Fairphone launches second edition of its ethical smartphone
London Design Festival 2015: Amsterdam tech company Fairphone has launched a new version of its ethically produced smartphone. More
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US firm announces plans to open "the Bauhaus of Africa"
MASS Design Group, a nonprofit US firm, plans to start an architecture and design training centre in Kigali, Rwanda, to help address the "dearth of professional designers" across Africa (+ movie). More
Layer redesigns the charity collection box for Maggie's
Benjamin Hubert's design agency Layer has created a new ergonomically-shaped change box with a tilted head for UK cancer charity Maggie's. More
Foster reveals plans for Rwandan Droneport to deliver medical supplies in remote areas
Foster + Partners has unveiled designs for a drone port in Rwanda, which will be used to transport urgent medical supplies to remote parts of the East African country via unmanned flying vehicles (+ slideshow). More
SURI modular housing system provides emergency shelter for refugees
This adaptable shelter system is providing temporary housing for refugees displaced by conflict in their home countries. More
Menu blends Scandinavian design with traditional crafts to help Nepali women
Maison&Objet 2015: Danish design brand Menu has launched a soft furnishings collection produced in Nepal, to offer Nepali craftswomen an alternative to working in the sex trade (+ slideshow). More
Design is about people – including refugees
Opinion: Vienna-based designer Talia Radford was among the volunteers who helped thousands of refugees passing through Austria over the weekend. In this piece for Dezeen, she calls on designers across Europe to find solutions for some of the practical problems caused by the crisis. More
"When I said architects should get involved in humanitarian issues, people laughed at me"
Exclusive interview: Architecture for Humanity co-founder Cameron Sinclair describes the work he is conducting in Syria with his latest venture, and tells Dezeen that he'll "die happy" knowing that he will never win the Pritzker Prize (+ transcript). More
Casa Rana is a colourful foster home in India for HIV-positive children
A bamboo screen surrounds the five colourful volumes that make up this foster home for 15 HIV-positive children in a village in India (+ slideshow). More
Designnobis proposes pop-up disaster relief shelter for earthquake-affected families
Turkish creative consultancy Designnobis has devised a temporary shelter that could be easily transported and quickly assembled to house those displaced by natural disasters (+ slideshow). More
Hollmén Reuter Sandman uses local materials and motifs for Kilimanjaro women's refuge
The culture, climate and resources of Tanzania's Kilimanjaro region informed the design of this refuge for victims of domestic violence, made up of various yellow buildings arranged around a courtyard (+ slideshow). More
Shigeru Ban designs modular shelters for Nepal earthquake victims
Shigeru Ban has unveiled his designs for modular housing structures to accommodate those made homeless by the two devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal earlier this year. More
Sharon Davis' housing for Rwandan healthcare workers is wrapped in eucalyptus screens
New York architect Sharon Davis has completed a new housing complex for doctors and nurses in a village in rural Rwanda, which was built by local residents using regional materials (+ slideshow). More
David Adjaye unveils designs for children's cancer treatment centre in Rwanda
British architect David Adjaye has revealed plans for a 100-bed paediatric cancer centre in Rwanda, East Africa. More
Prototype shelter for Nepal earthquake victims could be built by unskilled workers in three days
A team of architects used metal sheets and bamboo to build this prototype shelter for victims of the Nepal earthquake, and have also produced a manual so that the design can be replicated by others. More
IKEA's flat-pack refugee shelters go into production
IKEA is producing 10,000 of its flat-pack temporary shelters designed for refugees made homeless by conflict and natural disasters (+ slideshow). More
Protective suit could prevent the spread of Ebola by creating an isolated environment for patients
This protective suit for patients suffering from pathogenic diseases such as Ebola allows a wearer freedom to move and interact with the outside environment. More
Cocoon-like suit helps protect against Ebola by peeling away to minimise contact
A prototype protective suit for healthcare workers treating Ebola patients could lower the risk of transmission by peeling off without the wearer having to touch the outside (+ movie). More
IKEA's refugee housing is "unusually sensitive and intelligent" says Alice Rawsthorn
News: IKEA's flat-pack refugee shelters, which have now been tested in Ethiopia and Iraq, have been described by design critic Alice Rawsthorn as being part of "one of the most important design developments of the past decade" (+ slideshow). More
Elsa Urquijo's campus for a Spanish charity is made up of "serene" white buildings
This complex of interlocking white buildings was designed by Elsa Urquijo Arquitectos to house the different activities of Spanish social charity Padre Rubinos (+ slideshow). More