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2026-08-10T13:00:00-00:00

This week we revealed the renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater

2026-04-04T05:00:31-00:00

This week on Dezeen, a three-year renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous building, Fallingwater, was completed.

Led by New York-based Architectural Preservation Studio, the extensive renovation addressed water damage and other problems at the house, which was designed in the mid-1930s for retail magnate Edgar J Kaufmann.

We published a Milan design week preview

We also looked forward to this year's Milan design week, the design world's biggest annual gathering, which takes place later this month.

Ahead of the event, we picked the key installations and exhibitions to see, including The Eames Houses at Triennale Milano (pictured), a mindfulness space by Zaha Hadid Architects and Kelly Wearstler's collection for H&M.

Donald Trump announced plans for a presidential library skyscraper in Miami

In the US, president Donald Trump was once again back in the news, as he announced plans for a presidential library skyscraper in Miami.

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, construction of the White House extension was halted by a judge, who determined that the project needs congressional approval to continue.

Milan named a street after Zaha Hadid

This week also marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. To mark the occasion, Milan named a street after the architect near the Generali Tower, which she designed.

Zaha Hadid Foundation director Aric Chen also picked out 10 of his favourite items from the Hadid archive exclusively for Dezeen.

One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha completed this week

In stadium news, One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha was unveiled as the final major part of the reconstruction of Christchurch following the 2011 earthquake.

Meanwhile, Danish architecture studio BIG revealed its design for a 50,000-capacity stadium set to be built in Madrid's Macondo Park for Colombian singer Shakira's world tour.

Casa Tupin was one of this week's most popular projects

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included a house without windows in Brazil, the V&A East museum in London and a house that "moves with the dunes" in the Netherlands.

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The post This week we revealed the renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater appeared first on Dezeen.

Design Shanghai 2026 championed modern design across Asia

2026-04-04T04:00:24-00:00

Promotion: trade show Design Shanghai returned for its 13th edition last month, bringing together over 500 Asian and international brands for the four-day-long event.

This year's edition, which took place from 19 to 22 March, continued the fair's aim to platform design from China and the wider East Asian region on a global stage – spotlighting both emerging talent and established designers.

Glassware was displayed during Reflections Copenhagen as part of the show

"For 13 years, Design Shanghai has championed modern design across China and Asia, witnessing the rise of a dynamic creative era," show director Zhuo Tan said.

"It's inspiring to see so many remarkable designers and artists shaping this momentum, as Asian design steps confidently onto the global stage," Tan added.

Design Shanghai's 13th edition took place from 19 to 22 March

This year's edition saw the design fair return to its original venue, the historic Shanghai Exhibition Centre, which allowed for large-scale installations and a "more artistic journey for visitors".

The fair also coincided with Design in the City – an extension of Design Shanghai established in 2014 – aligning it with Shanghai's wider cultural and creative scene.

The trade show brought together 500 brands from more than 20 countries. Image by MINGYU XU STUDIO

During the 4-day-long event, the forum programme was headlined by the Kohler Design Shanghai Global Design Conference, with key speakers including the director at Zaha Hadid Architects, Satoshi Ohashi and co-founder of Moooi, Marcel Wanders.

The show also presented a line-up of international brands, including Lasvit, Artisan, GUBI, Artemide, L&S Group, BD Barcelona, Glas Italia, Waldmann, Villeroy & Boch and Asian brands U+, SHANG XIA, PUSU, FNJI, foxx Chair, Past to Now and 12h.

Design Shanghai returned for its 13th edition last month

Design Shanghai 2026 was organised into four main sections: Furniture and Lighting; Kitchen, Bathroom and Systems Design; New Materials and Applications; and Living and Lifestyle.

Within the sections were five specially curated programmes, including Talents, Made in JDZ, Beyond Craft, Collectible Design and Art and Materials First.

The fair was organised into four sections

This year's Beyond Craft exhibition – which first launched in 2024 – saw creations spanning jewellery, objects and furniture from more than 10 brands, and highlighted traditional Japanese craftsmanship.

Among those exhibiting were Tokyo-based Domyo, showcasing handcrafted knotted cords, and fifth-generation atelier Kubo Paper Studio, offering work that draws on centuries-old paper art.

Also displayed were projects by Tokyo-based Emision, Japanese studio Kasane, Shanghai and Japan-based HARIO Lampwork Factory and Chinese studio Bing Yu Tang.

The Best Commercial Product Design went to Air Sketch

Frank Chou curated Design Shanghai's Talents showcase – a flagship exhibition launched by the design fair to platform designers under the age of 35 and "champion a new generation of designers".

China-based studio Liang Living Studio, founded by artist Hong Zhangliang, presented a study of classical Chinese vessel archetypes realised in marbled porcelain, which received the event's Best Artistic Product Design award.

A range of furniture was displayed at the Talents programme

Another regional studio that took part included Trigram, which was awarded the Media's Favourite Award.

The Best Commercial Product Design went to Air Sketch, and the Best Experimental Product Design was given to German designer Friedrich Gerlach.

The Beyond Craft exhibition included jewellery, objects and furniture

The Made in JDZ section, curated by designer Ryan Ran, brought together ceramics, metalwork and lacquer art under the theme of Craft without Borders – reflecting how "craft is moving beyond the exhibition hall and into fashion and everyday life".

As part of the showcase, the JDZ Gallery was launched for the first time, showcasing works by a group of international artists, including Harumi Nakashima, Nikolas Iturralde Graber and Maria Ganeva.

"Traditional craft exhibitions often emphasise the technical height of craft itself, whereas Made in JDZ focuses more on an attitude of how craft can sustain itself, revive, and enter everyday life," Ran said.

Friedrich Gerlach was among the international designers displaying work within the Talents programme

The Collectible Design & Art showcase presented a series of limited-edition works, with contributions from UK-based Hugo Design, French studio Zeto Art and Indian brand MINGYU XU STUDIO.

Additionally, a Re-art Room, curated by Yiqian Zhao, collated the work of 10 artists to create a "carefully composed environment" that focuses on the physical experience of texture, form, and detail.

Lighting by Sowden was displayed at Design Shanghai Shop Stand

To find out more about the fair, visit the Design Shanghai website here.

The photography is courtesy of Design Shanghai.

Design Shanghai 2026 took place from 19 to 22 March 2026 at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, 1000 Middle Yan'an Road, Shanghai, China. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written for Design Shanghai as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Design Shanghai 2026 championed modern design across Asia appeared first on Dezeen.

Kelly Akashi creates glass chimney as memorial to Los Angeles wildfire losses

2026-04-03T16:00:17-00:00

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

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

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

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

Kelly Akashi has constructed a chimney out of glass brick to memorialise the losses of the Los Angeles wildfire

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

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

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

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

Hundreds of handcast glass bricks were used for the sculpture

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

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

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

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

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

It has been presented as part of the Whitney Biennial

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

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

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

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

The photography is by Timothy Schenck.

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

The post Kelly Akashi creates glass chimney as memorial to Los Angeles wildfire losses appeared first on Dezeen.

Menssula sit-stand work tables by Actiu

2026-04-03T13:00:10-00:00

Dezeen Showroom: office furniture brand Actiu has released a series of sit-stand desks and meeting tables that feature a cantilever design created with modularity in mind.

The Menssula work table range comprises desks and meeting tables that can be raised and lowered with the touch of a button. They deviate from other tables with the same functionality in their asymmetric silhouette.

Menssula's cantilever design differs from other sit-stand tables on the market

"The collection's primary innovation is the offset placement of its electrical height-adjustable lift," said Actiu.

"By concentrating the mechanical components into a single lateral column, the design eliminates the traditional central or dual-leg configuration, creating a dramatic cantilever effect that maximises usable workspace and provides an obstruction-free footprint beneath the tabletop."

A range of tabletop finishes are available

The tabletops – which the brand describes as "gravity-defying" – encourage active ergonomics when both solo working and conducting intimate meetings.

Tabletops are available in a number of durable yet tactile materials, including phenolic and laminated MDF in various finishes and patterns.

The collection also acts in a modular capacity, facilitating various configurations, from individual executive workstations to large-scale meeting and co-working tables.

Product details:

Product: Menssula
Brand: Actiu
Contact: london-showroom@actiu.com

Materials: compact laminate, laminated MDF
Colours/finishes: White Traffic, Pulpis Light, Samas Black, Fenix Black (anti-fingerprint)

Dezeen Showroom

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

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

Dezeen Showroom new releases newsletter

Click here to subscribe to our Dezeen Showroom new releases newsletter, a quarterly bulletin highlighting our editor's pick of the products we have published in the previous season.

The post Menssula sit-stand work tables by Actiu appeared first on Dezeen.

Esteras Perrote nestles brick-clad painting studio in Argentinian woodland

2026-04-03T10:00:52-00:00

Austere brick walls cloak a bright skylit painting studio at the heart of Atelier Cambre in Argentina, designed by local architecture practice Esteras Perrote.

The studio sits nestled within the mountainous, forested landscape of Còrboda's Punilla Valley, and was created for Argentinian artist Juan José Cambre.

Tasked with recreating the feeling of painting outdoors, Esteras Perrote organised the studio around a five-metre-high painting space, which is illuminated by long skylights and opens onto a terrace through a set of folding glass doors.

Esteras Perrote has completed an artist's studio in Argentina

"One of the central gestures of the project emerged from a very simple request from the client: the possibility of painting outdoors," said the studio's co-founder Gonzalo Perrote.

"From that idea, we began to explore how the architecture could incorporate that experience without losing the sense of refuge of the studio," Perrote told Dezeen.

"Rather than a collection of rooms, the project proposes a generous working environment where light, landscape and painting structure the experience of the place."

Locally-sourced red brick cloaks the exterior

The large volume containing Atelier Cambre's main studio space is connected to a tower-like service and circulation volume via a short, glazed link.

This tower contains bathrooms and a staircase leading up onto a rooftop terrace.

The studio is organised around a five-metre-high painting space

Both volumes have been clad in locally-sourced red brick, a choice informed by a small structure that had formerly stood on the site as well as a desire to blend in with the landscape.

Inside, the painting area sits beneath four long, narrow skylights. At the opposite end, a study area and small kitchenette are tucked under a steel mezzanine level that offers a vantage point over the painting space.

Carefully placed openings throughout the building frame views of the surrounding woodland, with two tall, narrow openings at the end of the painting space creating cross-ventilation to facilitate drying.

White finishes and natural wood floors create a minimal backdrop to Cambre's paintings, with the only colour in the interiors being a series of green cabinet doors alongside the kitchenette.

Folding glass doors open up to an external terrace

"Rather than imposing itself on the landscape, the architecture seeks to situate itself within it, using that open space as an opportunity," fellow co-founder Lucía Esteras told Dezeen.

"In this sense, each window was conceived as a specific frame of the surroundings, almost as a device to capture fragments of the landscape and bring them back into the interior," he added.

Long skylights illuminate the space

Other painting studios recently featured on Dezeen include The Grey County Studio in Ontario by Verge Select, which comprises three intersecting weathered steel volumes that overlook a woodland, and a historic barn restored by Schack Arkitektur for the painter Michael Kvium in Denmark.

The photography is by Javier Agustín Rojas.

The post Esteras Perrote nestles brick-clad painting studio in Argentinian woodland appeared first on Dezeen.

Tricolour washbasin bowls by Laufen

2026-04-03T09:30:03-00:00

Dezeen Showroom: Swiss brand Laufen has released a washbasin made characterful by its colourful inner bowl and the conjunction of matt and glossy finishes.

Named Tricolour after its trio of available colourways – dark blue Petrol, deep green Olive and yellow-orange Tuscany – the washbasin bowl aims to be a fresh alternative to conventionally plain white bathroom fittings.

Petrol is one of the available colourways for Tricolour washbasin bowls

"With Tricolour, the wash area becomes a stage for colour combinations, expression and individuality – far beyond traditional sanitary aesthetics," said Laufen.

As well as distinctive colours, the basins combine a gloss finish on the inside with a matte texture to the outside, which creates a dynamic balance of surfaces.

The outer walls have a more textural finish, while the inner surfaces are colourful and smooth

"Matte and glossy segments meet, generating a special visual depth," added the brand.

The basins are made from Laufen's own Vitreon steel material, which, according to the brand, has the durability of glass in addition to the pliability of steel.

Product details:

Product: Tricolour washbasin bowl
Brand: Laufen
Contact: monica.garcia@laufen.ch

Material: Vitreon steel
Colours/finishes: Petrol, Olive, Tuscany
Dimensions: 400 x 400 x 114 millimeters

Dezeen Showroom

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

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

Dezeen Showroom new releases newsletter

Click here to subscribe to our Dezeen Showroom new releases newsletter, a quarterly bulletin highlighting our editor's pick of the products we have published in the previous season.

The post Tricolour washbasin bowls by Laufen appeared first on Dezeen.

Dragon-i nightclub renovation captures "rebirth of the romantic side of Hong Kong"

2026-04-03T09:00:24-00:00

Koko interior designer Pirajean Lees looked to the sultry, saturated colours of director Wong Kar Wai's films when renovating Hong Kong's Dragon-i nightclub.

Founded in 2002 by Gilbert Yeung, Dragon-i is one of Hong Kong's most famous nightlife venues.

Dragon-i is one of Hong Kong's most famous nightclubs

London studio Pirajean Lees worked closely with Yeung to transform the venue's interior, which included the addition of a members' club, fitting out the spaces with bespoke furniture designed by the studio and crafted by Chinese artisans.

"Our goal from the beginning was to re-spark the sexiness and excitement, the ruggedness and roughness of the 1990s and early noughties," said studio co-founder James Lees. "For us, this was the idea of the rebirth of the romantic side of Hong Kong."

Pirajean Lees renovated the venue with bespoke details

When visualising the interior, Lees and co-founder Clémence Pirajean were informed by the vivid cinematography of movies by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong, whose credits include the 2000 colour-drenched romance-drama In the Mood for Love.

The duo reconfigured the nightclub layout, which is anchored by a central marble-topped bar bejewelled with a pair of glittering glass-brick drinks cabinets.

The nightclub's bathrooms feature purposefully disorienting floor-to-ceiling mirrors

Swirly timber panels frame the DJ booth, providing a textured backdrop for the sound system's handcrafted speakers, while banquettes were finished in silver leather.

Meticulous architectural framing features throughout the low-lit interior design, in a move the designers described as mimicking individual snapshotted "memories of amazing evenings".

"Everything was very cinematic," Pirajean told Dezeen. "We wanted to guide people's experiences."

Decadent materials were selected for their intense sensory appeal

The bathrooms are characterised by more framing, clad with purposefully disorienting floor-to-ceiling mirrored panels. Large cubicles were finished entirely in stainless steel and illuminated by singular pink lights.

"We're still working on putting a DJ in that toilet," joked Lees.

The adjacent members' club includes a listening bar

Decadent materials were selected for their intense sensory appeal, which the designers saw as fitting for a venue centred around music, including a selection of striking Chinese marbles that the duo had not worked with before.

"Some of them are pink, some of them are acid green, some of them have these amazing chunks like eggs," Pirajean said.

Low lighting characterises the project throughout

The members' club sits adjacent to the nightclub on the site of a former restaurant and was designed to balance the nightclub's sense of theatrics with intimate, homely touches.

This space includes a listening bar where guests can enjoy a wide selection of Yeung's personal records, which are stored in oversized shelving constructed behind the perforated DJ booth.

A central "library" was placed in the middle of the bar, defined by built-in, back-to-back sofas upholstered in plush velvet. Green-hued banquettes snake around the corners of the room, amplifying the textile-clad walls that soften the acoustics.

A games room is located next to the listening bar and was created to be as immersive as the rest of the venue, while outdoor terraces provide moments of respite.

Green-hued banquettes snake around the corners of the listening bar

Dragon-i is typical of the Dezeen Awards-nominated studio's "hyper-detailed", narrative-led approach.

"The spirit of the project was freedom, fun, something that is not taking itself too seriously," Pirajean said.

"It's a club where so many interesting, quirky creatives go," she added. "We didn't restrict ourselves in terms of, where does this wild character stop?"

Pirajean Lees is known for its "hyper-detailed" approach

"It's a bit of a mishmash," added Lees. "Just the bonkersness and craziness of Hong Kong city."

Known for their interior design of the members' space at north London nightclub Koko, Pirajean Lees has also worked on restaurants in the city, including central sushi spot Kioku and 20 Berkeley in Mayfair.

The photography is by Edmon Leong.

The post Dragon-i nightclub renovation captures "rebirth of the romantic side of Hong Kong" appeared first on Dezeen.

"The only thing these towers are missing are feather boas" says commenter

2026-04-03T08:00:38-00:00

In this week's comments update, readers are discussing Henriquez Partners Architects' designs for a trio of skyscrapers in Vancouver, including the city's first supertall skyscraper.

When completed, the 1,033-foot-tall (314 metre-tall) skyscraper is set to be wrapped in a steel exoskeleton covered in white panelling and glass. Its form and facade pattern take cues from sea glass sponges, according to the studio.

Vancouver's first supertall skyscraper informed by "ancient glass sea sponge reefs"

"Bravo to the designers and developers!"

Commenters questioned the skyscraper's aquatic inspiration, debating the balance between its aesthetics and design.

"This is the most beautiful and exciting project to be brought before city council in Vancouver in my living memory," wrote Anthony Hartnell. "Bravo to the designers and developers!"

Commenter Ted was impressed by the marine-inspired design, writing "It's refreshing to see a 'supertall' project that draws its primary aesthetic and structural logic from local marine biology rather than just standard glass-and-steel geometry."

They added "can't wait to see how that summit atrium feels in person!"

Other readers were less excited. "There are few towers in the world, even in the USA or the Middle East, able to challenge for the worst nouveau-riche-kinky-expressive trophy," scathed Pa Varreon. "This Canadian one is on the ranks."

Frank Lloyd Wrong was similarly critical, saying "Everybody knows the non-market tower will never get built," before suggesting "the only thing these towers are missing are feather boas."

What's your take? Join the discussion ›

Quirky table tennis equipment promotes "more creative" play at French school

"Leave it to the French to invent 3-way ping pong!"

Also scoring points in the comments section this week was Ping Pong Park, a series of quirky table tennis tables created by studio Exercice for a school in France.

