This week we launched the new Dezeen website

This week on Dezeen, we unveiled the updated Dezeen website, which is “richer and more versatile” while better reflecting what Dezeen is today.

We worked with creative technology studio Made by On to refresh the look and feel of the site, building upon the foundation laid by designer Micha Weidmann, who designed the original Dezeen logo and layout. It is the first time the Dezeen website has been since 2016, after originally being launched as a basic WordPress blog by our founder Marcus Fairs in 2006.

“The new website is faster, richer and, we hope, more enjoyable to use,” Dezeen co-CEO Ben Hobson said. “It also better reflects what Dezeen is today.”

Shanghai Grand Opera House by Snøhetta — Snøhetta has unveiled the Shanghai Grand Opera House

In China, international studio Snøhetta unveiled the landmark Shanghai Grand Opera House this week, which it designed to be “as much a civic destination as a performance venue”.

The striking building features a giant spiral staircase that guides visitors to the roof.

The historic town hall in the city of Limoges in France was set on fire, as an estimated 550,000 people in France took to the streets over the weekend to protest the rising cost of living and poor school conditions.

The fire destroyed significant parts of the 143-year-old Limoges Town Hall, with videos showing its slate roofs ablaze and its central bell tower collapsing.

Palais de Justice de Lille by OMA — Palais Justice de Lille has a hexagonal form and a glass facade

Also in France, architecture studio OMA unveiled the Palais de Justice de Lille, a law court in northern France. The six-sided building has a pointy, hexagonal form, with each elevation finished in coloured glass.

It was designed to mimic a nearby star-shaped fortification, built in 1667 by the French military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.

Chair and furniture in Paris exhibition — Furniture with an acid-etched stainless-steel surface was on show in Paris

Design Miami.Paris took place in Paris this week, with technology brand Apple unveiling its Designers of Tomorrow. Among the pieces on show were a banana-palm-paper lantern and furniture with an acid-etched stainless-steel surface.

We also visited Dutch Design Week, which featured an installation that explored “hydrofeminism” and saw students protest against overcrowded workspaces.