This week the world's skinniest skyscraper was completed

This week on Dezeen, US studio SHoP Architects completed 111 West 57th Street in New York City, which is now the world's skinniest skyscraper with a height-to-width ratio of 24:1.

The skyscraper is located on Manhattan's Billionaires' Row and at 435 metres in height is the second-tallest building in the western hemisphere.

SHoP Architects also began construction on another project this week – a new milled-stone campus for the US consulate in Milan, which draws on the site's existing neoclassical architecture.

Eight "weird and wonderful" data centres from around the world

As the exhibition Power House: The Architecture of Data Centres draws to a close at London's Roca Gallery, we took a closer look at eight "weird and wonderful" data centres featured in the show.

From high-tech designs by architects to inconspicuous inner-city retrofits, the exhibition is showcasing data centres from all over the world until 14 April.

Norman Foster curates exhibition that celebrates the "beauty and technology" of the car

Meanwhile, Guggenheim Bilbao opened an exhibition titled Motion: Autos, Art, Architecture this week, which is curated by British architect Norman Foster and showcases nine cars from his own collection.

Foster also designed the displays for the exhibition, which in total features 40 different models including the first Porsche ever made.

Another car that made the news this week is the limited-edition Maybach S-Class created by late designer Virgil Abloh for Mercedes-Benz. The vehicle has a distinctive two-tone finish and was released together with a capsule clothing collection from Abloh's label Off-White.

Architecture "lagging behind all other sectors" in climate change fight says IPCC report author

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest climate report this week, which highlights the built environment as one of the key industries that could help the world to cut its emissions by 50 per cent this decade.

But Yamina Saheb, one of the report's lead authors, told Dezeen that efforts to avert catastrophic climate change have so far been held back by "inertia" from the construction sector, which she says hasn't been modernised since the second world war.

Tom Wiscombe and Marrikka Trotter apologise for "high-pressure office culture" after being suspended by SCI-Arc

In Los Angeles, two faculty members of the Southern California Institute of Architecture apologised after being put on administrative leave for suggesting that architecture students should work long hours for low pay.

Tom Wiscombe and Marikka Trotter said: "We completely understand that as a couple at one school, both with administrative roles, it can seem like we have unfairly consolidated power, and we acknowledge that some faculty and students feel that way."

Naturehumaine splits Quebec ski cottage La Brèche in two

Popular projects this week included a ski cottage in Quebec, a Mexican house created as a refuge for surfers and Lego's new campus in Billund, Denmark, which is organised around a yellow atrium.

Our lookbooks this week focused on basement conversions that make use of subterranean space and interiors with innovative room dividers instead of walls.

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This week we reported on billions of birds being killed by glass buildings

This week on Dezeen, experts called for legislation to prevent huge numbers of birds dying from striking glass buildings every year.

According to experts, collisions with buildings cause billions of bird deaths a year and architects should amend their designs to help reduce this number.

"We need broad-scale legislation requiring buildings to be bird-friendly," said Kaitlyn Parkins, an ecologist who is campaigning to reduce bird deaths in New York City.

In response, we rounded up eight ways to make buildings more bird-friendly.

Dezeen carried out a survey of women in top jobs at the biggest architecture firms

To mark International Women's Day, we carried out research that found that the number of women in top jobs at the biggest architecture firms has doubled over the past five years.

However, the research also highlighted that men still occupy four out of five of the most senior roles at the largest studios.

In an accompanying opinion piece, Women in Architecture Awards-founder Christine Murray wrote: "architecture has run out of excuses when it comes to explaining a lack of gender parity".

A floating villa is included in our roundup of climate change-resilient homes

Following a landmark report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that found cities are largely unprepared to cope with record heatwaves, floods and storms, we looked at climate change-resilient homes from around the world.

We rounded up 10 homes designed for the impact of climate change including a hurricane-proof house in Puerto Rico and a floating villa with retractable stilts.

Installing solar panels makes more sense than ever, believes Marcus Fairs

The impending climate catastrophe and soaring energy bills mean that installing solar panels makes more sense than ever, believes Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs.

"The solar revolution is underway, but one rooftop at a time," he wrote in an opinion this week.

Designers have created illustrations to show solidarity with Ukraine

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, studios and designers, including Olafur Eliasson and Pentagram, shared illustrations to show support for the country.

Also in response to the war, UK studio Foster + Partners and Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron made the decision to withdraw from projects in Russia.

Heritage buildings are being destroyed in Ukraine

Conservation group Docomomo and UNESCO also drew attention to the continuing destruction of heritage buildings in Ukraine, including Kharkiv City Hall (above).

