Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center was named Design of the Year by London's Design Museum this week in a controversial decision that dominated the news and prompted strong reactions from critics and readers. Read on for more architecture and design highlights from the past seven days, plus our Dezeen Music Project track of the week.
Grecian is a wonderfully noisy, distorted instrumental track by London band Dead Red Sun.
Listen to more Dezeen Music Project tracks »
Speaking at the Designs of the Year ceremony in London, Zaha Hadid described the Heydar Aliyev Center as "an incredibly ambitious project".
The decision to award the building a top design prize caused controversy almost immediately from critics and readers concerned with the political situation in Azerbaijan. The Design Museum's director Deyan Sudjic attempted to justify the panel's judgement in an exclusive interview with Dezeen.
Elsewhere Frank Gehry scaled back plans for a proposed skyscraper complex in his home city of Toronto, reducing the number of towers from three to two. The project has gone through numerous iterations in an attempt to appease planning authorities, prompting readers to suggest that architects can't truly exercise their creativity in Toronto.
Other architecture news included the announcement of the World Architecture Awards shortlist, which features an underground maritime museum by BIG and OMA's colossal De Rotterdam skyscraper.
A fun revelation caught readers imaginations this week as it was discovered Lego Minifigures can be hacked to create holders for iPhone charging cables.
Towards the end of the week commenters reacted hilariously to a vaginal activity tracker designed to strengthen pelvic floor muscles. Read the story and comments »
Finally, the most popular projects this week included a refurbished Australian home featuring a bookcase that frames its kitchen, an apartment block featuring zig-zagging balconies, and a sinuous wooden walkway that meanders through the treetops of a botanical garden.
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