Commenters were overwhelmingly positive, supporting the unusual way of encouraging creativity among children.

"The table with a hole each end would be bloody frustrating, but I really like the 3-way table and the table with raised sides," reflected Brett S.

The Discreet Architect was just as enthused, "Fantastic! I would love to try these out."

Camille Jung raved, "GENIUS. Love it," while BOBinRSI3 joked, "Leave it to the French to invent 3-way ping pong!"

Other readers were more measured in their assessments, with Dik Coates writing, "Lovely... I don't know if there are 'legal' sizes of tabletop, but I suspect there are."

Nick Marshall was sceptical, arguing "Table tennis is a great leisure activity, almost perfect in its simplicity. It does not need to be any more 'creative'. This is a complete waste of time and effort."

What do you think? Join the discussion ›

Trump releases design of presidential library skyscraper in Miami

"An absurdly kitsch tower of Babylon"

One project on which readers could agree this week was US President Donald Trump's release of the renderings of the presidential library skyscraper in Miami.

The video rendering, which was shared by Trump on his Truth Social account on Monday, was designed by American architecture studio Bermello Ajamil & Partners, according to its end title.

Readers were rather derisive, with Pa Varreon writing, "There is one statue missing according to earlier press releases; perhaps they could borrow some gold painted statues, from Disney Epcot in that very State of Florida?" while Arch joked "They forgot the Nobel peace prize in the lobby visualisation."

Similarly amused, The Truth wrote, "As part of Trump's commitment to this building achieving LEED Gold status, all toilets will be flushed using harvested Liberal Tears."

"I'm gonna play devil's advocate and say Trump has better taste than this but the golden escalator is evidence this is not an April Fool's prank. That gold statue of him is way too thin though," said Stranger Than Fiction.

Other commenters took a more blunt view.

"An absurdly kitsch tower of Babylon. It's a supremely fitting monument that will be laughed at over the centuries," Guy Wilkins wrote.

Floooo was similarly scathing, "Gosh is this tacky, oversized and cheap... And right next to Miami's Freedom Tower, tasteless provocation".

Have you had your say yet? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

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

The post "The only thing these towers are missing are feather boas" says commenter appeared first on Dezeen.

"Technology and craftsmanship align" at Spotify's immersive London listening room

2026-04-03T05:00:30-00:00

Audio streaming service Spotify has opened a listening lounge at its London headquarters, featuring a bespoke speaker system and a material palette chosen to enhance the room's acoustic properties.

The Spotify Listening Lounge is a purpose-built acoustic space designed to provide an immersive setting for users to experience the company's lossless audio offering.

Spotify has opened a listening lounge at its London headquarters

The facility was designed in collaboration with local studio Cake Architecture and features a bespoke sound system developed by London-based loudspeaker design studio Friendly Pressure.

Spotify claimed that the listening room aims to celebrate listening as a communal, intentional experience, with access granted to artists' top fans and Spotify Premium users.

The lounge is a purpose-built acoustic space

"The Listening Lounge is where technology, craftsmanship and culture align," said the company's head of marketing for the UK and Ireland Billie Baier.

"By bringing lossless audio into a purpose-built environment, we're demonstrating the full potential of streaming and fostering a deeper connection between fans and the music they love."

Slate floors and steel details create a threshold between the urban setting and the lounge space

The project follows a trend for listening bars and other audio-centred spaces, such as a pink monochrome bar in Sydney and a hi-fi bar in London designed to provide a range of acoustic experiences.

Guests are welcomed into a reception area featuring warm lighting, slate floors and steel details that help to create a threshold between the bustling urban setting and the intimate lounge space.

The main listening room features brown hues and tactile surfaces

The main listening room utilises a palette of brown hues and tactile surfaces that recede into the background to focus attention on the raised, backlit sound system.

The room is simply furnished with plump, upholstered pieces from furniture brand Afra and designer Tobia Scarpa's Soriana collection.

Cake Architecture said that "every surface pattern and material choice was a functional decision"

"Collaborating with Spotify and Friendly Pressure allowed us to treat the room itself as an instrument," said Cake creative director Hugh Scott Moncrieff.

"Every surface pattern and material choice was a functional decision to eliminate interference, ensuring that the craftsmanship of the speakers is matched by the precision of the architecture surrounding them."

New York-based acoustician Ethan Bourdeau helped to refine the space's acoustic design, with each wall featuring a calibrated surface pattern that disperses frequencies evenly around the room.

The audio system used in the lounge was created by Shivas Howard-Brown of Friendly Pressure and features custom-made cabinets along with a frosted glass version of the brand's signature waveguide horn.

The space will host year-round programming for music fans

"Growing up in and around recording studios exposed me to a whole heritage of craft," Howard-Brown said.

"Sound systems built in sheds, speakers designed for carnival stacks – these have always had the same ambition as anything you'd find in a high-end listening room. This new space is my attempt to make that argument."

The speaker system references a golden era of British audio engineering

The speaker system references a golden era of British audio engineering, utilising components including Alnico magnet drivers that would have featured in the famous Abbey Road recording studio throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

The Spotify Listening Lounge launched with an event hosted by UK artists Joy Crookes, Nao and Yazmin Lacey and will host year-round programming for music fans.

In 2021, Spotify began redesigning its offices to give them a more homely feel, with a focus on improving acoustics and introducing softer, cosier spaces.

Cake Architecture's previous work includes the design of a wellness facility featuring a sauna for 65 people and a late-night restaurant designed to evoke the moody atmosphere of an Edward Hopper painting.

The photography is courtesy of Spotify.

The post "Technology and craftsmanship align" at Spotify's immersive London listening room appeared first on Dezeen.

Roland and Karimoku design artisanal Kiyola digital pianos crafted with techniques "refined over a thousand years"

2026-04-03T04:00:03-00:00

Promotion: musical instrument manufacturer Roland and renowned Japanese furniture company Karimoku have unveiled two pianos designed to blend analogue and digital technology with traditional and cutting-edge craftsmanship.

The two pianos are the latest in Roland's Kiyola series, which focuses on artisanal digital pianos made in Japan.

The KF-20 piano comes in various hues, including Celadon Green, top, and Pure Oak, above

For the KF-20 and KF-25, Roland drew on the woodworking knowledge of Karimoku, which has been working with Japanese wood since 1940, and crafted the pianos' solid-wood cabinets.

"Built with local techniques refined over a thousand years, every Kyiola is a one-of-a-kind instrument with unique grain patterns and natural ageing," Roland explained.

"Kiyola blends analogue and digital, tradition and cutting-edge, and exemplifies wa – 和 – the Japanese concept of harmony."

The pianos were designed to have a gentle, elegant feel

The two pianos, which were created to complement any interior, differ in their design.

The KF-20 is based on the design of Roland's original award-winning KF-10 piano and features soft curves to create a gentle, elegant feel.

It comes in a new Celadon Green option, as well as the more classic Sheer White, Pure Oak and Walnut finishes.

In the US, the pianos will be sold exclusively in the MoMA store.

"Our longstanding partnership with Roland continues to evolve, and we're proud to offer these new Kiyola models at MoMA Design Store, including the exclusive Celadon Green," said director of merchandising at MoMA, Emmanuel Plat.

"They embody the intersection of good design and cutting-edge technology that MoMA Design Store continues to pioneer."

The KF-25 has a more angled design and references Japandi

The KF-25 design, meanwhile, was envisioned as "the best of two diverse cultures," blending wabi-sabi, the Japanese concept of accepting imperfection, with the functional yet stylish design of Scandinavian furniture to create a Japandi-style piano.

It has sharper lines and a more angular design, and comes in a deep-toned Smoked Oak finish that was chosen to enhance the natural grain of the wood used by Karimoku for the piano cabinet.

With Roland's Piano Reality Modelling technology and PHA-50 key action, Kiyola intends to provide an "immersive sonic experience and authentic playing feel"

The KF-20 and KF-25 pianos have PHA-50 keyboards and come with a piano bench and a three-pedal unit with sustain, soft and sostenuto pedals, as well as support for advanced half-pedalling techniques.

According to the brand, the two new piano models create warm, "uniquely voiced" tones that reflect their distinctive designs.

The two Kiyola pianos were designed to add warmth, style and sophistication to any space

The design of the pianos was intended to combine the knowledge of Roland and Karimoku to create unique pieces.

"From the beginning, the goal was to think about the piano as an architectural object," said Roland's Kiyola project leader, Kazuhiro Kubo.

The instrument comes in a new Celadon Green option

"Roland contributes deep expertise in sound and digital engineering, while Karimoku brings a furniture maker's understanding of wood, proportion, and how objects inhabit a room," Kubo continued.

"The result is a piano designed to integrate elegantly into residential spaces and to age with its surroundings over time."

To learn more about the pianos, visit Roland's website.

The photography is courtesy of Roland.

Partnership content

This article was written for Roland as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here.

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Experimental pavilion in Oregon "challenges the rectilinear logic" of mass timber

2026-04-02T20:29:07-00:00

US architecture studio Lake Flato and engineering and construction firm Structurecraft have experimented with dowel-laminated timber for a pavilion at the Mass Timber Conference in Oregon.

Lake Flato and Structurecraft collaborated on the pavilion, which utilises dowel-laminated timber (DLT). Originally engineered in Germany in the 1970s and 1980s, DLT has become more popular in the US market in the last decade.

"The installation introduces a bending-active shell system formed from dowel-laminated timber (DLT), which challenges the rectilinear logic that has defined mass timber construction for decades," said Lake Flato.

Lake Flato and Structurecraft collaborated on a mass-timber pavilion in Oregon

As with the more popular mass-timber products, glued-laminated timber and cross-laminated timber, DLT uses softwood held together by a hardwood dowel, creating panels that can bend flatwise. It is an alternative to rigid mass-timber slabs.

"It doesn't use nails, it doesn't use glue," Lake Flato partner Ryan Yaden told Dezeen.

"It only uses friction between wood. And that's what was really enticing for us, why we really gravitated to it. We're trying to reduce the impact on the environment."

It features innovations in dowel-laminated timber

The effect is an incredibly flexible panel that can be used for flooring and for ceilings, and, as the technology progresses, can potentially be used for more structural applications.

"It's almost like fabric, but once it's put together in certain ways, it becomes extremely rigid," said Yaden. "It just drapes into place and then locks together."

The panels are flexible before being fitted together, where they become rigid

Lake Flato worked with a proprietary dowel model from Structurecraft to create the 20-by-30-foot (six-by-nine-metre) pavilion. It featured standard two-by-four slats and was shipped flat before being assembled.

Once shaped into the wavy forms, the walls were fitted into pre-routed tracks on the ceiling element, which has straps and plywood on top to create extra rigidity.

"Mass timber is no longer flat," Structurecraft VP and head of engineering Lucas Epp told Dezeen.

"Our structural concept takes flat-packed mass timber panels and drapes them into curves on site to create shell action, greatly increasing structural efficiency," he continued. "This is the first time a bending-active system has been created with timber enabling shells."

The panel elements were flat-packed and shipped

On one side, the flexibility of the material is demonstrated by a door that swings out.

Yaden said that the structure presents both biophilic elements and a demonstration of physics meant to draw in people, and that the studio wanted to show the technology could be scalable.

"I think there's something very seductive about the way these forms come together, in the physics of structure, that people naturally gravitate towards," said Yaden. "It's a balance of practicality and surprise that makes people want to engage more meaningfully."

Lake Flato and Structurecraft have used DLT in the past for a hotel building in Austin.

Photographs show a smiling Kengo Kuma, a well-known Japanese architect, interacting with the pavilion on the showroom floor at the conference.

An enthusiastic Kengo Kuma was spotted interacting with the bendable door. Photo by Balazs Bognar

Mass timber continues to be innovated on as building codes around the country change to accommodate it.

Recently, Studio Gang completed a mass-timber educational building at Harvard, while Grafton Architects completed one with an angular roof in Arkansas.

The Mass Timber Conference took place from 31 March to 1 April in Portland, Oregon. For more international events in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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"The lime struggle is over" thanks to Corona's latest campaign

2026-04-02T20:00:04-00:00

Promotion: global beer brand Corona has redesigned the lime to tackle the issue of an ill-fitting wedge – a problem shared by "millions of Corona drinkers worldwide".

Launched on International Lime Day, 10 March, the brand's campaign – Lime Guides – presents thousands of limes designed to be perfectly sliced for wedging into a Corona beer.

Using food-safe laser technology, Corona has lightly etched cutting guidelines onto the skin of over 25,000 limes.

Named "fruit tattoos", these lines enable consumers to slice a lime wedge that perfectly fits into a Corona can or bottle.

Corona has lightly etched cutting guidelines onto the skin of over 25,000 limes

The guides come in a range of sizes, ensuring limes can snuggly fit different formats, "giving consumers of a legal drinking age more ways to enjoy a Corona anytime".

According to the brand, the campaign highlights the "universal tension point" for Corona drinkers worldwide – the struggle to push a lime into a bottle, which completes the drink's iconic consumption ritual.

The campaign tackles the issue "shared by millions of Corona drinkers worldwide"

"Everyone loves having a Corona with a lime, until you're struggling to push the slice into the bottle," said Grey Global group creative director, Alvaro Soto.

"We loved the idea of solving that tiny challenge in the most Corona way possible: with the help of nature, letting the lime itself show you exactly where to cut," he continued.

"This simple solution transforms the lime ritual into a smooth and effortless experience."

Corona used food-safe laser technology as part of the campaign

The etched limes are available in over 30 retailer locations across three continents. Consumers are also able to order them through local delivery apps.

The brand explained that the campaign spotlights the benefit of being present with friends and enjoying a beverage.

"Corona has always been about celebrating the simple moments inspired by nature. From our natural ingredients to the fresh lime that finishes every bottle, the ritual is part of the timeless brand experience," said global vice president of Corona, Clarissa Pantoja.

"With Lime Guides, we're making that ritual easier than ever, so people can focus on what really matters – being present with friends and enjoying the moment with a beer in hand."

The guides will come in a range of sizes, from lime slices that fit cans to big bottles

Developed by Grey Global, Corona's global campaign is supported by a multi-channel rollout strategy, which includes a series of digital films and visuals.

To learn more about the Corona Lime Guide campaign and to check the limes' availability, visit the brand's website.

Partnership content

This article was written for Corona as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here.

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Planning commission approves White House ballroom design

2026-04-02T19:13:32-00:00

Despite a judge's order to halt construction on the White House ballroom project this week, Washington DC advisory committee National Capitol Planning Commission has approved the design of the project.

In a Thursday afternoon meeting, National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) Chairman William Scharf pushed back against public critique of the project in a lengthy defence, stating that the White House has grown in "fits and spurts" since its first century.

"The White House complex, in its first century, grew in fits and spurts, and it has continued to do so until the present day," said Scharf.

"My core point is that the White House is ever changing, ever evolving to meet the programmatic needs of an ever-changing and evolving United States presidency," he continued.

"Never been symmetrical"

"Any argument that relies on the idea that the White House is unchangeable or should be unchangeable flies in the face of the very history of the structure such critics claim they are trying to protect."

The chairman also pushed back against criticism of the asymmetry of the proposed new East Wing, which would be roughly three times the size of the current West Wing building, pointing to its growth throughout history.

"The White House complex as a whole has never been symmetrical since perhaps the 1830s, if even then," said Scharf.

The vote was passed via majority by the commission, with two abstentions, seven yes, two present votes, and one no by DC council chairman Phil Mendelson.

Mendelson continued to question the speed of the project's process, and also its size.

"It's just too large," he said during the statements. "If we can get the same program, but not as tall, not competing in height with the main structure and a condensed footprint, we are better for that."

Contrary to previous NCPC meetings, project architect Shalom Baranes Architects did not present plans and drawings of the proposed East Wing project, a 90,000 square feet (8,360 square metres) neoclassical building with a large ballroom for visiting dignitaries.

Instead, the commission reviewed a recently amended submission, which included changes announced earlier this week by President Trump during an Air Force One press briefing, in which Trump suggested the ballroom would be a "shed" for a military complex.

Vote only meaningful if Congress cares

The amended and now-approved project includes the removal of a grand staircase on the south side of the building. Its footprint remains the same.

Earlier this week, a federal judge ordered a temporary pause on construction on the entire project, deeming it unlawful on the basis that proper procedures were not followed during the approval and that it requires congressional approval.

The case was brought forth by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has also joined a slew of architectural organisations that have sued the Trump Administration over its renovations to the Kennedy Center.

Upon the news of the construction pause, President Trump pushed back.

"We built many things at the White House over the years," he told reporters in the Oval Office. "They don't get congressional approval."

The administration has 14 days to appeal the recent ruling. For now, the previous East Wing site will remain a construction site as the project is being deliberated legally.

"The Court held that the President needs Congress to authorise his plans before moving forward, so NCPC's vote is only meaningful now to the extent that Congress cares about their opinion," Greg Werkheiser, an attorney at Cultural Heritage Partners, told Dezeen.

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Dezeen Agenda features O'Donnell + Tuomey's V&A East Museum

2026-04-02T18:00:18-00:00

The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features an exclusive look at the exterior of the V&A East Museum in London. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.

Irish studio O'Donnell + Tuomey unveiled the exterior of London's V&A East Museum ahead of its public opening later this month.

Trump releases design of presidential library skyscraper in Miami

This week's newsletter also included President Donald Trump's plans for a presidential library skyscraper in Miami, an opinion piece on Zaha Hadid by Ingrid Schroder and news that The Tampa Bay Rays have restored the roof on its St Petersburg ballpark.

Dezeen Agenda

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

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

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Design Doha Biennial postponed "in light of the evolving situation in the region"

2026-04-02T15:32:39-00:00

This year's Design Doha biennial, which was set to open later this month, has been postponed until November due to the continued war in the Gulf.

Originally planned to run from April 12 to June 30, the second edition of the design biennial, which was established by Qatar Museums, will now take place from November 5 to December 31.

"After careful consideration, in light of the evolving situation in the region, Qatar Museums and Design Doha have made the decision to postpone the opening of the Design Doha Biennial 2026," said the organisations in a statement.

War in Gulf continues

The decision was made as the region continues to be heavily impacted by the war in Iran, ignited by US-Israeli strikes on the country on February 28.

Iran is continuing to launch retaliatory missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US-allied countries and bases across the Middle East, including Qatar, where numerous sites have been targeted. Among them is the Ras Laffan Industrial City, which suffered "significant damage".