"This is not only a humanitarian catastrophe, not only a war crime, but also the barbaric destruction of architectural heritage of Ukrainian cities, our memory and culture," wrote a Docomomo team member from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Norm Architects designed a retreat within a Swedish forest

Popular projects this week included a Swedish forest retreat designed by Norm Architects "for a simple life", a low-energy home in London and a beach house in Toronto.

Our lookbooks this week focused on well-organised bedrooms with clever storage solutions and escapist holiday homes with peaceful interiors

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This week architects and designers responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

This week on Dezeen, we covered the reaction to the war in Ukraine, which has led to studios withdrawing from projects in Russia and the country being condemned by architects and designers.

In response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which began on 24 February, more than 6,500 Russian architects, designers and urban planners signed an open letter to "demand the immediate end of violent war".

MVRDV announced that its Red7 tower in Moscow is on hold

Several architecture studios made the decision to stop working in the country, with Dutch studio MVRDV halting work on all five of its projects in Russia, including its Red7 tower in Moscow (pictured).

UK architecture studios David Chipperfield Architects and Zaha Hadid Architects also announced they were suspending work on Russian projects.

A wide range of architects, designers and cultural institutions, including fashion designer Giorgio Armani, also showed their solidarity with Ukraine.

BIG has designed a virtual office for Vice

In the virtual world, Danish architecture studio BIG revealed its design for its first building in the metaverse.

The studio created a virtual office named Viceverse, where employees of media company Vice Media Group can work on digital projects.

Wer Braucht Feminismus? revealed a concept for a vulva-shaped spaceship

In design news, German feminist art group Wer Braucht Feminismus? (WBF?), which translates to Who Needs Feminism?, revealed its concept for a vulva-shaped spaceship.

Designed to "restore gender equality to the cosmos", the ship aims to challenge the convention of phallic spacecraft design.

Ice falling from 11 West 57th Street closed roads and damaged a motorist

This week saw disruption in New York caused by ice falling from several supertall skyscrapers, including 11 West 57th Street on Billionaires' Row (pictured).

A motorist was injured when rapidly warming weather caused a chunk of ice to fall from the SHoP Architects-designed building.

An extension with Romanesque arches was among the projects shortlisted for this year's Don't Move, Improve! awards

In London, the shortlist was named for this year's Don't Move, Improve! competition, which aims to find the city's best home renovation.

In total 15 homes were recognised, including a pastel-hued extension with Romanesque arches (pictured) and a converted artist's studio.

A high-rise church in Taiwan was completed this week

Popular projects this week included an apartment in a former pub in Hoxton, a high-rise church in Taiwan (pictured) and a mid-century home in Phoenix.

Our lookbooks this week focused on contemporary interiors by Ukrainian designers, homes with decorative parquet flooring and coastal hotel rooms with calming sea views.

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This week Kim Kardashian revealed Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma were designing her holiday homes

This week on Dezeen, we covered the news that leading Japanese architects Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma are designing holiday homes for the American reality star Kim Kardashian.

In a recent Vogue interview, Kardashian explained how she commissioned the architects to create a "zen" mansion in Palm Springs and a lakeside lodge for celebrating the Fourth of July.

Pritzker Architecture Prize winning-architect Ando is designing a two-storey mansion with a curved triangular footprint while Kuma is said to be working on a "glass-and-wood lake house".

A Mies van der Rohe-designed building completed in Indiana

In architecture news, a building designed in 1952 by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was finally realised at Indiana University in Bloomington.

New York architecture studio Thomas Phifer and Partners adapted the design to create what is now called the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, more than 50 years after the architect's death.

MIT engineers have invented plastic that is stronger than steel

In design news, MIT engineers announced the invention of a new type of plastic that is stronger than steel and has "very unusual properties".

The material, which is referred to as 2DPA-1, has similar properties to plastic as it is light and mouldable yet differs in that it has much greater strength and resistance.

Sou Fujimoto, Benedetta Tagliabue and Paula Scher were named judges for Dezeen Awards 2022

Following the launch of Dezeen Awards 2022, we announced the first 15 judges.

Among the judges announced so far are notable architects Sou Fujimoto and Benedetta Tagliabue, industrialist Alberto Alessi and visual artist Charlotte Taylor.

Killa Design's Museum of the Future opened in Dubai

In Dubai, the Museum of the Future opened its doors to the public. Heralded as "the most beautiful building in the world" by the emirate's ruler, the seven-storey building contains exhibits dedicated to the future and hosts workshops for testing emerging technology.

Designed by local studio Killa Design, it is positioned alongside Dubai's elevated train line near the Burj Khalifa skyscraper – the world's tallest building.

