For our latest roundup, we have collected five times architects have either created new cowsheds or transformed existing sheds into houses, studios and libraries.

In locations from Rajasthan, India, to Dorset, UK, architects are working with agricultural buildings to create surprising and well-designed spaces that celebrate their functional pasts.

Here are five of the best:

Cow House, India, by Compartment S4

One of just two brand-new cowsheds designed to house animals on this list, the sculptural Cow House in Maharashtra, India, was designed by Indian studio Compartment S4.

The aim was for the building, which replaces a dilapidated shed, to prioritise the comfort of both staff and cows. It was constructed from brick, stone and bamboo.

Find out more about Cow House ›

Cowshed, UK, by David Kohn Architects

London studio David Kohn Architects worked on the former dairy farm Middle Rocombe Farm, in Newton Abbot, UK, turning an agricultural building into a house and studio aptly named Cowshed.

The studio aimed to keep as much of the existing 1979 building as possible, retaining its original timber trusses, concrete floor and columns and some blockwork walls while adding new concrete blockwork.

Find out more about Cowshed ›

Stanbridge Mill Library, UK, by Crawshaw Architects

A former cowshed in Dorset was turned into the light-filled Stanbridge Mill Library, which is organised around a wooden, barrel-vaulted arcade that references the client's collection of books on Palladian architecture.

The library and office is located in an outbuilding of a Georgian farmhouse on a grade II-listed farm that had stood neglected for over forty years. London studio Crawshaw Architects made only small structural interventions to the building.

Find out more about Stanbridge Mill Library ›

The Potato Shed, the Netherlands, by Julius Taminiau Architects

Dutch studio Julius Taminiau Architects felt like it was "stepping into Vincent van Gough's painting The Potato Eaters" when it first saw the austere agricultural structures on a former farm in the Netherlands.

It kept only the foundations of an old cowshed when creating this home, which was named for the painting and is clad in thin timber slats that conceal double-layered openings.

Find out more about The Potato Shed ›

Gaushala, India, by Studio Saar

Located in south Rajasthan, India, the Gaushala – Hindi for cowshed – dairy facility was built using 560 tonnes of reclaimed material including steel and rubble.

It was designed to accommodate a herd of 40 native cows called Gir and has a sculptural, undulating roof that helps to divert water away from the building.

Find out more about Gaushala ›

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Designer Kelly Wearstler has teamed up with Swedish retailer H&M Home on a line of lighting, accessories and modular furniture that will be unveiled with a Milan design week installation in a palazzo.

The collection will comprise 29 pieces in total, with 13 key designs set to be shown in Milan's Palazzo Acerbi, a 17th-century baroque palace in the centre of the Italian city.

It marks the first time that Wearstler has shown in Milan, as well as H&M Home's debut at the design week.

The collection, which features designs made from materials including textiles, wood, metal, ceramics and marble, will be sold in 40 countries from September and see Wearstler's work reach a larger audience than usual.

"I love that I can reach that higher collectible audience, but also now having this partnership with H&M and doing something that's super accessible, I love that dichotomy," the designer told Dezeen.

Wearstler also redesigned the interior of Palazzo Acerbi for the installation, which was produced by Studio Boum, to reflect the collection's focus on "daily rituals and modular synergy", H&M Home said.

The installation will contrast the palazzo's ornate frescoes and historic collonaded architecture with Wearstler's H&M Home designs, which have a more geometric, contemporary aesthetic.

Among the designs on show will be a modular chair that can turn into a sofa, as well as lamps with a "caged" design and a trompe l'oeil vase.

The Wearstler collaboration marks the first time that H&M Home has created larger furniture pieces together with a designer.

"This collection represents many firsts for us," H&M Home head of design and creative Evelina Kravaev-Söderberg said.

"Having a presence at Milan Design Week has long been a dream, and with Kelly, we knew the moment was right," she continued.

"H&M Home has a global presence, but with this milestone, we want to make an impact on customers and the design industry alike in a new way. When we discovered the venue – the Palazzo Acerbi – everything fell into place."

Wearstler, who is best known as an interior designer, has previously created product designs and furniture, including a piano with "sensual curves" and sculptural marble seating.

Also in Milan this year, architect Lina Ghotmeh will unveil a pink labyrinth.

The photography is courtesy of H&M Home.

Kelly Wearstler's H&M Home collection can be seen at Palazzo Acerbi, Corso di Porta Romana 3, between 9am and 6pm from 21 to 26 April. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Danish designer Laerke Ryom has unveiled Raiments, a series of furniture shown at Copenhagen's Innenkreis gallery that aims to move away from traditional upholstery.

The exhibition, which opened yesterday at the new Innenkreis gallery in central Copenhagen, was named after an old English word for clothes.

"Raiments means garments from medieval English, originating from French," Ryom explained.

"The word carries a sense of adornment, intention and presentation, not just utility. I also chose the name to reference a time when there was space to dwell more deeply in craft."

Ryom enjoys exploring how textiles relate to furniture, as she thinks they have a "sensibility and inherent life that adds a lot to the finished pieces".

The Raiments exhibition shows pieces including a daybed, floor and wall lamps, chairs and a bench, in soothing cream and chocolate-brown hues.

The daybed, bench, table lamp and floor lamp are made from powder-coated steel, while the base of the wall lamps was constructed from stainless steel and the chair from aluminium.

Ryom used wool from textile brand Kvadrat that doesn't have visible weaving, leaving room for the stitching that she applies when quilting.

"For the edges, I chose an edge band that has this really beautiful twill weave," the designer said.

"Twill weave is a traditional textile weaving technique that is commonly used in both clothing and home textiles and the edgeband places the upholstery pieces somewhere in between, adding to the feeling of a tailored piece rather than upholstery."

Ryom aimed to create upholstery that would be more similar to clothing.

"Rather than traditional upholstery that relies on tension and force, stretching and stapling textiles into rigid forms, the pieces are tailored like garments that sit comfortably on the structure, allowing the material's natural drape and character to remain visible," she explained.

For the Raiments exhibition, her pieces were contrasted with historic designs, including a lamp by architect Gio Ponti and nesting tables by designer Josef Hoffmann.

According to Innenkreis founder Zeynep Rekkali Jensen, the gallery believes that contrasting the new designs with older pieces highlights the quality of both.

"At Innenkreis, we value design as thinking through poetry in material and making," she said.

"Here, the line between former and current fades. Showing Lærke's pieces alongside older works highlights qualities like finesse in production, sensitivity to use, and tactility over time. This pairing creates a dialogue and advances the story."

Ryom is the co-founder of Danish design platform Ukurant, which has shown exhibitions in a former woodworking factory and a former Copenhagen library.

The photography is by Line Klein unless stated otherwise. Main image by Robert Damisch.

Raiments is on show at Innenkreis, Herluf Trolles Gade 28, Copenhagen from 19 March to 23 May. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Fashion house Dior has revealed the Dior Bamboo Pavilion concept store in Tokyo's Daikanyama area with a facade that was designed to evoke Japanese bamboo forests.

The exterior of the 1,800-square-metre store was designed to replicate Dior's townhouse at 30 Montaigne, Paris, similar to Dior Gold House, another concept store that opened in Bangkok in 2024.

The facade was designed to reference Japanese bamboo forests and is lit up at night. On top of the building sits the Dior star, which has been the symbol of the house since 1947.

While the facade reimagines a French townhouse created from a material that's common in Asia, the interior design aimed to blend French touches, such as Versailles parquet flooring, with examples of Japanese craftsmanship.

Inside, the Dior Bamboo Pavilion has multiple green spaces, including a conceptual garden by horticulturist Seijun Nishihata.

Artist Azuma Makoto designed a "green haven" of floral art, while designer Kodai Iwamoto created a teahouse made using Japanese craft techniques from materials such as thatch and bamboo.

In another nod to its location, the Dior Bamboo Pavilion has a pond filled with koi carp.

Other local touches include Japanese lanterns that were designed to resemble the Lady Dior bag and washi paper wall finishes sculpted like the Parisian mouldings in the headquarters.

Described by the brand as "an Eden spread over more than 1,800 square meters, where a thousand and one botanical references come to life in homage to Christian Dior's love for the beauty of nature", the store was created to showcase the collections by new creative director Jonathan Anderson.

These include menswear and womenswear, as well as leather goods, jewellery and accessories.

Contemporary Japanese designers, including  Takt Project, Sho Ota, Ayumi Shibata, We+, Hana Mitsui and Chikaken, have also created pieces for the space.

Visitors will also be able to experience French cuisine at the Cafe Dior, which features a menu by chef Anne-Sophie Pic.

"More than just a boutique, the Dior Bamboo Pavilion proposes a journey into the history of the Maison, featuring its signature models, from the Bar suit to the Junon dress," Dior stated.

Also in Daikanyama, Japanese studio Schemata Architects recently renovated a store for perfumer Le Labo that evokes the city's urban streets.

The photography is by Daici Ano unless otherwise stated.

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Photographer Robbie Lawrence has designed a news kiosk with Sean Thomson, which was installed at London's ICA art centre to showcase a zine made with fashion designer Thom Browne.

Created for the Thom Browne x Asics collaboration, The Working Hour zine features Lawrence's photography of models dressed in Thom Browne clothing.

Ranging from young to old, all were shot on Tokyo's busy streets in Thom Browne's suits and in situations commonly associated with Japanese businessmen – running to catch a train or disappearing in a throng of similarly suited office workers.

"With this project, I was particularly interested in creating something holistic – a body of work that began with the initial design idea and extended through to its execution and physical presentation," Lawrence told Dezeen.

"From the outset, I imagined that the work would ultimately be exhibited," he continued.

"As the project developed, I began thinking about places where the suit still functions as an everyday uniform, and Tokyo immediately came to mind."

The Working Hour was designed to resemble classic brand magazines from the 1980s and also references Japanese historical photography.

For its unveiling, Lawrence worked with set designer Thomson to create a fitting display for the zine at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).

"Together we constructed a newsstand inspired by those commonly found in Japan," Lawrence explained.

"Installing it within the ICA – a very classical building – created a compelling juxtaposition between the architectural setting and the project’s visual language."

The rectangular metal building was decorated with the Thom Browne tricolore at its top and given added Tokyo streetscape details, such as vents and a satellite dish antenna, on its roof.

Lawrence wanted to push the level of detail as far as it could go, also adding a phone booth and a lamppost to the space to complete the feel of being in a city.

"We printed elements of the work and pasted them onto the sides of a phone booth attached to the newsstand, deliberately weathering and roughing them up so they felt lived-in," Lawrence explained.

"We also installed a lamppost and other small details that echoed the visual language of the photographs. In a way, I wanted to transport a fragment of the world I had created photographically into the exhibition space itself."

The Working Hour newsstand marks Lawrence's first physical installation, but he says his work has been focusing on creating more physical media for a while.

"Although this is the first time I’ve really considered installation as part of my practice, it doesn’t feel entirely separate from the rest of the work," he said.

"Everything I’m making at the moment seems to be moving in the direction of emphasising the physical nature of the work as much as possible."

To the photographer, it's a way of reminding people of the tangible aspects of his work.

"At a time when so much imagery is experienced digitally, it feels essential to remind people that the work exists materially – and to present it physically in the strongest and most considered way possible," Lawrence concluded.

After being unveiled in London at an event this weekend, the installation will now be moved to be shown in New York later this month.

The photography is by Jonathan Daniel Pryce.

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The latest edition of the Collectible fair in Brussels saw designers explore seating with a difference, presenting daybeds made from beeswax and metal, inverted sofas and a gigantic inflatable seat.

The Collectible fair, which focuses on collectible design and is held in Brussels and New York every year, doubled down on the trend for industrial-style design with pieces that might not look comfortable but definitely caught visitors' eyes.

Read on for our roundup of five unusual daybeds and sofas shown by Collectible participants:

Inflatable sofa by Naked Space for Vasto Gallery

Barcelona-based Vasto Gallery welcomed visitors with a massive inflatable sofa at the entrance to Collectable, featuring sleek, undulating lines that resemble those on a sports car.

The eight-metre-long translucent piece by design collective Naked Space was a collaboration between Vasto Gallery and Spanish brand Project Lobster and marks the start of a new inflatable furniture brand project.

"It has a peaceful power and a playful side," Vasto Gallery co-founder Carmen Riestra told Dezeen of the design.

"It's bringing back this kind of material indoors – you see it and imagine it outdoors, but it can be placed inside your home in a comfortable way. You can live with this inflatable furniture and you can pack it and transport it really easily."

Vasto Gallery will present smaller versions of the sofa, as well as inflatable armchairs, later this year.

Metal daybed by Anoe Melliou for Regarding Relations

Berlin collective Regarding Relations created a boudoir-inspired showcase of all-female designers, where delicate fabrics met gleaming metal, sharp edges and industrial designs.

"The idea was to recreate this intimate space of a woman beyond the cliches, because there's a lot of visual connotations associated with the idea of a boudoir and what a boudoir looks like," designer Anne-Lise Agossa, who co-curated the booth, told Dezeen.

"We thought it would be interesting to bring the work of women-only designers and that there's something unusual about recreating this space from our perspective, creating a feel that's not expected."

Among the pieces on show was designer and stall co-curator Anoe Melliou's metal daybed, which has a curved shape and sits on wheels – making it more of a design for a woman on the move than one looking for a place to lounge.

Foam daybed by Pablo Octavio for Full Circle

Designer Pablo Octavio created his brutalist daybed from polyurethane foam, spray-painted with a flexible paint to make it waterproof.

The padded seat, which features edges that were left visibly uneven, sits on top of a base made from bent aluminium sheets.

The daybed was the continuation of an earlier project by Octavio, the Lapis Lazuli series, for which he created a large, rock-like chair.

"I wanted to elevate the foam, lift it from the ground and make it more like furniture, instead of having the monolithic appearance of the chair," he told Dezeen. "From this piece on, I want to work on benches and other seating objects."

Alma Mater daybed by AB+AC Architects

The latest addition to Lisbon-based AB+AC Architects' Alma Mater collection is a daybed with a difference – upholstery made from cylinders of solid beeswax.

The wax is melted into aluminium moulds and dried in a slow process that makes them very smooth, before being placed on a custom-made metal frame.

"We really love the idea that over time people will start to leave their shape, their trace [in the wax]," AB+AC Architects co-founder Arianna Bavuso told Dezeen.

"It will become an indentation, like the memory form of a mattress," she continued. "I love this idea of creating a dialogue between the user and the designer."

The beeswax cylinders can be moved to create different designs for the daybed and if they begin to form a shape that the user doesn't like, they can be sent back to AB+AC Architects to be remelted and reshaped.

Invert sofa by Alan Prekop for Curated

The Invert sofa, designed by Slovak architect Alan Prekop and sculptor Sebastian Komáček, does indeed have an inverted design that highlights the metal structure normally found on the underside of a sofa.

Here, the sculptural sofa instead has a latex cushion as its primary structural element.

"We decided to create something bespoke because we are working with stainless steel a lot," Prekop told Dezeen. "And every time, stainless steel is the construction bearer, it's something heavy that bears everything and the cushion is something soft that you want to sit on."

"So we thought about flipping it, to invert it and create a cushion that will bear heavy constructions."

Collectible 2026 took place from 12 March to 15 March 2026 at Vanderborght, Rue de l'Ecuyer 50 Schildknaapstraat, Brussels. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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More than 80 designers have rethought birdhouses for an exhibition at MAD Brussels in Belgium, with designs ranging from a miniature padded castle to a wooden house designed not to hurt the tree.

Called Home Sweet Home, the exhibition opened in the Belgian capital this week during the city's Collectible design fair.

Eighty-three contributors from both Belgium and abroad are taking part, including Marcelis, Lee and Lamb, as well as Philippe Malouin, Wang & Söderström and Bethan Laura Wood.

The exhibition, which was curated by stylist and journalist Connie Hüsser, aims to make visitors think more about the idea of home and what the concept means.

"A small object like a bird's nest can evoke an entire world," MAD Brussels artistic director Dieter Van Den Storm said.

"It is both fragile and strong at the same time, just like the idea of home itself."

 

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Sabine Marcelis made a birdhouse out of resin

Many of the works on show perfectly encapsulate the visual language of their creators, resembling miniature versions of their signature designs.

For example, Lee's Hairy Birdhouse showcases the South Korean designer's work with ropes and string, while Wood's steeply gabled house has a colourful pattern that fans of the designer's work will recognise.

French designer Jenna Kaës made a birdhouse out of padded fabric that resembles a dark fairytale castle, while London-based Jochen Holz's design was constructed from fragile-looking blown glass with an organic shape.

To Hüsser, this mix of styles was an important part of the exhibition, and she ended up choosing the participating designers – many of whom are personal friends – based on the work they were already doing and how it would translate into a birdhouse.

Hüsser reached out to people on Instagram and only had one person turn her down, though she wouldn't reveal that designer's identity.

"Everybody was super happy and wanted to show what they think of as a birdhouse," she explained at the exhibition opening in Brussels. "Only one person turned us down – he said: 'I hate birds!'"

The wide range of designers taking part has yielded birdhouses made from unusual materials, such as Marcelis' beautiful but impractical resin-bowl birdhouse that can't be hung from a tree, and Brussels-based Shishi San's stylish tufted design.

