The Best of April Fool’s 2015 – Architecture and Design Edition

Matt Shaw Matt Shaw

In what has become a grand tradition for, the internet turns into a minefield of fake news à la The Onion on April 1st, a.k.a. April Fools’ Day. Here are some of our favorite design-related stories from online publications doing their best one-day Onion impression, complete with hilariously questionable Photoshopping.

Image via Hyperallergic (courtesy the ISIS in Venice pavilion)

ISIS to Exhibit Floating Pavilion of Art Destruction at Venice Biennale

The Venice Biennale will become the first major art institution to recognize the sovereignty of the Islamic State. Sorry, Taiwan. This is one of the better articles written for Aprils Fool’s Day.

Image via Inhabitat

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian buy entire NYC micro-apartment building to turn it into an “urban mega-mansion”

The duo will convert micro-apartment building into a free-plan mansion with huge closets.

Image via Inhabitat

Tesla unveils designs for a plug-in hybrid mobile home, the Model H

The lead image with a huge regular Tesla is great.

Image via Greenpointers.com

Russian Oligarch to build 90-story towers on waterfront

This one hits a little close to home: “A laundry list of other high-end amenities will include high-performance workout rooms on each floor, proper Russian-style steam baths, 24-karat-gold fixtures, and all lobby entrances will be made from the world’s last remaining block of malachite unearthed from a now-defunct quarry on the edge of the Siberian plateau.”

Image via ArchDaily

Society for Atheistic Spirituality to Construct Etienne-Louis Boullée’s Cenotaph for Newton

This is an elaborate one with good character development. The interview format really sells it, and bonus points for the obscure and academic building reference.

Domino’s launches world’s first driverless pizza delivery vehicles

They even made a video.

Image via Architectural Review

Jeremy Clarkson named 2016 Venice Biennale Director

This is pretty British, but it is an exciting thought, and with Bjork at MoMA, anything is possible. The ousted Top Gear host does look like an old European curator in the image.

Bonus: The Cube

Not explicitly for April Fool’s, but it is a timely satire of design, tech, social media, and websites in general.

And in case you missed it, you can play Pac-Man in Google Maps.

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