Dezeen Weekly
Dezeen Weekly is an original podcast from Dezeen, the world's most influential design and architecture magazine. Each episode, two of our journalists discuss the biggest design and architecture stories of the week. If you're interested in how humans are shaping the world around them and you like to stay informed, this is your essential weekly briefing. New episodes are released every Friday.
Episodes
Why are we obsessed with liminal space?
This week, we discuss a new architecture-themed horror film, some concerning news about green walls and a new architectural term that one of our hosts has audaciously coined. In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn consider Backrooms – a surprise-hit horror movie from a 20-year-old director – and its origins in the internet's fascination with "liminal
Why does everyone seem to hate the new electric Ferrari?
In this episode of Dezeen Weekly, we discuss the fierce reaction to Ferrari's unveiling of its first all-electric car, designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. This week, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn are joined by our co-CEO Ben Hobson, who was at the Ferrari Luce launch event in Rome at the weekend. Together, they analyse the car's design and consider why it
Is IKEA's new collection too good to be true?
Why is everyone talking about a giant new data centre planned for the Utah desert? Is IKEA's new collection a wake-up call for the design industry? And why do Parisians hate tall buildings? In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn begin by discussing a project to build a huge data centre in a remote part of Utah, including the local backlash. Then, th
Is parametricism the defining architecture style of the 21st century?
In the latest episode of Dezeen Weekly, we give listeners a crash course in parametricism, from its origins to its much-disputed claim of being the most significant architectural style since modernism. We debate some of the most pressing questions surrounding the movement: Did Patrick Schumacher's association with the style actually torpedo its success? How much agency lies with the architect whe
How Adidas won the super-shoe war
What was special about the shoes on the feet of the record-breaking runners at the recent London Marathon? Is the Met Gala an important design event, or just about money and celebrity? And why is a new addition to a 930-year-old French cathedral so controversial? In this week's episode, Dezeen's design editor Jennifer Hahn and features editor Nat Barker plot a brief history of the race to create
What's so bad about brands taking over Milan design week?
In this episode of Dezeen Weekly, we reflect on the major trends from this year's Milan design week, and discuss whether the festival has reached peak "brandification". Why did food and inflatables have such a big presence in Milan this year? Could there be a link to the geopolitical issues gripping the globe? Also, did this year mark a tipping point for corporate installations? And is the involve
Why architecture has a large gender pay gap
Why are there so few women in top architecture jobs? What's the deal with the world's first kilometre-high skyscraper, currently under construction in Saudi Arabia? And why do major building projects stall? In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker is joined by architecture reporter Amy Peacock and editor Tom Ravenscroft. They discuss the most recent gender pay gap figures for the bi
Why Milan design week is such a big deal
What's so important about Milan design week, and what we can expect this year? And how does the proposed "Arc de Trump" compare to the Arc de Triomphe? In the latest episode of Dezeen Weekly, we look ahead to the biggest week in the design industry calendar, and discuss yet another bombastic architecture proposal from Donald Trump. This episode was hosted by Dezeen features editor Nat Barker
Are the walls closing in on Donald Trump's ballroom?
Why is the White House currently stuck with a giant hole in the ground? Is the redesigned Lime bike a success? And what does it mean to be a top designer in 2026? In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn discuss a dramatic plot-twist in the story of Donald Trump's East Wing redevelopment project. Then, they share their thoughts on the new Lime bike design
Style Wars: The Modernists Strike Back
Why did a coalition including the American Institute of Architects file a lawsuit against Donald Trump this week? How did a conversational AI toy respond when a five-year-old child told it "I love you"? And why are there concerns about the skyscrapers springing up across Africa? In this episode, Dezeen design editor Jennifer Hahn and features editor Nat Barker discuss the row over Trump's renov
Is AI really coming for architects' jobs?
How worried should architects be about large language models taking their jobs? How did the Pritzker Architecture Prize make us look silly this week? And what is "bio-upcycling"? In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn consider a controversial labour impact study by AI company Anthropic. Also, they reflect on the surprise announcement about this year
The strangest architecture competition ever?
What's the deal with the mysterious competition to design a new "world wonder"? And how did Apple manage to halve the price of its least expensive laptop? In this episode, Dezeen features editor Nat Barker and design editor Jennifer Hahn discuss proposals for a huge new landmark in Rotterdam aimed at inspiring people to reduce their carbon footprints. Then, they consider the significance of
Is this the end of the Pritzker Architecture Prize?
What do the revelations about Tom Pritzker's association with Jeffrey Epstein mean for the Pritzker Architecture Prize? What happened in a recent court case about Zaha Hadid's name? And could the escalating conflict in the Middle East be a worry for big architecture studios? In this episode, Nat Barker and Tom Ravenscroft discuss the delay to this year's announcement of architecture's most prestig
The White House ballroom project progresses
In this episode, we discuss an update to Donald Trump's controversial redevelopment of the White House's East Wing. Then, we delve into an unexpected story from Ukraine: the emergence of a flurry of interestingly designed interiors in the war-stricken country. Finally, we talk about the design of the spaceship that NASA hopes will soon take its astronauts on the longest journey in the history of
Have we passed peak touchscreen?
This week's episode sees us analyse Jony Ive and Marc Newson's interiors for the first electric Ferrari and whether the design signals a revival of the physical button. Then, we consider plans for what has been touted as Australia's first new city in 100 years. Will its climate strategy be enough to cope with scorching temperatures? How exactly will it be "inclusive"? And when does a suburb be
"Bjarke Ingels, shame on you!"
Why did protesters stage a demonstration outside the office of a global architecture firm? Is a Saudi Arabia-inspired proposal for a high-speed railway connecting five countries realistic? And why was this year's Stockholm Design Week like none before? This week, Dezeen design editor Jennifer Hahn and features editor Nat Barker discuss RIBA president Chris Williamson's plan for The Loop (00:45).
Architects' designs for Donald J Trump Airport
Does Donald Trump approve of modernist buildings if they have his name on them? And are we living through an era of architectural "gentleism"? In this week's episode of Dezeen Weekly, Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft and features editor Nat Barker discuss architects' proposals for an overhaul of Eero Saarinen's iconic Washington Dulles Airport following criticisms made by Donald Trump (00:47). Then
Neom's fake-snow Asian Winter Games ambitions falter
In this week's episode, Jennifer Hahn and Nat Barker discuss the indefinite delay to the 2029 Asian Winter Games, planned for the Trojena ski resort in Saudi Arabia (00:33). Next, they consider the world's first building concept designed by a humanoid robot (08:37), and talk through the challenges of taking on the prestigious Serpentine Pavilion in 2026 (13:20).
Zaha Hadid Architects brings Dubai bling to Ethiopia
Dezeen introduces Dezeen Weekly, a brand new podcast in which we discuss the major architecture and design stories of the week. In our first episode, award-winning Dezeen journalists Nat Barker and Jennifer Hahn consider what a project for the largest airport in Africa (if not the world) says about aviation design in 2026 (0:48). Then, they weigh up whether a new autistic Barbie is cynical or sinc
