This week on Dezeen, leading UK architects called on practices across the country to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies, and Foster + Partners led the charge by pledging to make all its buildings carbon-neutral by 2030.

Foster + Partners became the first architecture practice to sign up to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment this week, promising that all its new buildings will be designed carbon-neutral by 2030.

The studio joins 23 cities in signing the commitment, including New York, London and Tokyo, in a bid to reduce the built environment's contribution to climate change..

Shortly after the studio joined a whole host of Stirling Prize winning firms – including Zaha Hadid Architects, AL_A and David Chipperfield Architects – in declaring a climate and biodiversity emergency.

Under the name of Architects Declare, the studios called on all UK architects to adopt a "shift in behaviour", and join them in designing buildings, cities and infrastructure with a more positive impact on the environment.

Climate change was also in the spotlight in the technology world, in the form of a plant developed by the Salk Institute in California, which could help reduce the warming of the earth if implemented on a global scale.

The head of Norway's switch to electric planes also told Dezeen how airport group Avinor plans to make aviation "more sustainable than road and rail" by 2040.

Notre-Dame hit the headlines again, as the French Senate passed a bill stating that the gothic cathedral must be restored to its "last known visual state" in the aftermath of the fire.

It wants any new materials to be justified, challenging French president Emmanuel Macron's call for an inventive reconstruction of the spire.

Other architecture news this week included the reveal of Perkins+Will's design for a 120-metre-high skyscraper for Vancouver, which is billed to become the "world's tallest hybrid wood tower".

OMA completed its first ground-up structure in New York City – a black apartment block that is designed to be as unique as possible, thanks to a corner of faceted windows.

In the design world, IKEA revealed its rainbow-coloured Frakta shopping bag in support of LGBT Pride Month this June.

Dezeen also reported on the 3 Days of Design fair in Copenhagen. It saw Japanese furniture manufacturer Karimoku launch a sister brand, Karimoku Case Study, which will offer pared-back furniture pieces designed by architects. Hay also launched its latest furniture and homeware range at the event.

Following an unprecedented volume of last-minute entries, this year's Dezeen Awards entrants were given an extra four days to submit their entries.

The new deadline is 23:59 UK time on Monday 3 June. Enter STUDIO50 at the payment stage to receive a 50 per cent discount on your last-minute studio category entry.

Projects that sparked readers imaginations this week includes a minimalist hilltop house in Zurich, a museum in China that doubles as a pedestrian bridge, and the transformation of a Belgian bottling house into family home.