Jessica Mairs
Bad UK school design is wasting £150 million each year, claims RIBA
Substandard UK schools are wasting millions, fostering bad behaviour in pupils, and causing one in five teachers to consider leaving their post, claims a new report from the Royal Institute of British Architects. More
New York house by O'Neill Rose Architects hosts three generations under one roof
Different cladding materials distinguish three separate homes in this New York property, which was designed by O'Neill Rose Architects for an extended family (+ slideshow). More
Iranian house by New Wave Architecture is made up of three irregularly stacked boxes
A trio of volumes are stacked one on top of each other to form this hillside residence near Tehran by New Wave Architecture, but each one is angled towards a different view (+ slideshow). More
Perforated brick screens act as curtains for Tehran housing by CAAT Studio
Angled screens of perforated brick provide ventilation and shade for this housing block in Tehran by CAAT Studio, providing its residents with relief from the city's hot and dry climate (+ slideshow). More
Cumulus Studio uses shipping containers to create lookout tower at a Tasmanian vineyard
Cumulus Studio has used shipping containers to create a lookout tower and wine-tasting space at a vineyard in Tasmania (+ slideshow). More
Carbon fibre and robots could create a "fourth industrial revolution" says expert
Carbon fibre is architecture's biggest untapped resource according to architect and researcher Achim Menges, who claims that robots could be programmed to build stadium roofs using the fibrous building material. More
Lakeside theatre designed by Bargone Associati to look like huge rocks
Four pebble-shaped volumes form this cultural centre completed by Bargone Architetti Associati on the stony shoreline of Lake Maggiore, Italy (+ slideshow). More
Timber and granite residence by Studio Seilern stands on a rocky ledge above an African dam
This home and recording studio for a musician features overhanging roofs and perches on a rocky hillside overlooking a dam in a secret location in Africa (+ slideshow). More
Matthew Butcher launches floating weather station on Essex's Thames Estuary
This floating weather station by Matthew Butcher has been cast adrift in the flood-prone Thames Estuary, and is intended as a critique on the current trend for floating architecture (+ slideshow). More
OPA finds backer for cliffside residence sunken into Lebanese mountain
Open Platform for Architecture is moving forward with plans to build a subterranean residence that will slice into a mountain near Beirut and feature a glass swimming pool for a roof (+ slideshow). More
Robotically fabricated pavilion by University of Stuttgart students is based on sea-urchin shells
Researchers and students from the University of Stuttgart employed robots to mould and stitch together this laminated plywood pavilion, which is based on the anatomy of a sea urchin (+ movie). More
Fiction Factory builds prototype for "groundbreaking" cardboard house
Amsterdam collective Fiction Factory has developed a modular building system of cardboard components, which can be assembled in just one day to form houses or offices (+ slideshow). More
Gravity-defying staircase by Close to Bone climbs up into the sky
This weathering steel staircase by engineering studio Close to Bone cantilevers off a hill in Flanders, forming an observation tower overlooking rolling farmland and the Kabouterbos forest (+ slideshow). More
Winners in beautiful house contest include marble walls and underground rooms
Three fantasy house plans have been selected as the winners of the Design a Beautiful House competition: a marble-clad mansion, a subterranean lakeside dwelling and a linear property with faceted bays. More
Ibda Design uses contrasting sandstone and white marble for mosque in Dubai
Arched openings in the sandstone facade of this Dubai mosque by Ibda Design lead worshippers into a bright marble courtyard with a textured minaret (+ slideshow). More
Freestanding roof spans Haiti orphanage by Bonaventura Visconti di Modrone
The zigzagging roof of this orphanage in Haiti is independent of its walls, allowing breezes to permeate the building and offer relief from the hot climate, as well as providing earthquake resistance (+ slideshow). More
A449 converts Scottish cottage into writer's home with scorched larch cladding
Edinburgh practice A449 has adapted a "nondescript" mid-20th-century dwelling in the Scottish Borders to create a home with scenic views for a writer (+ slideshow). More
Domed greenhouses form heart of botanic garden design by Delugan Meissl
Tropical, desert and aquatic plants will be housed in a trio of domed glass greenhouses at the centre of these botanical gardens planned by Austrian firm Delugan Meissl Associated Architects for Taiyuan, China. More
Toyo Ito creates fluted walls of white concrete at Museo Internacional del Barroco
Curled white concrete walls and a water-filled courtyard frame this museum of Baroque art and culture in Mexico by Japanese architect Toyo Ito (+ slideshow). More
Sinuous treetop walkway by Glenn Howells Architects opens at Britain's national arboretum
This elevated walkway by Glenn Howells Architects meanders through the treetops at the Westonbirt arboretum in Gloucestershire, England. More