“Home” is a hard concept to pin down in design terms, but in our new issue – available now – we try to do just that, looking at Barbara Bestor’s Dutch woonerf in LA, modernist villages in Essex and the details that bring a house to life

The Norwegian architect gets in touch with its inner child to create a six-storey glass playground at Swarovski’s curious Alpine tourist attraction

Most nations ignored the organisers’ brief for Milan Expo. But then, the vision of a “global botanical garden”, all under one roof, ignored the competitive spirit that has underpinned Expos for the past 160 years. It is time, at the very least, for a fundamental rethink, argues Tim Abrahams

The Art Institute of Chicago
19 September 2015 – 3 January 2016

A 50m-long courtyard surrounded by monolithic concrete walls creates an air of mystery around Valerio Olgiati’s retreat in rural Portugal

By avoiding “African issues”, Vitra’s pair of exhibitions present a far more compelling portrait of a multi-faceted, multi-vocal continent, writes Debika Ray

The Cuban capital, as captured by photographer Nigel Young, is a curious slice of classic America spared capitalism’s built-in obsolescence, writes Owen Hatherley

These objects remind me subliminally of the importance of simplicity, clarity, functionality and joyfulness in the design of any object, whatever its size or purpose

At 85, Gehry has completed one of his finest buildings, the Dr Chau Chak Wing facility in Sydney. In laconic mood, the architect talks candidly to Edwin Heathcote about the role of art in his work, the dangers of architectural egotism, and why he used to think Frank Lloyd Wright was a fascist

The venerable Parc Zoologique de Paris has been redeveloped to provide larger, more natural habitats for its 1,000 residents. But architects Bernard Tschumi and Jacqueline Osty's design also revels in the mechanics and theatre of these fake wilds

A rediscovered manuscript from the early 1970s finds the French philosopher fighting modernists and postmodernists alike on the beaches, writes Daisy Froud

Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Until 13 July 2014

Nameless Architecture’s quietly powerful church in Seoul explores the symbolic potential of raw concrete and simple box-like forms, says Douglas Murphy

Pompidou Centre, Paris
Until 28 July 2014

National Building Museum, Washington
11 May – 2 August 2014

The legendary street photographer Bill Cunningham spent eight years creating his Facades project, which retrospectively marries architecture and fashion. His essay paired models in period dress at historical locations, the fashion reflecting the time of construction

Hong Kong-based Rural Urban Framework is working to tackle the unique problems that have emerged in China as a result of its rapid growth and authoritarian social policies – and creating models for the country’s future in the process

Brasil Arquitetura has continued São Paulo’s proud tradition of brutalist public architecture, creating a massive concrete culture and music complex in a tight inner-city space

Amid the showiness of contemporary high-profile architecture, this Ghent-based practice stands out for its thoughtful, sensitive and reticent approach to existing buildings and its original designs