Home Sweet Home, which has been expanded from a previous iteration of the show at VitraHaus, also features a mix of established and emerging designers.

"I have a good mix because I like to include young designers," Hüsser said.

"I support the young designers more because that is actually my main business, to put young designers together with big companies."

The joy of the exhibition lies in discovering what designers think of as a birdhouse and seeing how they explored the concept.

While there are literal interpretations, such as an actual bird's nest made from brass and copper by designer Juri Roemmel, other pieces evoke birds more generally.

These include a sculpture by Lamb, which had to be flown in from Japan and resembles a perch for birds rather than a birdhouse, drawing on his work with 3D tiles for Tajimi Custom Tiles.

Malouin, meanwhile, designed a birdhouse together with Finnish brand Vaarni that doesn't require the use of nails to be attached but can instead be tied around the tree trunk.

"He didn't want to hurt the tree," Hüsser explained.

The photography is by Sam Gilbert.

Home Sweet Home takes place from 11 March to 25 May 2026 at MAD Brussels. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Tokyo studio I IN has renovated Lulla House, a holiday home overlooking the ocean in Kamakura, Japan, creating "a space where the beauty of the view becomes a collective experience".

Located about an hour and a half from central Tokyo, Lulla House was designed for a client who has a fashion brand.

The brief saw I IN transform a former office and residential building into a holiday home that can also be used as a showroom for the owner's label.

The studio, which was founded by Yohei Terui and Hiromu Yuyama, focused on creating a home that celebrates the striking location.

"Facing the open sea, the architecture responds by framing the landscape with the largest possible windows," Yuyama told Dezeen.

"The intention was to allow visitors to experience the scenery not only visually, but physically and emotionally."

I IN retained the building's existing steel structure but reconstructed all of its walls, both externally and internally. The studio also drew on its seaside location by adding nautical details.

"Rattan was used throughout the architecture, inspired by the image of sea breeze passing gently through the building," Yuyama said.

"Its permeability to air and light creates a soft atmosphere," Yuyama continued.

"The ropes on the exterior are connected to the idea of fashion and garment-making – rather than constructing everything with hard materials, we wanted to introduce textile-like elements reminiscent of fabric and thread, exploring a design that takes advantage of their softness and flexibility."

Set over three floors, each measuring 82.5 square metres, the interior features custom-made furniture by I IN that will also be sold by the fashion brand.

The studio prioritises creating custom furniture for its projects whenever possible.

"In this project, we had enough time, and the owner also wished to introduce and sell the furniture through their own brand," Yuyama explained.

"Rather than creating a strict series, we aimed for each piece to have its own character while resonating with the others throughout the house."

The pieces designed by I IN include wooden tables with a brushed finish to create a more tactile texture and kitchen and closet doors made from rattan, which double as decorative screens when closed.

At the centre of the house, I IN placed a sculptural spiral staircase that functions as a focal point, with its pale white hue contrasting against the warm wood used for the walls and furniture.

On the first floor, a titanium volume divides the living room from the kitchen section and opens out onto the home's terrace.

The second floor houses the bedrooms. When visitors enter this floor, they are met by an open closet placed at the house's core to symbolise "the centrality of dressing in one's lifestyle," I IN said.

This level also holds a striking open bathroom that overlooks the ocean with decorative pale-pink tiles with lime-coloured grout, inspired by the owner's apparel-design background.

"The client is the designer of an apparel brand whose key colour is pink, so touches of pink appear throughout the interior," Yuyama said.

"In the bathroom, custom pink tiles made from sand sourced in Japan are paired with lime-yellow grout – treating the tiles like fabric and the grout like thread, expressing a fashion-inspired sensibility."

Overall, the designers hoped to create a space where the owner can both live and display their brand, while taking full advantage of the beautiful surroundings.

"The house was conceived as a place where many people can share and experience the extraordinary landscape," Yuyama concluded. "The intention was to create a space where the beauty of the view becomes a collective experience."

Other recent projects by I IN include a lounge space in Ginza drenched in Edo purple and a coffee shop interior that references historic stone gates.

The photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.

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Designer Dan Vakhrameyev has created a sleek, multifunctional interior for an aircraft hangar filled with industrial design details for skydiving collective Aerotim in Ukraine.

Vakhrameyev, who is co-founder of the Pluskouple design studio, designed the interior of the industrial hangar for Timur Fatkullin's Aerotim collective.

Located in an undisclosed location, it was intended to function both as a maintenance space for the aeroplanes and a place where the crew could hang out.

The outside of the hangar has an industrial-style full-width gate covered with raw zinc sheets. At its top, a polycarbonate section lets in light during the day.

Inside the 400-square-metre hangar, the designer wanted to keep the same pared-back, industrial feel.

"The overall design language remains deliberately restrained, relying on exposed surfaces, honest materials, and precise detailing to create a mature, disciplined environment suited to pre- and post-flight routines," Vakhrameyev said.

The ground floor centres around a full-height hangar hall designed to house light aircraft, with walls made from cement-bonded particle board (CBPB).

To continue the focus on raw materials, Vakhrameyev mounted the panels with visible joints derived from aircraft fuselage rivet-fastening techniques.

Tables, doors and shelves throughout the interior were also made from CBPB, which was kept in its natural grey hue.

"The overall colour scheme was dictated by the exposed surfaces of the building materials we use," the designer told Dezeen. "The goal was to create a mature, disciplined environment with honest, raw materials."

Vakhrameyev designed Aerotim's Crew Station on a mezzanine floor, from which it overlooks the hangar through a floor-to-ceiling glass wall.

Here, crew members share a kitchen, office space, a leisure area and sleeping space, as well as a changing room with showers.

The staff areas feature wooden kitchen cabinets to bring more warmth to the industrial interior, with wooden furnishings and textile walls also added to the sleeping spaces.

These spaces have spot lighting, while the main hangar features linear LED lighting mounted in a structural grid. Vakhrameyev also created a lighting design made from aluminium offcuts for the main meeting area.

Aluminium was also used for the benches and rails in the crew's shower and changing room, while stainless-steel shower elements nod to the zinc gate of the hangar itself.

The floors of the hangar were designed to be sturdy and hardwearing, necessary in an environment that will experience heavy use.

"A seamless polymer floor is applied in the main hangar area, while a durable vinyl surface is used on the second level to facilitate easy maintenance," Vakhrameyev said.

In a recent article, Ukrainian designers told Dezeen design editor Jennifer Hahn how the ongoing war with Russia has made the country's interiors "bolder and more interesting".

Recently, Ukrainian studio Aranchii Architects unveiled designs for a church with a community air-raid shelter.

The photography is by Andriy Bezuglov.

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In this roundup, we explore sculptural concrete buildings that evoke the geometries and monumental aspects of brutalism, but were designed by contemporary architects.

The striking buildings in this roundup include a concrete chapel in Missouri, a cube-shaped home in Mexico and an Argentinian home with a cantilevered terrace.

Casa Alférez, Mexico, by Ludwid Godefroy

This brutalist holiday home in a Mexican pine forest was designed by Mexico City-based architect Ludwig Godefroy, who drew on "the idea of a cabin in the woods".

"I wanted the house to look like a cube that crashed on the floor among the trees," he explained.

Find out more about Casa Alférez ›

Atlantic Pavilion, Portugal, by Valdemar Coutinho Arquitectos

Designed by Valdemar Coutinho Arquitectos, this sports centre in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, features angular concrete surfaces that funnel daylight into its public foyer.

Located on a compact site, the building's design was guided by the principles of brutalism in its use of concrete both inside and out, and features a cantilevered upper storey.

Find out more about Atlantic Pavilion ›

Pedro Reyes studio, Mexico, by Pedro Reyes

Mexican sculptor Pedro Reyes designed a bunker-like extension as the main workplace for his studio in Coyoacán, Mexico City. Its brutalist appearance comes from the material used – prefabricated concrete panels.

"Definitely, it resembles a work more of infrastructure or engineering than of architecture, which is one of the characteristics of brutalism," Reyes said.

Find out more about Pedro Reyes studio ›

A Brutalist Tropical Home, Indonesia, by Patisandhika and Dan Mitchell

The aptly named A Brutalist Tropical Home in Bali sits in a small valley nestled within rice fields on the south coast of the island.

Here, architectural studio Patisandhika and designer Dan Mitchell created a house with structural slabs that extend horizontally from its exterior. Inside, it has a double-height living room with a multi-level layout that is filled with tropical plants.

Find out more about A Brutalist Tropical Home ›

Chapel of the Risen Christ, US, by Design Alliance Architects

Eight massive curved walls form this concrete chapel in St Louis, Missouri, which has stained-glass windows and was designed in reference to the resurrection.

"The curvature of the walls expands concentrically toward the nave, symbolizing the spreading of the Gospel," the studio told Dezeen. "Their deliberate fragmentation alludes to the broken body of Christ on the cross, a central tenet of Christian theology."

Find out more about Chapel of the Risen Christ ›

Brutal Honesty, Argentina, by OF Studio

A mountainside in Mendoza, Argentina, is home to the Brutal Honesty house, designed to resemble abstract rock formations.

"In essence, Brutal Honesty is a built extension of the mountain – a space for living that neither conceals nor embellishes, but exists in open dialogue with its surroundings," designer OF Studio said.

Find out more about Brutal Honesty ›

Casa HMZ, Mexico, by Lucio Muniain

Created as a "habitable sculpture," Casa HMZ in San Luis Potosí has raw board-formed concrete walls and draws on the works of Mexican architect Luis Barragán.

The heavy rectangular house, which has recessed windows, sits on a golf course and has wide views of the surrounding landscape.

Find out more about Casa HMZ ›

NICO Loma Alta, Mexico, by Hybrid and Palma

The only hotel on the list, NICO Loma Alta in the bohemian surf town of Sayulita features elements of brutalism and vernacular architecture.

At its rooftop level, a plunge pool is framed by the concrete beams used throughout the structure, which are contrasted with steel and wood to create a tactile design.

Find out more about NICO Loma Alta ›

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Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has unveiled the design for a timber concert hall in Altdorf, Switzerland, which will be located inside a listed historic building.

The concert hall in the Canton of Uri region was described as a "beacon of the arts". The curved structure will be built from timber inside the shell of a listed 19th-century armoury building and will seat around 200 to 250 people.

The project was commissioned by cultural platform Zauberklang.

"Conceived as a beacon of the arts in the Alps, the concert hall in the Zeughaus, Altdorf, will be an intimate space created for world-class artists and audience," Zauberklang director of artistic projects Andreas Haefliger said.

Ban's concert hall was described as organically shaped and will be made entirely from timber. While the project is comparatively small-scale next to some of his other works, Ban argued that the "significance of a project has nothing to do with its size".

The Altdorf region is associated with the legend of William Tell, and according to the organisers, Ban described the context of the project as "highly compelling" for architectural intervention.

Zauberklang has teamed up with the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University to bring international music students to the concert hall in Uri, which will also be used as an educational space.

No completion date has yet been confirmed for the privately financed project, which is expected to cost 45 million CHF (£43 million).

"Zauberklang is excited to collaborate with Shigeru Ban Architects on this project, uniting architectural imagination with artistic vision," Haefliger said.

Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner Ban is known for his innovative architecture designs that often use natural materials.

Previous works include a thatch-and-cardboard-tube restaurant in Japan, a pair of wood-clad housing blocks in Antwerp and the Blue Ocean Dome Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka.

The imagery is courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects.

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Design studio Akasaki & Vanhuyse has presented the Home-Home exhibition, which showcased works by 16 designers and artists in a modernist house in Chiba, Japan.

Home-Home was on display inside the 1974 Bundle Gallery house, designed by Japanese architect Ren Suzuki, who worked with architect Le Corbusier in the 1950s before returning to Japan.

It featured works by both local and international designers, some of whom were showing in the country for the first time.

"Home–Home is a self-initiated show where we invited designers connected to Japan to exhibit alongside us," Akasaki & Vanhuyse co-founder Astrid Vanhuyse told Dezeen.

"We wanted to explore the idea of home as both origin and destination, creating a dialogue between the works, the architecture and the lived experiences behind them."

The exhibition was spread across five rooms of the house, which the curators chose because of its intimate feel.

"It reflects the mix of Japanese design value and modernism we were interested in," Akasaki & Vanhuyse co-founder Kenta Akasaki told Dezeen.

"The home setting made the exhibition feel intimate and personal, rather than presenting it in a white gallery space."

Akasaki and Vanhuyse arranged the pieces around Bundle Gallery so that they would look harmonious in the space, which features striking design details, including a large hexagonal fireplace.

Among the works on show was the studio's own WA Lamp, which was made from parts of decommissioned Tokyo trains. Home-Home also featured pieces by designers including Alexandra Gerber, Kohei Kojima, Rikako Nagashima and Wade and Leta.

"The group came together organically through friendships and ongoing conversations with designers who have a connection to Japan," Vanhuyse explained.

"We selected practices across disciplines, from furniture and product to visual art and photography, and across generations, all sharing a sensitivity to context in their work."

The designs on show included lighting and furniture as well as artworks and homeware, shown alongside the existing gallery interior.

Akasaki & Vanhuyse created display spaces using aluminium pallets, which were stacked to create different forms, including a coffee table, a dining table and a cushion-topped daybed.

The concept of showing design in places like Bundle Gallery, which is rarely open to the public, has become more popular in recent years and was seen across Milan design week in 2025.

While it is still a more unusual concept in Japan, Akasaki & Vanhuyse believe that the format can create a memorable visitor experience.

"These types of shows offer a full experience for the visitors, they can enjoy the pieces and the architecture," Akasaki concluded.

"In Japan, some stores and cultural spaces have a strong authentic atmosphere, yet for design shows, it is still quite rare."

The photography is by Kohei Omachi.

Home-Home was on view at Bundle Gallery, Chiba, from 20 to 23 February 2026. For more up-to-date events in architecture and design around the world, visit Dezeen Events Guide.

Project credits: 

Participants: Akasaki & Vanhuyse, Alexandra Gerber, Alexis Jamet, Manon Cezaro, CPRV, Gini Moynier, Ikoi Katono, Kohei Kojima, Kollygujer, Maha Alavi, Mari Shimazaki, Max Creasy, Miku Suzuki, Nothing Japan, Rikako Nagashima, Wade and Leta, Waiting For Ideas

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Lebanese-Italian studio AB+AC Architects has created an "urban retreat" with terracotta floors in Lisbon, Portugal, for clients who wanted to feel like they were living in the countryside.

The 158-square-metre home in central Lisbon, which was renovated by AB+AC Architects, has a large terrace and a number of smaller patios. The studio gave it a refresh for a growing family that wanted to have a refuge in the city.

"The clients deliberately wanted to feel as if they were living in a countryside home despite being in the very centre of Lisbon, so we conceived the apartment as an urban retreat where nature, light, and calm are always present," AB+AC Architects co-founder Arianna Bavuso told Dezeen.

"Knowing that studies show that just by exposing ourselves 12 minutes a day to nature, stress levels decrease and mental clarity improves, we designed the layout so that every room – including bathrooms – has a direct visual connection to a green space, whether a patio, planted niche, aromatic garden, or the main terrace."

Inside the home, the bedrooms, office and recreational rooms have wooden floors, while the kitchen, dining and living areas feature handmade terracotta tiles.

These extend out to the 70-square-metre terrace to create a connection between the interior and exterior spaces.

The studio was inspired by the Filipino origins of one of the clients to incorporate materials "with a strong connection to craft and climate".

"Handmade terracotta tiles from the Alentejo, dried slowly under the sun and following the rhythm of nature, felt like an honest choice not only for their warmth and tactile quality, but also for their ability to naturally regulate temperature and humidity," Bavuso explained.

In the open-plan living space, AB+AC Architects placed low-slung, sculptural furniture pieces that add a contemporary touch to the more traditional materials.

"We mixed pieces by local designers, such as the daybed by Joana Vilaça, with more abstract, urban objects like the mirror cube, which act as playful amplifiers of space without overpowering it," Bavuso said.

For the bedroom, the studio created a custom-made AB+AC bed frame, which appears to have been made from stacked wooden boxes.

It was "developed as part of a modular flat-pack system using wood and magnets, assembling without screws or tools to support intuitive, low-effort living", according to AB+AC Architects, which creates a modular line called FlexiLiving Collection.

The colour palette in House of Green Patios was kept neutral, with pale cream and off-white hues used throughout the home.

"With terracotta tiles and existing solid wood floors anchoring the project in warmth and texture, we balanced them with a milky, silky stucco finish that acts as a visual calibrator: neutral, light-enhancing, and proven to reduce visual noise and cognitive fatigue," Bavuso said.

AB+AC Architects has previously designed the interior of a wellness centre in Lisbon and created a demountable pavilion that was shown during Dubai Design Week.

The photography is by Lourenco Teixeira de Abreu.

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Collectible design gallery Spazio Leone has opened a larger showroom in east London, with a neutral interior that "allows the works to breathe".

Spazio Leone founder Gennaro Leone wanted to keep the existing industrial feel of its Dalston showroom, which features structural pillars and polished-wood floorboards.

"The space was previously a Victorian textile factory, a working building with a raw, industrial character, an amazing wooden floor and a special energy," Leone told Dezeen.

