Comments update: a range of sex toys for women created to subvert stereotypes sparked a debate among readers this week about whether design could achieve the same for men. Read on for more on this and the other most commented stories on Dezeen.
Toy story: Czech designer Anna Maresova's Whoop.de.doo sex toys were designed to avoid being "blatantly vulgar or weird" – a principle some readers think could be applied to men's toys too.
"Design should tackle the huge taboo surrounding sex toys for men," said Jenny, while another commenter suggested that creating "classy-looking" toys for men would be more of a design challenge.
Others disagreed. "Men have no problem expressing their sexuality and are not punished for doing so," replied Natasha. "This product is aimed at women because there still remains an underlying sense of societal disapproval when women realise their sexual desires." Read the comments on this story »
I'm lovin' it: Dutch firm Mei Architects constructed this striking McDonald's to replace "the ugliest building in Rotterdam." But some readers think the area would be better off without a building there at all.
"It obliterates the view of the old post office building – a rare pre-war building in the centre of bombarded Rotterdam," wrote one local resident. "The McDonald's is an obstacle in the street."
"The municipality should renegotiate the lease with McDonald's to finally clean up this old planning disaster at one of the most important spots in Rotterdam," agreed Dikkie Smabers.
"It's beautiful and really well thought out," countered Fern, while Toon Van Wambeke said the architecture was wasted on a "junk food" outlet. Read the comments on this story »
Typecast? Dan Britton's difficult-to-read typeface was designed to recreate the frustration of reading with dyslexia.
"I love it when design is simplified so well that it can easily communicate such a complex issue as dyslexia," said Luke Cameron. "As a dyslexic myself, I can't wait to show it to people."
Other readers didn't think the typeface simulated the disorder accurately enough.
"Although at first it may simulate the difficulty of dyslexic reading, this typeface may in fact cause further scorn for dyslexic people by being so easy to learn," wrote Zsolmanz.
"It's a simulation," retorted Yachirobi. "It can't fully capture the actual experience of having dyslexia." Read the comments on this story »
Gated communities: a housing development completed in Milan by Zaha Hadid and Daniel Libeskind came under fire after commenters accused it of being "the ghetto of tomorrow."
"It's actually a gated community in the centre of the city," wrote Julian Hensch, who posted images taken from Google Street View to back up his point.
Others criticised the design for looking dated. But one recent visitor to the site had a different view.
"The whole space is quite exciting and loads of inhabitants seemed to be enjoying their time over there," said Calvin. Read the comments on this story »