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Despite criticisms about their environmental impact, glazed skyscrapers continue to spring up in cities around the world. Jon Astbury investigates why they remain so popular.

In 2011, British architect Ken Shuttleworth – who designed the Gherkin while at Foster + Partners – declared that "the tall glass box is dead".

He doubled down a few years later, telling the BBC: "We can't have those all-glass buildings. We need to be much more responsible." Speaking to CNN in 2018, he described a "sea change in attitudes" towards the typology.

"We created too many large expanses of glass"

Shuttleworth's is not a fringe view. In 2021, Morphosis partner Ung-Joo Scott Lee and Kohn Pedersen Fox president James von Klemperer also predicted the demise of the glazed tower in interviews with Dezeen.

"I think we all feel, as a community of architects, that we all created and had built too many large expanses of glass in our cities," said Von Klemperer.

For their proponents, glass skyscrapers remain one of the most powerful and economically attractive ways of staking a claim on a city and skyline.

But for their critics, they are gleaming symbols of all that is wrong with modern architecture and construction, representing the maximising of real estate regardless of how energy-guzzling or visually homogenous the results may be.

As pressure to decarbonise the built environment intensifies, the scrutiny is only growing.

Studies have shown that the environmental performance of glass buildings simply does not stack up. Nowhere in the world does it make practical sense to cover a building entirely in glass – they require air conditioning in summer and leak heat in winter.

"There's strong evidence we are over-glazing our buildings," said Phillip Oldfield, head of the school of the built environment at UNSW Sydney and author of The Sustainable Tall Building: A Design Primer.

"Most towers probably have a window to wall ratio of 50 to 80 per cent. Research suggests in office buildings in Europe, the optimal ratio is closer to 30 to 45 per cent – but this should differ on each facade," he told Dezeen.

"The trend, rather than being dead, is accelerating"

In spite of all of this, the sea change predicted by Shuttleworth, Scott Lee, Von Klemperer and others is yet to happen. In some places, the trend seems to point in the opposite direction.

A quick glance at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's list of the 100 tallest buildings under construction shows that most are all-glass, steel and concrete-framed skyscrapers, regardless of geographic location.

Even in New York City, where in 2019 then-mayor Bill de Blasio said that glass skyscrapers "have no place in our city or our Earth anymore", proposals for such buildings continue to emerge – including a design for a 487-metre-tall tower on Park Avenue by architecture studio Foster + Partners, unveiled in September.

"I think the trend, rather than being dead, is accelerating for two reasons," said Oldfield.

"One: glass curtain walling is incredibly successful as a building product. It combines all the basic performance requirements of the building skin (acoustic, thermal, solar, visual, et cetera) into one comprehensive product that can be quickly lifted on site and fitted into place – so it's an efficient and economical solution."

"Two: I think there's still a weird obsession with skyscrapers portraying a sleek, transparent aesthetic – a hangover from the modern movement," he said.

The history of the glass skyscraper is often told through this lens: that of a sleek, transparent emblem for technological advancement, openness and democracy borne of the modernist era.

Whether its origins are attributed to Charles Burton's tall, skinny reimagining of Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's unbuilt entry to the Friedrichstrasse Skyscraper competition, the type is often closely linked to ideas of industrialisation and progress.

"Skyscrapers will probably always hold symbolic meaning," noted UK Green Building Council chief executive Smith Mordak. "For some they denote wealth and achievement, for others they signify inequality and misuse of resources."

"The best we can hope is that those contemplating building one are thinking about all these meanings when assessing feasibility in the round," they added.

Gap between architects and developers

Within its earliest examples were the seeds of glass curtain walling's problems. Glare and overheating in Paxton's Crystal Palace made its internal conditions notoriously unstable – to the point where sections had to be covered with canvas.

Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building in New York – in many respects the original model for glass skyscrapers – made headlines in 2012 when it was revealed its energy-star rating was just 3 out of 100: the worst score of any building in the city.

But with glass curtain walls being so cheap to produce, install and maintain as well as offering an open interior with maximum daylight and views of the surrounding city, they became a no-brainer for developers wanting the best possible return on their sites.

Speaking in 2020 about his research into the carbon impacts of tall, often glazed buildings in London, UCL emeritus professor Phillip Steadman noted that developers "are much harder to convince" about the need for alternatives.

Now, a widening gap exists between some architects and their clients. For example, Robert Greenwood, a director at Snøhetta, is unequivocal about the Norwegian architecture studio's view.

"For our part, we do declare once again that the all-glass skyscraper is finally dead," he told Dezeen. "Commercially driven, this objectification of architecture seeks to celebrate what the building is, rather than what it does."

"Most locations will demand more of the building than that it stands alone as a reflective tower, glazed equally on all facades."

Nevertheless, Snøhetta still works on skyscraper projects that are predominantly glass, as do Morphosis and KPF.

New materials and technologies

New technologies that improve the thermal efficiency of glass curtain walling are continuously emerging, and proponents argue they see off the worst criticisms about unsustainability.

Indeed, Mies van der Rohe himself predicted the necessity of these developments, saying of his modernist glass boxes that it was "up to the engineers to find some way to stop the heat from coming in or going out."

"Technologically, recent improvements in glass systems have greatly reduced energy use, through an optimised approach to heating and cooling," Pelli Clarke & Partners partner Darin Cook told Dezeen.

The US architecture studio continues to build numerous all-glass skyscrapers worldwide, recently completing the Salesforce Tower in Chicago, but now tends to incorporate special coatings in the facade that reduce heat gain or integrate solar panels.

The most advanced glazed curtain walls are now composed of up to four layers of glass, such as Zaha Hadid Architects' glass skyscraper on what is reportedly the world's most expensive plot in Hong Kong, featuring four-ply, double-laminated, double-curved insulated glass panels.

But Oldfield has his doubts about this technical solutionism.

"My big criticism is we seem to be adding more materials and technologies to solve a problem that could easily be solved by simply using less glass," he said.

