Nex up in our review of 2019, editor Tom Ravenscroft takes a look back at the most-read stories for every month this year, including alternative designs for Notre-Dame and an interview with Tatiana Bilbao.
January – Drone footage reveals hundreds of abandoned Turkish chateaux
A drone video revealing a development of hundreds of abandoned chateaux in Turkey was the most read story in January. In total over 270,000 people read the article this year.
Located half way between Istanbul and Ankara, the Burj Al Babas development will contain 732 identical mini chateaux if it is ever completed.
Find out more about the Turkish chateaux ›
February – IKEA teams up with top African designers to launch Överallt furniture collection
IKEA continued to be hugely popular with readers this year with this story on its Överallt furniture collection the most read story in February.
The collection features products made by creatives from five African countries, including Sengalese fashion designer Selly Raby Kane and South African textile designer Laduma Ngxokolo.
Find out more about the Överallt furniture ›
March – Bugatti’s La Voiture Noire is the “world’s most expensive car”
News that Bugatti created the “world’s most expensive car” captured readers’ attention in March. The one-off supercar made from carbon fibre was revealed at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and sold to an anonymous collector for €11 million (£9.5 million).
Find out more about La Voiture Noire ›
April – Seven alternative spires for Notre-Dame Cathedral
The fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral was one of the biggest architecture stories of 2019.
In response to the devastating fire numerous architects and designers proposed alternative visions for rebuilding the cathedral.
Find out more about the alternative spires ›
May – Game of Thrones season eight “was as intense as you can imagine” says production designer
In May, Dezeen readers were caught up in Game of Thrones fever as the final series drew to its conclusion.
Production designer Deborah Riley told Dezeen that creating the show was: “as intense as you can imagine”.
Find out more about the Game of Thrones set design ›
June – World’s first 360-degree infinity pool proposed for London skyline
In June, reader enjoyed renders of a concept for a 360-degree infinity pool on top of a skyscraper in London. If built, the skyscraper would be the “only building in the world to incorporate a 360-degree infinity pool”.
Find out more about Infinity London ›
July – Elon Musk’s Neuralink implant will “merge” humans with AI
In 2019 readers continued to be interested in all-things Elon Musk. At the end of the year the Tesla founder unveiled the Cybertruck, but it was his tech startup Neuralink that proved his most popular story of the year.
The company will build implants that connect the human brain with computer interfaces via artificial intelligence.
Find out more about the Neuralink
September – Noori stove “breaks the limitations of a standard barbecue”
As summer drew to a close, in September readers enjoyed this multipurpose stove, which was shortlisted for homeware design of the year at Dezeen Awards 2019.
Brazilian brand Noori created the stove to break “the limitations of a standard barbecue”.
Find out more about the Noori Stove ›
Banksy launches merchandise with Gross Domestic Product pop up
October – Banksy launches range of branded merchandise to maintain custody of his name
Illusive artist Banksy continued to grab headlines in 2019. In July he designed a stab-proof vest for Stormzy’s Glastonbury set, which he later unveiled in a pop-up-shop installation in Croydon.
The installation was built to launch a range of branded merchandise that the artist created to maintain custody of his name.
Find out more about the Banksy merchandise ›
November – Zaha Hadid Architects completes Leeza Soho skyscraper with world’s tallest atrium
The Leeza Soho skyscraper in Beijing was the most read story in November.
The building was one of several projects designed by Zaha Hadid that were completed posthumously this year, including the Al Wakrah Stadium in Qatar, the Opus hotel in Dubai, and Beijing Daxing International Airport.
Find out more about the Leeza Soho skyscraper ›
December – “We banned renders” from the design process says Tatiana Bilbao
Speaking to Dezeen in December, Tatiana Bilbao revealed that she had banned renders from the design process in her studio. The sentiment clearly resonated with readers with over 110,000 people enjoying the interview.
Read the Tatiana Bilbao interview ›
https://www.dezeen.com/2019/12/31/biggest-architecture-design-stories-2019/