"We didn't want to over-design it; the idea was to preserve its atmosphere and work with what was already there. Our interventions were minimal: we updated the lighting and electrics, painted the walls and redid the kitchen."

The gallery will be open by appointment during the week and to the public on Saturdays, and shows a small part of Spazio Leone's collection, which is available for sale and private hire.

Among the pieces on show are historic designs by architects Carlo Scarpa and Alvar Aalto, as well as contemporary works by designers including Grace Atkinson.

"The selection happened quite intuitively," Leone said. "We didn't approach it with a fixed checklist."

"Some pieces had been with us for a long time, others felt right for this particular space," he continued. "Once everything was physically inside, we moved things around until the relationships felt natural."

The gallery space was kept deliberately clean and pared back to function as a background for the design pieces.

"The neutrality allows the works to breathe," Leone said. "We didn't want the space to dictate too much."

Spazio Leone Gallery was previously housed in a smaller space in the nearby Hackney Downs area.

But while the interest in collectible design has rapidly increased in recent years, this wasn't what drove the move.

"The larger space wasn't a direct response to the market," Leone said. "It was more about finding a place that truly reflected how we want to work and what spaces mean to us."

"Of course, the growing interest in collectible design creates energy and opportunity, but for us the move was more personal than strategic," he concluded.

Gennaro Leone was among the designers that Dezeen spoke to in an article that looked at the increased interest in collectible design last year.

Recently, fellow London gallery Max Radford Gallery showed emerging designers at Collect, where designer Jihyun Kim was also showing gloopy ceramics.

The photography is by Celia Spenard-Ko.

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In his latest book, The Iconic Nordic House, author Dominic Bradbury explores Nordic architecture from the past 125 years, including buildings by architects Finn Juhl and Alvar Aalto. Here, he picks ten favourites.

The book, co-authored with photographer Richard Powers, follows Bradbury's publication New Nordic Houses, which looked at contemporary architecture.

In contrast, The Iconic Nordic House delves into the architects and designers who shaped what Nordic architecture is today.

"Going back into architectural history, it's clear that Scandinavian architects and designers have collectively punched above their weight for many decades," he told Dezeen.

"There is still, today, an engaging and endearing warmth, character and originality to Nordic design that helps to encourage the ongoing interest in the region's architecture, especially when it comes to house and home."

Read on for Bradbury's pick of ten projects from The Iconic Nordic House:

Carl and Karin Larsson, Lilla Hyttnås, Sundborn, Sweden, 1899 to 1912

"With its original fusion of art, interiors, architecture and gardens, Carl and Karin Larsson's Lilla Hyttnås is a mesmerising retreat upon the green edges of the small Swedish town of Sundborn.

"Over time, the Larssons transformed a modest country cottage into an inspirational home, combining traditional ingredients with modern elements such as Carl Larsson's bespoke painting studio.

"The Larssons treated the family home, shared with their many children, as a canvas for their work. It is a house full of pattern, colour and imagery, including family portraits by Carl painted on doors and panels, along with textiles throughout by Karin, as well as their furniture and lighting."

Eliel Saarinen, Hvitträsk, Kirkkonummi, Finland, 1903

"This ambitiously scaled family home successfully combines vernacular references, arts and crafts elements and the Finnish National Romantic style in one cohesive vision, serving as home to Eliel Saarinen and his wife Loja, a textile designer who contributed to the evolution of the interiors.

"Hvitträsk began as a joint project, shared with Saarinen's partners Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren. The three colleagues initially designed and developed Hvitträsk together, but within just a few years, the Lindgrens had moved back to the city while Saarinen parted from his first wife and married Loja, who was Gesellius' sister.

"Hvitträsk became the Saarinens' family home, while it also hosts a spacious architectural studio, with views of the lake itself. It was the childhood home of designer Pipsan Saarinen and architect Eero Saarinen, who initially began working with his father after the family settled in the United States, eventually becoming one of the great masters of the mid-century modern movement."

Josef Frank, Villa Carlsten, Falsterbo, Sweden, 1927

"Over time, the Austrian-born architect Josef Frank became one of the key proponents of Nordic-inspired design. Frank's wife was Swedish, and from the 1920s onwards, he began spending an increasing amount of time living and working in Scandinavia.

"During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Frank designed a handful of new homes in Falsterbo, combining modernist touches with coastal cabin references. One of the most delightful of these is Villa Carlsten, a modestly scaled escape set within a generously sized garden in the town itself.

"Today, the carefully restored home is decorated with many pieces of furniture designed by Frank himself, along with the vibrantly patterned textiles that he created during the 1940s and 1950s for the famous Swedish design house Svensk Tenn."

Alvar Aalto, Villa Mairea, Noormarkku, Finland, 1939

"Alvar Aalto famously turned his attention to almost every aspect of his houses and buildings, as seen at Villa Mairea in the rural region of Noormarkku.

"Here, Aalto was asked to design a new family home for his colleagues Maire and Harry Gullichsen. Characteristically, Aalto involved himself in every aspect of Villa Mairea – a modernist exemplar that sits within a clearing in the surrounding forest.

"His remit included the gardens, the two-storey home, the interiors, lighting, furniture and almost every detail of the house. With an organic character inspired by the natural beauty of the surroundings, Villa Mairea is now an essential reference point in the development of warm Nordic modernism."

Finn Juhl, Finn Juhl House, Ordrup, Denmark 1942

"Like his Finnish contemporary Alvar Aalto, the pioneering Danish designer Finn Juhl was a talented multi-disciplinarian who trained and initially worked as an architect, yet became much better known as a furniture designer.

"Finn Juhl's own self-designed home in Ordrup offers a master class in the Danish style. The L-shaped building is mostly arranged over one storey with an easy flow from one space to the next, while Juhl established constant connectivity with the surroundings throughout.

"Although Juhl had an office alongside the main entrance, the glory of the house is the spacious 'great room', with space enough here for a lounge by the fireplace, a library in one corner and a dining area in another.

"During the winter months, however, Juhl would retreat into the spacious master bedroom at the other end of the house, where there was a work table placed near the fire and everything he needed to continue working within a more intimate and warmer setting."

Ásmundur Sveinsson and Einar Sveinsson, Ásmundarsafn, Reykjavik, Iceland 1959

"Travelling together with my co-author, photographer Richard Powers, our extensive trips for The Iconic Nordic House encompassed the mainland Nordic nations as well as the Faroe Islands and Iceland, with some extraordinary houses to be found here.

"One of the most dramatic of these projects was Ásmundarsafn in Reykjavik, designed by and for the artist Ásmundur Sveinsson. Celebrated for his monumental pieces fusing modernist influences and Nordic mythology, Sveinsson found himself outgrowing his studios a number of times over.

"With a passion for architecture and design, he designed Ásmundarsafn as a bespoke base both for daily living and making art. The project was completed in two parts, with Sveinsson designing a distinctive fortress-like house to begin with, topped by a domed roofline. Later, assisted by architect Einmar Sveinsson, he added a larger studio to the rear."

Matti Suuronen, Futuro House, Weegee Exhibition Centre, Espoo, Finland 1968

"Matti Suuronnen's Futuro House was one of the most famous and optimistic of all prototypical, Space Age concept homes.

"The project was a collaboration between Finnish architect Matti Suuronen and manufacturers Polykem. The idea was to create a flexible multi-purpose dwelling that could be delivered on lorry or by helicopter to remote locations.

"Suuronen designed his sci-fi saucer with a series of interconnecting reinforced plastic segments that could be bolted together to make the domed house, which was anchored to the site on supporting legs fixed to a ring beam base. Although widely publicised, the production of Suuronen's ingenious design was halted by the oil crisis of the early 1970s and subsequent recession.

"The survivors are now much sought after, with Espoo's version in pristine condition and still speaking of the innovative, experimental spirit within 20th-century Scandinavian architecture and design."

Sverre Fehn, Villa Holme, Holmsbu, Norway, 1998

"The highly influential body of work developed by architect Sverre Fehn speaks of the close relationship between buildings and landscape.

"Villa Holme, upon the edge of the small coastal village of Holmsbu, is a case in point. A commission from the later years of the architect's career, the house was designed for graphic designer Ingolf Holme during the 1970s, but construction and completion were repeatedly delayed until the 1990s.

"The timber-framed house plays with geometry, as well as the context, subverting a square form by placing it upon a diagonal footprint.

"One half of the house is devoted to a double-height studio for Holme, with the rest of the residence arranged over two storeys. Now coated with Virginia creepers, the house feels very much of its place, as one would expect from Sverre Fehn."

Snorre Stinessen, Manshausen Sea Cabins, Manshausen Island, Norway 2015

"The cover star of The Iconic Nordic House sits within an extraordinary coastal setting in northern Norway.

"Here, Stinessen was commissioned by explorer Børge Ousland to create an unforgettable Arctic resort that also fully respects the precious landscapes and ecologies of this part of Norway. Their agreed approach was to divide the accommodation at Manshausen into a series of modestly scaled, individual cabins with the resort's restaurant hosted by a converted, communal building, while other shared temptations include a bespoke sauna, essential for such Scandinavian retreats.

"The cabins are sensitively sited on the old, existing docksides and are carefully positioned for both privacy and cultivating a sense of intimate connectivity with the natural surroundings."

Tham & Videgård, Krokholmen House, Stockholm archipelago, Sweden, 2015 to 2022 

"The Stockholm Archipelago holds many delights, both natural and created.

"Situated on the outer edges of the Archipelago, the Krokholmen House neatly encapsulates many of the key themes threaded all the way through The Iconic Nordic House. The house is highly contextual and sits upon its site with the lightest of touches, yet this is also an elegantly crafted building, which makes the most of natural materials. The key ingredient is the sculptural, tent-like roof over the main living spaces, which face the open water.

"A few years later, Tham & Videgård's clients called them again, asking for a second cabin nearby, holding guest accommodation, an integrated porch – which serves as a semi-sheltered, fresh air living room – and, of course, a sauna. These two structures have a different character, yet they work closely in combination with one another."

The photography is by Richard Powers.

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Architect Lina Ghotmeh has unveiled designs for Metamorphosis in Motion, a "playful labyrinth" set to be installed in the courtyard of Milan's Palazzo Litta during the city's upcoming design week.

The installation, which is Ghotmeh's first site-specific solo outdoor work in Italy, was informed by the history of the palace itself and resembles a pink labyrinth.

It was commissioned for the annual MoscaPartners Variations exhibition, which will be held in Milan's baroque-style Palazzo Litta and showcase a number of global exhibitors.

"Metamorphosis emerges through use," Ghotmeh explained. "The courtyard evolves from threshold to commons, from representation to participation, transforming space, memory and experience into a single, dynamic architectural narrative."

Ghotmeh used shifting perspectives, curved geometric shapes and a sequential path to create the installation, which was named Metamorphosis in Motion because of the way it changes the courtyard space.

"We reflected on the courtyard's role as both passage and representation – an intermediate realm designed to guide movement and intensify experience," Ghotmeh said.

"The installation is a playful labyrinth that activates the courtyard without altering its structure, introducing a contemporary layer that offers visitors a silent pause within the intensity of the design week experience," she continued.

Renders of the installation show a labyrinth of screens and seats with a monolithic feel in a bright cerise-pink hue.

Metamorphosis in Motion will take up all of the central courtyard and be the "scenographic and conceptual centrepiece for the exhibition", MoscaPartners said.

"The installations we have commissioned over the years for this highly distinctive venue have never been mere scenic backdrops, but conceptual thresholds capable of setting the rhythm and atmosphere of the entire exhibition, transforming into living spaces where people's participation becomes an integral part of the work," MoscaPartners founder Caterina Mosca said.

"With Metamorphosis in Action, Lina perfectly synthesises the link between our research and that of the exhibitors: an approach that looks beyond the object to focus on regeneration and adaptation," she continued.

According to MoscaPartners, different areas defined by the labyrinthine modules will offer different ways of experiencing the Metamorphosis in Motion installation.

Last year, the courtyard space was filled with red gravel by South Korean architect Byoung Soo Cho, who created the installation as his first project in Europe.

Ghotmeh was named one of the world's 100 most influential rising stars by Time magazine last year. She designed the Bahrain Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka and is set to renovate part of the British Museum in London.

The images are courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh Architecture.

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London studio Cake Architecture aimed to distil the "atmosphere of the Thames and its embankment" inside this coffee shop, which features a carved ceiling void and a monolithic espresso counter.

Located in the Millennium Bridge House, a building on the Thames alongside the Foster + Partners-designed Millennium Bridge, the 190-square-metre WatchHouse cafe was designed to evoke the nearby St Paul's Cathedral and Tate Modern.

"We have tried to distil this atmosphere of the Thames and its embankment," Cake Architecture founding partner Hugh Scott Moncrieff told Dezeen.

"The starting point was the contrast between the monumental London skyline; St Paul's, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge and the fleeting, atmospheric quality of the Thames," he continued. "That tension between permanence and movement, solid form and shifting light, became the core idea of the space."

The surrounding architecture influenced both the scale of the space and specific architectural details in the WatchHouse cafe, which has a dramatic circular ceiling void.

"The carved ceiling void references the geometry and procession of St Paul's dome, while the monolithic espresso counter draws from the industrial language of the Tate Modern and the infrastructural character of the river," Moncrieff said.

"The interior translates these external forms into a more intimate spatial experience."

The wood-clad interior, made from timber and cherry veneer, also features plenty of contrasting stainless-steel details, as well as a concrete floor that Cake Architecture introduced in a nod to the nearby river.

"Timber and introduces warmth and tactility, while the metals provide reflectivity and diffusion of light," Moncrieff explained.

"The concrete floor is reminiscent of the Thames river bed and inspired by the practice of 'mudlarking'. We have tried to create a space that responds dynamically to its context and to the changing light through the day."

Like another recent store for the coffee brand in the City of London, the colour palette has been kept natural and is dominated by the wooden panelling.

"The palette is drawn directly from the immediate context; the tonal shifts of the Thames, the muted stone of the embankment, and the changing sky," Moncrieff said.

"Subtle back-painted finishes introduce soft iridescence, enabling colour to diffuse and evolve as light conditions shift."

The latest WatchHouse store, which has 60 seats, will serve special and rare coffee, as well as breakfast, viennoiserie and bakery options.

Cake Architecture has previously designed a "hedonistic" spa with the UK's largest sauna and a late-night London restaurant informed by Edward Hopper's paintings.

The photography is by Felix Speller.

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Art and design duo The Haas Brothers has created the limited-edition Tropa Añejo bottle, a ceramic vessel resembling a fly agaric mushroom with a beaded cap, for drinks brand Tropa Tequila.

Designer Nikolai Haas, who created Tropa Tequila's regular bottle – also mushroom-shaped – said the duo used the shape as a base for not just their version of the bottle but also for future designs.

"I'd made big mushroom sculptures with my brother Simon, and I used those sculptures as inspiration for these bottles," he told Dezeen.

"The idea is that other artists will create additions as well in the future, and this mushroom shape felt like a good base shape for others to express on."

The bottle, which will be produced in a limited run of 300, has a gold ceramic base and a mushroom cap that the brothers decorated with beads and saturated colours.

"You really have two choices with a bottle: ceramic or glass," Nikolai Haas explained.

"The Tropa team was all about ceramic. Me too, because it gives you lots of ability to express colour on the surface. Then, for my limited edition bottle, I used glass beads on the cap."

The Haas Brothers use glass beads a lot in their practice and had previously worked with artisans in South Africa on other beaded projects.

The same artisans were brought in to create the Tropa Añejo bottle.

"The ceramic part is complicated slip cast moulds, that's a very cool process in and of itself, but the beaded part is very special," Nikolai Haas said.

"My brother and I built huge, beaded sculptures with a group of beaders in South Africa. It gave us the ability to bring work to an economic vacuum."

By working with the same artisans on the new bottle, Nikolai Haas believes he and his brother Simon added more "narrative" to the design.

"This way of utilising fabrication outsourcing to be more socially conscious and effective has been a real hallmark of our studio practice," he explained.

"I applied this same practice and group of beaders to the Añejo bottle. Now the bottle has a deeper and, I feel, more important narrative," Nikolai Haas continued.

"That the thing you're drinking, that sits on your table, has a dynamic and vibrant community behind it. It was built with real relationships, not just nameless, faceless factories."

The Tropa tequila brand first launched last year and is made in Jalisco, Mexico, from "a blend of functional mushrooms", the brand said.

The Haas Brothers have previously used beading to create Afreaks monsters and spoke to Dezeen about how they almost got kicked out of Design Miami.

The photography is by Bobby Doherty unless otherwise stated.

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Cathedral-like concrete halls, menacing bunkers and monumental sculptural buildings were among the settings designed by Quake players for a brutalist-informed collective gaming event.

The third edition of the Quake Brutalist Jam saw participants create more than 70 playable maps for the online first-person shooter game over two and a half weeks.

It was co-hosted by Ben Hale, who works as an environment artist at game developer Unknown Worlds, where he focuses on landscape details, such as sculpting rocks, that make a video game come to life.

For the Quake Brutalist Jam, which he hosted together with Lain Fleming, Hale made the concrete textures used by creators to design the brutalist environments for the game.

"I made all of the texture sets that a lot of folks use in the brutalist jam," he told Dezeen.

