This week on Dezeen, we spoke to architects and designers ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, which begins this weekend.

In anticipation of the event, 10 architects and designers who are attending told Dezeen about their hopes and fears for the conference.

According to Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) president Simon Allford, the two-week event "marks a critical juncture for humanity".

In preparation for the event, the UK Green Building Council picked 17 sustainable projects, including a timber cultural centre in Sweden (pictured), to be displayed at its Build Better Now virtual pavilion during the conference.

Also to mark the event, architecture studio Stride Treglown installed a "sinking" Monopoly-style house (pictured top) in Bath's Pulteney Weir.

In London, the latest in an increasing number of colourful urban installations was opened on top of the Temple Underground station.

Created by Lakwena Maciver, the artwork, called Back in the Air: A Meditation on Higher Ground, was designed to be a "vision of paradise".

Acknowledging the trend, we rounded up eight examples of polychromatic paint jobs in the city, including designs by Yinka Ilori and Camille Walala.

This week, Ilori also collaborated with toy brand Lego to design the colourful Launderette of Dreams as a playspace for kids in east London.

Also in London, the Waste Age exhibition opened at the Design Museum.

The exhibition aims to show how design contributed to the rise of throwaway culture and demonstrate possible solutions developed by product, fashion and building designers.

In Qatar, the latest World Cup venue was completed ahead of the tournament, which is set to take place next year.

Designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M Jaidah, the shape and decoration of the Al Thumama Stadium was based on a gahfiya cap.

Popular projects this week included a house in Washington clad in rough-sawn cedar, Balenciaga's "raw" flagship store in London and Peter Pichler's angular concrete-and-glass villa in an Italian vineyard.

Our lookbook this week focused on interiors with smart and stylish storage solutions.

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.