Comments update: is Richard Rogers right to gift his seminal Wimbledon home to the Harvard Graduate School of Design? Read on for more on this and other most-commented Dezeen stories this week.
The seminal Rogers house in south London – which is protected by a heritage listing – was designed by the British architect for his parents in the late 1960s.
Rogers' own charity is now donating it to the American university, prompting a heated debate among Dezeen readers.
"Thanks for supporting British architecture schools with this donation, Richard," wrote a commenter calling themselves Soupdragon. "I'm sure it'll be an invaluable resource for those Harvard students 3,200 miles away."
Other commenters rushed to the Pritzker Prize-winning architect's defence.
"Do you know what Richard Rogers has done for the British public, which includes its students, over his entire lifetime?" responded Factor. "He just gifted one of his most personal pieces of work to an educational institution that he supports, and that's worthy of your bitterness?"
"Richard Rogers is deserving of our respect," concluded Michael. "But surely there is more to this than currently meets the eye?" Read the comments on this story »
Spring clean: a project designed to clear the oceans of waste plastic was described by commenters as "exciting", "essential" and "great".
"At least someone is taking a look at something useful," said SCB. "Dezeen should give more support to projects like this."
Other readers agreed. "Great to see that optimism is still vivid in some enlightened brains," wrote Abé Pé. "My heart is now full with a desire to make a better world."
However, not everyone thinks the design will work. "I'm skeptical about how successful this is going to be," replied Hithere."By the time plastic reaches these gyres, most of it will have been pulverised into microscopic particles and not large solids as the pictures show." Read the comments on this story »
The ugly truth? A photography series documenting "ugly" houses across Belgium prompted readers to revisit the old adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
"This guy seems to be a bit of a bully," argued Rusty. "He is publicly shaming individual houses with his taste."
Many felt the project offered a fair reflection of Belgium's residential architecture. "Line all the houses in these photos next to each other and that is what a typical Belgian street looks like," replied 2wicky. "It just comes off as one ugly mess."
"There's a beauty in their oddity," wrote Melinda Barbagallo. "Many of them are unexpected additions that snap you out of mundane architectural affairs." Read the comments on this story »
Pie in the sky: many readers couldn't see the point of this design competition for the futuristic skyscrapers, and the winning design – containing swamps, mountains and a jungle – was accused of being too improbable.
"Fantasies of a dreamer," declared Sigrid. "The winning design should have some understanding of reality."
"I like the ideas, but for it to be a truly valuable exercise a little bit more of 'reality' is needed, especially when it comes to the structure and installations," added Diego Mascareňo. Read the comments on this story »