"Concrete's interesting in that it's kind of a rock, but not really – it behaves differently, it oxidises and stains in its own kind of way. I had to do a bit of research to figure out how that looked."

The Quake source code was released in the early 2000s, enabling gamers to create their own modifications (mods) of the game. During the Quake jams, players try to build new versions of Quake, often around a theme.

"There are quite a few jams that would focus on a theme, whether that's a visual theme or a mechanical theme," Hale said.

"There was one called Blue Tuesday where everything was blue, and there have been a lot of Christmas jams."

Brutalism was a good fit for the Quake jam, not just because of Hale's expertise in texture design, but also because it suited the game's own style.

"Brutalism is a minimalist modernist style, and Quake's low-poly style matches it really well – besides the fact that nobody really went for super minimalism," he said.

"Modern tools have enabled mappers to become maximalist in really crazy ways; everybody's a little sicko for detail, but that's also fine," Hale continued.

"But I think it suits it well, because brutalism tends to be this very bold, singular, monolithic kind of style; it has a sort of capacity of becoming a landmark."

This marked the third year the Quake Brutalist Jam took place

A lot of the maps in the Quake Brutalist Jam convey an oppressive atmosphere – suitable for the gothic fiction-inspired Quake, in which players face off against monsters and explore secret areas.

"We love [brutalist buildings] because they're menacing, cool and a useful storytelling tool," Hale said.

"If you've gotten the chance to play through a lot of the maps in the Quake Brutalist Jam, you'll notice that everybody's interpretation, not just of brutalism but also of an oppressive atmosphere, are really different from each other," he continued.

While the requirement for creating maps for the jam was that the designs had to be made from concrete, "that didn't stop people from properly doing research, because they do care about this sort of thing," Hale added.

Among the many playable interpretations of brutalist architecture was game designer Robert Yang's map, which featured brick brutalism.

His map, which evokes early cult video game Myst, has a very open structure and layout informed by his research.

"You can approach it from any angle; it is an island with lots of intersecting loops for the player to come across, and his particular architectural choice specifically influenced the layout and design," Hale explained.

To Hale, game design and architecture aren't that dissimilar.

"Video game level design and architecture have a pretty similar goal: architecture is the design of space and flow," Hale said.

"That's precisely what video game level design is – now, granted, their goals of what that space and flow should accomplish can be pretty different," he continued.

"Typically, in gameplay, you want it to be mostly linear; games typically will try to get players from point A to point B with a couple of distractions along the way. Whereas in an actual building, every room is going to have its own use, you want it to be accessible."

Designing the brutalist Quake maps was a way of showcasing this relationship, while giving game designers the opportunity to feel like architects.

"One of the most magical things, I think, that you can experience, is being able to make a virtual space yourself and walk around in it," Hale said.

"Obviously, it's gonna pale in comparison to building an actual building and walking around in that, but this is kind of a cheaper thrill version."

Previously on Dezeen, we've spoken to the makers of The Sims about interior design trends and looked at Zaha Hadid Architects' creation of a parametric London for Epic Games.

The main image is from The Monument by Hale.

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This week on Dezeen, we looked ahead to the 12 most anticipated architecture projects set to complete in China this year, in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Among the many exciting projects to look out for are a sculptural art centre by Chinese firm MAD and Shanghai's new opera house by architecture studio Snøhetta, which will feature a spectacular spiral staircase.

In the US, members of the advisory council Commission of Fine Arts unanimously voted to approve designs for the White House ballroom expansion. Digital drawings and renderings by designer Shalom Baranes Architects were approved on 19 February, with further hearings to come.

Earlier in the week, detailed drawings of the ballroom were released by the Washington DC advisory committee the National Capital Planning Commission, before being "swiftly" removed from its website.

Antoni Gaudí has been confirmed as the architect of Xalet del Catllaràs, an early 1900s chalet in northern Spain, in a report published by the Government of Catalonia.

Gaudí was confirmed as the building's architect because of the presence of structural details he was known to use at the time of its construction, which were only adopted by others 10 or 15 years later.

A design by Gensler and Populous of a proposed stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball franchise was released this week, showing a 31,000-seat venue in Tampa, Florida, USA.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, construction is underway on a 256-metre-tall skyscraper by US studio SOM, which will be located at 400 Lake Shore, the site of the cancelled Chicago Spire skyscraper.

Quirky designs made the headlines, with US-based Nik Bentel creating a handbag for the supermarket chain Lidl. The gridded, stainless-steel bag was informed by shopping trolleys.

Swedish designer Gustaf Westman also drew on an existing object for his Curling Bowl, which celebrates the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and is shaped like a curling stone – but can be filled with snacks.

We interviewed RIBA president Chris Williamson, who spoke about how he's trying to make an impact despite limited power.

"I try not to do anything half-hearted," he told Dezeen. "It looks as though I'm acting alone as some sort of renegade, but I'm actually not."

Popular projects this week included a mirrored Saudi metro station by Snøhetta, an Indian home with a coconut-wood roof and Ukrainian glass houses with thatched roofs.

Listen to our journalists talk about the key design and architecture stories of the past seven days on our Dezeen Weekly podcast, which this week focused on Jony Ive and Marc Newson's interiors for the first electric Ferrari and Australia's first new city in 100 years.

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Swiss studio Leopold Banchini Architects has created Asympta, a stone-and-wood pavilion that evokes the "unknown domestic architectures" of prehistoric societies in today's Sicily.

The temporary Asympta pavilion was designed in reference to the people who would have lived in the Syracuse-Pantalica area from the 13th to the 7th century BC, when the Necropolis of Pantalica was built.

A collection of cemeteries from Pantalica is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with the city of Syracuse on Sicily's Ionian coast.

The pavilion's form was designed to give an idea of what domestic architecture in the region could have looked like.

"Asympta is a speculative micro-architecture reflecting on the largely unknown domestic architectures of the prehistoric civilisation that inhabited the Anapo river valley," Leopold Banchini Architects said.

"Asympta is a speculation on a possible architecture born from this unique landscape," added studio founder Leopold Banchini.

"Using the resources of the territory as a starting point, the project develops from available materials and possible assembly details," he told Dezeen.

The structure's form was designed to accommodate gathering and reflection, and reference both eastern Sicily's volcanic landscape and the nearby ancient stone quarries.

It also aimed to question the "romanticised myth of the primitive hut," the studio explained.

Banchini used local materials for its construction, including lava stone from the nearby Mount Etna volcano.

"All the materials of the project are currently and easily available onsite," Banchini said.

"The stones used for the foundations come from a nearby quarry, the wood is sourced locally and assembled with traditional joints, the roof tiles are cut in Mount Etna lava."

The pavilion was first installed in Ortigia, Siracusa, Sicily, last year, and will be shown in Pantalica this year as part of the Siracusa Pantalica festival.

"Ortigia is the tip of Siracusa," Banchini explained. "As such, it is the very end of the imaginary journey linking the Anaktoron in Pantalica to the port of Siracusa."

Banchini hopes that the Asympta installation will continue to be shown on a yearly basis.

"The installation was open to the public for one month before being dismantled and stored," Banchini said.

"The table and its protective roof create a public yet intimate space to be used for family reunions, informal picnics or political discussions with strangers. It should be reinstalled yearly in different locations."

Previous projects by Leopold Banchini Architects include the transformation of a fountain in Spain into a temporary public bathhouse and a London bar where "all the elements" were made from one oak tree.

The photography is by Simone Bossi.

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Designer Nik Bentel used the humble shopping trolley as his inspiration for the Trolley Bag, designed for supermarket Lidl as a "twist on the everyday food shop experience".

The playful handbag, which was made from industrial stainless steel, has a gridded rectangular shape and a handle in Lidl's yellow-and-blue hues.

Like the original supermarket trolley handles, the bag handle is tubular and stamped with the Lidl logo at its centre and on the sides.

A coin keychain fob can be used to connect the Trolley Bag to Lidl's actual supermarket trolleys, letting people use it to accessorise their everyday food shop.

"Our 'Trolley Bag' – a reimagination of an everyday shopping essential – is designed for working not just the runway, but the aisles too," Lidl market director Joanna Gomer said.

The collaboration marks the second time that Bentel has created a shopping-informed bag for Lidl, following his Croissant crossbody bag that launched last year.

"We couldn't resist the chance to team up with Lidl again – there's something so exciting about turning the most unexpected items into fashion statements – and it's our bag through and through, pardon the pun," Bentel said.

"The Lidl 'Trolley Bag' is our latest twist on the everyday food shop experience and is the ultimate shopping sidekick," he continued.

"It's playful, practical and made to stand out – whether heading out to the runway or to run errands.”

The Trolley Bag, which launches in time for London Fashion Week this month, was conceived as a "surprising statement piece".

"Embracing the rising trend of utilitarian fashion, the 'Trolley Bag' transforms everyday function into form – blurring the lines between practicality and high style to deliver one of this season's most surprising statement pieces," Lidl said.

The Lidl Trolley Bag is the latest in a series of imaginative collaborations that juxtapose food and fashion. In 2024, fashion brand Chopova Lowena created a handbag with dedicated condiment holders for mayonnaise brand Hellmans.

Last year, supermarket brand Aldi unveiled its "comfort-food chic" Jacket Potato Jacket that resembles a giant baked potato.

The photography is courtesy of Lidl.

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Construction has been completed on the Paisley Museum in Scotland, which has been extended and given a "dramatic red entrance" made from glass by Amanda Levete Architects.

The museum, which has an A-listed main building and incorporates Scotland's oldest public observatory, was redeveloped to have a more "dynamic" presence in Paisley.

British studio Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A) has added a steel-clad panoramic extension with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, as well as an accessible entrance made from red glass at the front of the Paisley Museum.

"Paisley Museum has developed a completely new way of looking at the responsibilities of a museum and the architecture gives this expression and confidence; radical alterations inspired by Paisley's resilience and capacity for reinvention, light-filled spaces for the community in the new wing and a dramatic red entrance that expresses the town's radical spirit," principal of AL_A Amanda Levete said.

The museum, which showcases the area's history and claims to have the "finest collection of Paisley shawls in the world", was given significant repairs both internally and externally.

It now features modernised galleries on each floor and has double the space to showcase its collections. AL_A also added a learning space, a heritage centre, a restaurant and a shop.

Paisley Museum is complete with a new outdoor garden and public space, from which visitors can enjoy previously hidden views of the Coats Observatory.

The cultural centre will be operated by Renfrewshire's leisure and cultural charity OneRen.

"The building looks incredible and once the fit-out and installation of the objects and exhibitions is complete, we will have a visitor attraction that local people and communities will be proud of and one that will attract thousands of visitors to the town each year who will boost the local economy," said chair of OneRen Lisa-Marie Hughes.

The museum is now undergoing a fit-out period and object installation programme, expected to be completed over the remainder of this year before it reopens to the public.

Also in Scotland, Simpson & Brown has revived the 16th-century Fairburn Tower in the Scottish Highlands and O'Donnell Brown overhauled a 1970s community centre to create a performing arts hub.

The photography is courtesy of Renfrewshire Council.

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This week on Dezeen, we revealed plans for Bradfield City, which will be the first major city to be built in Australia for over a century.

Designed by American studio SOM and Australian studio Hassell, the 114-hectare city is set to include 10,000 homes, a university campus and a two-hectare park.

Its first stage of development is planned to roll out over the next five years.

Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny headlined the 60th Super Bowl football game in California with a set design that was a celebration of Latin American culture.

It allowed the artist to "make his comments in a way that felt elegant", according to the show's creative director Harriet Cuddeford, who spoke to Dezeen about how the concept was realised.

Sportswear brand Nike showcased its Air Milano Jacket, an air-filled jacket that can be inflated and deflated, in Milan during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The jacket is being worn by Team USA and uses Nike's Air technology.

Nike also created an all-orange, heavily branded train in Milan, to mark the relaunch of All Conditions Gear brand. The train was designed to be a base station for athletes.

London's brutalist Southbank Centre received a Grade II-listing this week. The listing for the centre comes after a 35-year-long battle by conservation group Twentieth Century Society, which called it a "sculptural masterpiece".

Also in London, the controversial revamp of Liverpool Street Station east London got the green light. The overhaul by British studio ACME will require part of the station to be demolished and see a 97-metre-tall office tower added overhead.

Japanese designer Sou Fujimoto unveiled images of the Baccarat Residences Saadiyat, his first residential project in the United Arab Emirates. The two undulating towers will be located on Saadiyat Island, across from Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

In Hong Kong, the Central Crossing development by British studio Foster + Partners, which features an "illuminated spire,"  topped out.

Popular projects this week included a concrete museum inserted between traditional buildings, a house extension for Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft and a London flat with a cathedral-like roof.

Listen to our journalists talk about the key design and architecture stories of the past seven days on our Dezeen Weekly podcast, which this week focused on a demonstration outside the office of BIG and whether a Saudi-inspired proposal for a high-speed railway connecting five countries is realistic.

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Verner Panton caused a sensation with his pioneering approach to furniture and lighting design. To mark the centenary of the Danish designer's birth today, we profile the man whose colourful pieces and interiors defined an era.

With their vibrant colours and undulating shapes, Verner Panton's Heart Cone and Panton chairs are among the most iconic design pieces to come out of the 1950s and '60s.

Verner Panton, who also created architecture and interiors, had a unique design language and commitment to industrial manufacture that made him stand out from the other designers of the time.

"Panton was fascinated by new design possibilities offered by new production techniques and new materials, such as plastic, plexiglass, steel, aluminium, and foam rubber, with bold, vibrant colours," author and Royal Danish Academy professor Ida Engholm told Dezeen.

"And whereas his design colleagues in Denmark were dedicated to cultivating traditional craftmanship, Panton was also interested in creating products that were 100 per cent industrially manufactured, and possibly could go straight from the mould to large-scale series production."

Though he's best known for designs that were more vivid and experimental than much of the streamlined wooden furniture of the time, Verner Panton began his career by working with some of Denmark's most established design names.

Born in Brahesborg-Gamtofte in Denmark in 1926, he studied at the Technical University of Odense before attending the Royal Academy of Arts, Copenhagen, to study architecture.

Early career included working with Arne Jacobsen

During his time at the Royal Academy and after graduating, Verner Panton worked for another mid-century modern master, architect and designer Arne Jacobsen, on pieces including the iconic Ant chair.

"The older I become, the more respect I have for Arne Jacobsen, although our ways of thinking differed in many ways," Verner Panton said of working with Jacobsen.

"When you consider everything that Arne Jacobsen achieved in many different fields you realise that he has no equal."

Verner Panton also had a connection to Poul Henningsen, another leading figure of Danish design, through his marriage to Henningsen's stepdaughter, Tove Kemp.

Though the marriage didn't last long, Verner Panton would develop a friendship with Henningsen that lasted until the other designer died in 1967.

"He was very good friends with many of the great Danish designers of the time and admired their work, but he was more inspired and fascinated by new materials and technologies, so he chose to take a different path," Verner Panton's daughter, Carin Panton, told Dezeen.

"He remained close friends with them throughout his life, including Nanna Ditzel, Poul Henningsen and Hans Wegner."

While he may be best known for his furniture and interior designs today, Verner Panton was a creative who explored many different fields.

His first venture into commercial design was a vision for a button-less shirt. After selling the patent to a shirt factory, Verner Panton bought a Volkswagen minibus, which he turned into a "mobile draughtsman's office" and used to travel around Europe.

Bachelor chair designed for "the single lifestyle"

In 1955 he introduced his first commercial seating design, the Bachelor chair. Its frame was made from tubular steel, with legs that form an inverted V.

The chair, which came in fabric or suede upholstery and was produced by Danish furniture brand Fritz Hansen, was well suited for the time period in which it was launched.

"As the name suggests, it was designed with the single lifestyle in mind, and the portable chair fitted right into a young nomadic lifestyle or as a space saver in the cramped flats of the 1950s and '60s," said Engholm and Anders Michelsen in their book Panton – Environments, colours, systems, patterns.

Verner Panton's attitude to creativity encouraged innovation and saw him create a number of designs that were new to their time.

"A less successful experiment is preferable to a beautiful platitude," he once declared.

Among his successful experimental designs is Kom-Igen, an inn managed by his father that Panton transformed into an example of "total design" in 1958. This was a defining aspect of the mid-century modern designers, who were often polymaths, creating buildings as well as their interiors and furniture.

For Kom-Igen (Come Again in Danish) Panton created an extension that was constructed from load-bearing steel columns with a glass facade and crowned with a roof terrace.

True to his experimental style, Panton divided its large central room into smaller sections by using geometrically patterned fabric that hung from the ceiling. Five different shades of red were used for the interior.

"People must have come in and been stunned because nothing was really red in the 1950s," Carin Panton said. "They called it the Red Ruby."

Cone chair's upside-down display created a stir

Kom-Igen also featured Verner Panton's Cone chair, which takes its name from its conical shape. After the success of the restaurant, the chair was exhibited at tradefair Købestaevnet in 1959, where it drew massive attention as it was displayed upside-down on the ceiling.

"Experience shows that this fair attracts incredible crowds of people and they never get to see anything other than each other's backs and shoulders," Verner Panton said. "So, let's place everything on the ceiling."