Yesterday, the Qatari Ministry of Defence reported that three missiles were targeted at the country, with two intercepted and the third hitting a fuel tanker off the Qatari coast.

Numerous countries are currently advising against travel to the country, including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), which "advises against all but essential travel to Qatar".

Design Doha "more important than ever"

In its statement, Qatar Museums explained that they hope that the postponement will allow the event to draw attention to designers in the region at a time when this is "more important than ever".

"This postponement will ensure that the biennial can be experienced in the spirit in which it was conceived: as a global celebration of the remarkable talent of the MENASA region," said the organisers.

"We believe the overarching goal of Design Doha – to connect people through dialogue and creativity – is more important than ever. Design Doha continues to be in close contact with its community, and further updates will be shared in due course."

The main photo of Design Doha 2024 is by Julián Velásquez.

Design Doha 2026 takes place from 5 November until 31 December in Doha, Qatar. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Interactive lamp among projects from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

2026-04-02T15:00:30-00:00

Dezeen School Shows: a stainless steel lamp featuring moveable 3D pieces is among the projects from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

Also included is a storage system that doubles as a seat, and a 3D-printed light fixture.

Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Institution: Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
School: EAAD
Course: Highlighted Academic Projects – Fall 2025
Tutors: Aldo Cañedo, Mario Tovar, Luis Rodriguez, Eduardo Altamirano, Montserrat Castañón, Óscar Miranda, Pilar Obeso, Iván Jiménez, Mariana Solis, Lobsanth David Ortega Tadeo, Yuliana Tónix Cuahutle, Oliver Gómez, Joel Olguín and Leticia Gaytá

School statement:

"The Top Projects August 2025 Semester selection showcases a curated body of work developed by design students, reflecting the programme's commitment to innovation, critical thinking and real-world impact.

"These projects represent outstanding academic performance across diverse areas including sustainable materials, strategic design, emerging technologies, user-centred research and experiential storytelling.

"Each project demonstrates a rigorous design process – from problem framing and contextual analysis to iterative prototyping and implementation – highlighting the integration of theory and practice that characterises the curriculum.

"Emphasis was placed on interdisciplinary collaboration, industry relevance and socially responsible solutions.

"This selection not only recognises excellence in creative execution, but also underscores the evolving role of design as a strategic, research-driven and transformative discipline."

Punto y Coma by Alexa Paredes Arredondo

"Punto y coma is a table luminaire that doesn't seek closure – it seeks connection, opening doors for the user to shape their own space.

"Combining a stainless steel frame with 3D-printed modules, it comes to life via magnetic joins, echoing the intuitive play of our childhood.

"This assembly serves as a creative pause – an invitation to keep building and reimagining our environment.

"Through its minimalist architectural lens, Punto y Coma weaves together memory and play, reminding us that our atmosphere isn't simply found – it is constructed."

Student: Alexa Paredes Arredondo
Course: Intelligent Materials
Tutors: Aldo Cañedo, Mario Tovar and Luis Rodriguez
Email: a01752337[at]tec.mx

Sinusidad by Mixtli Fatima Godina Soto

"Sinusidad draws inspiration from the movement of water to reflect the emotional currents that flow between two people during an intimate dinner.

"Its organic shapes, soft curves and rippling surfaces embody the way emotions shift – beginning with uncertainty and subtle tension and gradually settling into clarity, warmth and connection.

"At its core, the project is grounded in the idea that the objects around us are not merely functional; they quietly participate in our experiences.

"They witness our conversations, hold our pauses and frame our most vulnerable moments. Sinusidad invites us to slow down, to become present and to recognise in the fluid nature of water a reflection of our own evolving human relationships."

Student: Mixtli Fatima Godina Soto
Course: Product Design
Tutors: Eduardo Altamirano, Montserrat Castañón, Óscar Miranda, Pilar Obeso and Iván Jiménez
Email: a01752825[at]tec.mx

Lapsos by Aaron Isaid Cea Jimenez and Mauricio Ramirez Porras

"Lapsos explores confusion through manufacturing. It is composed of three hourglasses made from thermoformed PETG, aluminium caps and an aluminium pedestal.

"The hourglasses are produced using a combination of processes and materials that are uncommon for this type of object.

"The project highlights the contrast between contemporary industrial logic and an artefact that, while historically functional, now operates more as a symbol of time, having been replaced by new technologies.

"Building on this idea, the cabinet is inspired by a wine cellar: a space where time is stored, observed and transformed, materialised through the sand contained in each hourglass."

Students: Aaron Isaid Cea Jimenez and Mauricio Ramirez Porras
Course: Product Design
Tutors: Eduardo Altamirano, Montserrat Castañón, Óscar Miranda, Pilar Obeso and Iván Jiménez
Emails: a01752746[at]tec.mx and a01751401[at]tec.mx

Ppm by Arantxa López Salgado

"Ppm is a luminaire that makes air quality visible. It uses a CO2 sensor that translates data into subtle light variations, revealing otherwise invisible conditions within the domestic environment.

"The side panels are rotatable, allowing the user to adjust them to their preference and create a personalised atmosphere at home.

"It is made of aluminium, chosen for its lightness, making it easy to move."

Student: Arantxa López Salgado
Course: Intelligent Materials
Tutors: Aldo Cañedo, Mario Tovar and Luis Rodriguez
Email: arantxa.lopez[at]tec.mx

Bubbla by Daniela de Yave Olivares Campos

"Bubbla is a sensory light fixture for small spaces.

"It allows modulation of colour and atmosphere through digital control, creating an intimate refuge through adaptable light."

Student: Daniela de Yave Olivares Campos
Course: Intelligent Materials
Tutors: Aldo Cañedo, Mario Tovar and Luis Rodriguez
Email: a01753221[at]tec.mx

Pedir un deseo by Maria José Ibarra and Danna Montserrat Miranda Ramírez

"Desire can take the form of an object, or of a physical or emotional state.

"It does not need to be intense; it is enough that it awakens something within us and gives us that feeling of wanting to have it – whether by asking for it or simply imagining it.

"Many times, we have associated it with symbols or rituals that bring us a little closer to achieving it and reaching that long-awaited happiness."

Students: Maria José Ibarra and Danna Montserrat Miranda Ramírez
Course: Product Design
Tutors: Mariana Solis, Montserrat Castañón and Lobsanth David Ortega Tadeo

Anomia by María Luisa Becerril Hernández and Ana Laura Matus Marcos

"This collection explores confusion as a quiet, deliberate condition, not chaos, but nuance.

"Composed of elemental forms, each piece reveals unexpected behaviours through interaction, gently destabilising what first appears clear and resolved.

"Volumes that seem heavy prove unexpectedly light; gestures that imply stability introduce subtle ambiguity.

"The tension between certainty and doubt becomes the unifying language of the family, extending to the cabinet, which conceals and discloses its identity only through engagement.

"Rather than clarifying confusion, the collection gives it form – a precise and restrained body of work that invites reconsideration, encouraging awareness of the subtle misalignments that reshape perception."

Students: María Luisa Becerril Hernández and Ana Laura Matus Marcos
Course: Product Design
Tutors: Mariana Solis, Montserrat Castañón and Lobsanth David Ortega Tadeo

Desasosiego by Cass Rodriguez Castañeda

"Desasosiego is a light fixture made from a balanced blend of stainless steel and 3D printing. It challenges the traditional perception of light by giving it an intimidating appearance that contrasts with its historical meaning.

"The fixture invites the user to interact with it to adjust the intensity of its light using the potentiometer discreetly integrated into its base."

Student: Cass Rodriguez Castañeda
Course: Intelligent Materials
Tutors: Aldo Cañedo, Mario Tovar and Luis Rodriguez
Email: a01751430[at]tec.mx

Floralis by Alex De La Peña and Paolina Ruis Magaña

"Floralis is a dual-role furniture designed to optimise small spaces, serving as a short-term seat and discreet storage system.

"Inspired by the aesthetics of Art Noureau, defined by organic and vegetable lines, it fulfils a visceral function by projecting calm and tranquility in an immediate way."

Students: Alex De La Peña and Paolina Ruis Magaña
Course: Object Configuration
Tutors: Yuliana Tónix Cuahutle, Oliver Gómez, Joel Olguín and Leticia Gaytá

Gama by María Inés Morales Cortés

"Gama is an interactive table lamp with a pop aesthetic, made of stainless steel, moveable 3D pieces, and an ESP32-S2 microcontroller with a touch sensor that regulates the light.

"The variation emerges from the material through a gradation of colour, brightness and transparency that the user modulates with each gesture, creating their own luminous scale and personalised atmosphere."

Student: María Inés Morales Cortés
Course: Intelligent Materials
Tutors: Aldo Cañedo, Mario Tovar and Luis Rodríguez
Email: a01752330[at]tec.mx

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Timber bird hides inform Irish cottage extension by Architectural Farm

2026-04-02T10:30:01-00:00

Dublin studio Architectural Farm has renovated a home in Ireland called Seagull Cottage, adding a larch-clad extension informed by railway sheds and bird hides.

Positioned alongside a railway track between the sea and a stretch of protected wetland on Wicklow's coast, the home comprises two terraced 19th-century railway cottages that had previously been combined.

Architectural Farm has updated a 19th-century cottage in Ireland

Architectural Farm was tasked with reconfiguring the home's layout, opening up its interiors to natural light and views of the landscape, and adding a 13-square-metre extension at its western end.

The timber extension was informed by the bird hides found in the nearby wetlands and is perched with just one wall touching the ground to minimise its impact on the landscape.

A larch-clad extension was added to the existing cottage

"While the site sits between protected wetlands to the west and the Irish sea to the east, bar views through the small cottage's windows on the first floor, the house practically ignored its amazing context," Architectural Farm co-founder Shane Cotter told Dezeen.

"The extension is expressed as a light, independent form – sloping away from the existing gable in deference to the cottage, minimally grounded, floating above the landscape to limit soil sealing and mitigate against decreasing biodiversity," he continued.

"Timber cladding felt appropriate, given the form of the new building being articulated as a structure elevated and lightly touching the ground, but also takes its inspiration from bird hides and railway architecture, as well as Irish agricultural buildings."

Only one wall touches the ground to minimise its impact on the landscape

Architectural Farm reconfigured the route into the existing cottage, creating a sheltered porch and entrance lobby. This leads into a large skylit living, dining and kitchen area on the ground floor.

The extension sits half a floor above this living space, with a stair leading up into a raised seating area dubbed "The Perch", where windows on all sides provide views across both the sea and the wetlands.

"A new living space on a half-level between ground and first floor, which takes advantage of the available views south to the sea and west to the sunset, while also not overshadowing or dominating the proportions of the existing cottage," Cotter explained.

"The pitched roof gives a sense of volume and generosity to the interior, despite the small footprint, and foundations are minimal with only one wall touching the ground," he added.

The home opens up to a skylit living, dining and kitchen space

White walls and ceilings unite the interior of the existing home and extension, complemented by stone floors and pale-blue details in the kitchen.

On the first floor, an ensuite bedroom sits tucked beneath the original cottage's gabled roof, with a balcony incorporating large glass panels overlooking the living area below.

The extension contains a raised seating area

Based in Dublin, Architectural Farm was founded in 2010 by Cotter alongside Kathryn Wilson. Previous projects by the studio include the extension of a home in Dublin with a large, timber-framed sliding window.

Other recently completed Irish houses on Dezeen include a coastal residence by Pasparakis Friel that embraces its "exposed island context" and the red-roofed Gate Lodge by A2 Architects.

The photography is by Fionn McCann.

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"We have to grow up as an industry" says Reinier de Graaf

2026-04-02T10:15:42-00:00

Reinier de Graaf wants architects to admit they have lost all credibility. But, the OMA partner tells Dezeen in this interview, his new book is not looking to pick a fight.

"Something is up with architecture, and it is not going away," De Graaf writes on the opening page of Architecture Against Architecture, published last week by Verso.

The book, whose subtitle declares itself "a manifesto", is De Graaf's attempt to confront the problems he sees as plaguing the profession.

"The worst possible reception would be indifference"

"This is emphatically a book I wrote for people to either really agree or really disagree with," he told Dezeen. "I think the worst possible reception of this book would be indifference."

It calls on readers to accept two premises: one, that architecture "has lost all credibility"; and two, that "it is high time that architects openly, in the face of the whole world, commit to a fresh start".

Across 14 chapters, De Graaf takes aim at everything from the dominance of famous, ageing individuals in architecture firms to the case for new buildings full stop.

"It's totally unradical, I'm sorry," he said. "But it might be a breath of fresh air."

Despite the punchiness of its opening, De Graaf insists he does not intend the book to provoke, but to start a conversation.

"I tend to speak my mind, pretty much in the hope that other people will start to speak their mind too," he said. "This is not a provocation, this is not a doctrine. I would say it's an invitation to candor."

"I'm not somebody that is necessarily out for a fight or a riot. I mean, I have, ultimately, a very, very consensual character; I'm Dutch."

De Graaf is one of seven partners at OMA. Photo by Adrienne Norman

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given De Graaf's status as a partner in a prolific international architecture studio founded by a famous man now in his eighties, some of the early chatter around the book has accused its author of hypocrisy.

In one instance, a prominent architecture commentator took to social media to compare it to Jamie Oliver writing a critique of celebrity chefs.

But De Graaf, who says he anticipated such comments, is unbothered.

"I've worked more than 30 years as an architect, so you can safely assume that I have an incredibly thick skin," he said.

"As a non-chef, probably the only book I'd ever read about master chefs would be Jamie Oliver mounting a critique of celebrity chefs, precisely because the contradiction intrigues and precisely because I would trust him to know what he was talking about."

"This is an introspection," he continued. "It's a critical analysis of the present state. Of course, there is a critical analysis of OMA. Of course, that is a critical analysis, in part, of me."

"It is also written as a kind of contract for me, and maybe for the firm. But the book is about much more, I hope, than OMA."

At its core, Architecture Against Architecture is a call for the architecture profession to reframe its perception of itself as squarely a form of labour; De Graaf refers to the book as "a workers' manifesto".

"None of the suggestions is original, but the experiment was that if you name all the elephants in the room, might there be a chance that the elephants point in a specific direction?" he said.

"And then the idea came that the root cause of all of this denial in architecture is the refusal to recognise itself as work, as labour."

"We take ourselves a lot less serious than other firms"

Notably, chapter two calls for architecture to embrace unionisation – still a rarity in the profession, with Bernheimer Architecture in the US the only unionised firm.

But De Graaf says any suggestion he might set up a union at OMA is "ridiculous".

"An employer doesn't set up unions," he said. "An employer is, by definition, confronted with unions that are set up by the workers, who, on their own terms, formulate their demands, and then as an employer, you'll respond to that."

"Probably as an employee I might have been quite active in forming one, and as an employer I will be equally vocal in outlining the economic interests of the office and survival at large."

"When unions present themselves, I think you have to deal with it like an adult. You listen, you present your own arguments into a meaningful dialectic. As in any industry, you come to kind of reasonable terms."

Architecture Against Architecture is described as a "workers' manifesto"

By way of contrast, he is critical of the leadership's response to employees' (ultimately unsuccessful) attempts to unionise at Snøhetta's New York office and SHoP Architects, also in New York.

"What you cannot do, and that is what has happened in a number of places, I think, in New York and elsewhere, is say, 'Oh, but unions are not for architecture, you're not really a worker, you're a creative individual, unions are not for us, we're a happy, consensual family, we can solve this reasonably.'"

"I mean, that is the most patronising and feudal stance you could possibly take," he added.

"We have to stop using the fact that we are supposedly artists and that this is a vocation and blah, blah blah as an excuse not to simply confront the fact that we're an industry, and we have to grow up as an industry."

"The more you forgo the rights of your employees, the more also, as an employer, you're becoming involved in a race to the bottom where clients come to expect this. And it's a dead end, in my view."

Incidentally, De Graaf said he does not check his books with his six fellow OMA partners.

"I say what I think, you know, and I check the book with myself," he said. "I'm not an unknown quantity to my partners, and I'm quite convinced that there is very little I could do that would surprise them – and I'm also not out to surprise them."

"As a firm we take ourselves a hell of a lot less serious than other firms, so there are very open discussions, and I've never been afraid to speak my mind."

"There are no good and bad places"

Despite De Graaf's apologies for the manifesto's lack of radicalism, some elements of it might still prove controversial with readers.

In particular, the final chapter appears to offer a defence of working in Saudi Arabia – a major bone of contention for architecture, with many big-name studios including OMA engaged on the Neom giga-project despite criticisms from human-rights groups.

"[W]e as architects go where the work is and often that lands us well outside of our comfort zone," it reads.

"Saudi Arabia's radical transformation is an experiment, as is working there; both are conditioned and conditional – fun (and financially rewarding) while it lasts."

The argument in this chapter, De Graaf explains, is that it is not possible for architects in today's world to discern the relative morality of working for different clients.

OMA produced designs for the Zardun region of Neom

"We tend to go back and forth and define our morality on who we will and will not work with, where we will and will not work, and I think that the world, the way it's developing, makes that impossible," he said.

"If we presumed a world where there were certain good countries and certain bad countries, that world is disappearing in front of our eyes," he added.

"When there are no good and bad places, when there is no real moral patrons, morality steps purely from what you do and how you do it."

In that vein, he argues that working with Mohammed Bin Salman, or Vladimir Putin, or Donald Trump is acceptable "if you set your own terms, if you are willing to bite the hand that feeds you".

"Our strength lies in a certain amount of solidarity that might allow us to dictate the terms that we can do good buildings for people, wherever we work, despite the quality of the leaders," he said.

"Working in Saudi Arabia – it depends what you do there, and I wouldn't say categorically embrace every project."

"Maybe assess the projects that come your way, rather than the origin per se. Look at what the chances are to do your work with a reasonable degree of pride and benevolence."

For OMA, he adds, this has "always been our intention", though he concedes "we have been doing it with very mixed degrees of success, clearly".

"It's always an educated guess, you know, and this guess might be proven right, and it might be proven wrong," he added. "Like any architect's oeuvre, our work is a mix of good and some less good."

"There's a lot of cackling in architecture"

At 61 years old, De Graaf does not have much time left to enact the principles of Architecture Against Architecture, which explicitly prescribes retirement at 67 – though he jokes that he might start lying about his age.

