When actor Graham Greene got the call that he'd won a Governor General's Award, he thought it was a prank - CBC

the renowned swiss boarding school works with barth to create learning spaces that depart from the conventional classroom. belen afonso October 23, 2026 5 min prefer designboom on googleLe Rosey creates new spaces to learnA glance at the new rooms at Swiss boarding school Le Rosey inevitably brings back memories of childhood mornings. For much of Western society, those long days unfolded in monotonous, almost institutional spaces that could have been photocopies of the school next door, were it not for the occasional murals a teacher with a creative itch had insisted on using to decorate the classroom. Le Rosey’s students already experienced a somewhat different environment before this intervention. Founded in Rolle in 1880, it is Switzerland’s oldest and largest boarding school and one of Europe’s most famous. Its 450 students, drawn from more than 70 countries, experience an educational model known for its progressive learning methods. The recent transformation of six of its rooms is proof of this.

French museums and galleries are shuttering before nationwide protests tomorrow. Plus: What does it mean for a woman artist to “reach her prime”? Leave it to Art Basel Paris to close early during a movement for education equality and working conditions … “in the interest of safeguarding our visitors.” The Louvre, Gagosian, and other museums and galleries also announced plans to shutter during tomorrow’s nationwide protests. One artist coalition calls the fair’s cancellation a victory for the fight to defend culture: “Let us keep the movement going.” Staff Writers Anna Lee and Rhea Nayyar have the story. Across the pond, Ed Simon reflects on the imperative to protect arts and culture here in the United States on the centenary of the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, founded as a beacon of education and expression that “seems virtually utopian today.” Then, we have the artists keeping that spirit alive: Read on for Leah Triplett Harrington’s review of a show that deconstructs sexist notions of recognition and market success for women artists over age 75, the painter who adorns Phoebe Bridgers’s guitars, and more.—Lakshmi Rivera Amin, associate editor, books

custom BB-grade birch panels with flush joints form an unbroken interior shell, embedding furniture, a fireplace, and concealed storage along a glazed axis that opens directly onto the terrace. Barros edited by christina vergopoulou October 23, 2026 3 min prefer designboom on googleFlacon Cargo Module turns SHIPPING CONTAINER INTO MICRO-CABINDesigned by architects Evgeny Makarenko and Andris Shneps-Shneppe, this 24-sqm micro-cabin transforms an intermodal steel shipping container into a self-contained, relocatable residential module. Located within the ‘Derevnya’ creative community, an experimental rural settlement established by the Flacon Design Factory team, the project accommodates a double bedroom, kitchen, living area with a fireplace, and a full shower room within a compact footprint.all images ©Evgeny MakarenkoBIRCH PLYWOOD SHELL INTEGRATES FLUSH JOINERY AND BUILT-IN FURNITUREThe interior is lined in an unbroken shell of hand-selected, second-grade (BB) birch plywood, chosen for its natural grain variations. Built-in furniture, work surfaces, and concealed storage integrate directly into the wall and ceiling planes to leave the central circulation path clear.

It was an otherwise typical day on 25 September 2021 when thousands of dead and dying crustaceans washed up on beaches in Yorkshire and the north-east of England. Early morning walkers and swimmers were aghast to find a sickening carpet of twitching, fitting crabs. It would be the first but not the last die-off, which would see the disappearance of vast swathes of integral native sea life along an extended stretch of coast, including seal pups. It would also see the decimation of the local fishing industry and, with that, a way of life. Environmentalists, fishers and ordinary local people wondered what could have possibly caused such a rare catastrophic incident. Meanwhile, hours before – completely coincidentally, the authorities said – a major dredging operation was carried out in the mouth of the River Tees, disturbing sediment where decades earlier highly toxic pollutants from heavy industry had been pumped. The authorities, after carrying out a series of their own tests, denied there was a causal link, blaming an algae bloom and then, later, a novel pathogen. But those who live and work around the Tees estuary disagreed. Relentless campaigner …