In 1959, Verner Panton added to the Cone chair line with the Heart Cone chair, which opened up into the shape of a heart while keeping the comfort of the original Cone design.

The designer would eventually take his experiments in seating even further with the Panton chair, which became an international sensation.

Its design followed from his wooden S chair, which he designed in 1955 and which was produced by Thonet.

Though it has a similar shape, the sculptural Panton chair, created in 1958, was instead made in fibreglass. Produced by Swiss furniture brand Vitra, with whom Verner Panton often worked after moving to Basel in 1963, it made history as the first all-plastic chair made in one piece with a cantilever design.

Throughout his career, Verner Panton continued to move between different fields. The designer submitted an entry for the international competition for the Centre Pompidou in France but his design, for an amorphic building with a facade of steel rings, was lost in the mail and never considered by the jury.

His interior design fared better, with the designer creating joyful, bright-hued rooms for a variety of clients. These include the colour-saturated Der Spiegel publishing house in Germany.

Verner Panton gave the magazine's offices a complete makeover, creating a reception space with red and purple hues and ceilings with textile-covered pyramids to absorb sound. Each floor had its own colour, and patterns covered the walls as well as the striking psychedelic ceiling above the office's swimming pool.

The offices also featured clusters of shiny, half-moon-shaped Flowerpot lamps, which Verner Panton later put into production with design brand Louis Poulsen. They are among many Verner Panton pieces still in production and known as design classics today.

Among the designer's later projects is the Circus building in central Copenhagen, whose interior he transformed with an explosion of colour in 1984, and the Erco offices in London, for which he designed a plastic three-dimensional wall covering.

Completed in 1997, it was one of his last projects. Verner Panton passed away in Copenhagen in 1998 at the age of 72.

"Panton's designs reflect his era, marked by student protests, a rebellion against conventions, the rise of counterculture, the influence of psychedelic art, and a focus on freedom of expression – all of which opened up space for experimentation," Engholm concluded.

"Throughout his career, my father was very interested and fascinated in materials and their creative potential," Carin Panton said.

"For him, it wasn't just about inventing a new formal language," she added. "The production-related possibilities these materials offered were just as important. I think that his approach is still very relevant today."

The main illustration is by Vesa S.

This piece was originally published in 2024 as part of our mid-century modern series, which looked at the enduring presence of mid-century modern design.

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Hackney restaurant and listening bar Bambi has been doubled in size with a revamped interior and a custom-made stainless-steel-and-wood wall cabinet for vinyl records.

Designer Nicola Weetch led the interior design of the project, which came about after Bambi expanded into an empty venue behind the back wall of its London Fields space.

"The design challenge was to make a space that not only worked for music, but also as a restaurant and bar," Weetch told Dezeen.

"The DJ booth in the middle of the room and record wall were essential for the music side of things, but we ensured that we had a large open kitchen and large bar as you walked into the space, so all three aspects were given equal importance in the space."

The now 180-square-metre venue is located in a warehouse space that had also been used as a nightclub.

It was given a makeover with a simple material palette, while Weetch worked with a lot of existing finishes, so as not to discard materials that were still usable.

"We kept the palette quite simple, not wanting the space to feel overworked, through a combination of stainless steel to give reflections in the space – especially in the evening with lower, warmer lighting – oiled oak, cork and felt-linen curtains which give a warmth and richness of colour," Weetch said.

A custom-made DJ booth and record wall was hand-built on site for Bambi's resident DJs, who play exclusively vinyl.

A large, eye-catching record-storage unit, made from wood and stainless steel, stand behind the booth.

"We brought stainless steel into the space because we loved the juxtaposition with the wood finishes and how stainless steel reflects light within the space," Weetch explained.

"It also tied together the food, drink and music, as elsewhere we have a stainless-steel ageing cabinet, stainless steel wine fridges and of course, the disco ball!"

The surfaces in Bambi mostly have a warm, polished feel, which Weetch contrasted by leaving the existing scruffy, industrial floor intact.

"We wanted Bambi to feel lived in, almost like you had stumbled across an amazing hidden gem that had been in this warehouse building for years," she explained.

"We felt leaving the floor, with its years of use as a nightclub back in the day, achieved this feeling of being weathered and 'found' and avoided it feeling like a shiny new place dropped in."

Bambi's walls were decorated with playful artworks by illustrator Alec Doherty, who also created the bar's wine glasses, which feature two characters that kiss when the glasses are clinked.

"We have collaborated with Alec on all the artwork in the space as we love how his work focuses around human interactions, combining strong primary colours and playful themes," Weetch said.

As part of the expansion, Bambi now also features a wood-panelled mezzanine area that overlooks the main space, as well as a larger outdoor area.

The revamped Bambi is the latest bar to open in Hackney, with other recent additions to the east London nightlife including lesbian bar La Camionera and De Beauvoir listening bar Goodbye Horses.

The photography is by Beca Jones.

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Interiors studio El Departamento has designed the Covent Garden flagship store for Spanish trainer brand Hoff, which features handmade zellige ceramics and sculptural furniture.

The 163-square-metre London store was designed as an evolution of the Hoff flagship in Madrid, rather than a replica.

El Departamento, which is led by Alberto Eltini and Marina Martín, chose to work with warm materials such as wood and zellige to reflect the brand's approachability.

"We counterbalanced this with technical, industrial materials – such as stainless steel and metal grating – to introduce a sophisticated, contemporary edge," Eltini told Dezeen.

The studio used handmade zellige tiles in a warm butter-yellow colour to decorate a central display case and shelving.

"The palette is built on a neutral, serene base of sand and beige tones – seen in the stone and terrazzo – to provide a natural backdrop," Martín told Dezeen.

"Against this, we introduced singular colour accents to build identity and dynamise the customer journey."

As well as the tiles, El Departamento used stainless steel and industrial metal grating for the store's upper planes and for the technical ceiling.

"This introduces a current, industrial language that connects with London's specific urban character," Eltini said.

It also added a gridded floor to the Hoff flagship to create a dialogue with the ceiling symmetry.

While the floor and wall surfaces have clean, geometric lines, the store also features playful, sculptural furniture, including a glass table with bulbous blue shapes made in collaboration with artist Phoebe Collings-James.

"We were drawn to her practice for its organic, imperfect forms and the specific 'memory' she imprints on her pieces," Martín said.

"In this store, her sculpture is reinterpreted as a product display, effectively blending the retail experience with fine art," the studio added. "The piece breaks the orthogonal rigidity of the space, adding a unique, expressive layer that contrasts with the store's technical grid."

The exterior of the Hoff store, located in London's busy Covent Garden area, has tiles in a slightly darker hue that give the facade a welcoming feel and make it stand out against its neighbours.

"We used mustard yellow and deep blue specifically to inject warmth into the London context, which is often characterised by colder, greyer tones," Eltini explained.

"The mustard zellige also serves an architectural function, projecting towards the facade to visually connect the interior atmosphere with the street."

Overall, the designers aimed for the Hoff flagship store to be a neutral background that would help to enhance the product display.

"The envelope acts as a neutral, gallery-like space where textures and colours are perceived almost sculpturally," Martín explained. "By using bold volumes and architectural gestures, the design steps back to let the product take centre stage."

El Departamento has previously designed a Barcelona eyewear store in a pale seafoam green. Also in Covent Garden, interior studio North End Design created a colourful interior for the restaurant Town.

The photography is courtesy of Hoff.

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British studio Foster + Partners' Central Crossing skyscrapers, which feature an "illuminated spire" that runs the full length of the taller tower, have topped out in Hong Kong.

Set to be completed in the middle of this year, the Central Crossing development comprises two towers – a taller 160-metre-high office building and a shorter 122-metre-high tower containing a hotel.

A joint project by developers Wing Tai Properties and CSI Properties, the skyscrapers are located at 118 Wellington Street in Hong Kong's central business district.

Both of the skyscrapers will be aesthetically divided into two halves, with "high zones" with full-height glazing.

These parts of the buildings will have polished stainless-steel-framed glass facades, while the "low zones" will feature a fine-grain and textured gold-tone facade for enhanced privacy.

The tallest of the two buildings, the office tower, will feature a design detail described by Foster + Partners as an "illuminated spire", which will project a beam of light into the sky.

At the ground-floor level, Central Crossing will incorporate four historic buildings, including a shop house at 120 Wellington Street that is one of the oldest remaining houses of its type in Hong Kong.

"We are delighted to reveal this exciting new addition to Hong Kong's Central district," ​Foster + Partners senior partner Michael Jones said when the project was initially revealed.

"Our objective was to bring a new dimension to Central by reinstating historic links and re-establishing local connections, with a permeable public space at the heart of the site."

Central Crossing has received sustainability certificates, including a BEAM Plus New Building v2.0 (Provisional Platinum), LEED v4 for Building Design and Construction (Pre-certified Platinum for Office and Pre-certified Gold for Hotel) and WELL certification.

The two towers will have circular water strategies, including the reuse of cooling‑tower bleed‑off water for toilet flushing.

Other recent Foster + Partners projects include the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi and a New York supertall skyscraper for JPMorganChase.

The images are courtesy of Central Crossing.

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Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has revealed his first residential project in the UAE, the Baccarat Residences, which are set to be located next to Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island.

The renders depict two white high-rises with an undulating, organic design comprising staggered floors, which Fujimoto modelled on the shape of Saadiyat Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi.

Baccarat Residences Saadiyat, created for the crystal brand Baccarat, will have 77 homes.

These include two- and three-bedroom residences as well as four-bedroom "sky villas" and two signature penthouses.  An outdoor infinity pool will be located on one of the building's higher terraces.

"Inspiration is drawn from the natural ebbs and flows of Saadiyat Island's shoreline to compose a striking sculpture and defining addition to the skyline," Baccarat said.

"The undulating curves form two distinct buildings that naturally mirror the landscape and offer a fluid transition between architecture and the horizon."

The facades of the residences are depicted with a perforated pattern that creates exterior decoration.

Baccarat Residences Saadiyat's interiors will be created by Los Angeles-based Studio PCH and feature a neutral off-white colour palette and rounded shapes that nod to the wavy facade.

Residents will have views of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi as well as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and amenities are set to include a wellness centre and a residents-only spa.

The development, which will be led by local developer Aldar, is also located close to the upcoming Saadiyat Grove luxury shopping centre.

"Abu Dhabi's place as a leading global destination for luxury lifestyle continues to advance at pace," Aldar Development CEO Jonathan Emery said.

"Baccarat Residences Saadiyat represents the pinnacle of luxury living within Saadiyat Cultural District, bringing together world-class architecture, global brand heritage and an unrivalled cultural setting."

Baccarat Residences Saadiyat is the latest in a line of openings on the island.

As well as Gahry's Guggenheim building, the island is also home to a sinuous art gallery by Japanese interactive art company TeamLab, the Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Jean Nouvel.

The images are courtesy of Baccarat.

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Design company Form Portfolios has acquired Dansk, the homewares brand co-founded by Danish modernist Jens Quistgaard, and plans to "carry forward everything Dansk represents".

Dansk, which is often credited with introducing Scandinavian style to the US in the 1950s, is known for products such as its Kobenstyle cookware and teak salad bowls.

It has now been acquired by US-based design company Form Portfolios, which has been working with Quistgaard's family since 2023 on the management of the late designer's estate.

The company now has the rights to Quistgaard's intellectual property and said it plans to continue to "protect and promote" the work of designers.

"Dansk brought the warmth and timeless sensibility of Scandinavian design to the American table," Form Portfolios founder and CEO Mark Masiello said.

"We are humbled to have the storied legacy of Dansk upon our shoulders and honored to carry forward everything Dansk represents."

Dansk was founded in New York in 1954 to bring Scandinavian design to US audiences. Following the acquisition, Form Portfolios intends to "build on Dansk's legacy of timeless designs" and reintroduce products from the Quistgaard archives.

"My father was a visionary, bringing the very best of Scandinavian design to the world of Dansk," said Quistgaard's daughter Henriette Quistgaard.

"Form Portfolios deeply respects his body of work, and I'm grateful they will celebrate his legacy with Dansk."

Form Portfolios has previously worked with other historic design brands to introduce them to contemporary audiences, including the Charles and Ray Eames lighting collection for Cassina and upcoming launches of furniture by SOM and Louis Kahn.

Two years ago, the company showcased Jens Quistgaard's design legacy at the exhibition Jens Quistgaard Around The Table, which took place during the annual Copenhagen design event 3 Days of Design.

The photography is courtesy of Form Portfolios.

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Architecture studio Metrooffice Architetti has renovated an abandoned Italian factory for fashion brand Balenciaga, creating a sculptural reinforced-concrete building where "nothing is concealed or decorative".

The 8,000 square-metre complex, in the town of Cerreto Guidi in Tuscany, will function as a manufacturing hub for Balenciaga with a special focus on leather goods.

Previously abandoned, it comprises three buildings – the Main Plant, the Training Centre and the Bridge – which were built between the 1960s and 80s and have now been renovated and updated by Metrooffice Architetti.

"The concept is based on the idea of continuity: between past and present, industrial memory and new production, and the agricultural landscape and contemporary productive architecture," Metrooffice Architetti told Dezeen.

"The intervention goes beyond a simple functional renovation, instead seeking to reinterpret the existing buildings by enhancing their structure, proportions, and distinctive features, while integrating new spatial, technological, and environmental solutions."

One of the main interventions was made to the Main Plant, which was given a new double roof, intended as a statement piece that would look like it was suspended among the area's olive trees.

The studio carefully restored the buildings' original reinforced concrete, which was then juxtaposed with glass and aluminium elements and resin floors.

"The selection of materials was guided by the desire to preserve and clearly express the original structure, integrating it with contemporary materials capable of entering into dialogue without overlapping or competing with it," Metrooffice Architetti said.

"Exposed reinforced concrete, a defining element of the complex, was restored and enhanced rather than concealed: it embodies the site's industrial memory and forms the material foundation of the project."

Throughout the three buildings, beams, columns and technological components were left exposed.

The Main Plant's ground floor holds a reception with a striking stainless-steel reception desk and wall panelling that contrasts against the raw concrete pillars.

On the first floor, the building was designed without internal pillars to create space for assembly.

The second floor has a glazed lobby and connects to a relaxation area through which people can access the garden and the Training Center building.

The reinforced concrete "is complemented by a palette of essential materials, chosen for their functional, aesthetic, and long-term performance qualities: glass, metal, aluminium, continuous resin flooring, and polycarbonate," the studio explained.

"Glass strengthens the relationship between interior and exterior, between production spaces and the landscape; polycarbonate, used in roof light wells and technical areas, was selected for its ability to evenly diffuse natural light, improving the quality of workspaces while also acting as a visual screen for technical zones."

The third and fourth floors of the Balenciaga factory's Main Plant form the double-layer roof. One of these holds technical terraces, the other 2,000 square metres of photovoltaic panels.

These supply around 20 per cent of the factory's total energy consumption, according to Balenciaga.

Sustainability was also taken into account when it came to the roof and the interior partitions of all three buildings, which have thermo-acoustic insulation that was made out of recycled textile fibres from Balenciaga's trainer manufacture scraps.

"Overall, the design approach is honest and direct: structures and building systems are left exposed, defining a coherent, functional, and authentic architectural language," Metrooffice Architetti said.

The overall design aligns with Balenciaga's "raw architecture concept", which has an industrial feel and has previously been used in Balenciaga's Sloane Street store in London, as well as its first store in Berlin.

"The building embodies the concept of raw architecture through an approach that prioritises the authenticity of materials and the clear legibility of the construction process and its layers," the studio explained.

"Nothing is concealed or decorative: the reinforced concrete structure, building systems, technical surfaces, and functional elements become integral to the architectural expression."

The final result helps to underline Balenciaga's ethos, Metrooffice Architetti argued.

"The architecture becomes a physical expression of the brand's values: radicality, experimentation, coherence, and the tension between industry and culture, translating Balenciaga's language into a built, spatial dimension," the studio concluded.

The photography is by Marco Capelletti.

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The original Hoxton hotel in east London has been given a refresh after two decades, featuring warm materials and second-hand furniture, as seen in our latest Dezeen Exclusive.

Opened twenty years ago, The Hoxton in Shoreditch was the international hotel chain's first hotel. When it was time to give its interior an update, the in-house design team aimed to create a more contemporary feel.

"The concept focused on refining the original spaces while keeping that familiar Hox warmth and homey character that regulars recognise instantly," said Charlie North, the global vice president of design at Ennismore, the owner of Hoxton Hotels.

"We wanted the interiors to feel more contemporary and calm, but still rooted in Shoreditch and its industrial and creative heritage," he told Dezeen.

The refurbishment saw the team update all 210 rooms at the hotel. It kept signature details such as the large circular mirrors and parquet floor, but updated others, such as the headboards in the bedrooms.

Overall, the update has a more mid-century design influence than the previous interiors, North said.

"We focused on materials that feel warm and easy to live with, while still elevated," he explained.

"Dark timbers and a mix of marbles add layers and depth, while velvet and bouclé soften the spaces and make them feel comfortable and lived-in."

To create a sense of "history and personality", much of the furniture chosen by the designers was restored or sourced second-hand.

The colour palette of the new interior was designed to balance out the high-energy of the surrounding Shoreditch area and offer a relaxed atmosphere.