De Graaf reserves the right to change his mind about arguments made in the book at a later date – and even now, he is more bullish about some of the critiques mounted in the book than others.

For example, despite calling out the Pritzker Architecture Prize's role in perpetuating what he sees as an unhealthy obsession with individuals in chapter one, he said he would not judge a fellow architect for accepting the award.

"I hate patronising tendencies," he said. "I'm sure they'd be well capable of taking their own decision, and I would respect that decision one way or another."

The overall hope in writing the book, he claims, is to trigger a discussion across the architecture profession that leads to greater solidarity.

"I love architecture, and this book is primarily maybe an attempt also to save architecture from itself, or from its own silence," he said.

"There's a lot of cackling in architecture. At the same time, there is a deafening silence, in my view, on the issues that do matter, and on the state we're in."

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Twenty-one unmissable exhibitions and installations at Milan design week 2026

2026-04-02T10:00:18-00:00

In the run-up to Milan design week, we've compiled a list of must-see happenings around the city, including a mindfulness space by Zaha Hadid Architects and interior designer Kelly Wearstler's first furniture collection for H&M.

Centred as always around the Salone del Mobile furniture fair, this year's Milan design week (MDW) takes place from 20 to 26 April and is set to host hundreds of designers, architects and brands.

To help you prioritise your time, we've rounded up some key highlights to look out for, both at Salone and in town.

For our full list of highlights – plus in-depth features on the evolution of Milan design week and the state of the local design scene – look out for the second edition of our Dezeen Dispatch magazine in design week locations across the city.

Photo courtesy of Audi

Zaha Hadid Architects x Audi

Zaha Hadid Architects is using spatial compression and expansion to encourage design week visitors to slow down and unplug in its installation The Origin.

Designed for German carmaker Audi, it consists of a titanium-coloured fibreglass portal set on top of a reflecting pool in the courtyard of Portrait Hotel Milano.

Portrait Hotel Milano, Corso Venezia 11

Photo courtesy of Triennale Milano

Triennale Milano

As always, there is plenty to see at Milan's Triennale museum during design week.

Visitors can attend The Eames Houses, a show anchored by an architectural installation based on the 1949 modernist home of seminal American designers Ray and Charles Eames (above). The installation is a collaboration between the Eames Office and Spanish manufacturer Kettal.

Also at Triennale, Danish heritage brand Frederica is presenting A Chronicle of Danish Design. Charting a century of Danish furniture, the show combines pieces from pioneers such as Hans J Wegner and Nanna Ditzel with the work of contemporary designers, including Cecile Manz.

Alphabet is another exhibition, which explores the 30-year career of British design duo Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.

And if that isn't enough, visitors can also head to Continuous Present, a show by Japanese Pritzker Prize-winning architect Toyo Ito dedicated to the work of Italian architect and designer Andrea Branzi.

Triennale Milano, Viale Emilio Alemagna 6

Photo courtesy of Alcova

Alcova

Each year, design platform Alcova spotlights the work of international creatives within Milanese architectural gems off the beaten track.

This year, the exhibition returns to Baggio Military Hospital, one of its former locations, and also takes place across architect Franco Albini's rationalist Villa Pestarini, which is open to the public for the first time.

Among the many established and emerging exhibitors are leading British designer Faye Toogood and Spanish creative Patricia Urquiola, Greek architect Kiki Goti and as well as the second edition of India's Shakti Design Residency.

Interdisciplinary student projects are also out in full force, with presentations from design schools including Design Academy Eindhoven and a debut from London's AA School of Architecture.

Baggio Military Hospital, Via Giovanni Labus 15 and Villa Pestarini, Via Mogadiscio 2/4

Image by Lina Ghotmeh

Metamorphosis in Motion by Lina Ghotmeh

Making her Milan design week debut, Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh presents a pink-hued labyrinth set within Palazzo Litta's courtyard.

Formed from curved geometric modules, the installation creates shifting perspectives and a sequential path that subtly guides visitors' movements, with each pocket of space offering a different spatial experience.

The installation forms part of the annual MoscaPartners Variations exhibition, which showcases a wider programme of global exhibitors.

Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta 24

Photo by DSL Studio

The Romance of Fragility

Glass takes centre stage in Italian design gallery Delvis (Un)Limited's exhibition exploring the creative potential of fragility.

Works by international designers, including Inderjeet Sandhu (top image), Maria Tyakina and Tino Seubert (above), challenge conventional perceptions of the material. From pieces sculpted to echo stone to others melted into liquid-like casts, each one pushes the material's limits and stereotypes.

Delvis (Un)Limited Gallery, Via Fatebenefratelli 9

Photo by Felipe Sanguinetti

About Silk by Ai Weiwei

Using silk as a medium for the first time, multidisciplinary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei envelops the Rubelli showroom in lampas fabric woven with intricate motifs illustrating his evolution as an artist.

The choice of silk underscores the material's origins in China while echoing Rubelli's centuries-old craftsmanship in Venice. The installation also includes an accompanying documentary offering an exclusive look into the collaboration.

Rubelli Showroom, Via Fatebenefratelli 9

Photo by Alecio Ferrari, creative direction by C41, set design by Maria Giuditta Vettese and Chiara Talacci

Disco Aperitivo by Sophie Lou Jacobsen

Glassware designer Sophie Lou Jacobsen is turning an apartment in Loreto into an ode to 1970s and 80s-era Italian glamour.

The takeover marks the launch of her Disco Aperitivo collection, with party-worthy pieces including cocktail glasses, ruffled placemats, an ashtray and a cigarette box. In the spirit of aperitivo, Milanese institution Palinurobar will be serving drinks throughout.

By appointment only via disco@thelast.agency

Photo courtesy of Convey

Convey

Design platform Convey is occupying an entire five-storey building near Torre Velasca with a showcase bringing together work from 20 emerging brands with buzzy international designers.

Among them are East London studio Six Dots Design, Georgian practice Rooms Studio and Marco Campardo, who was recently named one of Apple's Designers of Tomorrow.

Convey Building, Via San Senatore 10

Photo courtesy of Politecnico di Milano

The White House at Dropcity

While Donald Trump spends the larger part of his presidency tearing down parts of the White House, students at the Politecnico di Milano have turned the building into a case study on domestic propaganda.

Exploring the White House as both residence and media symbol, the exhibition at Dropcity unpacks how its design and interiors – from fences and tablecloths to service corridors and ceremonial spaces – have been used to project power and public image across decades of presidencies.

Seven installations dissect the house's spatial and decorative choices, revealing its role as an icon of political performance. While you're at Dropcity, don't miss the exhibition by graduates of Central Saint Martins' MA Material Futures programme, who present transdisciplinary projects ranging from ultra-stretch textiles to lab-grown gemstones made from paint waste.

Dropcity, Via Sammartini 56

Image courtesy of Marimekko

Osteria Fiori di Marimekko

Beloved Finnish brand Marimekko blends design and gastronomy with Osteria Fiori di Marimekko, inviting visitors to step into a playful, multisensory celebration of its floral prints.

Alongside textile installations and a shoppable selection of ceramics, highlights include flower-infused drinks and aperitivo bites inspired by the shapes and colours of the brand's floral prints.

Osteria Grand Hotel, Via Ascanio Sforza 75

Photo by Tommaso Mariniello

Over and Over and Over and Over by 6AM

In the vaults of Piscina Romano, Milanese design studio 6AM explores repetition as a creative engine through an exhibition focused on contemporary glass sculptures.

New pieces – including a limited-edition colour of the Paysage lamp and the Float furniture collection in a new finish – sit alongside blown glass cubes first developed for Bottega Veneta's Summer 2026 runway show (above).

Piscina Romano, Via Ampère 24

Photo by ACDF

When Apricots Blossom by Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation

The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation debuts at Milan design week with When Apricots Blossom, an exhibition celebrating Uzbek craft through a contemporary lens.

Twelve designers, including Bethan Laura Wood, Marcin Rusak, Fernando Laposse and Nifemi Marcus-Bello, present new work created in collaboration with Uzbek artisans to reframe the material traditions of the Aral Sea region and Karakalpakstan.

Highlights include a colourful tapestry draped across the palazzo's facade (above), orchard-inspired floral installations and interpretations of bread trays and stamps to honour the sacred role of bread in Uzbek culture.

Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera 12

Photo courtesy of H&M Home

Kelly Wearstler for H&M Home

For her Milan design week debut, American interior designer Kelly Wearstler partners with H&M Home to unveil a first look at their upcoming collaboration, marking the brand's first designer partnership to feature large-scale furniture.

Set within the Baroque grandeur of Palazzo Acerbi, the installation unfolds as a playful sequence of rooms inspired by the collection's themes of daily rituals and modularity, where Wearstler's bold forms flirt with soaring columns and opulent frescoed interiors to create a dialogue between past and present.

Palazzo Acerbi, Corso di Porta Romana 3

Photo courtesy of Deoron

Deoron

Digital design platform Deoron returns to Milan design week with an exhibition inside a former ball bearings factory. Opening the industrial site to the public for the first time, the showcase brings together over 50 international designers and brands across furniture, homeware, lighting and technology.

Among the highlights: a tactile pink DJ booth by Berlin-based creative studio Yont, stem and twig-inspired vases born from Amsterdam-based design studio Gast's exploration of CGI materiality (above), and a series of translucent soap spheres by Danish designer Matias Møllenbach, each delicately perched on a matching resin dish.

A bar and a programme of listening sessions and daily events round out the event.

Via Padova 11

Photo by Profiler

Shared Matter

Switzerland's Shared Matter sets out to explore what defines modern Swiss design today.

Co-curated by Dezeen's editorial director Max Fraser and Milan-based architect Maddalena Casadei, the exhibition presents six emerging Swiss designers whose works sit at the intersection of research and cross-cultural collaborations.

Standout projects include a sleek aluminium floor lamp by Panter & Tourron (above) and an intuitive musical instrument that translates abstract music theory by Akuto Studio.

Spaziovento, Via Pinamonte da Vimercate 4

Photo by Filippo Pincolini

Grand Hotel and La Casa Magica by Nilufar

Nilufar Depot sets the stage for a reimagined luxury hotel, unfolding through a series of curated rooms, a penthouse suite and an outdoor area.

The installation, called Grand Hotel Nilufar (above), brings together imagined interiors and standout pieces by various designers, including Bethan Laura Wood and David/Nicolas.

Across the city, Italian studio Studio Caviar has designed the setting for La Casa Magica at Nilufar Gallery, an exhibition that explores the home as a ritual space through objects drawn from diverse geographical and cultural contexts that engage with belief and symbolism.

Nilufar Depot, Viale Lancetti 34. Nilufar Gallery, Via della Spiga 32

Image courtesy of Base

Base Milano

Base Milano, Milan design week's home for emerging and experimental design, is back with an exhibition of works by more than 80 emerging designers from 23 countries.

The programme includes the return of the venue's urban camping project on its terrace. Twenty students from London's Royal College of Art have taken over the terrace for the week, where they are also camping out for the duration of the design festival.

The project explores modes of collective cohabitation and spatial design practice. And be sure to check out the much-hyped installation FOMO by Alessandro Ramundo.

Base Milano, Via Bergognone 34

Image courtesy of IKEA

Food for Thought by IKEA

IKEA is taking over design gallery Spazio Maiocchi with a reimagined Swedish saluhall, a traditional indoor food market hall, including a large working kitchen.

For the main attraction, the furnituremaker has paired five designers with five buzzy young chefs, who will work together to create an immersive room set and a matching menu informed by different home scenarios.

Among the duos, who will be hosting live cooking demonstrations throughout the week, are London designer Charlotte Taylor and chef Ben Lippett.

The event marks the launch of three new product launches from the company's flagship collection, IKEA PS.

Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7

L'Appartmento 2025. Photo by Tomaso Lisca and Luca Argenton

L'Appartmento by Artemest

Back for its fourth edition, commerce platform Artemest's much-loved showcase L'Appartmento returns to Palazzo Donizetti to pay homage to Italian grandeur.

Set against frescoed ceilings and the palazzo's sweeping elliptical staircase, the exhibition invites five interior design studios, including the Rockwell Group and Charlap Hyman & Herrero, to each reimagine an Italian cultural capital – Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Palermo – as a room. The exhibition extends outdoors for the first time, bringing the curated selection of Italian furniture and decor to the courtyard.

Palazzo Donizetti, Via Gaetano Donizetti 48

Photo by Yield Studio

Superstudio Design

Mega design project Superstudio returns to Milan for its 26th edition. Spread over three permanent locations, the event features the work of participants from 16 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Among this year's highlights is an exhibition curated by Marcel Wanders celebrating 25 years of Dutch design brand Moooi, which takes place at Superstudio Più.

There is also a photography project on display at Superstudio Maxi. Called Portraits, the project was created to showcase dialogues between Italian brands, including B&B Italia and Kartell, and products by seminal creatives from Gaetano Pesce to Gio Ponti.

Superstudio Piú, Via Tortona 27. Superstudio Maxi, Via Moncucco 35. Superstudio Village, Via Pericle Negrotto 59

Photo courtesy of Draga & Aurel

Salone del Mobile

The big news at this year's Salone del Mobile is the launch of Salone Raritas, the fair's first dedicated exhibition for collectible design, with a set created by Formafantasma.

Visitors should look out for a special project from Sabine Marcelis, impossibly delicate glass lamps by Draga & Aurel for Salviati (above) and new work from Lewis Kemmenoe for London's Max Radford Gallery.

More than 700 designers under the age of 35 also feature in this year's edition of Salone Satellite, the fair's platform for emerging talent. Among them is a delegation of seven young stars from Design Week Lagos's annual Design and Innovation exhibition.

Looking ahead to 2027, architecture firm OMA is developing an exhibition for contract furniture at the fair. In preparation, this year's edition is hosting a day of talks dedicated to the topic, with a keynote lecture by studio founder Rem Koolhaas and a programme curated by Koolhaas and OMA partner David Gianotten taking place throughout the day on Wednesday 22 April.

Milan design week 2026 takes place from 20 to 26 April 2026 at various locations across Milan, Italy. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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Milan names street after Zaha Hadid

2026-04-02T09:30:37-00:00

The city of Milan has named a pedestrian street in the city after Zaha Hadid to mark the 10th anniversary of the Iraqi-British architect's death.

Set within the CityLife development, the street – named Via Zaha Hadid – passes near the Generali Tower, a 44-storey skyscraper designed by the architect.

The city of Milan has created Via Zaha Hadid

"Naming a street after Zaha Hadid today recognises the value of her work and the impact she has left on Milan," said councillor for culture Tommaso Sacchi at the unveiling of a street sign.

"Ten years after her passing, her contribution remains evident not only in her completed works, but also in the way she influenced contemporary architectural design," Sacchi continued. "Her approach helped redefine the relationship between urban space and people, focusing on the quality of environments and their function in everyday life."

The ceremony was attended by Aric Chen, Hanif Kara and Davide Giordano

Zaha Hadid, who was one of the world's best-known architects and still the only sole female winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, died from a heart attack on March 31 2016.

The street named in her honour was unveiled 10 years after her death at a ceremony attended by Zaha Hadid Foundation director Aric Chen, engineer Hanif Kara and long-time Zaha Hadid collaborator Davide Giordano, who read a statement on behalf of Zaha Hadid's nieces Rana Hadid and Tala Hadid and her nephew Hussein Hadid.

"Zaha had a long and deep connection with Milan and Italian design, starting even in her childhood in Baghdad, where her father worked in the Gio Ponti-designed Ministry of Development complex," Chen told Dezeen.

"In her own career, from the furniture and product designs she launched to the buildings she designed, Milan loomed large, and to see her honoured in this way is a really wonderful thing."

Zaha Hadid Architects designed the nearby Generali Tower. Photo by Hufton + Crow

The street crosses a park within the CityLife development, which was built on the previous site of Milan's trade fair grounds.

Alongside Zaha Hadid's twisted skyscraper, the centre of the development includes skyscrapers such as the 175-metre-tall PwC tower by Daniel Libeskind and the 202-metre-high Allianz Tower by Arata Isozaki.

Italian practice Fabio Novembre Studio also recently completed the Golden Goose Arena as part of the development, which is directly alongside one of the street signs for the new street.

The final major construction on the site will be an entrance building named The Portico by Danish studio BIG, which is currently under construction.

The photography is by Aric Chen, unless stated.

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"I knew nothing about football" says Eduardo Souto de Moura on designing Braga stadium

2026-04-02T08:01:27-00:00

Architect Eduardo Souto de Moura reveals he had no knowledge of football or stadium design when he was invited to design the Braga Municipal Stadium, Portugal, in the second video in a series produced by Dezeen.

Souto de Moura explained that he was invited to design the stadium for the UEFA Euro 2004 championship, despite having no prior experience of designing sports venues.

Eduardo Souto de Moura designed Braga Municipal Stadium for the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament. Photo by Paulo Catrica

"I can say it was the project I most enjoyed working on," he said in the video. "When I was awarded the stadium, I knew nothing about football nor stadiums. But this is normal in architecture."

The commission arose after the Braga municipality approached architects Norman Foster and Santiago Calatrava, but ultimately turned to Souto de Moura due to their higher fees.

The stadium was carved into a former quarry in northern Portugal. Photo by Luís Ferreira Alves

"The Braga municipality had invited Foster and Calatrava but found their fees too high," Souto de Moura said. "Then they asked me if I wanted to do it, and of course, my fees are lower."

Despite having no experience with stadium design, the architect spent a month attending matches to study how they function, focusing on circulation, entrances and exits.

One half of the stadium is formed directly from the excavated rock. Photo by Paulo Catrica

However, it was the site itself – a valley containing a disused quarry – that became the defining element of the design.

After climbing the quarry to photograph it, Souto de Moura decided to carve the stone further to create a structure that would emerge directly from the landscape.

"I liked the quarry so much that I thought that if I continued to cut the stone all the way to the bottom, it would create something like a Roman theatre," he said.

The design was inspired by a Roman theatre cut into the landscape. Photo by Luís Ferreira Alves

One half of the stadium was formed directly from the excavated rock, while the other was constructed in reinforced concrete using material from the site.

"With that part of stone, I would have half a stadium and I would make the other half almost symmetrically in reinforced concrete," Souto de Moura explained.