Additionally, while the advancement of glass panel systems helps to reduce carbon impact during the building's operational lifespan, these benefits can be outweighed by being far more carbon-intensive to create and more difficult to recycle.

"In practice, the recycling and re-use of complex flat-glass facade components is notoriously difficult," said Greenwood. "Today almost all glass materials removed from glazed cladding systems are typically downcycled or landfilled."

Mordak echoes these concerns. "To create buildings according to circular economy principles, things need to be made with reclaimed and recycled materials as much as possible, be repairable, and also be demountable and recyclable at the end of their lives," they explained.

"This can be more challenging when tall buildings need to be so highly engineered as to require very high-performance materials."

While glass itself is considered to have a service life of 60 years and up, the insulated panels common in curtain walling are thought to last between 25 and 35 years.

Upgrading these systems is possible. In the refurbishment of 1 Triton Square in London, for example, facade suppliers Scheldebouw removed the original glass curtain wall panels, refurbished and reinstalled them.

But as hundreds of tall glazed buildings reach "retrofit age", Oldfield is doubtful about whether this will be most developers' preferred option.

"Around the world there are some 944 office buildings more than 100 metres tall that were completed between 1953 and 1983, and are probably in danger of demolition," he said. "That's millions of tonnes of embodied carbon at risk."

Some architects do appear to be having success in convincing developers to go for a more contextual alternative to the all-glazed facade.

In particular, the US has seen a recent shift back towards the more solid facades that defined the earliest high-rises.

And even long-time designers of glass skyscrapers such as Pelli Clarke & Partners acknowledge the role of better suiting climates and conditions.

"While glass-clad towers will likely remain a staple of architectural design, designers are increasingly leveraging new materials and systems to better suit local climates and conditions, and in many cases, reducing the surface amount of glass and incorporating alternative materials," said Cook.

Detractors of the glazed curtain wall may view that as a small but hopeful sign of progress – but while the glass skyscraper might be dead in the minds of architects, for the many others who shape our cities it remains alive and well.

The top photo is by Antoine Pouligny via Unsplash.

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Architecture studio KPF has completed the Ziraat Bank Headquarters skyscrapers as the centrepiece of the Istanbul International Financial Center in Turkey.

Rising 40- and 46-storeys-high, the towers are made up of interconnected glass structures that widen at their tops and are joined by a podium at their base.

Encompassing 450,000-square-metres, the complex completed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) in collaboration with local studio A Tasarim Mimarlik contains the headquarters for the bank along with an auditorium, retail space and underground parking.

Externally, the towers are defined by horizontal bands that divide each office level.

Set off from this largely glass exterior, ornate screens typical of Islamic architecture surround the podium building.

Designed as an extension of the district's public space, the podium contains retail space on the ground floor, which is accessed via entrances fronted by a courtyard.

"Ziraat Bank Headquarters is a modern building with deep roots in Istanbul's physical and cultural context," said KPF design principal Mustafa Chehabeddine.

"Our concept was for the podium to incorporate interpretive refences to the intricate style of the region's rich historic architecture, with a layered, screen-like approach to shading, while the towers display a horizontal banding," he continued.

"The building geometry gently and gradually expands toward the top, resulting in a sculptural form that celebrates the growth and development of Ziraat Bank."

Inside, the building opens up to a bright, lofty interior lit by expansive glass facades and complete with large structural columns, and stone and wooden details.

An eight-storey atrium is crossed by a number of bridges that connect various parts of the building.

KPF used local stone and wood throughout the development – extending to the auditorium, which is clad in curving panels of CNC-milled limestone.

According to the studio, timber was used to "create a sense of intimacy" in the auditorium, which has a series of waving roof panels designed to improve acoustics.

The towers contain office space for the bank with shared amenities such as prayer rooms and gardens provided throughout.

Additionally, spacious, landscaped roof terraces provide shared outdoor space equipped with seating space.

Elsewhere KPF is set to complete a supertall skyscraper that pays homage to New York City's beaux-arts architecture in Midtown Manhattan and a redesign of Foster and Partners' HSBC skyscraper that will include a series of cut-out terraces.

Dezeen also recently rounded up the top 10 skyscrapers of 2024, which include the One Za'abeel towers in Dubai by Nikken Sekkei.

The photography is by Dirk Lindner. 

Project credits: 

Local architect: A Tasarim Mimarlik
Structure: Arup
Construction manager: Turner International
Contractor: Kalyon İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
Facade engineers: ALT
Workplace consultants: KKS Strategy
Office interiors: A+I Asia
Acoustical consultant: Mezzo
LEED consultant: Altensis
Signage: Symbius
Landscape: DDS
Kitchen design: Tricon
AV, IT & BMU consultant: WSP
Lighting design: PJC

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Architecture studio Aedas has completed the Yohoo Museum on an artificial island in Hangzhou, China, which is shaped like an infinity loop.

Located within Liangzhu Yohoo Park at the centre of Hangzhou's Yuhang District, the museum is located on an island in an artificial lake, which connects to the over 2,500-year-old Grand Canal.

Named Yohoo Museum, the building has an undulating roof design that takes the form of two interlocking rings. Two circular light wells were created within the interlocking rings that, according to the studio, symbolise the connection between heaven and earth.

"It symbolises the connection between the culture of Liangzhu and the Grand Canal, serving as a link that bridges the ancient and the modern," Aedas explained.

The two-storey museum has office space on the ground floor with exhibition space on the first floor.

The museum is entirely clad in a glass facade and roof that was informed by jade, a rare gem stone in China.

A translucent multilayer laminated glass, known as "emerald glass", was used to create a bright and evenly lit interior for the museum visitors.

According to the studio, the glass's crystal-like quality imitates jade's gentle warmth. Vertical and horizontal framing of the glass panels were organised to create a naturally flowing curvature.

"The glass panels resemble the form of jades, optimising a subtle balance of opacity and transparency between the exterior and interior and connecting between history and culture," Aedas global design principal told Ken Wai.

