This week on Dezeen, we looked ahead to the 12 most anticipated architecture projects set to complete in China this year, in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
Among the many exciting projects to look out for are a sculptural art centre by Chinese firm MAD and Shanghai’s new opera house by architecture studio Snøhetta, which will feature a spectacular spiral staircase.
The White House ballroom design has received approval
In the US, members of the advisory council Commission of Fine Arts unanimously voted to approve designs for the White House ballroom expansion. Digital drawings and renderings by designer Shalom Baranes Architects were approved on 19 February, with further hearings to come.
Earlier in the week, detailed drawings of the ballroom were released by the Washington DC advisory committee the National Capital Planning Commission, before being “swiftly” removed from its website.
A chalet in Spain has been confirmed to be designed by Antoni GaudÃ
Antoni Gaudà has been confirmed as the architect of Xalet del Catllarà s, an early 1900s chalet in northern Spain, in a report published by the Government of Catalonia.
Gaudà was confirmed as the building’s architect because of the presence of structural details he was known to use at the time of its construction, which were only adopted by others 10 or 15 years later.
The stadium would feature a gridded roof covered in a translucent material
A design by Gensler and Populous of a proposed stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball franchise was released this week, showing a 31,000-seat venue in Tampa, Florida, USA.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, construction is underway on a 256-metre-tall skyscraper by US studio SOM, which will be located at 400 Lake Shore, the site of the cancelled Chicago Spire skyscraper.
Nik Bentel’s Trolley Bag was designed for Lidl
Quirky designs made the headlines, with US-based Nik Bentel creating a handbag for the supermarket chain Lidl. The gridded, stainless-steel bag was informed by shopping trolleys.
Swedish designer Gustaf Westman also drew on an existing object for his Curling Bowl, which celebrates the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and is shaped like a curling stone – but can be filled with snacks.
RIBA president Chris Wiliamson spoke exclusively to Dezeen this week
We interviewed RIBA president Chris Williamson, who spoke about how he’s trying to make an impact despite limited power.
“I try not to do anything half-hearted,” he told Dezeen. “It looks as though I’m acting alone as some sort of renegade, but I’m actually not.”
Snøhetta designed the Qasr AlHokm Metro Station in Riyadh
Popular projects this week included a mirrored Saudi metro station by Snøhetta, an Indian home with a coconut-wood roof and Ukrainian glass houses with thatched roofs.
Listen to our journalists talk about the key design and architecture stories of the past seven days on our Dezeen Weekly podcast, which this week focused on Jony Ive and Marc Newson’s interiors for the first electric Ferrari and Australia’s first new city in 100 years.
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