This week on Dezeen, we reported on IKEA's housing for the elderly that has been developed with the Queen of Sweden, and Aston Martin launched a car-centred architecture service.
Swedish furniture giant IKEA and construction company Skanska have revealed that they are developing an offshoot of their modular BoKlok housing outside Stockholm, which has been developed in collaboration with Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Named SilviaBo, the housing is designed specifically for the elderly and people affected by dementia to help them live independently for longer, and in turn alleviate the demands of Sweden's ageing population.
High-end car-maker Aston Martin also delved into the world of architecture this week, after it launched a home-design service that will allow drivers to create homes and villain-esque "lairs" centred around their motors.
It forms an extension of the company's existing Q service that enables drivers to customise their Aston Martin models, and is hoped to enhance the experience of owning a sports car.
Santiago Calatrava was in the spotlight as Dezeen reported on the €78,000 fine he has been issued for the design of the Ponte della Costituzione bridge in Venice, which has incurred higher maintenance costs than expected.
The Ocean Cleanup also came under fire after revealing that some of the plastic it collects from the Pacific Ocean is burned to generate electricity. Environmentalists have said that the move "makes no sense".
Other architecture news this week included Zaha Hadid Architects' completion of a sculptural flood protection barrier in Hamburg, and Heatherwick Studio's unveiling of the "gigantic planted pergola" it has proposed for central Tokyo.
The pergola will be located in the Toranomon-Azabudai district beside a series of low-rise blocks, also designed by the London studio, and a 330-metre-high skyscraper that is set to become the tallest building in Japan.
The future of architecture and technology was scrutinised as architects took to Twitter the join the most recent #dezeenchat, and three IAAC graduates shared a conceptual housing proposal that imagines a vast system of parasitic pods powered by AI and robots.
Facebook also announced its plans to overhaul five eateries in the UK as Facebook Cafes – temporary advice centres that will give users privacy checkups and a free cup of coffee.
In the design world, design retailer Skandium reopened its e-commerce site, and a group of international researchers developed an algorithm to help refugees settle where they are most likely to find employment.
In New Zealand, a "giant hybrid face-hand" frightened locals in Wellington as it was installed on the roof of an art gallery, where it is scheduled to stay balancing on two fingers for the next three years.
Other projects that readers enjoyed this week included a London home extension designed for a stationer, the revival of a Portuguese farmhouse and a fragmented dwelling in rural Italy that is longlisted for this year's Dezeen Awards.