"Sunlight penetrates the interiors through the translucent glass panels, creating a bright, soft interplay of light and shadow indoors."

Built with a steel frame structure, the two ends of the museum were gently raised off the ground without visible support. These elements overhand the entrances to the museum and partially cover a pair of public plazas.

Visitors can access the museum via a meandering walkway above the lake on either side that connects to the green land of the park.

Other projects recently completed by Aedas include a pair of round-edged towers with bronze fins in Hangzhou, and "most twisted tower in the world" in Chongqing.

The photography is by Qianxi Zhang.

Project credits:

Client: Hangzhou Liangzhu Transportation Investment Group Co
Design collaborator: Power China Huadong Engineering Corporatio

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Architecture studio Kennon has completed the 550 Spencer office building in Australia, forming the "first building in the country" to be powered on-site by a solar facade system.

Located in Melbourne, the office building is defined by pleated glass facades that sit atop a brick base.

Seeking to challenge current approaches to energy use in buildings, Kennon integrated 1,182 solar panels into the building's transparent facades – effectively reducing its annual carbon emissions by 70-tonnes.

Drawing on advanced European glazing tools, Kennon worked with both local and international experts to create 550 Spencer's intricate system.

"550 Spencer is the first building in the country to use its façade as a system for capturing on-site solar energy," the studio said.

"By harnessing the power of sunlight, this development challenges traditional approaches to energy use, offering a glimpse of sustainable architecture where innovation and aesthetics can coexisting and unite."

Other energy-saving strategies featured in the design include the use of solid solar panels on the north-facing facade to capture sunlight, while clear glass panels were used on the southern facade to reduce heat gain.

This strategy intends to create a comfortable environment inside the building, where decorative details include tiled floors and pleated wooden walls reminiscent of the facades.

A rooftop garden tops the structure and hosts built-in seating space wrapped by vegetation.

"With 1,182 solar panels mounted to the façade, space is created for a rooftop garden, giving occupants a green space to enjoy, inviting connection and community," the studio said.

The studio hopes that the building will give rise to more sustainable, energy-efficient structures.

"550 Spencer Street stands as a reflection of what we can achieve collectively when design, technology and sustainability unite," the studio said.

"It reminds us that architecture can be more than a shelter or structure, it can be a living testament to our responsibility to the planet," it added. "It shapes a future that meets the evolving needs of society while inspiring and guiding generations to come."

Other recently completed projects that adopt sustainable approaches include a group of off-grid holiday homes in Finland and a lake-side retreat made predominantly of recycled steel in Mexico.

Dezeen also previously rounded up ten buildings that incorporate solar panels in creative ways, featuring Google's undulating Bay View campus built from 50,000 solar panels in the US.

The photography is by Tom Ross.

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Australian architecture studio Bates Smart has referenced Australia's architectural culture and the "monolithic forms" of its landscape for the design of an embassy in Washington DC, cladding it with glass and copper.

The building replaces a 1960s embassy constructed by Bates Smart McCutcheon on the same property, bringing the mid-century facility into the 21st century.

"The progression from the 1967 international style embassy to the new architecture is emblematic of Australia's emerging art and culture identifying and celebrating what is uniquely Australian," Simon Swaney, the former managing director of Melbourne-based Bates Smart, said.

Completed in 2023, the 9,890-square metre (214,094-square foot) complex completes Scott Circle at the intersection of 16th Street and Massachusetts Avenue and transitions from a residential neighborhood to a commercial district. The building's main entrance is oriented south toward the White House.

"The embassy's monolithic form is inspired by Australia's iconic landscape and embodies the essence of an ancient and vast continent inhabited by the world's oldest continuous living culture," the team said.

The rectangular form – with the southwestern corner cut off at a slant to accommodate the radial street organization – is clad in alternating vertical bands of reflective glass and folded copper that create "varying degrees of openness".

"The appearance of the building changes throughout the day depending on the perspective of the viewer," the team said.

"A striking tectonic quality, where large shadow line joints define a series of aggregated forms, creates a dialogue between positive and negative space."

At the entrance, the copper bands run down the facade and bend back upwards to form cantilevering fans next to a thin awning. Inside, the entryway transitions to a large atrium that runs along the north-south axis of the building and connects the ground to the sky.

The atrium is wrapped in bands of Australian timber that transition from rough to smooth – mirroring the "protective qualities of the bark during the eucalypt forest's cycle of growth, burn and regrowth".

While the ground floor is primarily for public functions, the second and third staff levels are divided into social and work zones, separated from the public realm but a security screening area.

The second floor contains a large informal bar and a series of breakout spaces linked by a feature staircase. Meanwhile, the upper level is more flexible with a large U-shaped open plan that can adapt to agency requirements.

Key social and offices are marked by intricate metallic filigree screens that mediate both light and privacy.

Bespoke rugs designed after Australian First Nations artworks, handcrafted furniture – that was selected through a partnership with the Design Institute of Australia – and a display of Australian and Indigenous artworks complete the interiors.

The embassy is targeting a LEED Gold rating and Green Building Council of Australia's Greenstar rating.

Recently Bates Smart completed a skinny skyscraper in Melbourne that measures just 11.5 metres wide and proposed a football stadium suspended above Sydney's Central Station.

The photography is by Joe Fletcher.

Project credits:

Developer: DFAT OPO
Architect and Interior Designer: Bates Smart
Architect of record: KCCT
General contractor: Clark Constructions
Project manager: Jacobs
Cost consultants: Rider Levett Bucknall
Structural and facade engineer: Aurecon/SGH
Mechanical, electrical, fire, hydraulic, vertical transport, AV, Security/communications consultants: Aurecon/Interface
Fire engineering, acoustic, ESD consultant: Aurecon/Arup
Signage: Ongarato
Traffic consultant: Wells & Associates
Civil consultant: Aurecon/Sorba
Kitchen consultant: Chris Live Design/Culinary Advisors
Landscape consultant: TCL Wiles Mensch
Lighting consultant: Electrolight/ONE SOURCE
Townplanning consultant: Holland & Knight
DDA/OHS consultant: du Chateau Chun

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American architecture studio SOM has completed the Schwarzman College of Computing, an eight-storey, glass-wrapped building designed to be a "collaborative nexus" on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge.

