Sam Jacob discovers Barbra Streisand has “intense relationships with furniture” in her new book My Passion for Design, an ode to kitsch recreations and unrestrained antiquing that's part romcom, part confessional horror movie.

For many, the demolition of the Pruitt-Igoe housing estate in March 1972 was seen as modernism’s last stand. Chad Freidrichs’ heartfelt documentary, filled with contributions from former residents, gives a human perspective on this iconic moment in architectural history.

This week Icon has been taking in the sights and sounds of Clerkenwell Design Week: soaking up sunshine (well, mostly), checking out new design talent at the House of Detention, visiting stimulating talks and seeing some extraordinary installations.

We shine a light on two reissued lamps by Swedish-American designer Greta Grossman.

An architect’s home in Madrid doubles as his research laboratory and makes whimsical use of gigantic elements from civil engineering.

Odile Decq’s Rome gallery is a bold collage of interior spaces, but makes a quieter insertion into the city fabric than Hadid’s MAXXI.

Icon presents two talks during Clerkenwell Design Week (24-26 May) that explore the theme of copying: a meditation on fakes inspired by visits to far-flung recreations of Venice and a library of cinematic MacGuffins – props that serve as plot devices in movies – created on 3D printers.

This month French artist Daniel Buren decks out the Pompidou-Metz with an installation of colourful stripes, Ai Weiwei's sculptures go on show at the Lisson Gallery, and the design spotlight moves to New York as ICFF gets underway.

The theme of the June issue is "Oceans". In our cover story, Icon contributing editor Julian Worrall writes a letter from Tokyo, describing the tsunami and its aftershocks, and the effect - in a metropolis well prepared for disasters - on life there.

In his Disassembly series, Canadian photographer Todd McLellan dissects discarded machines, laying out their parts with forensic precision. He then "sets the parts free", dropping them from the ceiling and freezing them mid-frame using strobe lighting to capture exploded views. Watch the time-lapse film here.