The exposed quarry forms a dramatic backdrop to the stadium. Photo by Christian Richters

The resulting design departed from conventional enclosed bowl structures and instead featured two opposing stands and open sides, a configuration that Souto de Moura argues better reflects the lateral movement of football.

"Football is played from left to right and right to left," he said. "It doesn't make sense to me for the stands to be behind the goalposts."

The open sides allow views into the stadium from the surrounding landscape. Photo by Luís Ferreira Alves

This created informal viewing points from the surrounding landscape, enabling views into the stadium from the open sides, although the architect noted that this was an unintended consequence of the design.

The stadium is also defined by its cable-suspended roof, a solution informed by Souto de Moura's earlier collaboration with architect Álvaro Siza on the Portuguese Pavilion.

Seating is arranged along the length of the pitch rather than behind the goals. Photo by Paulo Catrica

To preserve the appearance of a lightweight structure, Souto de Moura avoided using visible downpipes, instead subtly inclining the roof to channel rainwater into a gutter system. The collected water is then reused to irrigate the pitch.

"If I made two downpipes, they would look like pillars and it wouldn't look like the roof was suspended by cables," he said. "It would destroy the idea of the stadium."

The roof is angled to channel rainwater into a concealed drainage system. Photo by Christian Richters

Completed for the Euro 2004 tournament, the Braga Municipal Stadium remains one of Souto de Moura's most celebrated works.

In the video, he reflects on the project as a rare combination of constraint, landscape and invention, emphasising its enduring significance in his career.

"I found the result very satisfactory," he said. "It continues to be the project I've most enjoyed working on."

The video is the second in an exclusive series produced by Dezeen, with the first instalment featuring Souto de Moura reflecting on the accidental beginnings of his architecture career.

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Dezeen Awards 2026 celebrates Asia Pacific Regional Showcases

2026-04-02T07:00:00-00:00

Dezeen Awards 2026, in partnership with Trimble, celebrated this year's newly launched Asia Pacific Regional Showcases at a party in Shanghai.

The party took place at furniture brand Vitra's showroom and was attended by leading architects and designers from across China.

China editor Christina Yao led the event, which celebrated the launch of Dezeen Awards 2026 Asia Pacific Regional Showcases

The celebration was co-hosted by Dezeen's China team, led by China editor Christina Yao, and Aritco, represented by CEO Jonas Sjödahl.

Yao and Sjödahl were also joined by previous winning practices from the region, including Studio Link-Arc and Slow Coral Design, amongst other guests who gathered to learn about this year's programme and new initiatives.

Guests networked and mingled as they learned about this year's new initiative

This year, Dezeen Awards continues its global search for excellence in architecture, interiors, and design with the introduction of our Regional Showcases – three Top 50 lists that will celebrate the best projects in three regions: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific, and the Americas.

Alongside our 49 project awards, this new addition adds another chance for work to be celebrated and spotlights outstanding projects produced in key regions of the world.

Last year's Dezeen Awards saw a strong turnout from Asia Pacific, with 37 per cent of winners hailing from the region. Eight winners, including the overall interiors project of the year and design project of the year, came from Japan.

Four winning studios were from China, followed by Australia, Indonesia and Singapore, further evidence of the region's competitive showing.

Enter Dezeen Awards 2026 now

Dezeen Awards 2026 is open for entries. You still have time to submit your projects before our entry deadline on 27 May.

Find out more about this year's Regional Showcases as well as changes for 2026. Log in or create an account via our entry platform to begin your entries.

For individuals and companies with 10 employees or fewer, it costs £130 per category entry. For companies with more than 10 employees, it costs £260 per category entry.

Click here to sign up or create an account ›

Any questions?

All the information you need to enter can be found here. However, if you have more questions, send an email to awards@dezeen.com and someone from the team will get back to you.

The photography is by Limitless.

Dezeen Awards 2026 in partnership with Trimble

Dezeen Awards is the ultimate accolade for architects and designers worldwide. The ninth edition of the annual awards is in partnership with global technology company Trimble. Through connected hardware and software solutions, Trimble helps designers to transform the way they shape spaces and buildings as well as drive productivity in the process. Trimble's collaboration with Dezeen Awards demonstrates its ongoing commitment to inspiring and supporting creative excellence across the globe.

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Day Studio aimed to "make every table feel like the best" in London trattoria Burro

2026-04-02T05:00:07-00:00

Italian trattoria meets Irish country house in Day Studio's interior for Burro, a sister restaurant to London's popular Trullo.

The Covent Garden restaurant is the new offering from Belfast-born chef Conor Gadd, who is also Trullo's head chef and co-owner.

Burro is located in London's Covent Garden

Drawing on both Gadd's Irish upbringing and the Italian cuisine that has shaped his career, Day Studio founder Lisa Helmanis aimed to create an interior that reflects the hospitality traditions of both nations.

Speaking to Dezeen, Helmanis said she wanted to make Burro feel welcoming, "like it has always been there", but without being overly nostalgic.

The interior is organised by banquettes upholstered in a patterned velvet

"Long-standing restaurants inevitably evolve; when they open, they must feel contemporary without becoming beholden to trend," she said.

"The aesthetic language sits between an Irish country house kitchen and a well-loved local trattoria in Rome or Sienna – familiar, yet reinterpreted through a modern lens."

The walls are divided into two colour bands

The designer sought to make every seat in the 100-cover restaurant feel special, appealing to solo diners, couples and big parties alike.

"We wanted to make every table feel like the best seat in the house," she told Dezeen.

The layout of the dining room plays an important role in this. While many restaurants have banquette seating around the edges, Burro's are neatly arranged through the middle of the space to multiply the number of cosy corners.

The bar features a curved timber edge that invites touch

The arrangement is supported by walls split into two colour bands; the lower band is a reddish-brown, complementing the wooden furniture, while the upper band is a soft yellow, reflected by golden-hued mirrors that neatly wrap the structural columns.

The bar is another key addition, combining burgundy marble and concave stone tiles with a curved timber edge designed to invite touch.

"Materiality underpins the atmosphere," said Helmanis. "Finishes are selected for their ability to age gracefully, gathering patina rather than polish."

Artworks include a painting by Irish artist Dan Ferguson

The project is resonant for Helmanis, a former journalist who designed the interior for Trullo as one of her first commercial projects in 2010.

Gadd joined the restaurant the same year, before going on to become head chef in 2013 and, later, co-owner. With Burro, they wanted to create a restaurant with the same conviviality, but a distinctly more grown-up feel.

Art is a big part of this; the walls are full of paintings and photography, including an eye-catching canvas by Irish painter Dan Ferguson and various works by Helmanis, who trained as an artist.

The mid-century chairs were sourced second-hand

The designer explained how she likes to add one discordant element into her interior schemes, which often ends up tying the whole thing together. Here, it was the patterned velvet chosen for the seating upholstery.

For the furniture, the designer achieved a rare feat; she sourced 100 matching mid-century chairs second-hand, courtesy of a convent in Czechia.

Every table was designed to feel like the best

Other details include sculptural table lamps and sconces from Snelling, textured glass and floor-to-ceiling curtains.

"In a neighbourhood often characterised by spectacle and turnover, Burro positions itself as a true local – a place to return to repeatedly," added Helmanis.

Other recent London openings include the Peckham Palais nightclub and London Fields record bar Bambi.

The photography is by Helen Cathcart.

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Clive Christian unveils latest "complex and compelling" fragrance

2026-04-02T04:00:35-00:00

Promotion: UK-based perfume house Clive Christian Perfume has collaborated with Spanish artist Domingo Zapata to design a bottle for its latest fragrance, which intends to push contemporary perfume boundaries.

Named Strange Heavens Out Of The Blue, Clive Christian Perfume's latest bold fragrance features a panda drawn by Zapata in his signature style.

The mini, all-white artwork punctuates the distinctive form of the brand's bottle, which for this collection was coloured cobalt blue – a tone that evokes poison bottles of the Victorian era.

Domingo Zapata designed a panda artwork for the latest Clive Christian Perfume

Created as the third scent in the Addictive Arts collection, Strange Heavens Out Of The Blue was designed as a punchy fragrance and is a bid to redefine contemporary perfumes.

Informed by artistic and literary worlds, the brand describes the scent as "complex and compelling".

It has a 25 per cent perfume concentration with notes of coffee and aniseed, along with orange flower and vanilla caramel.

"Perfume is love, it is part of who you are – who you are to others," said Zapata. "When I smell Out of the Blue, it brings me to fresh, splash, dance, summer, travelling, exotic."

"It reminds me of all these sensations that I can not and will not ever want to get away from."

Strange Heavens Out Of The Blue is designed to be a mini artwork

Out of the Blue is the third fragrance in the Addictive Arts collection; it follows a pair of perfumes named Jump Up and Kiss Me.

Zapata's signature panda – a symbol of balance, playfulness and joy – aligns with Clive Christian Perfume's aims for the scent collection to "explore our most indulgent emotions".

"For me, Strange heavens is like you are in a dream – in panda heaven," he said. "In Panda heaven, strange things can happen. It really means that everything is possible."

"In art, as long as you put passion, love, dreams, even the things that don't match, can be art," he continued.

To learn more about the perfume, visit the brand's website.

Partnership content

This article was written for Clive Christian as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here.

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Bloco Arquitetos creates "house without windows" in Brazil

2026-04-01T19:00:17-00:00

Local studio Bloco Arquitetos has completed a house in Brasília surrounded by brick screens and wide entry portals that open up the central courtyard to the exterior.

Known as Casa Tupin, the 420-square-metre (4,520-square-foot) residence is rectangular with a large central courtyard.

Perforated brick walls surround Casa Tupin

The 2025 house, set in a gated community 20 kilometres from Brasília, was designed to integrate the interior and exterior with the courtyard, which functions as both the leisure space and the connective core of the home.

"A house without windows, that is a window itself – rather than opening punctual views, the project seeks to transform the entire architectural body into a mediator between interior life and the surrounding landscape," Bloco Arquitetos told Dezeen.

The home was arranged around a central courtyard

"This approach results in a building that engages the environment through performance rather than transparency," the studio said.

Instead of large expanses of glazing, the vertical planes between the raised concrete slab and deep roof structure are coral-coloured brick – arranged as solid walls or breeze block-like screen – wrapping the house in texture and filtered light.

Parts of Casa Tupin were raised above the ground for ventilation

Selected for durability and composition consistency, the brick and concrete protect the interior from excessive heat. The restrained palette allows light, shadow and time to become part of the architecture, the studio explained.

"This porous facade acts simultaneously as solar protection and as a permanent ventilation filter, allowing air to flow in all directions throughout the house," the studio said.

"All spaces are organized in relation to this system, which integrates structure, climate control and spatial experience into a single architectural strategy."

The circulation, living spaces and private areas are arranged to maximise cross ventilation and the idea of the house as a continuous architectural experience that follows the structural logic of the design.

Supported on 12 pillars, three-quarters of the plan is elevated above the ground to pull natural ventilation beneath the house, preserve the existing topography and allow the native plants of the Brazilian savana – or Cerrado – to grow beneath the residence.

Casa Tupin was designed as a continuous architectural experience

"This elevation also allows the native small animals from Cerrado – mostly lizards and burrowing owls – to move freely between the outside garden and the inner courtyard," the studio said, noting that the layout also allowed for the preservation of an existing tree at the centre of the courtyard.

Suspending the house and detaching it from the ground helped the designers connect the spatial concept with the environmental goals.

The brick walls create patterns of light in the interior spaces

"This structural clarity allowed the building to appear both stable and light, reinforcing the idea of elevation as an architectural and environmental strategy," the studio said.

"Another key achievement was reversing the perception of transparency – although the house appears closed and opaque from the outside, the interior is open, fluid and visually expansive."

Other recent residential projects that use screens for ventilation include the renovation of a Puerto Rican home by Paul Raff and a woven timber home in Goa, India, by Field Atelier.

The photography is by Joana França.

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Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater completes years-long renovation

2026-04-01T17:00:14-00:00

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has announced the completion of a three-year Fallingwater conservancy plan led by New York-based Architectural Preservation Studio.

The house American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed in the mid-1930s for Pittsburgh-area retail magnate Edgar J Kaufmann was beset by water damage and other problems.

Despite several previous conservation campaigns, a carefully executed programme of works targeting its roofing, glazing systems, and masonry envelope was necessary.

Architectural Preservation Studio has led a conservancy project at Fallingwater

Located in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, Fallingwater's well-known flaws included recurring leaks, material degradation, failures in the building envelope, and moisture-sensitive original interior finishes.

"One of the biggest challenges was Wright's decision not to install through-wall flashing," Architectural Preservation Studio president Pamela Jerome told Dezeen.

"Another issue was Wright's use of river pebbles instead of broken stone for concrete aggregate."

It took three years to fix water damage and structural problems at the famed house

"This choice caused debonding," continued Jerome, referring to the lessening of bonding cement to round aggregate, "and led to alkali-silica reaction (or ASR)."

Now a popular tourist attraction, Fallingwater was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2019, joining the Guggenheim Museum in a selection of eight total Wright designs completed before his death in April 1959.

The project has had well-known flaws throughout its eight-decade history

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has maintained Fallingwater since it was donated to the charity by the Kauffman family in 1963. But upkeep has remained an issue.

"Leaks were mostly coming through the stone walls, as there is no through-wall flashing wherever a stone wall meets a roof or terrace," Jerome said.

Preservation teams repaired leaks and gaps in the stone walls

"Some of the original structural engineering design was also problematic and required remedial intervention. The roofs and terraces were also re-waterproofed during this campaign."

In response to these conditions, Jerome's team filled gaps in the stone walls, repaired and sealed vulnerable joints, fixed and replaced windows and doors, and upgraded the roofs and terraces to finally remove leaks as an existential threat to the architectural treasure.

The team had updated the site previously, so it was familiar with some of the ongoing issues

"Some of the leaks were being caused by waterproofing membranes having reached the end of their service life, having been compromised by leaks from the stone walls," said Jerome.

"Since through-wall flashing could not be remedially inserted, the stone walls were instead grouted wherever known leaks were occurring, as well as repointed. At the top of the stone walls, coping stones were lifted and through-wall flashing inserted below."

The $7 million conservation program was considered vital to its continuance, as the remote attraction routinely draws nearly 150,000 visitors a year, according to its stewards.

"The team was already familiar with the history of the house and its interventions," said Jerome, citing a previous effort from the office that was completed in 2004.

The roof was also updated to prevent leaks

"Not only was there the institutional knowledge from previous projects, but also the ability to evaluate what worked and what didn't from earlier work and refine the interventions accordingly."

Final touches on Fallingwater's main facility will be completed next month in unison with its 90th anniversary, as the scaffolding continues to be removed. Documentation of the completed work is forthcoming.

A renovation and the introduction of ancillary structures at Fallingwater were carried out by the American studio Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in 2017 and 2019.

Much of the scaffolding has now been removed

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy recently updated its visual identity to symbolically reflect the loss of heritage.

Elsewhere, the architect was named as one of the 15 most influential design minds in America's 250-year lifespan by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

The photography is courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

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Kelly Wearstler to launch H&M Home collection at Milan design week

2026-04-01T13:38:48-00:00

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.

Designer Kelly Wearstler is making her Milan debut

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.

Her H&M Home collection includes a trompe l'oeil vase

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."

The H&M Home collaboration will be on display in a Milanese palazzo

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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Elements Texture tiles by Casalgrande Padana

2026-04-01T13:00:44-00:00

Dezeen Showroom: Italian brand Casalgrande Padana aimed to bring new softness and depth to block-coloured tiles with its Elements Texture porcelain stoneware range.

The Elements Texture tiles feature subtly cloudy matt surfaces in a choice of six neutral colours and two textures – either Naturale, with a chalky organic grain, or Canvas, which is more crosshatched and textile-like.

The Elements Texture tiles feature softly cloudy colours

These textures are soft to the touch and have a tactile quality, helping to create balanced, welcoming interiors within a broad range of decorating styles, from classical to modern.

The range is intended to combine style and performance for interior elements including floors, walls and furnishings and to pair easily with decorative or complementary tile designs.

They are available in six hues including grey

These can include the slatted wood-like Elements Texture Canneté decorative tile or other designs in Casalgrande Padana's Elements trio, with stone- and timber-like surfaces.

The Elements Texture tiles are made to be highly functional, with fire-resistant, anti-bacterial, non-absorbent and non-allergenic properties. They are also easy to clean and maintain their appearance over time, according to Casalgrande Padana.

Product details:

Product: Elements Texture tiles
Brand: Casalgrande Padana
Contact: sara.costi@casalgrandepadana.it

Material: porcelain stoneware
Colours/finishes: Antracite, Beige, Grey, Taupe, Tobacco, White
Dimensions: 1200 x 2780, 1200 x 1200, 600 x 1200 or 600 x 600 millimetres

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OAD tops barn-like summer home with thatch roof

2026-04-01T10:28:10-00:00

An exterior of charred timber and thatch is contrasted by a vibrant interior palette of blues and purples at this riverside home in Riga, Latvia designed by architecture studio OAD.

Located in Riga's suburbs, the 641-square-metre summer home named BPROM is comprised of a two-bedroom dwelling and an independent annexe containing a sauna and guest suite.

OAD has completed a riverside holiday home in Riga

Drawing on the appearance of traditional Latvian homesteads, OAD designed a barn-like form with several contemporary twists. It includes a bowed thatched roof and a blue and purple interior palette that references the dragonflies found in the nearby river.

"The design was born out of the question: how do we integrate Latvian ethnography and traditions within the 21st century architecture?" OAD founder and lead architect Zane Tetere-Sulce told Dezeen.

Charred timber and thatch cloak its exterior

"Grounded in the local craft, the project revives forgotten materials that have shaped Latvian architecture for centuries: a thatched reed roof and a charred timber façade."

"We drew inspiration from a little neighbour, the dragonfly, and developed a bold interior design saturated in rich hues of blue and purple," added the studio.

The home's volume shelters a south-facing garden

The layout of the home also looked to typical homesteads, with both the main building and accompanying sauna house organised on a single, slightly angled axis that shelters a south-facing garden from northern winds.

Inside, wall and ceiling finishes, furniture and fittings all incorporate blue and purple hues, enhanced by coloured curtains and glass screens that aim to replicate the iridescent quality of a dragonfly's wings.

