This week on Dezeen, it was revealed that terrorists behind the Barcelona attack also plotted to bomb the Sagrada Família and Italian architect Stefano Boeri suggested that trees could prevent targeted vehicle-related incidents in the future.

Mohamed Houli Chemlal, one of four surviving suspects of the La Rambla and Cambrils attacks last week, admitted to a Madrid judge that his terrorist cell had planned to detonate explosives at the Sagrada Família – but decided against it following the death of two members after an accidental explosion.

In related news, architect Stefano Boeri, who is well-known for his plant-covered buildings, told Dezeen that large planters packed with soil could provide the same protection against terror attacks as concrete barriers currently installed in major cities.

Elsewhere in Europe, there were two major architectural developments in the Netherlands as Ector Hoogstad Architecten completed the first stage of the world's largest bike garage in Utrecht and Pete Pichler unveiled plans for a housing complex facing the Vecht river, complete with a rooftop running track.

In the UK, school students received their GCSE results, with the new figures showing that the number choosing to take art and design qualifications had fallen to the lowest level this century.

Former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs revealed plans for a new Hodder + Partners-designed tower in Manchester, replacing the original scheme that was met with uproar last year.

Architecture in the US included new visualisations from Herzog & de Meuron of a new research campus inspired by "monastic architecture" for the Berggruen Institute in LA's Santa Monica Mountains.

Danish firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen revealed plans for a mixed-use development in Detroit enclosed by two glazed towers surveying Monroe Avenue.

In New York, a lottery for affordable apartments in BIG's residential tower launched, with applicants hoping to rent a space in Manhattan's VIA 57 West for $1,448 per month.

In a week where the solar eclipse dominated the news, Elon Musk released the first image of the spacesuit that could be worn by astronauts travelling to Mars and was among 116 tech leaders who signed a letter urging the UN to ban autonomous lethal weapons.

In other technology news, Motorola filed for a patent mobile phone screens that self-repair using thermal elements built into the display.

Popular projects and stories this week included a secret studio built under a bridge in Valencia, Hay's collaboration with chef Frederik Bille Brahe and artist Mike Mitchell's Trump protest logo.

Main image by Böhringer Friedrich.