"In the lobby, natural and monochrome tones are layered with dusty pinks and burgundies that complement the brickwork and stone, while in the rooms we leaned into muted greens with earthy yellows and browns, offering guests a softer, more settled environment," North said.

Overall, the update was intended to reflect the changes the neighbourhood has gone through in the last two decades, moving from an arty, up-and-coming area to a more established creative location.

"When The Hoxton first opened twenty years ago, Shoreditch was just starting to emerge as a creative hub, and the hotel was part of that early wave that helped shape the area as a place for culture and design," North said.

"Over time, Shoreditch has grown into a more established, internationally recognised neighbourhood, and that evolution influenced the refresh, with interiors reflecting a more confident, considered version of the area, while still holding onto its creative spirit," he concluded.

Other recent London hotels featured on Dezeen include a room at the Mandarin Oriental designed by Uchronia and a 12-storey Notting Hill-building that combines hotels and residences under one roof.

The photography is courtesy of The Hoxton.

The post The Hoxton hotel celebrates 20th anniversary with interior revamp "rooted in Shoreditch" appeared first on Dezeen.

This week on Dezeen, employees at architecture firm BIG's London office in Broadgate protested against proposed layoffs that would put nearly half the workforce at risk of redundancy.

The 40 protesters chanted "Bjarke Ingels shame on you" and "seven million Bjarke has stowed, give your workers what they're owed" at the protest, which was held with union Unite.

Up to 72 of the 160-strong workforce are said to be at risk of redundancy after a key contract fell through at the end of November last year.

The finalists for this year's Mies van der Rohe award were revealed, with nominees including five architecture finalists and two emerging finalists spanning Belgium, Spain, France, Slovenia and Croatia.

The buildings, which included five regeneration projects, were noted for their "exemplary contributions to the future of European architecture".

Dezeen launched its new Exclusives section, which will showcase projects that have never been published online before.

Among the projects that readers could see on Dezeen first were a holiday cabin that functions "as a Swiss army knife", a summerhouse in a lava field and a waste incineration plant with a spiralling terrace.

We also exclusively revealed the aerodynamic Antarctic Discovery Building, designed by UK studios Hugh Broughton Architects and NORR for "one of the harshest environments on Earth".

The centrepiece of Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island, the multi-purpose building is the latest in a line of Antarctic buildings that "have the X Factor".

In an opinion piece, architecture journalist Anthony Paletta argued that greater effort must be made to retain decommissioned airport terminal buildings.

"Enormous structures tend to be built to last. Airport terminals are usually the reverse," Paletta wrote.

Ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl 60 game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Dezeen spoke to one of its principal architects, HNTB professional sports practice leader Lanson Nichols.

"Its exposed structure was intended to be a reflection of all the bridges in San Francisco – very significant, beautiful, elegant, structurally expressive bridges," Nichols said of the stadium design.

Popular projects this week included an opera house by Snøhetta in Busan, a restaurant with "obelisk-like" concrete columns and a revamped 1970s house overlooking Lake Lugano.

Listen to our journalists talk about the key design and architecture stories of the past seven days on our Dezeen Weekly podcast, which this week focused on Trump's airport plans, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal and the impact of Brexit.

This week on Dezeen

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.

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Local studio Mesura has transformed a floor of architect Antoni Gaudí's Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Spain, into a contemporary art gallery with an undulating metal ceiling that references the Mediterranean Sea.

The art space, named Casa Batlló Contemporary, is located on the second floor of the museum in central Barcelona.

This floor previously housed apartments and then a conservation workshop, and is now open to the public for the first time.

Barcelona-based Mesura was asked to restore and redesign the space to make it suitable for art displays.

"It was an honour that they thought of a Catalan architect from Barcelona, and they thought that we were the best partners; we feel really thankful for that," Mesura co-founder Carlos Dimas told Dezeen.

"For a Catalan architect, it means a lot to work on a Gaudí project."

Mesura drew on Gaudí's "attitude" when approaching the restoration, Dimas said.

"Our approach was to try to have this dialogue without mimicking him, but not making a big contrast with the language, atmosphere, colour palettes and so on," he explained.

There were a number of challenges for the studio as it approached the project, the first of which was how to turn a residential apartment into an exhibition space.

"The second challenge was how you dialogue with Gaudí – as an architect, that is quite complex," Dimas explained.

"The third challenge was that [the client] wanted to exhibit digital art performance for half of the year, with all the mechanical, engineering and plumbing (MEP) services that need to pass through the building," he continued.

"The final one was that they wanted something with attitude, something bold with character that was really bringing something new to Casa Batlló."

After pondering how to bring character to a space that also needs to function as a white box for art installation, Dimas and his colleagues concluded that they could do so by focusing on the floors and ceiling.

While much of the 230-square-metre floor was given a light-touch restoration, Mesura created a striking ceiling installation in one of the rooms.

The undulating stainless-steel installation, which also serves to hide cables and other technical functions, nods to two specific aspects of Gaudí's designs – their organic shapes and innovative construction.

"We wanted to bring a little bit of this natural morphology that Gaudí used," Dimas said.

"The other innovation was that we used an incremental forming technology that has never been used in interior design or architecture," he continued. "It's a robot that, through compression, makes 3D geometries for fast prototyping and innovation in the automotive industry."

Mesura experimented with the technique, bending the material to try to find the stage just before the breaking point to create its wavy shape.

This references the exterior of Casa Batlló, which Gaudí designed to resemble a dragon, and it also features a pattern resembling rings spreading on the ocean.

"Gaudí was very deeply inspired by nature, not only in his organic, geometrical shapes, but he also felt there was a kind of mystery behind it – if you see the Casa Batlló facade, it looks like an animal from the deep ocean, something mystical and magical," Dimas explained.

"So we tried to bring in the Mediterranean Sea, which was quite important in Gaudí's presence and his career, with this image of the sea breaking under a drop of water."

Though the floor, which will be pale green, hasn't yet been installed in Casa Batlló, this too will nod to the existing building in its use of colour.

"We bring a colour that maybe hasn't been noticed that much – the green colour that you find on the facade," Dimas said. "The same tone was introduced on the flooring to give it a little bit of character."

While the flooring will be mainly microcement, it will also feature a pattern made from reused ceramic and terracotta salvaged from the old apartment previously located on this level.

Dimas believes that Gaudí would have approved of the project and of the spirit in which it was made.

"Gaudí has always been a researcher and an innovator; he tried to get the latest technology and the latest material," Dimas explained.

"He had this prototyping system of trying to see where the structure was breaking out, trying to design it until the breaking point, and always innovating with shapes, geometries and materials," he continued. "So it was absolutely a Gaudían attitude that inspired us on the project."

The first exhibition in the contemporary art space is Beyond the Facade, an installation by the Matt Clark-led studio United Visual Artists. The artist also created a light show for its facade.

Casa Batlló has previously collaborated with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who designed a sculptural mesh curtain for a new staircase inside the historic building.

Another Gaudí-designed building in Barcelona is also currently in the spotlight, as the Sagrada Familia has become the tallest church in the world. This year marks a hundred years since the architect passed away.

The photography is by Claudia Mariño, courtesy of Casa Batlló, unless otherwise stated.

Beyond the Facade is on until 17 May at Casa Batlló. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Singapore-based Open Studio exclusively reveals how it turned New Bahru Hall, a 1960s school hall, into a pickleball court, juxtaposing its original teak panelling and mosaic flooring with galvanised-steel details.

New Bahru Hall was transformed as part of the renovation of a breeze-block-clad former school into a shopping and dining location that also has serviced apartments.

Working for hospitality firm The Lo & Behold Group, Open Studio turned the former school hall into a pickleball court that can also host live performances and cultural and artistic events.

Architects and Open Studio founders Lam Jun Nan and Jax Tan wanted to preserve and highlight the space's original features.

To draw attention to these features, the studio updated and repaired existing materials, which it then complemented with contrasting new elements.

"The hall retained a quiet material richness, particularly in its deep-stained teak panelling and ecru mosaic flooring," Open Studio said.

"Existing teak panelling and mosaic flooring were carefully retained, repaired, and upgraded, with acoustic improvements introduced discreetly behind the finishes," Tan told Dezeen.

"New elements such as widened doors and custom lighting were executed in galvanised stainless steel, chosen for durability and its weathering ability to patina naturally alongside the original materials."

Tan and Nan researched both the overall architecture of the 1969 building and the original configuration of the hall ahead of the restoration, which focused on removing additions that had been added over many decades.

The architects left traces of wear, such as staple marks in the timber and floor repairs, visible to underline the history of New Bahru Hall.

Open Studio also removed timber cladding around the hall's columns to reveal the original concrete structure, and took partitions and grilles off the clerestory windows to open up the space.

While the architects mostly refrained from adding new interventions to the hall, they did add a new waffle ceiling that was designed to accommodate today's technical requirements while referencing the original modernist architecture.

"The waffle ceiling was introduced to re-establish visual order and clarify the proportions of the hall while enhancing acoustic performance," Tan said.

"It adds architectural rhythm to an otherwise plain ceiling plane without competing with the original structure."

New lighting, specially designed by Open Studio for the space, was also added. The pendant lights comprise a quartet of four square metal lights and create a decorative symmetric pattern in the ceiling.

"The pendant lights were shaped directly by their multi-functional requirements, accommodating different lighting modes for varied uses," Tan said.

"Their simple geometric form follows modernist principles, allowing them to support the space without visual excess."

The response to the restoration has been "really positive," Tan said.

"There's a real sense of awe – people immediately recognise the nostalgia of a school hall, but are surprised by how refined and contemporary it feels today," The Lo & Behold Group CMO Tania Chan added.

Open Studio was shortlisted in the residential interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards last year.

The photography is by Offvices.

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Danish studio Norrøn Architects designed the interior of Hotel Hans, which straddles two Copenhagen neighbourhoods, by blending the greenery of Frederiksberg with Nørrebro's industrial vibe.

Located where the two central Copenhagen neighbourhoods meet, Hotel Hans was envisioned as "a dialogue," the architects said.

"We approached Hotel Hans as a bridge between two very different parts of Copenhagen," Norrøn Architects co-founder Poul Høilund told Dezeen.

"Rather than blending the identities of Nørrebro and Frederiksberg into one neutral expression, we wanted the hotel to reflect both. The concept is built around a dialogue between raw and refined, urban and green, energetic and calm."

The studio was chosen to create the interior of the 91-room hotel, which is located inside a building from 1900, by owner Brøchner Hotels.

It decided to work with a variety of materials, including terrazzo and polished steel, to represent the two different neighbourhoods – the industrial Nørrebro and the more upmarket and historic Frederiksberg.

The lobby side faces Nørrebro and features bespoke light fixtures that were informed by urban street lamps and vintage car headlights.

Here, Norrøn Architects also added sculptural wall elements that were made from aluminium to reflect the motion from the street.

"On the Nørrebro side, we used more industrial and robust materials such as darker terrazzo, aluminium, steel, and grey tones to mirror the street life and urban energy," Høilund said.

The lobby bar functions as a workspace and cafe in the daytime and turns into a cocktail bar in the evening. The ground floor also houses the BOLO restaurant, which focuses on Mediterranean-style food.

The side of Hans Hotel that faces Frederiksberg houses a courtyard, and the studio wanted this part of the hotel to feel like an extension of the outdoor space.

"On the Frederiksberg side, the palette becomes richer and more elegant, with deep green terrazzo, dark wood, soft textiles, and polished steel, referencing historic apartments and the area's strong connection to greenery," Høilund explained.

The courtyard itself features a large sculpture by artist duo Petterson & Hein, which also designed bespoke tables for Hotel Hans.

It is one example of the many craftsmanship details that Norrøn Architects added to the interior of the new hotel.

"We wanted the hotel to feel personal and tactile rather than anonymous," Høilund said.

"By designing bespoke furniture, lighting, and architectural elements, we could create a stronger connection to the building's history and to Copenhagen's tradition of well-crafted interiors, while still expressing it in a contemporary way."

Green hues were used throughout the hotel, including in the restaurant and the all-green bedrooms.

The studio used Frederiksberg green, a local colour that features in many of that area's historic interiors.

"It gave the project a strong sense of place and a timeless quality," Høilund said. "From there, we added softer green tones to create variation and calm."

"Green also acts as a linking element in the hotel, reinforcing the connection to the courtyard and greenery on the Frederiksberg side while softening the more industrial character of the Nørrebro side," he continued.

Other recent hospitality openings in Copenhagen include a restaurant designed to mimic a "home dining" experience and a hotel designed by furniture brand &Tradition.

The photography is by Ed Gumuchian.

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Chinese firm Urbanus designed the playful Hakka Academy Longgang Twin Stars in Shenzhen as a "visual resistance to the monotonous urban landscape".

The academy is located close to a cluster of historic houses called Qixing Shiju Historic Residence, an example of the traditional Hakka walled village built by the Hakka people of southern China.

Hakka Academy Longgang Twin Star comprises two schools, the Weilong School for primary and secondary students and the Weiwu School for primary students.

Both sit on a plot of land that also holds residential areas, industrial parks and what Urbanus described as an "urban village".

This setting influenced the design of the school buildings, which feature multiple different levels, walkways and sports courts.

"The irregular site boundaries enabled a unique interactive relationship with the surrounding neighbourhood," Urbanus told Dezeen.

"Through meandering pathways and the strategic arrangement of functions, the winding perimeter transforms into an experiential, three-dimensional display interface."

The architecture of the five-storey Weilong School, which sits next to a large road, "adopts the continuous, horizontal massing inspired by the Hakka walled houses," Urbanus said.

Its design combines a number of different geometric shapes and features facades that are decorated with numerous cutouts.

"Inspired by the traditional Hakka walled village, the design employs a solid boundary to provide shelter from external noise," Urbanus explained.

"The playful, colourful cutouts in the wall offer glimpses into the vibrant internal life, striking a balance between inward seclusion and outward engagement."

The Weilong School is the larger of the two schools, with a floor area of 73,500 square metres. It was divided into "school units and corridor clusters" as a deconstruction of traditional walled houses, which are usually placed around a courtyard.

Here, Urbanus created circular ramps and passages for younger children to explore, while older kids can use the colourful sports courts or explore the gardens and greenery that surround the school.

Meanwhile, the smaller Weiwu School has five storeys spread over a floor area of 25,800 square metres. Surrounded by high-rises, it was designed to maximise the use of the land.

Similar to the Weilong School, Weiwu School features a colourful central court for sports and games, which will also be used for community events to further connect the school with the surrounding neighbourhood.

"Bright colours act as identifiers for different grades and functional zones, providing clear orientation within the diverse campus spaces," Urbanus explained.

"They also act as a visual resistance to the monotonous urban landscape shaped by rapid urbanisation in the area."

The studio aimed for the campus be a "catalyst for community culture".

"By revealing and weaving together valuable cultural threads from the surroundings, it repairs the existing urban fabric to create a more desirable urban space and way of life," Urbanus concluded.

Urbanus has previously added colourful rooftop additions to a Shenzen block and turned a Chinese brewery into a cultural centre.

The photography is by TAL.

Project credits:

Architect: Urbanus Shenzhen
Principal architects: Meng Yan, Wen Ting
Project manager, project architect: Weng Hua
Team: Zhang Chaoxian, Zhang Yingyuan, Huang Jiahong, Liao Guotong (architecture), Zhang Xuejuan, Li Guanda, Wang Tingxin, Gao Yufeng (landscape), He Jiamin, Deng Tingfang (interior), Zhang Hui, Li Peiying, Guo Anran, Hu Xiaomai, Huang Xianwen, Zhang Yipei, Tan Yongxian (internship), Gong Yidan, Coming Home Enterprises and Xiangtian Chuangwen (community building)
Technical director: Yao Xiaowei
Structural consultant: H&J International Co Ltd.
(CD) Structure/ MEP (Construction Document): Shenzhen TIANHUA Architectural Design Co Ltd
Landscape development: ShenZhen Paier Landscape Planning And Design Consulting Co Ltd
Interior development: JNJW Architectural Design
Graphic design: SURE Design
Contractor: China Construction Fourth Engineering Division Corp Ltd.
Construction agency: Shenzhen Vanke City Construction Management Co Ltd

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Italian architect Carlo Ratti has created a "mobile relay cauldron" to accompany the torches for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, which have been showcased in front of iconic Milan landmarks ahead of the games.

Designed and produced by Ratti's studio Carlo Ratti Associati, the mini cauldron will accompany the torch relay during about 80 public events in selected cities.

Commissioned by energy company Eni, and developed together with its subsidiary Versalis, the "mobile relay cauldron" has a physical vapour deposition (PVD) finish that matches the torches.

The mini cauldron is comprised of thin, sculpted blades that surround a central flame. This arrangement "creates a Venturi effect that shapes the flame into a vertical vortex, elongating and stabilizing it without increasing gas consumption," the studio said.

According to Carlo Ratti Associati, this system will stay functional in temperatures down to -20 Celsius.

"We wanted to strip away the superfluous," Carlo Ratti Associati founder Ratti said. "The brief was clear: the flame had to be the protagonist."

The studio also revealed new images that showcase its iridescent Olympic torches in front of a number of well-known landmarks in Milan, including architect Stefano Boeri's Bosco Verticale building and Milan's Duomo cathedral.