The blue and purple interior was informed by local dragonflies

In the living, dining and kitchen space that occupies the entire ground floor, a dark shade of blue was used to finish the gently curving gabled ceiling and kitchen counters, while an adjacent pantry is finished in a pastel lilac shade.

Sliding doors within a fully-glazed gable end connect this long living space out onto a sheltered terrace, where seating is organised around a weathered steel fireplace.

Above, the smaller first floor of the home contains a blue-ceilinged study and two bedrooms, with the main bedroom wrapped by pale purple linen curtains beneath a lilac ceiling to create a sense of "intimacy and safety".

In the sauna house, a circular lounge space sits alongside a steam room and cold plunge pool, with a guest bedroom and upper terrace positioned above.

The living, dining and kitchen space occupy the entire ground floor

Contrasting the home's colourful interiors, the exterior of BPROM has been clad in timber planks that were charred to create a deep, inky shade, with matching vertical timber louvres used to shade the home's windows and terraces.

"The architectural finishes were restricted to only three primary materials: reed thatch, timber and metal," said Tetere-Sulce.

"The thatched reed roof has been used in Latvia for centuries, but today it is also one of the most sustainable choices."

Two bedrooms are held on the first floor

Other homes in Latvia recently featured on Dezeen include The Pāvilosta House by local studio Made, a coastal home which also took the typical form of a barn and transformed it with a twisting slate roof.

The photography is by Alvis Rozenbergs.

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Seven new design galleries on the Dezeen radar

2026-04-01T10:15:39-00:00

A spate of new design galleries has opened recently in London, Copenhagen, New York and more. We've rounded up seven that are well worth a visit.

Photos are by Cronje Strøm

D142
Oslo, Norway

Iranian-born photographer and stylist Neshat is behind D142, a gallery in Oslo's Grünerløkka neighbourhood conceived as a platform for young and emerging creatives across art, design and culture.

Following a launch exhibition curated by Live Berg, D142 has just opened its second show, Et Dukkehjem, which combines full-scale and dollhouse-sized objects.

Woodward Henry
London, UK

Design office Bompas & Parr has transformed part of its east London studio into a gallery that will showcase contemporary art and design alongside historical artefacts, using "museological and immersive techniques".

Woodward Henry debuts with the exhibition My Lady Nicotine, which explores the role of smoking and other forms of nicotine consumption in contemporary culture.

Photo is by Robert Damisch

Innenkreis
Copenhagen, Denmark

After six years as gallery director for Etage Projects, Turkish-born curator Zeynep Rekkali Jensen has launched a Copenhagen gallery of her own, where she plans to show contemporary design alongside pre-1940 decorative arts.

The debut show at Innenkreis features garment-inspired furniture by Danish designer Laerke Ryom.

Unit.d
London, UK

With a mission to make design more accessible, Unit.d is an east London gallery offering well-made, everyday objects at affordable prices.

Founded by writer, consultant and Shoreditch Design Week creative director, Duncan Riches, the gallery aims to support the UK design industry by showcasing products developed for batch manufacturing.

Unit.d launched with a show of objects by designers Michael Marriot and Jasper Morrison, while upcoming shows will present works by designers Andu Masebo, Mentsen and Alexandra Gerber.

Photo is by Joe Kramm

The Future Perfect Miami
Miami, USA

David Alhadeff unveiled a fourth location for his collectable design gallery, The Future Perfect, during Miami art week at the end of 2025.

Occupying Villa Paula, a neoclassical 1926 house rumoured to be haunted, the location brings something different from the gallery's offerings in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The follow-up to the inaugural show is hotly anticipated.

Photo is by Joe Kramm

House of Santal
New York, USA

South Asian furniture takes the spotlight in House of Santal, a gallery in a former 10th-floor office in Midtown Manhattan.

Founded by designer and curator Raksha Sanikam, the gallery has opened with a show of work by 13 Indian designers and studios, with exhibits ranging from sculptural furniture to swings.

Jig Studio
London, UK

Brazilian design has a new home in London's Soho, courtesy of Lexington Street gallery Jig Studio.

Founded by British architect Richard Penman and Brazilian strategist Grace Nemeth, Jig Studio launched in late 2025 with a collection of seven creative talents, including textile designer Alex Rocca and furniture designer Humberto da Mata.

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BIG unveils design for pop-up stadium for Shakira

2026-04-01T10:00:20-00:00

Danish architecture studio BIG has designed a temporary stadium and events space in Madrid's Macondo Park for Colombian singer Shakira's world tour.

Named Shakira Stadium, the 50,000-capacity stadium will be built for the singer's Madrid performances in September, as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.

BIG has designed a pop-up stadium for Shakira's world tour in Madrid

BIG aimed to set the temporary venue apart from typical stadiums, with additional events spaces and activities surrounding the main performance stage.

"Set on a 21-hectare site of an existing music venue and conceived as an alternative to the traditional stadium, which often sits inactive between events, Macondo Park will remain alive before, during, and after each show," said BIG.

Activity spaces will surround the outdoor stadium

Renders of the Shakira Stadium show a wide LED screen stretching behind the stage, and tiered seating fanning out in three main blocks.

Outside the stadium, curved paths will be partly covered by canopies made from recycled fabric, guiding visitors around artist stalls, food vendors and zones for children.

According to BIG, the colourful spaces surrounding the stadium will nod to Shakira's Latin American heritage.

"Surrounding the stadium, green islands inspired by landscapes across Spain and Latin America extend the energy of the stage out into the venue and beyond," said BIG.

"As an immersive expression of contemporary Latin identity, Shakira Stadium in Macondo Park celebrates music, culture, and human connection in one living landscape."

Colourful fabric canopies will cover walkways

BIG made news recently when its London employees and union members protested in response to proposed mass layoffs.

Recent projects by the studio include the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art in China, which was topped with a ribbon-like roof, and the concrete San Pellegrino Flagship Factory in Italy.

Other pop-up stadiums that have featured on Dezeen include a temporary cricket stadium in New York designed by Populous and a demountable stadium in Pyeongchang, South Korea, that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The images are by BIG.

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Five architecture and design events in April from Dezeen Events Guide

2026-04-01T09:35:34-00:00

Desert Design Week Scottsdale Spring and Milan design week are among the architecture and design events featured in Dezeen Events Guide this month.

Other events taking place this April include Bogota Design Festival, PAD Paris and Rural Design Week.

PAD Paris
8 to 12 April, France

Returning with its 28th edition, design fair PAD invites global design collectors to Paris, who seek to explore the dialogue between historical and contemporary design.

The show welcomes galleries such as Julien Spitzer, Galerie JAG, Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Modernity, Victoria Poniatowski Design, Yoomoota Gallery, Yves Salomon Editions, Galerie Kreo and Spazio Nobile.

Throughout the year, PAD will also host its Saint-Tropez and London editions.

Desert Design Week Scottsdale 2026 follows the theme Collected in Dialog. Photo courtesy of Desert Design Week Scottsdale. Above photo is by Nicolò Panzeri

Desert Design Week Scottsdale Spring
16 to 23 April, USA

Biannual festival Desert Design Week Scottsdale returns for its third iteration this spring, with the theme Collected in Dialog examining design as interconnected experiences rather than isolated objects.

The eight-day event features exhibitions, design talks, workshops, markets, tours and showroom experiences. This includes a makers market spotlighting the craft of artists like Lauryn Alvarez, Perro Y Arena and Bettina Chow, an installation and talk by New Mexico textile artist Rhiannon Griego and an interactive workshop led by JHL Design.

The events celebrate local communities and conversations while highlighting how human relationships can shape creative processes.

Dezeen will launch a digital guide and interactive map for Milan design week 2026. Photo courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh Architecture

Milan design week
20 to 26 April, Italy

Milan design week returns with fringe events and activities, collectively known as fuorisalone, taking place across the city, as well as the 64th edition of design fair Salone del Mobile running from 21 to 26 April.

Each year, the events have taken place across participating design districts, including Brera Design District, Isola Design District, 5Vie Design Week, Porta Venezia Design District, Tortona Design Week and Montenapoleone District.

Dezeen will soon launch its digital guide to the festival, outlining the key and influential events taking place during the week, alongside an interactive map.

Bogota Design Festival
22 to 25 April, Colombia

Celebrating its 12th anniversary in April, Bogota Design Festival aims to pioneer design innovation and conversation.

The four-day event spotlights a range of design disciplines through its exhibits, such as visual arts, industrial and artisanal objects, graphic and digital design, gastronomy, interior design and fashion.

The event aims to showcase the variety of Colombian design, as well as the impact it has had on the city's identity.

Rural Design Week aims to regenerate the municipality of Morcone, Italy. Photo courtesy of Rural Design Week.

Rural Design Week
27 April to 3 May, Italy

Rural Design Week hosts a seven-day programme of eco-focused design events, inviting international creatives to the Tammaro Valley in Italy.

The latest edition of the festival explores the theme Rural Metabolism, showcasing design solutions for the regeneration of ecosystems in rural and mountainous areas through installations, workshops, talks and tours.

Each year, the event aims to raise awareness of the natural, social and cultural aspects that shape communities, and how design should offer systemic solutions to global issues.

About Dezeen Events Guide

Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year. The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks.

Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen's discretion. Organisers can get standard, enhanced or featured listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.

In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.

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Video reveals process behind Rammed Earth House by Tuckey Design Studio

2026-04-01T09:30:56-00:00

Unstabilised rammed earth forms the walls of a country house designed by Tuckey Design Studio in Wiltshire, England, revealed here in an exclusive video by photographer Jim Stephenson.

Built on the site of a former brickworks, Rammed Earth House was constructed from both the clay underfoot and an aggregate made from crushed demolition waste.

The build drew on the expertise of Martin Rauch, founder of Austria-based studio Lehm ton Erde, an expert in rammed earth structures that can endure wet and windy climates without roof overhangs or the addition of cement.

Tuckey Design Studio employed a range of these techniques to design a structure that protects itself against erosion.

It is located in the countryside in Wiltshire

The project allowed the studio, together with contractor Stonewood Builders, to explore a form of earth construction that is largely untested in the UK, and certainly not at this scale.

"No one had built a rammed-earth building of this scale in the country that we could find," said studio founder Jonathan Tuckey during a tour of the house.

"The project is a testament to the determination of both Stonewood and the Austrian team to just test, test, test."

The house is organised around two walled garden courtyards

As revealed in the video, the build process involved turning the site into a quarry.

When clients Sophie and David bought the property, it contained various brick and concrete buildings. Some were retained, but the rest were demolished.

This construction waste was combined with equal parts clay, limestone gravel and water to form the mixture for the walls, significantly reducing the need for materials to be delivered to the site.

Layers of lime mortar create strata within the earth walls, forming "speed bumps" to stop rainwater from washing the material away. The more exposed walls also integrate locally quarried limestone tiles.

Lime mortar "speed bumps" protect the earth walls from erosion

"The walls are 400 millimetres thick, but we've actually designed them on the basis that they're only 350 millimetres," explained John Gerrard of Webb Yates, the structural engineer for the project.

"This allows some surface erosion to take place without compromising the structural integrity of the wall," he said.

A timber and glass kitchen is the heart of the home

The rammed-earth buildings provide two wings for the 810-square-metre house, linked by a generous timber and glass structure housing a double-height kitchen.

Together with the retained brick cottages, these blocks frame a pair of walled garden courtyards, one facing east and the other west.

Inside, the earth walls are sealed with a layer of casein

The arrangement echoes the layout of old English farmsteads, giving the owners plenty of space to grow flowers, herbs and vegetables.

"Wiltshire has got lots of these low, agricultural courtyard buildings," said Tuckey. "They have a humility and an embedded nature that we felt was quite suited."

The thickness of the earth walls is revealed by deep window reveals, as well as by benches integrated into the facade.

The living room looks out over the landscape

The earth surfaces are also celebrated in the tile-floored kitchen, where they are left exposed but coated in casein, a clear coating that protects from dust and gives a natural shine.

Clay plaster coats the walls in other rooms, offering a more robust finish while allowing the material to breathe.

The primary bedroom has its own suite

The room layout allows the house to adapt to varying numbers of occupants, with wings that can be effectively closed up when only Sophie and David are there.

The primary bedroom suite and the main living room are positioned along the southwest elevation, benefitting from the best views.

The two-storey northeast wing provides four additional bedrooms and a snug, while an annex contains staff accommodation.

The spiral staircase is a self-supporting piece of joinery

The sense of craft extends throughout the interiors, which were designed in collaboration with London studio Todhunter Earle, with various elements were made bespoke.

Among the most striking is the spiral staircase, a self-supporting piece of joinery that rises up through a curved rammed-earth cylinder.

The project is the latest in a series of recent building projects by Tuckey Design Studio, including a converted chapel in Devon and a villa on Lake Como in Italy.

The house was designed to resemble an old English farmstead

It allowed Tuckey to realise a long-held ambition to build in rammed earth, having long been an admirer of the work of Rauch and Rowland Keable, another rammed earth expert who works in the UK.

The project draws further attention to an issue flagged by Dezeen back in 2024, that many so-called rammed-earth buildings are "essentially concrete" due to the amount of cement used as a stabiliser.

The film and photography are by Jim Stephenson.

Project credits:

Architectural design: Tuckey Design Studio
Project leader: Emaad Damda, James Moore
Design team: Emma Carroll, Emaad Damda, Ross Langtree, James Moore, Karolina Szlauer, Jonathan Tuckey, Molly Wheeler
Interior design: Todhunter Earle Interiors
Structural engineer: Webb Yates Engineers
Quantity surveyor: Dadson & Butler
Contractor: Stonewood Builders
Services engineer: SGA Consulting
Landscape architect: Pip Morrison
Lighting consultant: John Cullen Lighting
Sustainability consultant: The Healthy Home
Rammed Earth consultant: Lehm Ton Erde
Ecological consultant: Peach Ecology
Timber framers: Timber Frame Company
Stair joinery: Robert Lynch
Joinery: Somer, Willow & White, Oakwrights Monk, Edward Collinson, Penchard, William Garvey, Orwells Furniture
AV specialists: Edison Projects
Planning consultant: Brimble, Lea & Partners
Kitchen joinery: Orwells Furniture

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Dezeen's top five houses of March 2026

2026-04-01T08:00:32-00:00

Two gabled homes feature in Dezeen's top five houses of the month for March, including a barn-like holiday home in Norway and a family dwelling designed to slot together in the Netherlands.

Also among the most popular dwellings published on Dezeen this month are a compact brick farmhouse in India and a low-lying concrete home in Slovenia.

Read on to find out more about Dezeen readers' favourite houses this month:

Photo courtesy of Waelgaard Salim Architects

House Grimstad, Norway, by Waelgaard Salim Arkitekter

Local studio Waelgaard Salim Arkitekter completed this barn-like dwelling in Norway, cladding its exterior in black tar-stained timber.

Designed as a family holiday home, House Grimstad is organised across two storeys and comprises an open-plan ground floor and a more compartmentalised first floor.

Find out more about House Grimstad ›

Photo by Syam Sreesylam

The Threshold House, India, Madras Spaces

Repurposed bricks, timber and tiles make up the compact volume of this 93-square-metre farmhouse completed by Indian studio Madras Spaces in Tamil Nadu, India.

Named The Threshold House, the home is complete with a spacious patio overlooked by a balcony shared by the first-floor bedrooms.

Find out more about The Threshold House ›

Photo by Ana Skobe

House on the Edge of the Plain, Slovenia, by Skupaj Arhitekti

Situated within the largest plain in Slovenia, this low-lying home was designed by local studio Skupaj Arhitekti.

Full-height glazing wraps around its minimalist concrete frame, which was designed to nod to both the flatness of the surrounding landscape and nearby examples of 20th-century modernism.

Find out more about House on the Edge of the Plain ›

Photo courtesy of Woonpioniers

Light House, Netherlands, by Woonpioniers

Local studio Woonpioniers completed the Light House in the Netherlands, comprising a pair of gabled volumes designed to slot together "like puzzle pieces".

Located in the village of Nigtevecht in Utrecht, the home features stepped floor levels and mezzanines that create a feeling of spaciousness for the timber-lined interiors.

Find out more about Light House ›

Photo by César Béjar Studio

Grama House, Brazil, by Studio Arthur Casas

Dramatic cantilevers and overhangs extend the volume of this house, which has been built from wood and stone in São Paulo, Brazil.

Completed by local architecture practice Studio Arthur Casas, the sprawling home encompasses 1,800 square metres and has a series of indoor-outdoor spaces on the upper floor.

Find out more about Grama House ›

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Pops of bright red decorate Ferrari's flagship fashion store in London

2026-04-01T05:00:11-00:00

Design studio Formafantasma and architecture firm Gonzalez Haase AAS worked with carmaker Ferrari to create the interiors of the London flagship store for its fashion brand.

The multi-level boutique, located on the corner of Old Bond Street and Piccadilly in central London, is the result of a collaboration between Ferrari Style's creative director Rocco Iannone, Gonzalez Haase AAS and Formafantasma.

The store is located in central London

The ground and first floors showcase women's and men's ready-to-wear garments and also house Ferrari's Tailor Made Atelier, which is zoned by floor-to-ceiling leather curtains and has a large circular table.

Here, customers can customise the brand's car-shaped Maranello clutch – a process the brand wanted to mimic that of ordering a Ferrari car, but at a smaller scale.

Aluminium and stainless steel features throughout the interiors

The basement level houses the Caveau, a private space the brand describes as a "chamber" where rare Ferrari components and collectibles are displayed.

These pieces were sourced from the northern Italian town of Maranello, where Ferrari was founded.

Custom-made glass-and-aluminium display cabinets house products

Regardless of function, the spaces share a cohesive visual language of hand-brushed stainless steel panels, concrete flooring, leather, aluminium and glass, with the materials used to create everything from display cases to seating.

According to Ferrari, these specific finishes were selected in homage to the Ferrari Officina, the brand's Spring/Summer 2026 runway collection released during this year's Milan Fashion Week.

Red accents are found throughout in reference to the brand

Pops of bright red – Ferrari's accent colour – were picked out throughout the interior, from sweeping handrails, rugs and seat cushions to mannequins and packaging.

These punctuate the otherwise neutral-toned spaces and anchor the interior against a backdrop of transparent and reflective materials.

