This week, Nike launched self-lacing shoes and the Garden Bridge moved towards construction
This week on Dezeen: sportswear brand Nike unveiled its Back to the Future-style shoes this week and Thomas Heatherwick's controversial Garden Bridge moved one step closer to reality despite calls for the project to be scrapped.
The Nike Hyperadapt 1.0 shoes, first conceived in sci-fi film franchise Back to the Future, contain tiny electric motors that tighten and loosen the laces. Other products launched by the sports giant in New York this week included mud-resistant football boots and sweat-resistant clothing.
A building contractor was selected to deliver Thomas Heatherwick's Garden Bridge project for London's River Thames in a move that angered many.
Heatherwick Studio also hit the headlines as new designs were revealed for Google's California campus, which the British firm is working on in collaboration with BIG.
Bjarke Ingels' firm released images of its stadium design for American football team the Washington Redskins and Kengo Kuma showcased plans for his first building in Australia.
Foster + Partners, BIG and Grimshaw Architects won a competition to design a trio of pavilions for the 2020 Expo, which will be held in Dubai, while OMA announced its first project for the UAE city.
In other news, American architect Greg Lynn claimed that skyscrapers could soon be held together with glue and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners proposed a vertical farm that could help tpo tackle the global food crisis.
The design community paid tribute to Academy Award-winning set designer Ken Adam – the creator of iconic backdrops for seven films in the James Bond franchise – and Ikea's Billy bookcase designer Gillis Lundgren, on hearing the news of both their deaths.
British company APH released a design for a new hybrid-electric commercial aircraft featuring screens for windows and integrated virtual reality headsets, while Apple co-founder Steven Wozniak slammed the company's watch design.
Architect Kazuyo Sejima designed a Japanese train with mirrored surfaces to help it blend in with the surrounding landscape and British car maker Bentley previewed its future autonomous vehicle.
Popular stories this week included Sacha Baron Cohen's spoof of Apple-style presentations, a collection of silver jewellery by Zaha Hadid and a glass house built around a tree.
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