The Olympic and Paralympic torches, which were first unveiled in April last year, each weigh around one kilogram – excluding the fuel canister – and are composed of recycled materials, including an aluminium and brass alloy.

According to Carlo Ratti Associati, they mark the first time in Olympic design that the flame has been made visible. Each torch has a longitudinal opening that runs along its body, so that the audience can see the burner and the flame.

The burner is powered by bio-LPG produced from renewable feedstocks, including used cooking oils and agro-industrial residues, and creates a "warm, yellow flame".

"The biggest challenge was designing not just an object, but a phenomenon," Ratti explained.

"Fire changes with motion, wind, altitude, and temperature. We had to start from that instability and work backwards, designing from the inside out around something alive, while ensuring it performs flawlessly when the world is watching."

Yesterday, we revealed images of British studio David Chipperfield Architects and Arup's Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which was built for the Olympics.

Earlier this month, a duo of expanding cauldrons that will be used for the games were also unveiled.

The photography is courtesy of Carlo Ratti Associati.

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For our latest lookbook, we've collected homes, offices and shops where Japanese shoji screens were used to create practical and beautiful sliding doors and walls.

Among the interiors featured in the lookbook are a modernist home in the US and a Tokyo office filled with natural materials.

While most of the interiors shown here are from Japan, shoji screens are also used in Western interior design – often to create a Japanese feel, but also as a practical solution to keep rooms bright while adding a layer of privacy.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring relaxing saunas, minimalist living rooms and kitchens featuring natural wood.

Duane House, US, by OWIU

The interior of this Los Angeles home blends mid-century modern and traditional Japanese influences, with shoji screens used to create a large sliding wall in the living room.

Here, it's juxtaposed with a classic LC4 chair by architect Le Corbusier and sculptural washi-paper lamps by designer Isamu Noguchi. A brick floor matches the screen's grid pattern.

Find out more about Duane House ›

House in Saidera, Japan, by Akio Isshiki Architects

Cedar wood was used for the structure and facade of this Japanese home, which features a construction technique called shinkabe that leaves beams and columns visible in the interior.

Architect Akio Isshiki used traditional design elements such as shoji screens to create a home that would "set a new standard for contemporary living through a modern interpretation of Japanese architectural elements".

Find out more about House in Saidera ›

Matsuya Ginza lounge, Japan, by I IN

Local studio I IN aimed to turn "light itself into the material of the space" at this VIP lounge for department store Matsuya's Ginza location in Tokyo.

While most of the walls were kept white, one room was drenched in the saturated Edo purple hue. Here, delicate shoji screens and gridded paper lamps help bridge the gap between traditional and modern Japanese interiors.

Find out more about Matsuya Gina lounge ›

Conran Shop, Japan, by Keiji Ashizawa

Designer Keiji Ashizawa created the interior of this Conran Shop in Daikanyama, Tokyo, which spotlights products from Japan and Asia.

Shoji screens were used in the basement, where they were matched with Japanese paper that had been dyed grey and used as wallpaper.

"Shoji screens are an important element in creating a Japanese-style room but I realize that they can also be well used in both functional and aesthetic ways in a modern space," Ashizawa explained.

Find out more about Conran Shop ›

Hiiragi's House, Japan, by Takashi Okuno

This U-shaped house in Japan's Ehime Prefecture was designed so that all rooms would have views of a tree in the central courtyard.

Inside, architect Takashi Okuno used clean lines and minimal decorations to create a sense of simplicity. Shoji screens were used as walls and window screens in a traditional Japanese room, which has a tatami-mat floor and can be used as a guest room.

Find out more about Hiiragi's House ›

Symbolplus office, Japan, by Symbolplus

When designing its own office, located in a timber building designed by Japanese architect Akio Hayashi, Tokyo studio Symbolplus aimed to use natural materials in innovative ways.

In its seating area, shoji screens were used both as walls and ceiling panels, tilting over the room's angular grey sofas.

"Rather than seeking visual novelty, this project innovates through its approach to material reuse, tradition, and adaptability," the studio explained.

Find out more about Symbolplus office ›

Malibu Surf Shack, US, by Kelly Wearstler

US interior designer Kelly Wearstler created a "rustic and raw" decor for this 1950s beachfront cottage in California.

She drew on the property's original details, which included shoji screens, when creating the interior. The resulting space was then filled with an eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary pieces.

Find out more about Malibu Surf Shack ›

House in Toyama, Japan, by NYAWA

This traditional timber home in Toyama, Japan, was updated by architecture studio NYAWA to use as a holiday home. Its original wooden structure, including its decorative intricate carvings, was restored.

The studio then combined the traditional shoji screens with corrugated polycarbonate screens to provide different degrees of light and privacy.

Find out more about House in Toyama ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring relaxing saunas, minimalist living rooms and kitchens featuring natural wood.

The post Eight interiors where translucent shoji screens let the light in appeared first on Dezeen.

This week on Dezeen, Mexican studio Lanza Atelier was revealed as this year's Serpentine Pavilion architect and the studio released visuals of its design for the central London pavilion.

Called A Serpentine, the sinuous structure references an English brick garden wall and will be installed outside of the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens from 6 June to 25 October 2026.

In an interview with Dezeen, Lanza Atelier said that "it's time to test new stuff and bring new Mexican architecture to the table."

This week also saw the launch of a brand new podcast that will see our journalists discuss the key stories of the week.

The first episode, which features a Zaha Hadid Architects airport, Barbie and a look at LA one year on from the fires, is now available for listening.

In architecture news, Louis Vuitton creative director Pharrell Williams designed a prefabricated home as the set for the fashion brand's latest menswear show.

The house, called Drophaus, was shown within a specially constructed venue in the Jardin d'Acclimatation and featured a large pyramidal roof that protruded over a curved glass wall.

In other design news, the cauldrons for this year's Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan and nearby ski resort Cortina d'Ampezzo were revealed.

The expanding cauldrons were created by Italian designer Marco Balich and were informed by the sun, the work of Italian Renaissance designer Leonardo da Vinci and expanding plastic ball toys.

Also in Italy, architecture studio BIG revealed photos of the San Pellegrino Flagship Factory, which is under construction in a mountain valley and scheduled to complete next year.

Elsewhere in the country, the only building attributed to Roman architect Vitruvius was discovered in Fano, Italy, by an archaeological team.

In an opinion piece this week, writer Matthew Bovingdon-Downe argued that "as our celebrated architects sign off, we should resist the urge to replace them."

"The 'starchitect' was a figment of media attention, drummed up to answer our interest in celebrity, and our exaggerated expectations of what might be achieved without the help of other people," Bovingdon-Downe said.

Two upcoming skyscrapers were revealed this week. Dutch studio MVRDV revealed images of its Inaura skyscraper in Dubai, which will measure 210 metres and incorporate a "jewel-like orb" on its upper floors.

In Miami, London studio David Chipperfield Architects will design a creamic-clad skyscraper that will span 26 storeys.

Popular projects this week included the 3XN-designed Sydney Fish Market, a Japan-informed sauna in Brooklyn and a colourful London house extension.

Our lookbook this week featured relaxing home saunas.

This week on Dezeen

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.

The post This week we revealed the Serpentine Pavilion 2026 architect appeared first on Dezeen.

Interiors studio YSG used glossy tiles, saturated colours and plenty of patterned wallpaper to create the interior of Plantasia, a colourful holiday home in a 1990s building.

Located near Australia's New South Wales coast, the six-bedroom home occupies a mock-colonial building that previously had an uninviting interior.

"It was a cavernous mock-Colonial house built in the 1990s where walls were unified by cold white shades and jarring right angles everywhere, so it needed to be softened and not just via plump soft furnishings," YSG director Yasmine Ghoniem told Dezeen.

To soften the interior and emphasise the holiday home's connection to nature, YSG decorated its walls with plenty of flora and fauna-patterned wallpaper.

"They were after a 'welcome to the funhouse' feeling the moment the front door swings opens," Ghoniem said.

"It's nestled amongst rolling hills sprinkled with citrus gardens, so they wanted to enhance this connection to nature indoors."

The studio fully gutted the bathrooms, as well as the kitchen and lounge – though YSG kept the fireplace, which it widened and covered in plastel-couloured and warm red, glossy tiles.

Striped fabrics were used generously in the home to create an eye-catching juxtaposition with the floral walls.

The designer also added curvilinear shapes throughout the house to give it a soft, inviting feel.

"Examples include the elongated arched door we added that leads from the dining room to the sleeping quarters, and the ornately carved blue cabinets in the entrance vestibule inspired by the Victorian-era," Ghoniem said.

"We also designed an undulating timber base for the kitchen island. In the lounge room, we added a cushioned banquette with rounded returns, and even the joinery throughout the home has bullnose returns rather than flattened planes."

In one of the house's bathrooms, YSG used onyx stone slabs for the open shelving as well as for counters.

"I exaggerated their thickness and gave them a bullnose edge so their Crayola-like scribbled pattern is really visible on the edges that face you," Ghoniem said. "We made them super thick so they didn't get engulfed in the green wallpaper."

This wallpaper is heavily patterned – a theme that is noticeable in the whole house and adds to its fairytale-like feel.

Patterned wallpaper "can add dimensionality to a small space and also instantly create a mood, depending upon the decorative motif it features," Ghoniem explained.

"In this case, the wallpaper features add a fictional feeling to this home – like an other-worldly utopia you'd only possibly visit in your dreams. Why should only kids get to feel that way?"

YSG balanced the patterned walls with more neutral designs in other parts of the house, so that it wouldn't be too overwhelming.

"We balanced the maximalist wallpapered moments that visually link spaces – despite the different patterns on them – with quieter spaces," Ghoniem said.

"That's why the central kitchen and dining area features the neutral walls for a breather. It resets you for your next adventure."

Ghoniem also aimed to tease soft shapes from hard surfaces, a trick that she used in a variety of different ways at Plantasia.

In the living room, a custom-made brown timber credenza "looks like a puddle of melting chocolate with Malteser-like pulls," while the entrance vestibule is decorated with a floor-feature in cork designed to look like an hourglass.

"It's set within caramel-shaded cork that pours into the adjoining rooms," Ghoniem said. "It pushes the escapist theme of being suspended in time from the moment you enter the home."

Other recent projects by YSG include an office for a fashion brand with shimmering mosaics and a Sydney cafe with 1970s-style elements, including cork flooring and carpet-lined seating.

The photography is by Anson Smart.

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Japanese studio Akio Isshiki Architects has used details including a floor-level window and shoji screens within this wood-clad Osaka residence that aims to "set a new standard for contemporary living".

The two-storey gabled home, which was designed for a family of five, is named House in Saidera after its location in Osaka, where a mix of traditional and contemporary Japanese dwellings can be found.

Studio founder Akio Isshiki wanted to create a modern interpretation of a Japanese house and construct it using the traditional shinkabe method, which sees the columns and beams of the house expressed on the interior.

The architect clad the 96-square-metre house in cedar, alternating between charred and natural-coloured panels.

While this was done for practical reasons, it also creates a striking two-toned facade that adds a modern touch to a traditional-style building.

"Charred cedar is highly durable due to the charcoal on its surface," Isshiki told Dezeen.

"I chose natural cedar near the entrance to prevent the charcoal from coming into contact with people and staining them."

House in Saidera is located on an unusually shaped, flagpole-like plot.

"It is a deep site with a slim approach facing the street that expands into a wider area at the back, similar to a flag, the wide area, with a pole, the slim area," Isshiki explained.

Here, the architect created a two-storey house with a simple form that draws on typical Japanese homes but prioritises an open design and connections between the rooms.

"While keeping floor heights low, the structure is exposed, and a single layer of cedar boards serves simultaneously as the second-floor flooring and the first-floor ceiling," he said.

The kitchen and dining rooms sit in the centre of the house, with a Japanese-style room off to one side. Here, the architect created a tokonoma alcove in which to display flowers and art.

This part of the ground floor also has a floor-level window, which Isshiki designed so that its shutters can be folded into a notch in a custom-made bench next to it.

"[Floor-level windows] create the illusion of a continuous floor and a sense of spaciousness," the architect explained.

"This is a common design in Japanese-style rooms. In this house, we wanted to show off the stone wall of the neighbouring house on the west side."

Isshiki also created an engawa, a narrow wooden platform that connects the interior of a home with its garden, on the eastern side of the house.

Bedrooms are located on the second floor and feature doors that slide into the frames of the house itself.

"The columns and beams act as frames for the sliding doors, thereby eliminating part of the door frames," Isshiki said.

"These operations enhance the independence of the structural skeleton and draw out a clear expression related to shinkabe construction."

Isshiki said that as people shift from sitting on the floor to a table, Japanese-style rooms have gradually disappeared. There are also other reasons why they are no longer as common.

"Ceremonies using Japanese-style rooms, such as memorial services and children's celebrations, are being held less frequently at home," he said.

"Decorative Japanese-style designs are expensive to construct," Isshiki added. "Japanese design elements are being stripped away by the trend toward modernisation and rationalisation."

However, the architect believes that elements of traditional Japanese homes, such as engawa and washi-paper shoji screens, can continue to be appreciated.

With House in Saidera, he hopes to "create a neutral Japanese house that would set a new standard for contemporary living through a modern interpretation of Japanese architectural elements".

Other recent residential projects in Japan include a Tokyo home with louvres made from tropical wood and an off-grid home topped by a large metal roof.

The photography is by Benjamin Hosking.

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Sphere Entertainment has revealed plans for a Sphere venue at National Harbor, Maryland, with a capacity of 6,000.

The Sphere at National Harbor, an area just south of Washington DC, would have a similar form and function to the Sphere Las Vegas, which opened in 2023.

It is planned for a site alongside the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino on a plot that is currently used as a parking lot.

Like the Sphere Las Vegas, it would be covered in an exterior LED display, however, it would be a significantly smaller venue. Its planned 6,000-seat capacity would be just over a third of the Las Vegas Sphere, which seats 17,600.

National Harbor Sphere could become part of "global network of Spheres"

According to Sphere Entertainment, the new venue is planned as one of many siblings to the Las Vegas venue.

"Our focus has always been on creating a global network of Spheres across forward-looking cities," said CEO of Sphere Entertainment James L Dolan.

"Sphere is a new experiential medium. With a commitment to bringing innovative opportunities to residents and visitors, governor [Wes] Moore, county executive [Aisha] Braveboy, the State of Maryland, and Prince George's County recognize the potential for a Sphere at National Harbor to elevate and advance immersive experiences across the area."

The new, smaller spherical venue would feature the same technologies as the existing Sphere in Las Vegas, including haptic seating, 4D environmental effects and immersive sound.

Like the Las Vegas venue it would also have a 16K x 16K interior display plane that Sphere Entertainment claims is "the world's highest-resolution LED screen".

The Sphere at National Harbor would be developed together with the State of Maryland, Prince George's County and Peterson Companies.

It would be funded using both public and private means, with approximately $200 million set to come from state, local and private incentives.

"Maryland has a long history of providing world-class entertainment and we could not be more excited to work with Sphere Entertainment to bring this cutting-edge project to life," said Maryland governor Moore.

"This will be one of the largest economic development projects in Prince George's County history – proving once again our state is the best place in the country to bring dreams to life."

Numerous Sphere venues planned around the world

The Sphere Las Vegas, which is the world's largest spherical structure, was unveiled in 2023 and is clad in a 54,000-square-metre LED screen.

A plan to open a second Sphere in London, set to be designed by architecture studio Populous, proved contentious. It was withdrawn in 2024 after Madison Square Garden Entertainment, which had proposed the venue, labeled the planning process "a political football between rival parties".

In an opinion piece for Dezeen, writer Matt Shaw called the Las Vegas Sphere "the final form of the 20th-century American city".

In 2024, Sphere Entertainment announced plans for a second Sphere set to be built in Abu Dhabi, and the company was reportedly also seeking to create a "K-pop Sphere" in Hanam, South Korea.

The images are courtesy of Sphere Entertainment.

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Design studio Tutto Bene has unveiled fashion floors and private shopping space at a department store in Basel, juxtaposing concrete floors and steel details with soft drapery and illuminated laminated paper.

The fashion floors at the Globus Basel department store, located in the heart of the Swiss city, have been given a new look as part of a wider overhaul of the retailer.

Designers Felizia Berchtold and Oskar Kohnen of Tutto Bene took the exterior of the department store, which has an original art nouveau facade, into consideration when creating the new interior.

"The art nouveau facade brought a rare gift for a department store: daylight and a constant visual relationship to the city," Berchtold told Dezeen. "Rather than mimic its historic language, we kept the interior intentionally quiet – allowing the original grandeur to remain legible from the outside, while abstracting its facade rhythm into the illuminated perimeter frame on the shop floor."

To showcase the fashion pieces, the studio drew on art gallery layouts and added softly illuminated lightboxes that snake through the rooms.

"We approached fashion as the artwork and the interior as its architectural frame: a gallery-like system reduced to the essential so product can be read with clarity," Kohnen told Dezeen.

"A continuous illuminated frame of columns and architraves organises movement, hierarchy and rhythm across the floors – monumental yet practical, like a contemporary aqueduct."

Tutto Bene kept the colour palette of the fashion floors mostly black and white, but added a few blocks of colour. These were used "as navigation cues rather than decoration – avoiding the still often gender-coded retail palette," the studio explained.