The wider building dates from 1905 and retains its Queen Anne-style facade made from pale Portland stone.

Its ornate exterior belies the contemporary aesthetic of the interior, which is glimpsed through floor-to-ceiling windows, giving the ground floor a gallery-like quality.

The contemporary interior contrasts with the historic facade outside

"With the London flagship, we wanted to create a point of connection between Ferrari's heritage and its forward-looking vision," said Ferrari Style's creative director Iannone.

"Every material and detail has been chosen to express the evolving language of Ferrari Style – London offers the perfect stage for this dialogue."

Large windows give the space a gallery-like feel

"More than a store, the Ferrari Style London flagship stands as a cultural statement – an immersive environment where architecture, materiality and storytelling meet, celebrating the enduring bond between Ferrari and the United Kingdom, from Silverstone to the streets of London," said the brand.

Other flagship stores published on Dezeen include a glass-draped Tiffany & Co store in Beijing, fashion brand Telfar's NYC flagship-cum-TV studio, and the gallery-like Helsinki flagship of Finnish jewellery brand Kalevala.

The photography is by Ed Reeve.

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Visplay's modular systems allow retail interiors "to evolve over time"

2026-04-01T04:00:53-00:00

Promotion: commercial furnishing company Visplay has enhanced its modular furniture systems to keep up with the evolving needs of retail interiors.

According to Visplay, retail spaces, from compact shops to sprawling department stores, typically have open-plan layouts and an ever-changing cycle of new products to display and sell.

Where fixed layouts once dominated, interior designers and architects are now opting for solutions that better integrate digital interfaces, accommodate changing product displays and facilitate shifting brand concepts.

Visplay's installation at EuroShop 2026 demonstrated how modular systems can benefit retail spaces

This level of adaptability lends itself well to modular furnishing systems, which can be fine-tuned over time to respond to the changing needs of shoppers and brands alike.

Visplay's harnessing of modular systems for such interiors was demonstrated at retail trade fair EuroShop 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany, at the L&S Group stand through an installation at the brand's stand.

"The display demonstrated how structure, light and digital elements can interact within a coherent spatial framework," said Visplay.

Structural Spatio was on display, as were the brand's new Beam EVO and Xero 4 EVO shelving systems

The installation centred around the brand's freestanding structure system, Spatio, which comprises aluminium profiles and steel uprights that combine to form an expansive grid structure.

Spatio provided the central backbone of the space, within which digital components, product displays and lighting elements were integrated.

"Rather than relying on conventional walls, the installation created an open system that structured the space while remaining flexible," the brand continued.

The two new versions of established shelving systems feature in-shelf lighting

As well as Spatio, Visplay also introduced the next generation of its established wall systems during the trade fair: Beam EVO and Xero 4 EVO.

Both are wall-mounted modular shelving systems based on vertical apertures, along which shelves and rails can be positioned at varying intervals depending on the nature of the display.

The new iterations share the same minimalistic language as preceding versions, with additional electrification integrated into the shelving.

Beam EVO and Xero 4 EVO are both vertical support systems

This enhancement allows lighting and other digital features to be connected to the system without compromising on neatness.

In terms of installation, Beam EVO and Xero 4 EVO are able to work with, rather than against, existing interior spaces, with installation being possible across varying architectural contexts.

This was also demonstrated during EuroShop 2026, with the frameworks being applied across curved surfaces, cylindrical volumes and glass partitions.

Spotlights in the Spatio system allow items to be highlighted

"Together, the installation highlighted a broader shift in retail design: instead of fixed interiors, designers increasingly work with adaptable structural frameworks that allow spaces to evolve over time," said the brand.

"Modular systems provide the basis for this approach by combining spatial organisation, display and infrastructure within a flexible architectural system."

To find out more about the brand's catalogue of modular systems, visit the Visplay website.

The photography is courtesy of Visplay.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Visplay as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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White House ballroom construction halted by judge

2026-03-31T19:55:33-00:00

The White House ballroom project has been temporarily halted by a US judge, who has ruled that proper procedures were not followed before the project began.

Federal judge Richard J Leon ruled on Tuesday with a 35-page opinion that construction must stop on the East Wing Modernisation Project, which includes the massive ballroom, and seek congressional approval.

"The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families," said the ruling.

"He is not, however, the owner!"

The case was brought to court by the National Trust for Historic Preservation against the National Park Service, which manages the land, in December 2025 on the basis that the project had gone forward without proper review.

"The ballroom construction project must stop"

In February 2026, Leon denied the injunction, asking for amendments to the complaint.

According to the New York Times, Leon has presided over "months of litigation" before stepping in this week to issue a decision on the amended case, just two days ahead of a National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) meeting where the project was set to be reviewed for approval.

"I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have," wrote Leon in his opinion.

"As such, I must therefore grant the National Trust's Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, and the ballroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion."

The analysis states that the law vests "Congress with complete authority over public lands" and that President Trump has acted beyond his powers in his construction of the White House ballroom.

"The principal question before the Court is whether the President has 'stepped so plainly beyond the bounds of [his statutory authority], or acted so clearly in defiance of it, as to warrant the immediate intervention of an equity court.'," wrote Leon.

"Unfortunately, he has!"

The ruling noted that the president is authorised to dedicate a fixed sum of $2,475,000 only to the repair and maintenance of the White House.

The order will go into effect in two weeks and leave the project pending congressional approval.

After the ruling, the president called the National Trust for Historic Preservation a "Radical Left Group of Lunatics whose funding was stopped by Congress in 2005" on his Truth Social account.

Victory for Olmsted, Jr

Also noted in the ruling was the disruption to the landscape.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation CEO Charles Birnbaum told Dezeen that the ruling adheres to the original intent of the White House grounds, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.

"This is an important victory for the rule of law and a clear recognition of the importance of the Organic Act of 1916, which created the National Park Service and is cited seven times in the judge's ruling," Birnbaum told Dezeen.

"It's also a victory for Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr, principal author of the Organic Act and landscape architect responsible for the design of the White House Grounds – his dignified 1935 plan has guided National Park Service stewardship for nearly a century."

It is unclear how the ruling might affect the planned NCPC meeting, which was delayed after thousands of public commenters flooded the submissions portal for the project.

The project has stirred up debate across the country, after the administration demolished the East Wing last fall. Currently, the site is full of construction equipment and debris.

Since then, two different architecture studios have worked on the proposed 90,000-square-foot (8,361-square-metre) ballroom, which is meant to expand the hosting capabilities.

The Trump administration is embroiled in another lawsuit filed on behalf of eight architecture and preservation organisations over the proposed renovations to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

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Dezeen Debate features "genius" unconventional table tennis equipment

2026-03-31T18:00:50-00:00

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a set of unconventional table tennis tables by architecture studio Exercice. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

French studio Exercice created four unconventional table tennis tables at a school in Ingré, France, to encourage children to devise their own rules and strategies.

Readers loved the project, with one noting "leave it to the French to invent three-way ping pong!" and another hailing the idea as "genius".

Multiple Neom construction contracts cancelled

Other stories in this week's newsletter included news that multiple Neom construction contractors were cancelled, Lego's plans to release a model of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and an exclusive interview with designer Marc Newson.

Dezeen Debate

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

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

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Eterna Nouveau wallpapers by Astek

2026-03-31T18:00:33-00:00

Dezeen Showroom: US brand Astek has put a fresh spin on art nouveau with its Eterna Nouveau wallpaper range, featuring bold, blown-up botanicals.

Eterna Nouveau is a range of mural-style wallpapers featuring large-scale painterly prints that, in keeping with their stylistic inspiration, feature richly ornamented motifs from nature.

The Eterna Nouveau designs include Carnivoria

The scale and style are both novel twists, as is some of the subject matter, with the Carnivoria print incorporating Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants, and Ondine venturing underwater to feature kelp stalks.

The other designs in the series – Aquavita, Cymbeline, Fleurline, Melodie and Noctiflora – cover more well-trodden ground with plants such as orchids, water lilies and poppies.

Aquavita is a pondscape with water lillies

Astek describes the Eterna Nouveau range as sophisticated and surprising and as bringing both artistry and luxury into interiors.

The wallpapers are digitally printed to order onto Astek's Type II vinyl substrate, which is suitable for high-traffic areas, and they incorporate a spot gloss finish, adding richness and visual depth.

Each design is available in a choice of four colour combinations.

Product details:

Product: Eterna Nouveau
Brand: Astek
Contact: info@astek.com

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

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

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Five Texas tiny houses that "challenge and reproduce" the American Dream mythology

2026-03-31T17:00:01-00:00

A recent book focused on the tiny home trend in Texas, theorises what the explosion of micro-domiciles means for contemporary American class politics and economics. Here the author select five projects from the book.

Spurred on by a 2015 conference in London called New Ideas for Housing, researchers Ella Harris, Mel Nowicki and Tim White were interested in shrinking domestic space in the industrialised countries. This led them to the "epicentre of the tiny house movement" of the 2010s, the United States.

The team chose Austin as their object of study, given the large typical footprint of Texas houses and the rapid growth of the city, driven by a tech-sector migration that has forced residents to find new places to live in the periphery. The phenomenon has gone from trend to necessity.

Unaffordable cities

"In the midst of an escalating affordability crisis, a number of tiny house developments have been built on the city's periphery and surrounding counties," White told Dezeen.

"Whilst initially tiny homes were occupied by people who really bought into the lifestyle, we found that many now end up in these homes due to a lack of affordable options in big cities."

Along with photographer Cian Oba-Smith, the team travelled to Austin, documenting the lives of people living in these communities. This research and documentation led to the publishing of Reconstructing the American Dream: Life Inside the Tiny House Nation.

The tiny homes have allowed for autonomy and creative solutions, according to the researchers, but also illustrate deep inequities in the housing system and an increasing strain on cities.

"We found that tiny housing simultaneously challenges and reproduces the mythology of the American Dream," said White, who added that the homes allow people to explore forms of living and lighten the workloads required for making rent under traditional housing models.

"It has enabled people to contest the 'bigger is better' drive for material accumulation so central to the American Dream – the myth that the bigger the home, the fancier the car, the more possessions you have, the happier you will be."

"Diminutive version of the American Dream"

But there are caveats.

"Tiny housing represents a diminished and diminutive version of the American Dream in an era of crisis," continued White.

The researchers also examined the difference between so-called tiny homes and a similar, older form of housing – the trailer park.

"We were surprised by how much of a distinction is drawn between trailer parks and tiny homes, when the differences are largely aesthetic," said White.

"Tiny housing risks directly infringing on mobile home and trailer parks as a final bastion of affordable housing for low-income Americans, as landowners increasingly cash in on the opportunity to replace existing residents with the higher-paying clientele buying into the tiny house movement," he continued.

"An initial flick through it might look similar to the photography books that valorize tiny living, but as you read you'll see our approach is somewhat different. Our attempt has been to explore the 'real' Tiny House Nation. Not to attack it, not to deny its beneficial impacts for a huge number of people, but to inject some nuance into the debate so that we can take forward the positives of tiny living without normalizing the negatives," he added.

"Tiny housing can be highly liberating for some people. But for others, it's very much a reflection of what is being taken away from us."

Read on for five case studies from the book.

Pure Salvage, Luling

"Pure Salvage is a 43-acre site on interstate land. Entering the large metal gates is like stepping into a different universe, created single-handedly by its owner, Brad."

"There are around 10 tiny homes on-site. Brad has built all of them by hand, almost entirely by himself, largely using salvaged materials from homes and barns across Texas. They are inarguably impressive, crafted from beautiful old woods, reclaimed stained glasses and antique features and fittings, from engraved door knobs to stunning ceramic tiles."

"The slightly jaunty angles of their walls, floors and porches are a testament to Brad's Do-It-Yourself approach to even the most complex of jobs. Despite their ad-hoc appearance, they function perfectly, most of them complete with flushing toilets and hot water. Also on the site is a 6,000-square-foot warehouse full of salvaged materials – enough to build a whole village of homes."

Granite Lake, Kingsland

"Granite Lake is an 11.7-acre site in Kingsland, Texas Hill Country – a 1.5-hour drive from downtown Austin. It is centred around a four-acre, man-made lake teeming with large-mouth bass and mussels. For its proprietors and live-in landlords, Mike and Lisa, tiny housing is being harnessed as not only a housing solution but also an entrepreneurial opportunity."

"Lisa uses the site to exhibit Platinum Cottages as she steps into the business of tiny home sales. Mike owns the site and runs the vacation rentals. There are also two long-term residents, both older single women, who live in tiny houses on-site."

"When we assembled by the lake in the late evening Texan sun, it was clear that they were an incredibly close unit that had found genuine pleasure and fulfilment from this unconventional way of living together."

Boxwood, Kingsland

"Boxwood sits on a small tract of land in Kingsland not far from Granite Lake, and has two rows of relatively upmarket tiny homes separated by a few metres – some stacked high with large terraces, others low to the ground with extended porches."

"Residents of Boxwood must bring their own tiny home to the plots here. One is a primary school teacher in her 30s who moved to Boxwood and started a job in Kingsland after being priced out of Austin. She enjoys her new home, but isn't so convinced about the politics of her new neighbourhood – a typically Texan conservative stronghold. Being gay, she feels somewhat out of place here."

"A woman in her 50s shares her home with a three-legged cat named Garfield. For her, the tiny home was an opportunity to downsize and free up liquidity as she semi-retires, giving her time and money for travelling. Having spent many years working long hours in a hospital, tiny living has enabled her to cut down to two 12-hour shifts per week."

Village Farm, Austin

"Eight miles east of downtown Austin, Village Farm forms part of a vast, sprawling 30-acre site divided between sections for RVs, trailers and, most recently, tiny homes. The land was originally a large working farm, but in the 2010s the landowner sold it to a holiday resort conglomerate."

"When the land was sold, they fought to keep at least some of the farm running. Village Farm harnesses this feature to promote itself as an ‘agrihood', boasting a sustainable, community-centred lifestyle. Its website encourages prospective residents to 'cultivate a life where every day is an opportunity to live sustainably, joyfully, and in harmony with the earth.'"

"Residents must buy their tiny home via Village Farm, and when we first visited in 2022 the cheapest homes were upwards of $150,000. With ground rent included, most tiny home dwellers at Village Farm were paying around $1,700 per month. A 'community fee' includes the upkeep of on-site services and events. Not all of the tiny homes are occupied by permanent residents, with several rented out on Airbnb."

Community First!, Austin

"Literally across the road from Village Farm is Community First!, a 'homeless village' established by Christian missionaries. With 500 colourful tiny homes and RVs across 51 acres – and counting – it's a huge endeavour."

"It took many years to secure approval on a site due to furious backlash from local residents, pushing the project further and further out of city limits. Although peripheral and lacking in public transport, the site benefited from the lack of zoning laws that had enabled local residents to stop the village from going ahead in other places."

"Rent at Village Farm averages $385 a month, and two-thirds of the tiny homes have no indoor plumbing, relying on communal toilets and kitchens. Residents are given the opportunity to take up jobs in the village such as working as gardeners or in the cafe."

"Although it is highly optimistic in its approach, and marketing, Community First! is far from without its challenges. The mortality rate at Community First! is a reminder of the brutal hardship faced by many of its occupants. Nonetheless, the aims of the village, to provide holistic, long-term support for its residents, remain central to the Community First! project."

The photography is by Cian Oba-Smith

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Trump releases design of presidential library skyscraper in Miami

2026-03-31T13:40:14-00:00

US president Donald Trump has released a video rendering of a Miami skyscraper with glass facades that claims it will be the home of the Donald J Trump Presidential Library.

Trump shared the digital video of the skyscraper on his Truth Social account on Monday, with no commentary except for a link to a website hosting the video and some FAQs about the project.

Donald Trump has released designs for his presidential library

According to the end title of the video, the skyscraper has been designed by American architecture studio Bermello Ajamil & Partners, a division of AEC conglomerate Woolpert, whose website promotes its defence, aviation and data centre divisions, among others.

The design of the skyscraper appears very contemporary, with glass-curtain-wall facades that taper back as it rises and recesses along two facades that make it appear more slender.

The designs depict a Miami skyscraper

The tower has a massive entry pavilion fronted with gold, featuring a gilt presidential seal relief and a massive gold statue of Trump with his arms raised on top of it.

Through the glass that fronts the pavilion, the president's aircraft – Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200B with bicolour blue-and-white body paint – appears to fill the lobby, with more military aircraft on the upper lobby levels.

On top of the skyscraper's podium, renderings show a landscaped garden set in the highly geometric French style, with palm trees.

It features a modern, glass-curtain-wall facade

Some clips show a gold-lined elevator running from a lobby mezzanine to ground level, over the wing of the 747.

The design appears to reference the escalator at Trump Tower in New York, from which Trump descended when he first announced his bid for the presidency in 2015.

The presence of the escalator in some angles and not in others suggests that the video could have been made using AI video production.

Its podium features a landscaped garden

Elsewhere in the video, a massive auditorium with undulating ceilings looks out through glass, with the Trump statue in this clip suggesting it will be placed directly over the entry pavilion.

Replicas of Trump's Oval Office and the proposed ballroom also appear in the video. In one instance, the neo-classical ballroom is attached directly to the highly modern circulation of the hallway.

The design seems to reference the Trump Tower skyscrapers from the president's business career, rather than the neoclassical designs his administration has been promoting during his time in office.

Currently, the country is waiting for the National Capital Planning Commission's decision on whether to allow the construction of the massive ballroom where the East Wing of the White House previously stood.

An Air Force One replica is shown in the lobby

Over the weekend, Trump suggested that the proposed ballroom will act as a "shed" to insulate a planned military bunker below.

The design of Trump's presidential library comes as former president Barack Obama's presidential centre is nearing completion in Chicago.

A gold statue of Trump appears over an auditorium

Trump's would be the first presidential library to be delivered in skyscraper form.

The images are screen captures from trumplibrary.org.

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Elements Texture Canneté tile by Casalgrande Padana

2026-03-31T13:00:36-00:00

Dezeen Showroom: soft neutral colours meet a slatted, wood-inspired surface in the Elements Texture Canneté tile by Italian brand Casalgrande Padana.

Part of the Elements collection of porcelain stoneware, the Texture tiles shape space through gentle colour, while their decorative option, Canneté, offers a slatted wood effect in the same palette, giving the opportunity to create striking visual and tactile compositions.