Encompassing 185,000 square feet (17,187 square metres), the building – officially called the Stephen A Schwarzman College of Computing –  is located on Vassar Street in the northern portion of the MIT campus.

The building holds departments related to computer science and artificial intelligence. Nearly half of the undergraduate students at MIT are either majoring or minoring in these fields of study.

"The college provides a dynamic and flexible hub for teaching, learning, research and collaboration in this growing field," said SOM, which served as the building's architect and engineer.

Moreover, the building plays a role in "creating a community presence", said Colin Koop, a partner at SOM.

"It enhances the pedestrian setting outside while also reinforcing the experience of the college as an inviting, collaborative nexus for the community across campus," said Koop.

Rectangular in plan, the eight-storey building rises up from an urban lot.

SOM conceived the building as a pair of twin pavilions are wrapped in large glass shingles, which "protrude outward to add textural definition" and help establish a monumental presence.

Beyond their aesthetic function, the shingles enhance the building's energy performance.

Each shingle comprises an outer layer of laminated glass and an inner layer of triple-insulated glass – a configuration used “to create a thermal buffer during the winter and reflect the sun in the summer,” the team said.

The central front entrance is marked by an "ultra-transparent" curtain wall, which steps back to make room for a plaza.

The glazing provides clear views of a spacious double-height lobby, which has white oak finishes and a pair of communicating stairs. Between the stairs is a seating alcove at ground level and terraced seating up above.

The building contains a mix of spaces, including classrooms, labs, collaboration zones, conference rooms, faculty offices and a 250-seat lecture hall.

"At the top of the building, a 340-person event area and terrace frame the Cambridge and Boston skylines," the team said.

The project came with complex engineering challenges, as an active train track runs across the northern side of the parcel.

After exploring various ways of arranging the structural columns and load distribution, SOM decided on a clear, 44-foot-long (13-metre) span over the tracks.

"This placement of the columns required incredible precision to navigate the railway's utilities, with only two inches of clearance," the team said.

"By pushing the columns to the edge of the structure, each floor can be modified as educational needs evolve, and will retain the flexibility to expand from the back in the future."

Adaptability was a guiding concern for the design team – and was a key part of the project's sustainability strategy.

Other sustainable elements include ample daylighting, solar-controlled fabric shades and water-saving plumbing fixtures.

Interior finishes are "Red List free", meaning they don't contain unhealthy chemicals that have been "red-listed" by the International Living Future Institute. The white oak used in the lobby is FSC certified.

The building is topped with a large green roof that helps with onsite stormwater management. Moreover, to provide protection from flooding, the building rises two feet above street level.

The building is on track to receive LEED Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council.

Other recent projects by SOM include a "vertical campus" in Cambridge for the US Department of Transportation in Cambridge and a supertall skyscraper with "monolithic simplicity" in New York City.

The photography is by Dave Burk and Lucas Blair Simpson.

Project credits:

Architect, interior designer and structural engineer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
SOM architecture team: Colin Koop (design partner); Laura Ettelman (managing partner); Carrie Moore (technical design partner); Leonard Lopate and Julia Grabazs (associate principals); Lulu Li and Catharine Pyenson (associates); Edwin O’Brien, Bryan Kim andJason Dufilho (senior designers); Eugene Ong, David Amdie and Boer Den (intermediate designers); Trey Thomas (designer); Ivy Wang (architect)
SOM engineering team: Charles Besjak (structural engineering principal); Georgi Petrov (senior associate principal, structural engineering); Selam Gebru (associate, structural engineering); Rowan Georges (senior associate principal, specifications writer)
MEP, sustainability, fire & life safety consultant: ARUP
Civil engineer: Nitsch Engineering
Landscape architect: Reed Hilderbrand
Lighting design: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
AV/IT/security/acoustics: Vantage Technology
Signage/wayfinding: Pentagram
Cost estimating: AECOM
Programming: Brightspot
Lab planner: Research Facilities Design
Vertical transportation: Lerch Bates
Hardware: Allegion
General contractor: Suffolk Construction

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Czech designers Kristýna Mikolášková and Tereza Drobná have developed a collection of colourful glass side tables that can be combined with smaller metal models to alter their appearance.

The Candy Tables were designed by Mikolášková&Drobná as nesting pieces that can function individually or stack together.

Produced in a range of six solid hues, the cylindrical metal tables take on a different aesthetic when layered with one of the taller glass elements.

The tables are sold individually in colours including orange, lilac, pink, yellow, blue and mint green, which the designers said were informed by pastel sweets.

Offering what Mikolášková and Drobná described as "a fresh take on accent side tables", the collection allows users to customise the look and feel of a space by combining colours to produce different effects.

The glass tables feature a gradient effect that is introduced during the production process using a spray technique. A layer of matte white is then added to create the translucent effect towards the bottom.

The tables are manufactured using traditional methods by glass artisans from the Nový Bor and Železný Brod regions.

"To minimise material waste, the glass tables are created by cutting a several-metre-long glass cylinder," the designers explained. "The top part is then attached as a 'lid' and finally, everything is manually polished to ensure the tables are formally impeccable."

The metal tables are made from rolled sheet material and feature small feet that raise the bases off the floor.

The collection includes two sizes – a low version where the glass table has a 450-millimetre diameter and a taller size with a diameter of 300 millimetres.

Mikolášková and Drobná studied design together at the Czech Technical University in Prague before founding their studio in 2021. Their work draws inspiration from culture, architecture and scenography, often using colour to give the pieces a distinct sense of personality.

For the Candy Tables, the designers chose to revisit their original specialisms: Drobná is a trained glass artist and Mikolášková typically focuses on metalwork.

