This week we revealed this year's Stirling Prize winner

This week on Dezeen, the "hopeful and imaginative" Appleby Blue Almshouse social housing complex in London by local studio Witherford Watson Mann Architects won the 2025 Stirling Prize.

The almshouse is comprised of 57 apartments for over-65s and sits on the site of an abandoned care home in Southwark, London.

"Built against the backdrop of two crises, an acute housing shortage and a growing loneliness epidemic among older people, Appleby Blue offers a hopeful and imaginative response," said this year's Stirling Prize jury chair Ingrid Schroder.

Four of the six buildings shortlisted for this year's prize are located in London, which led Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft to ask, "Is the Stirling Prize too London-centric"?

St Marc's Chapel in the Philippines — "Recognition is long overdue for the local architects of tropical modernism"

In an opinion piece this week, Mohamed Ismail argued that the prevailing story of tropical modernism in the Global South has long overlooked the contributions of local architects and engineers.

Writer Catharine Rossi also contributed an opinion piece, discussing how the proliferation of St George's flags across England raises questions about design's capacity to influence political forces in today's world.

KARRI messenger, generation 2 by Pentagram — Pentagram refreshes Karri's screen-free smartphone for kids

Design agency Pentagram has given tech company Karri's smartphone for kids a walkie-talkie-inspired refresh. The phone, designed for ages five to 13, is screen-free and intends to make communication "as intuitive as possible".

American crisp brand Lay's logo was also given an update this week. The in-house design team of its parent company PepsiCo added sunbeams to its classic red and yellow logo to celebrate the almost 100-year-old brand's agricultural heritage.

Lego and Nike add modular sports playground to Shanghai primary school

In China, design studio OLA Shanghai collaborated with toy brand Lego and sports brand Nike to create a colourful modular playground at a primary school.

The brightly coloured playground is located in a previously grey courtyard space at Baoshan No 2 Central Primary School in north Shanghai and marks the latest collaboration between Nike and Lego.

I heart Jozi Tshirt in The Price of Gold exhibition at Design Week South Africa — Emerging Johannesburg designers turn the city's rags to riches in The Price of Gold exhibition

Design Week South Africa began in Johannesburg this week, where emerging designers joined forces for The Price of Gold exhibition, which used locally found and discarded materials to rewrite the narrative about the city.

Local brand Daily opened its first showroom in time for the design week. The brand showcased its furniture, made from plain plywood sheets that have been given specially developed stains and sealants to create affordable yet aspirational pieces.

Fibredog by Assemble at Frieze Sculpture — Assemble draws on folkloric rituals for dog-like shelter in London

Frieze Art Fair kicked off in London. In Regent's Park, where the fair is held, architecture collective Assemble married thatch and fibre to craft Fibredog.

The public artwork, which doubles as a shelter and was designed to resemble a mythical creature, was on show as part of the Frieze Sculpture exhibition.