The Elements Texture collection includes the decorative slatted-look Canneté tile

Casalgrande Padana says that the combination of the smooth matt tile with the rhythmic ridges of Canneté adds depth to a room while balancing the aesthetics of tradition and modernity.

"This striking decorative element enlivens walls and complements furnishings, for a sophisticated, eye-catching effect that embodies elegance," said the brand.

The Texture tiles feature soft, neutral colours

The Texture tiles are one of three finishes in the Elements collection along with Essence and Pebbles, which feature a wood effect and mineral-rich, flecked look respectively.

According to Casalgrande Padana, the three finishes can be harmoniously mix and matched, and suit a wide variety of interior design styles from the Scandinavian or industrial to the classic or eclectic.

Product details:

Product: Elements Texture Canneté
Brand: Casalgrande Padana
Contact: sara.costi@casalgrandepadana.it

Materials: porcelain stoneware
Colours/finishes: Antracite, Beige, Grey, Taupe, Tobacco and White
Dimensions: 600 x 120 millimetres

Dezeen Showroom

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

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

Dezeen Showroom new releases newsletter

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O'Donnell + Tuomey reveals "jewel-like" V&A East Museum ahead of opening

2026-03-31T10:45:55-00:00

Irish studio O'Donnell + Tuomey has exclusively revealed the exterior of the V&A East Museum in London ahead of its official public opening later this month.

Set to open on April 18, the distinctive building sits alongside the Allies and Morrison-designed London College of Fashion and directly opposite the Populous-designed Olympic stadium as the latest structure on the Olympic Park.

The angular, pyramidal building is cloaked in a facade made of concrete panels that are covered in lines that evoke the Vs and As of the V&A logo.

V&A East is set to open later this month

As the V&A East Museum was planned as the cultural centrepiece of the wider development, O'Donnell + Tuomey aimed to design a building that had a clear aesthetic and identity.

"It's different from a more everyday building," O'Donnell + Tuomey co-founder John Tuomey told Dezeen. "It has to be a special one – jewel-like, or certainly casket-like as it should look like things are safe in there."

"The museum has a need to have its identity expressed," he continued. "It is not an office block, it's not a school, it has hardly any windows, so what form will you recognise from across the park?"

It was designed by O'Donnell Tuomey

The museum's multi-faceted facade is described by Tuomey as a "jacket" that protects the museum, but also can be inviting for visitors, with the facades facing the newly created square angled outwards.

"The museum by its nature needs all its contents protected and so the design brief is to create a sheltered space for everything that's in the museum," said Tuomey. "And the second part of the brief is to open the museum out and bring everybody in."

"We wanted to lift the jacket of the building up so that people could be drawn in from the square into the entry space and cafe on the ground floor," he continued.

"So in a way, the way the building stands on the ground on its toes, is very important to this idea."

The facade encloses the museum like a jacket

Tuomey describes the five-storey museum as "a dead simple building" wrapped in the jacket-like facade.

All of the galleries are broadly regular-shaped boxes stacked around its core, with the entrance spaces and staircases placed in the space between the two.

"It's a rationally planned building with this piece of tailored clothing on it and you move in the thickness, and then everything is simple in plan," he explained.

"I got interested in the space in between the jacket and the body – what the Japanese call Ma– that feeling of being inside on the outside," he continued.

"I hope that people feel that when they're here – that they come from the thickness of the being held in the wall [and go] to the adventure of exhibitions, lose yourself in the exhibition and then come back out."

Each of the precast concrete panels was "drawn" on

The museum's facade is covered in 479 unique, precast concrete panels that are each around two metres high and stretch to as long as 14 metres.

In keeping with the wider development, the facade is a cast material. However, O'Donnell + Tuomey wanted the building to appear solid, so the studio aimed to make it appear to be stone.

"This is the V&A," said Tuomey. "We want it to be like a solid object. So this is as close to stone sandstone as we could get."

Some panels are covered in linear patterns, while others have a relief pattern

Each of the angled cast-concrete facades was given linear decoration as Tuomey liked the idea of drawing on the exterior of the building.

"It's a design museum – so we thought, why can't we draw the surface?" said Tuomey. "So it started with me just drawing lines. Just sitting down and drawing lines, which was very enjoyable."

The patterns were designed to evoke the V&A logo

According to Tuomey these angular lines were derived from the V&A logo, which he learned was a pretty well-known motif.

"My son is a graphic designer and I rang him and asked if you looked at this V&A logo? – you know, this Pentagram logo?" recalled Tuomey. "And he said, 'Dad, that's like one of the most famous pieces of graphic design."

"So I used all the geometry and tried to transcribe it on the building," he continued.

While many of the facades contain this angled, linear decoration evoking the institution's logo, other facades contain panels where the logo was translated into a relief.

These panels contain a series of V-shaped indents and A-shaped peaks.

In total, the building is clad with 491 panels

Within the museum, the gallery spaces are currently being prepared ahead of the opening later this month with the Why We Make galleries designed by UK studio JA Projects.

The museum is the sister site to the V&A East Storehouse by American studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro, which opened last year.

The photography is by Hufton + Crow.

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Ten items from the Zaha Hadid archives that capture her talent and idiosyncrasies

2026-03-31T10:00:06-00:00

Today marks 10 years since the death of one of architecture's all-time greats, Zaha Hadid. To help mark the anniversary, Zaha Hadid Foundation director Aric Chen has picked out 10 of his favourite items from the Hadid archive exclusively for Dezeen.

Iraqi-British architect Hadid died from a sudden heart attack in Miami on 31 March 2016.

Sometimes referred to as the "Queen of the Curve", her distinctive style had an enormous impact on the way buildings are designed. She is still the only solo woman ever to win the coveted Pritzker Architecture Prize, receiving the honour in 2004.

Today her legacy is looked after by the Zaha Hadid Foundation, which this summer will be carrying out renovation works on its 10 Bowling Green Lane building in London – Hadid's former office – with plans to reopen in the autumn as a public space hosting exhibitions, talks, workshops and other cultural events.

The charity is also currently undertaking a multi-year project to inventory and catalogue the estimated 300,000 items in its archive.

In memory of Hadid on the 10th anniversary of her death, foundation director Chen selected 10 artefacts for Dezeen:

Malevich's Tektonik, London, UK, 1976

"This student work of Zaha's is something we always bring out for visitors to the archive. It speaks of her precociously bold inventiveness, and the influence of Malevich and the 20th-century Russian and Soviet avant-garde on her pursuit of liberating architecture from constraints, and even gravity, through abstraction.

"In this case, Zaha was responding to an assignment while studying under Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis at the Architectural Association (AA). Based on one of Malevich's 'arkhitekton' studies of architectural form, you can see what would become a 14-storey hotel orbiting and landing on London's Hungerford Bridge.

"Zaha would create new versions of this painting later on, but this is the first, and was presumed lost until we rediscovered it in one of her student portfolios."

Student sketchbook, London, UK, 1977

"Among the dozens of sketchbooks in the archive, three of them, including this one, cover the period from October 1976 to May 1977 when Zaha was a student at the AA. Together, they offer remarkable insights into the development of her ideas, while posing just as many questions.

"This particular drawing relates to the development of her student project for a Museum of the Nineteenth Century, and comes towards the end of a series that places its elements in a range of sites and locations including, as you can see, her native Iraq. We're not exactly sure what her intentions were in doing this, but we're often asked how closely connected Zaha felt to Iraq, and the answer is: very.

"It will be exciting to see her only built project in the country, the 170 metre-tall Central Bank of Iraq tower, inaugurated later this year."

The Peak, Overall Isometric, Day View, Hong Kong, China, 1983

"Zaha found conventional methods of architectural drawing to be limiting, and so – especially early on – she used painting as a tool for investigating new possibilities for architecture, tectonics and space. We're fortunate to have hundreds of these paintings in the archive.

"This one depicts her proposal for a leisure club on Hong Kong's Peak that won an international competition in 1983. While it was ultimately never built, the scheme caused quite a stir and helped catapult Zaha to the forefront of the architectural vanguard at the time."

Painted Jacket, circa 1985

"Zaha was as virtuosic in constructing her persona as she was in creating architecture. In many ways, her work, how she lived and who she was were of a piece, and fashion – what she herself wore –figured prominently into the equation.

"The archive includes her personal wardrobe: around 1,200 garments including extraordinary examples from Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons, Prada.

"However, Zaha herself designed and made this linen jacket in the mid-1980s, painting it with the same 'wooshes' and other shapes that can be found in some of her sketchbooks and interior designs of the period. It also reveals her playful side: tucked in a lower corner is a single, large googly eye.

"She wore the jacket to the opening of her first solo exhibition in Japan at the GA Gallery in 1985."

Vitra Fire Station presentation box, Weil am Rhein, Germany, 1991-1993

"For years, it was assumed that Zaha's designs were unbuildable, until she started building them. Her first permanent structure was a fire station commissioned by Rolf Fehlbaum for the Vitra Campus in Weil-am-Rhein, Germany.

"Made for that project, this incredible acrylic box model snugly fits layers of cardstock reliefs, paintings, drawings and photocopies in a way that allowed Zaha to literally carry the design process with her to client meetings.

"The office made several of these for various projects. In a 1993 lecture, Zaha described how, being an Iraqi passport holder at the time, she would often get stopped at the airport. And so making these transparent, see-through cases was a somewhat cheeky way of speeding up the baggage-search process."

A New Barcelona sketches on Post-its, 1989

"The design process in the office could be both brisk and iterative, and Zaha often used Post-its, alongside sheets of tracing paper, notepads and hotel stationery, to communicate intentions, assign tasks, jot notes, or spark design concepts amongst her staff and colleagues.

"This set of early sketches, relating to A New Barcelona (1989), her entry to a competition called Housing and the City, explores interlocking geometries that twist the city's axis and probe the layering of elements within Barcelona's grid."

Music Video Pavilion study models, Groningen, the Netherlands, 1990

"The archive includes countless architectural models, but I have a particular weakness for these little guys, which were made by the artist Daniel Chadwick while he was working for Zaha.

"They're variations on a music video pavilion that Zaha built for a 1990 urban festival in Groningen, the Netherlands. (Bernard Tschumi, Rem Koolhaas, Peter Eisenman, and Coop Himmelb(l)au also participated with pavilions of their own.)

"Zaha's narrow pavilion, wedged between two historic buildings, led visitors up stairs and ramps through a series of screened music videos – a new pop-culture medium at the time. The pavilion still exists, though moved to another location, and will feature in our exhibition Zaha Hadid: Architecture of Performance, which will be on view at the foundation when we reopen this autumn."

MAXXI relief model, Rome, Italy, circa 1998

"How to represent Zaha's unconventional spatial imagination was a constant question for the office, and one of the most striking inventions they came up with was paper reliefs, like this one for the MAXXI museum in Rome.

"Cut and folded from single sheets of heavy paper, these reliefs bridged Zaha's 2D and 3D work while articulating the interlocking forms and flowing spaces she was exploring and, in this case, their relationship to the museum's urban site."

Photo by Jacopo Spilimbergo courtesy of David Gill Galleries

Liquid Glacial Dining Table, London, UK, 2012

"In some quarters, Zaha is known just as much for the objects she designed as her architecture. By all accounts, she was passionate about the many furniture, tableware, jewellery and other objects that she and her studio created with over a hundred manufacturers and producers.

"One of the projects I remember best is the Liquid Glacial collection she designed for David Gill Galleries in London, including this stunning two-part dining table, which sits in the archive with its pulsating, rippling surface."

Wooden Goat, date unknown

"Zaha mostly furnished her homes with her own designs, but with some notable exceptions. She was a fan of the Panton chair, for example. And then there was this goat.

"We're still looking into the backstory, but it became something of an old standby for her, and an emblem of the deep loyalty that defined many of her relationships.

"As a 2008 Vogue magazine profile on Zaha's home reported: 'The only animal is a carved goat which a friend gave her years ago and which she takes everywhere because, as she says, 'I am very superstitious about friendship'."

The images are courtesy of the Zaha Hadid Foundation.

The post Ten items from the Zaha Hadid archives that capture her talent and idiosyncrasies appeared first on Dezeen.

"This image of the demanding dragon is becoming old-fashioned"

2026-03-31T09:50:26-00:00

Stories about Zaha Hadid's unyielding personality persist a decade on from her death. It's time to lay the stereotypes about powerful women to rest, writes Ingrid Schroder.

Ten years after her death, Zaha Hadid remains as prominent as ever. Her work, both built and unbuilt, continues to speak for itself. But, as with any major figure, a clear picture of her character and the reality of her as an individual has become diluted by the mythology of her image.

There are countless stories from every stage of Zaha's life. Most of what you have read or heard creates a patchy, exaggerated and often contradictory picture of the complex figure who changed so much for women in architecture, and carries a forceful legacy at the Architectural Association. Certainly, for me, as custodian of the school that shaped the early part of her career, the explosive trajectory of her life and work is a reminder of how tangled and challenging success can be.

She was well known for having little interest in being celebrated as a woman, an Arab, or being the first of anything in either category

By the end of her life, Zaha had been made a Dame and was the first female recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. I cannot recall her commenting on her recognition by the Queen, but she was well known for having little interest in being celebrated as a woman, an Arab, or being the first of anything in either category. Such designations qualified her success and defined the character of her work clumsily.

Yet, despite this understandable reluctance, Zaha's gender and nationality have had immense impact on how young women, and young women of colour, understand the limitlessness of own their ambition. She made it inevitable that others might follow.

Zaha's notoriety is useful when I need to explain that the AA is not yet another regulatory body, but rather a school of outliers. Most people have some idea of who she was, even if they have little or no knowledge of her architecture.

She was a public figure, and controversies over her work were public matters reported in the mainstream press. She dressed beautifully and extravagantly, she said uncompromising things, and the work was entirely original. The term "starchitect" suited no-one better.

But that term has since lost its lustre, and as a profession we are creeping quietly away from everything associated with it, bolstered by critical commentary including Edwin Heathcote's recent articles for Dezeen and Reinier de Graaf's latest publication Architecture Against Architecture.

Fame and notoriety, and the projects they enable, currently face harsh scrutiny. The Pritzker prize itself has been tarnished, and what it stands for called into question.

She was clearly a diva surrounded by drama

We can't be certain how this may affect Zaha's own legacy, but her prominence has certainly left her vulnerable to an unending stream of sensational stories. Everyone has one, and while some recount a lesser-seen sweetness and vulnerability, most revolve around her being terrifying, outrageous and unreasonable.

She was clearly a diva surrounded by drama, and it is not my role to soften her character posthumously; I can't imagine she would thank me for it. Many of her male counterparts still show those same qualities and seem to hold fast to Zaha's own premise that nice people make bad designers.

But this image of the demanding dragon is becoming old-fashioned. It has survived through generations of unfortunate mimicry and has had its day.

I'd like to see it lose its grip on the reputations of powerful women in particular – women who rule the office, who tend to be isolated without an obvious set of peers, women who demand a lot, give everything, and occasionally destabilise junior staff by uncharacteristically over-sharing. We still are a profession that tends to see strong women as "crazy".

This may be one of the many reasons why Zaha was loath to be labelled a "woman architect". After all, her gender did not define her originality, just as the strength of her character didn't make her impervious to criticism or exempt from difficulty. What she gave us was a new way of seeing the world, capturing its dynamism, ambiguity and unfathomable complexity without trying to fix it.

Beyond all the stories you have already read, and the critiques of her many projects, I have one last story to tell: one that goes back to the beginning. Our archivist at the AA, Ed Bottoms, pulled out Zaha's academic record for me last week.

Zaha was a student under immense personal pressure, like many of our current cohort

Her story as an AA student is one of struggle and initial failure, with one year described by her tutors as a "wash-out" from which she gradually found a voice and was encouraged to shout loud. She struggled through her first few years of study, in second year wrangling with an "obsession with octagonal geometry", and in third year with what her then-tutor Leon Krier called "an initially over-complicated and somehow confused poetic vision".

What sits behind this slow start is the story of a young Arab woman studying in London and facing exceptional challenges. She struggled to get money for her tuition fees out of Iraq. Two of her essay submissions got stuck in Lebanon during the civil war of 1976. The result was a student under immense personal pressure, like many of our current cohort in remarkably parallel circumstances.

In a note from the AA archives regarding her situation, Elia Zenghelis stressed that "it is also evident that [those circumstances] are on her mind continuously and that the psychological effect is very detrimental to her progress". She was "distracted" and suffering from "almost chronic bronchitis" – perhaps the same bronchitis she was being treated for when she died 40 years later in Miami.

Zaha's time at the AA had its exuberant next chapter with the Tektonik diploma project and The Peak competition not long after. But while many will be familiar with Rem Koolhaas's comments about her being "a planet in her own orbit'" the actual report from the end of her fifth year at the AA goes on to warn "that status has its own rewards and difficulties: due to the flamboyance and intensity of her work, it will be impossible to have a conventional career…".

Out of all this difficulty came a star, a personality and, dare I say, a strong Arab woman.

Ingrid Schroder is the director of the Architectural Association.

The photo, showing Zaha Hadid during her time as a student, is courtesy of the AA Archives.

Dezeen In Depth

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Style Wars: The Modernists Strike Back

2026-03-27T09:30:47-00:00

Why did a coalition including the AIA file a lawsuit against Donald Trump this week? How did a conversational AI toy respond when a child told it "I love you"? Listen to the latest episode of Dezeen Weekly now.

Plus: why are there concerns about the skyscrapers springing up across Africa?

In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn discuss the row over Trump's renovation plans for the Kennedy Center, as well as his decision to rename the building after himself.

Then, they delve into the findings from a study on the potential psychological impacts for young children of a growing wave of toys embedded with AI chatbots.

Finally, they give an overview of high-rise construction in Africa, and the arguments for and against building skyscrapers in the continent.

Dezeen Weekly artwork is by Simon Volt.

Dezeen Weekly is an original Dezeen podcast in which two of our journalists talk about the key design and architecture stories of the week. Listen to the latest episode using the player above or on your favourite podcast app, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The post Style Wars: The Modernists Strike Back appeared first on Dezeen.

Holiday Party Characters Inland Empire

2017-09-10T15:33:00.001-07:00

Watch on YouTube here: Holiday Party Characters Inland Empire
Via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHhIqujI1XBfnok3SlkDWg/videos

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