"From the beginning, our vision has been to gradually create various types of products and furniture that visually harmonise with each other and can enliven any already furnished space," the pair explained.

"With the Candy Tables series, after cushions and wooden screens, we are once again returning to our signature materials."

The tables were presented at the 26th edition of the Designblok design fair in Prague in an installation called Candy Factory with acoustic design studio Lappa.

Highlights from previous editions of the festival include a wax urn and an online configurator for modular wooden homes.

Cake Factory was on show at Designblok from 2 to 6 October 2024 at various locations across Prague. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Hollow glass blocks assembled similarly to a self-supporting stone arch make up the Serpentine Bell, a sculpture by Palestinian architects AAU Anastas and Japanese sound artist Tomoko Sauvage.

The glass installation was commissioned by Champagne house Ruinart and sits in the sculpture garden of the company's headquarters in Reims in the north of France.

The work combines a structure of interlocking glass bricks made by AAU Anastas directors Yousef Anastas and Elias Anastas with a soundscape created by Sauvage incorporating recordings of water and bubbles.

The glass bricks are assembled using techniques borrowed from stereotomy, which is the practice of cutting stone or wood into particular shapes to build complex structures. It is one of the focuses of the architects' ongoing research project, Stone Matters.

The Anastases and Sauvage intended the Serpentine Bell to explore the meeting point of their material experimentations and to reflect on the value of collaboration.

"Tomoko's work with water, bubbles, sound and bowls speaks about an environment that is ephemeral, immaculate, subtle and practically elusive," said AAU Anastas.

"Stone construction could be associated with permanence and heaviness," said the architects. "Yet, the point where both our practices meet is probably the delicacy of working with materials."

"Whether sonic material, stone or glass, the installation speaks about the knowhows, the history of techniques from very different places, backgrounds and contexts to form a global solidarity network of knowledge."

The Anastases and Sauvage met in Palestine when the architects invited the artist to perform at the opening of their creative hub, the Wonder Cabinet, in Bethlehem in the West Bank.

The Anastas brothers have a history of thinking about sound as part of their architectural practice and even operate a radio station, Radio Alhara, out of the Wonder Cabinet.

For the Serpentine Bell, their structure had to provide a setting to listen to Sauvage's composition, which features the sound of water rushing through the natural chalk walls of Ruinart's cellars, amplified via hydrophone.

Visitors stand under the cone-shaped structure, positioned about shoulder height from the floor, to feel immersed in the sound while staring out at a world distorted through the thick glass modules.

There are 103 of these modules, almost all of them with a doubly curved shape that allows them to nestle on top of each other and build the progressively arching bell shape.

This shape also contributes to the lateral strength of the structure, helping to resist horizontal forces such as wind or shaking.

Just like if it were a stereotomic work made of stone, the Serpentine Bell is self-supporting. A silicone sealant was used to hold the blocks together during mounting and subsequently removed.

This is because the glass fabrication process, in which the temperature of the glass drops quickly, produces natural variations that make construction more difficult than it would be with stone.

Elias Anastas told Dezeen that he was interested in blown glass as a load-bearing material in architecture.

"Glass can be used essentially in three forms: panels, cast and blown," he said. "Blown glass seemed very interesting to us because it's much cheaper than cast glass and allows for three-dimensional explorations when compared to panels."

"Physically, glass is very strong in compression but it is brittle," he added. "In that sense, it resembles the global behaviours of stone."

"While glass seems very light, it is actually as dense as stone or concrete: a one-metre cube of glass is as heavy as a metre cube of stone. Yet it is completely transparent."

The glass blocks were hand-blown at the Arcam Glass atelier in Nantes, using moulds that had been cast around precise 3D-printed models with 10 variations in size and shape. The thickness of their walls varies between 1.5 to three centimetres.

As in many of their works, the Anastas brothers sought to preserve knowledge from Palestine and deepen understanding of its history through the Serpentine Bell.

"Palestine is a meeting point of the accumulated knowledge of civilisations," said AAU Anastas. "Its rich and perpetuating history of material explorations in the field of glass and stone is the basis for this collaboration."

"Paradoxically, in view of the intentional isolation imposed by occupation forces in Palestine, it is the extreme richness of knowhows of techniques anchored in Palestinian artisanship that allowed Elias and Yousef and Tomoko to meet and contribute further to a global solidarity network."

AAU Anastas has previously shown installations related to their Stone Matters project at the Venice Architecture Biennale and at the V&A during the London Design Festival.

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Architecture studio Mur Mur Lab has designed the Dongdan Grassland Sea Ruins Station in eastern China, creating two wave-topped glass pavilions that offer passers-by a "moment to connect with nature".

Located in the Dongshen Township in Zhejiang province, the structure overlooks an area of mudflat pasture spanning nearly 1,000 acres (405 hectares), that was created during a land reclamation project two decades ago.

Providing a stopping point directly alongside the adjacent road, Mur Mur Lab designed the rest stop to be a new "gateway "onto this landscape.

"The station will serve as a transit hub connecting the southern coastal highway and the Damuyang coastal area, and a vital gateway for exploring this mysterious coastal prairie landscape," explained the studio.

"[It is] a container to let people to talk with themselves; to have a moment to connect with nature," it added.

The two buildings house a reception and toilets level with the road to the west, and a cafe with a viewing terrace slightly elevated above the landscape on a stone base to the east.

These two structures are connected by a paved patio that sits directly off the road, finished with small areas of planting and concrete benches.

Almost the entire exterior of each building has been finished with full-height glass walls, sheltered by the overhanging, wave-shaped corrugated metal roofs that are supported by slender steel columns.

"Faced with a vast wilderness, 'viewing' is not a challenge," said the studio.

"The core design consideration is how the scenery, filtered through the 'architectural container', presents itself as a unique experience – it first appears as a screen, then a window, followed by a corridor, and finally a high platform," it added.

Throughout, the material finishes have been kept pale and minimal to provide a calm backdrop to the landscape views, with white metal columns and window frames. The walls of the rest stop were clad with timber.