When it came to surfaces, the designers deliberately blended hard and soft materials, contrasting the concrete floor with sheer drapes.

"We reduced the palette to hard-wearing, infrastructural materials suited to high traffic: large-format tiles, black steel fixtures, and an exposed ceiling that stays deliberately raw," Berchtold said.

"Against this, we introduced softness through illuminated Japanese laminated paper and sheer drapery at the windows, creating moments of atmosphere and calm."

As well as the main fashion floors, the studio designed The Collector's Apartment – a space specially tailored for private shopping. Here, Tutto Bene used a different colour palette from the main floor.

"It begins with colour as experience, using monochrome blues to create a calmer, more intimate, residential mood," Kohnen said.

"We anchored the room in a spectrum of icy-to-midnight blues with warm woods and graphic black accents, punctuated by art objects to complete the sense of a personal collection."

The Collector's Apartment space also features a mirrored dressing room, decorated with a custom-made drape screen printwork designed by Tutto Bene.

The designers sourced a number of art pieces for the space, including a ceramic bowl and a wall sculpture from Two Rooms Gallery.

Vintage furniture also decorates the private shopping area, such as Tokyo bar stools by designer Rodney Kinsman and a 1970s coffee table by architect Cini Boeri. In addition, Tutto Bene created a bespoke ebonised wood table for the space.

"We wanted the suite to read as a real, private penthouse: pieces with a lived-in scale and fluid vintage silhouettes to counter the suite's rational, architectural frame," Berchtold concluded.

Tutto Bene recently opened the doors to its Milan office during the city's design week and designed a Cubitts store in New York's West Village.

The photography is by Ludovic Balay.

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Dutch manufacturer Pretty Plastic has created the facade for Plus Ultra III, the first timber laboratory building in the Netherlands, using tiles made from recycled post-consumer plastic waste.

Located on Wageningen University and Research Campus in central Netherlands, the building was designed by Dutch studio Proof of the Sum and developed by lab operator Kadans Science Partner.

It has a load-bearing structure that was almost entirely constructed from engineered timber and a facade clad in Basic Third, a cladding material developed by the Pretty Plastic company started by architects Overtreders W and Bureau SLA.

The 8,500-square-metre building is covered in the tiles, which were made from 30,987 kilograms of post-consumer plastic waste.

"The Basic Third cladding was developed as a highly practical and scalable facade system," Pretty Plastic co-founder Hester van Dijk told Dezeen.

"Its overlapped shingle configuration allows for fast and straightforward installation, while the tile dimensions are specifically suited to the construction logic of laboratory and utility buildings."

The tiles, which are replaceable, were installed using an overlapping shiplap-style system.

"The tiles are mechanically fixed with screws to a timber batten system, creating a robust, replaceable and efficient connection to the timber structure," Van Dijk said.

Basic Third is Pretty Plastic's third plastic-tile design. It has a simplified installation method compared to its previous products.

In order to be more suitable for broader architectural expression, the designers also gave it a more restrained surface expression. Van Dijk thinks that this version of the upcycled plastic tiles has strong potential for wider use.

"The dimensions of the Basic Third tile make it suitable for large-scale utility buildings, while the mould allows designers freedom in form and colour to tailor the facade to a specific architectural concept," Van Dijk said.

"Its modular sizing also minimises cutting waste, making it both design-flexible and efficient to apply."

By adding it to a timber facade, the fully demountable tiles help to create buildings with a circular design.

Pretty Plastic's tiles are made from 100 per cent recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC), sourced from post-consumer construction waste, such as old window frames and drainpipes. The standard version of the tiles has three vertical strips and is available in 12 colours.

The Pretty Plastic tiles have previously been featured on Dezeen Showroom.

The first permanent building to be clad in the tiles was a music pavilion by Dutch studio Grosfeld Bekkers Van der Velde Architecten.

The photography is by Marcel van der Burg and the plans are by Proof of the Sum.

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Local studio Schemata Architects drew on historic townhouses when creating this office along Japan's Tōkaidō road, which features a corrugated metal facade with window shutters that open "as if breathing".

The office building is located in Fujisawa City on the Tōkaidō road, which played a significant role during Japan's Edo era.

Drawing on this historic location, Schemata Architects looked to machiya – townhouses that were common during the Edo period – when creating the company building for hardware manufacturer Uchida Shōten.

The 351-square-metre office, which replaces the company's old headquarters, has a structure of laminated timber made from Scots pine, designed to withstand earthquakes.

At 33 metres long, nine-and-a-half metres tall and just over six metres wide, its elongated shape was designed to resemble a historic machiya.

"The width frontage is almost identical to that of a traditional townhouse," Schemata Architects founder Jo Nagasaka told Dezeen.

"The depth is longer than the existing building because the building coverage ratio is maximised at 60 per cent," he continued. "The height is kept within the regulatory limit of 10 metres, but is taller than a traditional townhouse."

While the building's shape references historic structures, it has a modern look.

Made from corrugated steel, its street-facing northern facade features rows of large shutters, opening the building up to passersby.

"The awning windows on the north facade open onto the street as if breathing, allowing the presence of people to seep outwards," the studio said.

The office building is located in a "quasi-fire prevention zone," Nagasaka said, which meant its external walls must meet fire-resistant standards, informing the decision to use steel plates for the exterior.

"Within a design seeking contrast both internally and externally, we wished to position the external walls as the 'hari' – stresses – and the equipment, such as gutters and PVC pipes, as the 'meri' – reliefs," Nagasaka explained.

"We selected steel sheet as the 'hari' material, further opting for corrugated sheets," he continued.

"This minimises the visibility of horizontal joints and, due to its high drainage capacity, eliminates the need for drip edges, allowing the 'hari' expression to be maintained."

Inside the head office, the pine wood was left in its natural colour, which gives the interior a warm feel and creates a striking contrast against the corrugated-steel exterior when the shutters are open.

A spiral staircase connects the building's two main floors, ending in its low-ceilinged and fully wood-clad attic space.

As a hardware manufacturer, Uchida Shōten crafted the building's internal spiral staircase, a folded staircase and a south-facing balcony.

As well as workspaces, the company headquarters has a dedicated artist-in-residence area for makers and creators, ranging from students to professionals, at the front of the building.

It features facilities such as a sink and bathroom, and has access to the attic, where people can stay.

"Uchida Shōten is fundamentally a manufacturing company," Nagasaka explained. "As the company grew and expanded, with the factory becoming separate, the tangible sense of craftsmanship at hand diminished," he continued.

"To ensure this spirit of making was not forgotten, and to preserve that culture nearby, the vacant space placed at the front of the deep plot characteristic of a machiya townhouse has been transformed into an artist-in-residence facility."

Nagasaka hopes that the addition of the artist-in-residence space at the front will encourage interaction in the neighbourhood and inform the evolution of the building.

"The intention is that the presence of those working there, seeping out through the fittings, will create a breathing architecture that stimulates neighbours and sparks communication," he said.

"Though newly built, the completion of the structure is not the end. It aims to be a company building that undergoes sustainable change, evolving as people gather, things are made, and uses transform."

Other recent projects by Schemata Architects include an ironworks that was turned into a cafe and brewery, and angular guesthouses clad in local timber.

The photography is by Ju Yeon Lee.

Project credits:

Architects: Jo Nagasaka / Schemata Architects
Project team: Shoichi Sato
Construction: Tokyo-gumi Co, Ltd
Structural design: Hashigodaka Architects
Signage design: Moeko Yamaguchi / NDC
Lighting design: Endo Lighting Corporation

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Local studio Spaces and Design used regional craftsmanship and earthy colours to create the Sangha Bhawan community centre in India.

Designed for the Acharya Mahapragya Mahashraman Education & Research Foundation (AMMERF), Sangha Bhawan is located in central Kolkata and has a peaceful interior filled with natural materials.

This ties in with the brief for the project, which was to create a space that would represent the values of the Jainism religion.

"The main concept was to create a contemporary sanctuary that embodies Jainism values: non-violence, simplicity, knowledge, peace, and community translated into spatial experience through restraint, calm atmospheres, flowing transitions, and contemplative design rather than overt symbolism," Spaces and Design founder Pooja Bihani told Dezeen.

The studio drew on Jain iconography for the design of the community hall and used natural materials for the interior, including stone, wooden panels, rattan and clay.

It aimed to create a warm and tactile space that reflected simplicity, while encouraging "grounded experiences".

An earthy colour palette, which includes warm brown and red hues as well as pale sage green and grey colours, was used throughout.

"The colour palette is inspired by earthy tones and warm finishes that reinforce simplicity, serenity, and the meditative character of Jain philosophy," Bihani said.

"These tones help slow the user's rhythm and create peaceful, timeless environments."

Visitors enter the 1,672-square-metre space via a reception and lobby. Sangha Bhawan also has a cafe, restaurant and large banquet hall, which will be used for religious functions as well as family celebrations and cultural gatherings.

"From a design standpoint, the space emphasises a sense of calm, dignity, and intimacy rather than overt grandeur or spectacle," Bihani said.

Along the walls of the banquet hall, Spaces and Design added decorative Banarasi brocade panels.

"These panels introduce a festive and celebratory character while remaining refined and culturally rooted," Bihani said.

"Their use also reflects an appreciation of regional craftsmanship, as the brocade is sourced from within approximately a 200-kilometre radius, reinforcing a connection to local traditions, materials, and artisanal heritage."

Throughout the community hall, the studio used architectural lighting from lighting brand Crescent Lite and handcrafted lamps from Indian company Oorjaa to add a sculptural touch.

"Lighting was included as a meditative tool rather than decoration to reveal space gently, highlight textures, and create a serene, contemplative rhythm instead of dramatic visual impact," Bihani said.

Other Indian interiors filled with earthy hues include a 160-year-old home in Goa and a rural home in Hyderabad.

The photography is by Lokesh Dang.

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Car company Mercedes-Benz and developer Binghatti have revealed Mercedes-Benz Places Binghatti City, a development in Dubai that will comprise 12 residential skyscrapers.

The development, which will have 13,000 apartments, is the second residential project by Binghatti and Mercedes-Benz and will be centred around the 341-metre-high Vision Iconic building.

Vision Iconic will be flanked by 11 staggered towers that decline in height the further they get from the landmark building.

As well as residences, the skyscrapers will have sports, retail and wellness spaces.

"This project sets a new benchmark for exclusive, integrated urban living," Mercedes-Benz head of global service and parts Axel Harries said.

"We are celebrating 140 years of company history this year – a legacy only few can look back at," he continued. "Mercedes-Benz Places Binghatti City marks the first time we apply it at true urban scale: an entire living environment, a city within a city, that bears our unmistakable identity."

The buildings, which will be located in Dubai's Meidan area, feature design details that were inspired by Mercedes-Benz' legacy.

According to the brand, these include horizontal podiums designed to evoke its "iconic grille", as well as silver and chrome accents.

Each tower will be named after a Mercedes-Benz model, including Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven, Vision Mercedes Simplex, Vision Mercedes‑Maybach 6 and Vision AVTR.

The interior of the apartments will draw on Mercedes-Benz design philosophy, Sensual Purity. Black and silver were used as the base for the colour palette, with wood and leather adding a tactile touch.

The apartments also feature Mercedes-Benz graphics to further underline the link to the automotive brand.

Residents of Mercedes-Benz Places Binghatti City will have access to amenities including a ballroom, e-sport lounge and event hall, as well as sporting clubs, water pools and fitness facilities.

Surrounding the streamlined towers will be water features and a picnic grove, among other landscape features.

"Our collaboration with Mercedes-Benz continues to evolve beyond individual buildings into a fully integrated Masterplan Community," Binghatti chairman Muhammad BinGhatti said.

"Mercedes‑Benz Places Binghatti City represents our shared ambition to redefine how branded living is experienced at scale where design, innovation, and community come together to shape the future of urban life in Dubai."

In 2024, Mercedes-Benz and Binghatti unveiled their first project, a supertall skyscraper in central Dubai.

Dezeen has previously explored why luxury car brands are suddenly building skyscrapers.

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Tokyo-based Klein Dytham Architecture has showcased Home for All Noroshi, a community centre that incorporates roof tiles from homes destroyed in Japan's Noto earthquake, in this video shared with Dezeen.

The community centre was developed in collaboration with Home for All, a non-profit organisation founded by architect Toyo Ito following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.

Klein Dytham Architecture (KDa) founders Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham worked closely with the residents of Noroshi, a town in Japan's Ishikawa prefecture, on the design of the building.

"The design emerged through close dialogue with the town's mayor and, most importantly, local residents," Dytham told Dezeen.

"From the outset, there was a shared desire for something that looked forward, something optimistic and symbolic of renewal. At the same time, residents were clear that the building needed to feel grounded in local traditions and familiar ways of making."

As seen in the video, launched on 1 January 2026 to mark the two-year anniversary of the Noto earthquake, the resulting community centre evokes traditional Japanese houses.

KDa used traditional carpentry techniques from the region and incorporated reclaimed kawara roof tiles, salvaged from damaged homes, in the construction of the 119-square-metre community centre.

"These materials carried both cultural memory and emotional weight, allowing the building to feel immediately connected to the place and its people," Dytham said.

The tiles were reused despite their weight playing a part in the collapse of some of the area's older buildings in the Noto earthquake.

"Many traditional farmhouses, 75 to 100 years old, collapsed," Dytham said. "While the weight of traditional kawara tile roofs was a factor, the primary cause was structural degradation over time: timber columns had rotted at their bases, lost proper connection to their foundations, and the buildings toppled."

For the community centre, the studio salvaged 7,000 tiles from one house, which weighed approximately three kilograms each, for a total weight of over 21 tons.

"This mass is excellent in typhoons, helping keep roofs firmly in place, but problematic during seismic events," Dytham pointed out.

To solve this, KDa worked with structural engineers to ensure that the building was not just earthquake-proof but also suitable for Noroshi winters.

"We worked closely with structural engineers to ensure full compliance with current building regulations, including requirements for both earthquake resistance and the region's heavy snow loads," Dytham explained.

"As with all timber buildings, the key lies in load paths and connections," he continued. "The structure incorporates well-considered cross-bracing in both walls and roof planes, allowing seismic forces to be absorbed and dissipated safely."

"Connections between columns, beams, and foundations were carefully detailed to ensure continuity and prevent the kind of failures seen in older buildings."

The film of the project shows how architecture "can become far more than shelter, it can be a place of warmth, memory, and return", Dytham said.

"Recovery architecture is not a single act, but a long process," he continued. "Home-for-All does not arrive as a first responder, but as a last responder, stepping in once rescue operations and emergency infrastructure are in place, and attention begins to shift from survival to living."

KDa is continuing to support Noroshi's rebuild, with the next step being the reconstruction of a shrine that was damaged in the earthquake.

The studio had previously created a hat-shaped post-earthquake building for the city of Sōma in 2016.

"That experience left a deep impression on us and shaped our understanding of architecture's social responsibility," Dytham concluded. "Since then, Home for All has continued to evolve, with each project rooted in local culture, participation, and care. "

KDa also recently designed the facade for jewellery brand Cartier's Ginza store.

The video is by Wild Tame, photography by Sakika Matsuda.

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This week on Dezeen we asked industry experts, including Reinier de Graaf, Tola Ojuolape and Luca Nichetto, about what trends we should look out for in architecture, interiors and design this year.

When it comes to architecture, our architecture reporter Amy Peacock found that architects "must rethink how and why we build" in 2026.

Dezeen editorial director Max Fraser spoke to designers for our design trend outlook, and came to the conclusion that design "could see a long overdue shift" this year.

Interior design, meanwhile, will opt for "curated calm over superficial opulence", designers told design and interiors reporter Jane Englefield.

Continuing our exploration of what's to come in 2026, we rounded up 15 buildings to look out for in 2026, including architecture studio Snøhetta's design of the Shanghai Grand Opera House (pictured).

New York and Texas skyscrapers, the Buffalo Bills stadium and the Obama Presidential Center made our list of eight high-profile American architecture projects completing in 2026.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place in Las Vegas this week, with brands and designers showing technology products including an ultrasonic knife, a colour-shifting lamp by Sabine Marcelis for IKEA and "responsive" Lego Smart Bricks.

These and many other intriguing products, such as a pocket-sized pet and a "paper battery", featured in our roundup of 10 gadgets that caught our attention at CES.

In the US, architect Shalom Baranes unveiled an updated design for the White House ballroom and suggested adding a storey to the West Wing for symmetry.

"This scheme does require a two-story colonnade, connecting the East Room in the White House to the new ballroom," said Baranes.

Also in the US, Trump aide Will Scharf reportedly wants the planned stadium by architecture studio HKS for the NFL team Washington Commanders to have a "classical" design.

Buildings demolished during the 21st century in European cities had a shorter lifespan than those in US cities, according to a new report.

The report compared the ages of around 15,000 buildings and found that the average mean age of a demolished building in the US cities was 81, while for the European cities it was 65.

Popular projects this week included a home on a Japanese island with an oversized metal roof, a brick pavilion in southeast London and a "serene" Mexico City townhouse.

Our lookbook this week featured kitchens filled with warm natural wood.

This week on Dezeen

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.

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