This week on Dezeen, WeWork's co-founder Adam Neumann became the latest tech entrepreneur to delve into real estate with the announcement of his housing startup Flow.

Flow, which is understood to be Neumann's first venture since WeWork, will officially launch in 2023. Few details have been revealed about the company, but its investor Marc Andreessen suggested its aim is to transform the US housing market by giving renters a sense of "genuine ownership".

Another big name that hit the headlines this week was actor Brad Pitt after his housing charity agreed to a $20.5m settlement for the owners of defective homes it had built.

It was reported that several New Orleans homes created by Pitt's Make It Right Foundation had experienced water leaks, black mould and foundation issues.

Other architecture news this week included Norway's order of an external investigation into the country's timber bridges following the collapse of a 10-year-old glulam crossing in Øyer.

In Japan, architect Kisho Kurokawa's studio revealed it was selling rights to rebuild his Nakagin Capsule Tower, while MVRDV unveiled its proposal for a pair of angular skyscrapers in China.

In the design world, Los Angeles designer The Shoe Surgeon and Dutch beer brand Heineken created sneakers with beer-injected soles.

Another collaboration saw sportswear brand Adidas and speaker brand Zound Industries release their RPT-02 SOL headphones, which are powered by sunlight and artificial indoor light.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst created a Band-Aid-like biofilm that uses sweat to make electricity. Its inventors say it could one day be used to power wearable devices.

Another innovation revealed this week was the Terra Nova device, which design graduate Ryan Waterhouse developed to monitor the health of topsoil and help avert food crises.

In an exclusive interview, Serpentine Pavilion designer Theaster Gates told Dezeen that he is "careful never to call [himself] an architect".

Andrew Daley of Architectural Workers United Widespread called for architecture studio leaders to support unionisation in an opinion piece.

Projects that sparked readers' imaginations included a house influenced by Harry Potter books, the inflatable Martian House and a restaurant composed of aluminium pyramidal forms.

This week's lookbooks showcased gardens with swimming pools and kitchens that use metal as their primary material.

This week on Dezeen

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.

The main photo of Adam Neumann is by TechCrunch via Wikimedia Commons.