On the small circular terrace overlooking the landscape, an umbrella-like canopy finished in pale blue provides additional shelter, while the upper-level terrace is accessed via a metal spiral staircase.

"The exposed aggregate concrete is rough and primitive, like an extension of the rocky landscape, while the terrazzo is calm and smooth, shimmering in sunlight, echoing the distant Damuyang," the studio said.

"We selected Siberian larch as the primary wall material, with a mottled texture and gentle touch to offset the traces of new construction," it added.

Elsewhere in China, architecture practice Line+ Studio recently completed the Yunhai Forest Service Station in Shenzhen, creating a curvaceous viewpoint over the city with full-height glass walls and Wutopia Lab wrapped an arts centre in translucent mesh.

The photography is by WDi unless otherwise stated.

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Curtain walls and an exposed steel structure define Paddington Square, a contentious mixed-use building in central London by architecture studio Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

Ten years in the making, the building takes the form of a 55- by 55-metre cube, elevated on a podium of public amenities including an entrance to the London Underground.

While the bulk of the 18-storey building is for private office use, its base also incorporates shops and eateries, while two street-level lifts provide access to a public rooftop restaurant.

According to Renzo Piano Building Workshop's project architect Joost Moolhuijzen, these public-facing elements of Paddington Square are the most "essential" part of the project.

These spaces form part of a wider strategy by the studio to enhance the public realm outside the adjacent Paddington station by maximising "permeability and accessibility", Moolhuijzen said.

This goal has also been met through the rerouting of an old road in front of the site around the building and efforts to reduce the visual impact of its facade.

"The difficulty was that we knew it was going to be a very big building," Moolhuijzen told Dezeen during a tour of the building.

"Its footprint is 55 by 55 metres, it's lifted off the ground by 12 metres, so it's a big cube, so how could we relate it to the scale of the street?" he continued.

"By articulating the building, by exposing its structure and working really hard on the facades to make it more subtle, more lacey than typical curtain walling that you'd see in Canary Wharf, I think we managed to give it a sensitivity and depth to the building that really help to integrate it with the site."

Paddington Square has been a contentious project. First revealed in 2015, it originally took the form of a 224-metre cylindrical tower, but its height was slashed and its formed reimagined following a backlash from critics.

However, its 75-metre-tall redesign also received opposition over fears of how it would impact the conservation area surrounding London's Paddington station, and its construction was briefly put on hold following a petition for a public inquiry into the plans.

However, despite this, Moolhuijzen believes the final outcome is a success.

"We've kept our promise," Moolhuijzen said. "When you go through planning, you promise something, you promise it to the planners, you promise it to the local community, you promise it to London at large, and I feel we have kept that promise," he continued. "I think it actually came out better than that promise."

Paddington Square is distinguished by its uniform double-layered curtain wall facade, which is externally ventilated. Curtain walls were chosen to ensure outward views and maximise light throughout the interior of Paddington Square due to its deep floor plates.

To help reduce the visual scale of the cube, its mullions were positioned close together across the facades, meaning the glass is concealed when viewed from certain angles.

Between the two layers of glass are perforated blinds designed to reduce solar gain and minimise the energy demand of the offices inside. When the blinds are shut, their perforations help to maintain sightlines.

According to Moolhuijzen, the facade is also intended to emulate the "lacy" architecture of the adjacent Paddington station by engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, which opened 160 years ago.

"Some inspiration for this building was some elements of Brunel's station," said Moolhuijzen. "The arches and details [of the station] are like a lace, and there's something like that in the facade [of Paddington Square]," he continued.

"Though the language of the buildings is completely different, the station's a station, and it's a different era, the play with light and the detail to give depth was something we wanted to achieve," added Moolhuijzen.

The visual impact of Paddington Square is also reduced through the addition of balconies on one side and the raising of the square above a public plaza – a move that the team describes as having a "floating" effect.

Where an old and dilapidated post office once stood, a residential-scale structure containing a bar has been added. Described by Moolhuijzen as a "bookend building", it is hoped to bridge Paddington Square and the surrounding residential buildings.

A significant yet inconspicuous structural detail of Paddington Square is that its structural columns, which run up through the building, slope inwards on the lowest three levels.

This means they are set back from the facade at plaza level, which Renzo Piano Building Workshop designed to maximise space for gathering.

Inside Paddington Square are 14 floors of offices, owned by the project developer Great Western Developments. Each floor is accessed by a lobby raised within the podium, where there is also a gym for the employees.

On the top floor is a rooftop restaurant, opening in 2025, with access to a terrace with views over the London skyline. On one corner is a transparent floor looking down to the street.

As part of the project, Renzo Piano Building Workshop also introduced a subterranean entrance and ticket hall for the London Underground, accessed from within the podium. It has increased the former station's capacity and step-free access.

Above and around the ticket hall are a series of shops and eateries, lining a walkway that cuts diagonally through the cube with views into Paddington station.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop is the eponymous studio of Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, which he founded in 1981. Today the firm has offices in Genoa and Paris.

Elsewhere, the studio also recently completed a cube-shaped courthouse in Toronto that is stacked on top of a giant atrium.

Cubes are a popular shape in architecture, with other examples including the Berlin Cube in Germany by 3XN and the Mukaab skyscraper that is under development in Saudi Arabia, which both featured in our roundup of 10 impressively geometric cube-shaped buildings.

The photography is by Hufton + Crow.

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Chinese studio Offhand Practice has completed the Mei Yuan Cafe, a glass-walled pavilion in Shanghai that allows visitors to "immerse themselves" in the surrounding park.

Located within the previously inaccessible Mei Yuan Park in the district of Pudong, the slender structure of white steel and glass is designed to have as minimal impact on the existing planting as possible.

"In Shanghai, a campaign to make parks green and open is quietly underway - Mei Yuan Park, originally surrounded by walls, also aims to become more accessible," explained Offhand Practice.