Elon Musk proposed a Tesla tunnel in Miami

In transport news, Elon Musk's infrastructure firm The Boring Company submitted plans to build the North Miami Beach Loop tunnel in Miami.

The six-mile-long tunnel, through which a fleet of Teslas would operate, would connect the commuter railway station at Golden Glades with Sunny Isles Beach on the city's eastern coast.

Neil Dusheiko transformed a London fashion showroom into light-filled home

Popular projects this week included a light-filled home in west London, a vacation home in Columbia and a sunken house in rural Mexico.

Our lookbooks this week focused on terrazzo floors and interiors that swap corners for curves.

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This week latest World Trade Center skyscraper designs were revealed

This week on Dezeen, leaked images showing the latest design by Foster + Partners for the Two World Trade Center skyscraper in New York City were uncovered.

The renderings show an updated version of the long-awaited skyscraper that now contains stepped sections and tree-covered balconies.

It is the latest design revealed for the building, which has had multiple plans drawn up by Foster + Partners and Danish studio BIG. When complete it will be one of the final components of the World Trade Center complex.

Christophe Dubi spoke to Dezeen in an exclusive interview

As the Olympics continues in Beijing, we spoke to the games' executive director Christophe Dubi who set out his visions for future games, which will be hosted in a combination of existing venues and temporary structures.

"We don't have a requirement to build anymore, so virtually any city can host the games," he said.

The Mies van der Rohe Award finalists were revealed this week

In architecture news, the shortlist for the 2022 Mies van der Rohe Award was revealed.

The Stirling Prize-winning Town House by Grafton Architects and a Spanish social housing project (pictured) are among the five finalists.

Modernism week took place in Palm Springs

In the US, Modernism Week took place in Palm Springs.

To mark this year's event we rounded up 11 standout modernist buildings in the Californian desert city including the Coachella Valley Savings & Loan bank by E Stewart Williams (pictured).

BIG revealed its design for a multi-storey film studio

Also in the US, Danish studio BIG revealed its updated design for a 44-metre-high film studio in New York City.

Claimed to be the "first vertical film studio in the world", the building is designed for local developer Wildflower Ltd, which is collaborating with American actor Robert De Niro on the project.

MACH completed a high-tech house in Barcelona

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included a yellow high-tech house in Barcelona (pictured), a plywood-lined loft extension in London and a timber-framed "orangery".

Our lookbooks this week focused on white kitchens and offices with wooden bleachers.

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

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This week MVRDV defended its role in Marble Arch Mound fiasco

This week on Dezeen we launched Dezeen Awards 2022 while Dutch architecture studio MVRDV told its side of the Marble Arch Mound fiasco.

MVRDV defended its design for the Marble Arch Mound and placed the blame for the debacle on Westminster City Council's "nonchalance and laxity".

"We have rarely seen such a loveless execution of our designs," said the Dutch studio, adding that its design fee was 0.8 per cent of the total project cost.

After completion in July 2021, the attraction was widely criticised for the quality of the planting with Westminster City Council forced to temporarily close it and issue visitor refunds.

Dezeen Awards 2022 is open for entries

This week also saw the launch of the fifth edition of Dezeen Awards, a celebration of the world's best architecture, interiors and design projects and studios.

Entrants who submit projects before 30 March can take advantage of discounted early entry fees.

Putting beehives in cities is "very dangerous" to other pollinators says bee expert Paula Carnell

Continuing our coverage of urban bees, honeybee specialist Paula Carnell argued that architects should stop putting beehives in urban spaces and instead create wild areas to encourage biodiversity.

"What's been happening in cities is people have been bringing in beehives and it has starved out the native bees," she said in an interview with Dezeen.

Rolls-Royce updates the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine to be "more streamlined and graceful than ever"

In design news, British car brand Rolls-Royce revealed a new design for its bonnet figurine, as part of its effort to make its electric vehicles more aerodynamic.

The latest Spirit of Ecstasy figurine that comes on the hood of every Rolls-Royce car has been shortened and slimmed with the model now cast in a lower position.

Six architecturally significant ski jumps from around the world

As the 2022 Winter Olympics enters its second week, we rounded up six ski jumps designed by architects.

Included in the list are structures designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, Julien De Smedt and two new ski jumps that are being used at this year's games.

This gabled home by Butler Armsden Architects sits on a bluff in northern California

Popular projects on Dezeen this week included a Victorian house renovation, a white house in Los Angeles and a gabled home in northern California.

Our lookbooks this week focused on retro eateries and homes with mirrors that give the illusion of more space.

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

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