"We envisioned the cafe as a friendly interface connecting the community and the park, therefore we chose pavilion as the architectural form, hoping to achieve a delicate balance between permeability and shelter," added the local studio.

"The use of floor-to-ceiling glass, ubiquitous grey bricks, and understated textured paint clearly convey our original intention: to create a shelter where people can immerse themselves in nature," it continued.

Mei Yuan Cafe's long, narrow form occupies the northeastern corner of the park, with curved cut-outs around its edges creating space for the existing trees to grow.

At its eastern end is the serving area, while the remainder of its site is occupied by sheltered seating areas that open out onto an external terrace to the west.

The frames for the large expanses of glazing have been concealed in both the slim concrete roof and the brick paving, intended to make the division between indoor and outdoor as seamless as possible.

A curtain track has also been concealed in the ceilings and used to hang large white curtains that allow for greater control over interior shading and privacy.

"Both ends of the glazing are neatly hidden in the ceiling and the brick joints, maximising the field of vision and perception for its occupants," explained the studio.

Complementing the park's large trees, a variety of different planting was introduced to provide a backdrop that will change with the seasons.

"Soapberries with jade leaves, lush camphor with incredible crowns, and upright clusters of hackberries – they are the true natives of the land," explained the studio.

"Every cut and turn in the design is to leave space for them to grow freely, and therefore its final form is entirely determined by these trees," it added.

Shanghai-based Offhand Practice was founded by Yuan Yuan and Nie Xuan in 2018. Previous projects by the studio include a second-hand bookshop in Shanghai that was designed to mimic a greengrocer with supermarket-style shelves and crates.

Other recently completed cafes in China include a pop-up structure in Hangzhou by FOG Architecture and a concrete volume perched on a cliff edge on Jiming Island by Trace Architecture Office.

The photography is by Hu Yanyun.

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Beverage company Diageo has produced what it believes is the world's lightest standard-sized glass spirits bottle for its Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra whisky, launching next week at the London Design Festival.

Where a typical 700-millilitre bottle spirits bottle weighs around 500 grams, the special-edition Johnnie Walker bottle weighs just 180 grams without a lid, and was made in a quest to reduce the carbon emissions from packaging.

The hand-blown bottle has an adapted teardrop shape, with a rounded bottom and concave neck, but at the same time it echos aspects of Diageo's recognisable Johnnie Walker bottles in its slightly squared-off sides and shoulder.

Diageo global design director Jeremy Lindley told Dezeen that the project was born out of an ideation session on the future of luxury, where the team identified an emerging trend prizing lightness and sustainability over extravagance.

"We thought, what if our luxury products, instead of being in the heaviest glass, they were in the lightest and they celebrated beauty and delicacy?" he said.

His team then pursued a "test-and-learn" approach to develop the bottle, working with glassblowers to explore what shapes and techniques allowed for the use of the least amount of glass without the object breaking.

The artisans advised that the most effective strategy would be to follow the natural, balloon-like shape the glass takes when it comes out of the furnace and is acted on by gravity.

This creates a more even distribution of glass that counters the weakness in standard moulded glass bottles – that extra material has to be used in order to compensate for where the glass is thinnest.

This weak point is where the base meets the edge, forming a right angle, and because the material can't be precision-targetted to fill just that particular spot in a mould, the quantity of glass used overall has to be increased.

"You have to make glass thick enough to be strong enough at its thinnest point, and you can't control where glass goes in a mould," said Lindley.

"Most glass bottles are heavier than they need to be in nine-tenths of the shape in order to be strong enough at the weakest point."

From this starting point, Lindley's team worked to gently modify the shape to evoke the standard Johnnie Walker bottle, eventually moving to technical analysis and 3D modelling, and partnering with Turkish glass company Şişecam to get to the finished hand-blown product.

Throughout, the rounded teardrop base remained a non-negotiable for lightness. Lindley says the bottle can still stand up, but not reliably so – hence the development of a protective bamboo "cage" for the bottle's presentation.

Bamboo was chosen as a renewable material that is both strong and light – added to the 180-gram bottle, the packaging still doesn't outweigh a standard glass bottle.

It also scores better on Diageo's internal carbon impact assessment, as most of the carbon emissions from glass packaging are created in its production in high-heat furnaces, rather than through transport or other means.

The company says that, based on calculations by British Glass, every gram of glass reduction means over half a gram less carbon emissions in production.

The lightweight bottle needs to be handmade and hand-filled, so it is not currently a solution at scale, but Lindley says Diageo is applying lessons from the project to its mass-produced bottles.

It is also allowing royalty-free use of its patent so that other companies can apply and learn from the same process.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra is being released in a limited edition of 888 sold at £1,000, and will be launched at the London Design Festival with an installation called Liquid Light by Marshmallow Laser Feast at the Old Selfridges Hotel in Marylebone.

Lindley will also host three technical briefings on the project at the same location during the week.

Other events at this year's festival include an exhibition exploring the meaning of the term "well-made" and the multi-storey, plant-filled Vert installation by Stefan Diez.

Lindley's briefings will take place at Liquid Light on Tuesday 17 September at 12pm, Wednesday 18 September at 3pm and Thursday 19 September at 1pm. See our London Design Festival 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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In this week's comments update, readers are discussing plans revealed by Heatherwick Studio for a glass shopping centre in Seoul with volumes that resemble "rippled hourglasses".

According to the proposal, the existing Hanwha Galleria shopping centre on the site will be replaced with two near-identical volumes made of curved glass.

"Gorgeously original"

Readers drew parallels between the design and various decorative household objects. "Giant Baccarat ashtray? Shallow fruit bowl blown up to an enormous scale? Which is it?" asked Name Changer.

Meanwhile, Nadim thought "it looks like a decorative glass vase on the floor".

Other commenters couldn't pass up on the opportunity for irony. "Nothing more contextual than an extremely expensive glass box – climate crisis (check), economic crisis (check)," wrote A guest.

However, Don Bronkema thought it was "gorgeously original", while Jb expressed "thank God for Heatherwick's sparkling creations – long may they vex functionalists".

What do you make of Heatherwick's latest design? Join the discussion ›

"Might just be BIG's best work yet"

A story that found more consensus among commenters this week was the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art in China, topped with curved metal roofs designed as a "fifth facade", by Danish studio BIG.

"Beautiful contemporary design solution to traditional Chinese architecture," praised William Worthington, while Design Junkie admired the "great roofline".

"Talk of facades is quaint, but it might just be BIG's best work yet," suggested Jb.

Davie Foster gave BIG a slightly backhanded compliment, writing "I am genuinely surprised by how good it looks built – especially against the latest BIG projects".

Whateverandeveramen was a little less complimentary, suggesting "inoffensive is the best adjective I can find".

Impressive or just inoffensive? Join the discussion ›

"I would live in this house without hesitation"

Another project that got readers talking this week was a family home in London created by 31/44 Architects, featuring a perforated brick screen and a columned entrance.

"The choice of interior and external materials is great – I would live in this house without hesitation", declared Leo.

"Absolutely beautiful!" exclaimed Slutelf.

However, not all commenters were quite so sure. "Beautiful work, as always from this firm, but it's too controlled, "put forward Jb. "It needs more colour and greater contrast of materials," they suggested.

"I like it, but it also looks like every idea this architect has ever had has been thrown into this one building," critiqued Alfred Hitchcock. "A bit too much going on for my taste, but I appreciate the '70s-tastic vibe," they concluded.

What do you think? Join the discussion ›

Comments Update

Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page and subscribe to our weekly Debate newsletter, where we feature the best reader comments from stories in the last seven days.

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UK architecture practice Heatherwick Studio has revealed plans to redesign the Hanwha Galleria shopping centre in Seoul by introducing volumes that resemble "rippled hourglasses".

Located on a major crossroad close to the city's Han River, the store's existing structures will be replaced with two near-identical volumes formed of curved glass.

The proposal is intended to "redefine the store's connection to the local area", according to Heatherwick Studio.

Developed alongside local studio Haeahn Architecture and the local authorities, the distinct shape of the buildings is intended to frame views of the nearby river.

Both will each feature undulating glass facades that curve inwards towards their middles, supported by an exposed structural framework and used as backdrops for projections at night.

They will be divided at ground level by the crossroad but connected below ground by an updated subway that will also provide access to the shopping centre.

Inside, the buildings will open up to light-filled entrances and landscaped plazas at ground level that are intended to enhance the area's public space.

There will also be open-air gardens hosted at the volumes' recessed middle levels, which will contain cafes, restaurants and shops, while rooftop gardens offer viewpoints of the city.

"Traditionally, department stores are quite inward facing, they feel closed off to the surrounding streets," studio partner Neil Hubbard said.

"Combined with Hanwha's ambition to bring more activity to the buildings, we wanted to provide a strong overall silhouette that creates a gateway, but also gives Seoulites new garden-like spaces to meet, shop and enjoy their city."

The proposal was selected as part of a competition organised by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that called for a design that will "challenge conventional notions of a luxury department store" and "affirm the country's increasingly influential role as a global cultural powerhouse".

Elsewhere in Seoul, Heatherwick Studio is set to transform Nodeul Island into a public park with "floating islets".

The studio is currently also developing its first South American building, which will feature a colourful facade of undulating columns, while its founder Thomas Heatherwick is developing an architectural master's degree at Loughborough University as part of his Humanise campaign.

The renders are courtesy of Devisual.

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Designer Helle Mardahl has turned her Copenhagen showroom into a messy home for a "shopaholic", displaying her glass designs on an unmade bed and in a lonely dining room during 3 Days of Design.

The installation, called The Grand Suite, came about as Mardhal wanted to display her pieces in a way that was completely different to how the brand has shown its pieces before.

"This year we thought, instead of producing way too much stuff that we don't need, we will do a scenery of something unexpected, unpredictable and unbelievable; a little bit weird," Mardahl told Dezeen at the opening event.

To do so, Mardahl came up with the character of a woman living on her own in a grand suite, who is shown hiding under her sheets in a messy apartment.

The brand described her as "a traveler – an adventurous woman residing in the most luxurious grand suite. Treated like the queen of the castle, she enjoys her privacy yet desires company".

Mardahl scattered the character's belongings around the apartment – including a number of the brand's products.

"It made a lot of sense to make The Grand Suite for this overwhelming woman, who lives in a dream world but she's on her own, and she's a little bit of a shopaholic," Mardahl explained.

The designer intentionally created surprising details as part of the tableau, including a dildo hiding in the underwear drawer beneath a vanity that holds Mardahl's latest glassware designs.

"It's a little bit shocking, a little bit 'what's going on now, what is that?'," Mardahl said.

"Another thing was to make something that was more realistic, so we've got a bed, we've got bed tables; it's a little bit more realistic than previous years," she added.

In the dining room, a woman whose face is a golden mask eats dinner next to a porcelain Dalmatian, while a recorded laugh plays on repeat.

The recorded voice is Mardahl's own, as is that of the woman snoring under the sheets in the bedroom.

"My husband and me were making our own dinner party last night [for the recording], and I was laughing so much, it was hilarious," Mardahl said.

The installation also showcases a number of new designs from Mardahl's brand, including smaller cups with her signature round holders and stretched oval pendant lights.

As well as The Grand Suite, Mardahl's designs can also be seen at the nearby Designmuseum Denmark.

Here, she created a souvenir stand that sells glassware as well as caps, jewellery and smaller accessories that the Dezeen team visited as part of our live coverage for 3 Days of Design. Mardahl has also designed a small exhibition of her work inside the museum.

Other events taking place as part of the 3 Days of Design festival include an exhibition of handmade "organic" plastic furniture and office furniture that has been turned into modular storage.

The photography is by Alastair Philip Wiper.

3 Days of Design takes place at venues across Copenhagen from 12 to 14 June. See our 3 Days of Design 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the event.

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