![The Kingdom Tower by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/The-Kingdom-Tower_Adrian-Smith_Gordon-Gill-Architecture-_dezeen_sq.jpg)
This week, we spoke to Bowie's graphic designer and revealed record-breaking skyscraper numbers
This week on Dezeen: the designer behind David Bowie's Blackstar album artwork revealed its true meaning in an exclusive interview and we looked ahead to the era of the "megatall" skyscraper.
![Jonathan Barnbrook on David Bowie cover art](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Jonathan-Barnbrook_David-Bowie_Blackstar_album-cover-art_dezeen_sq.jpg)
The cover of David Bowie's Blackstar album, released just days before his death, was designed to reflect the musician's mortality, according to his graphic design collaborator Jonathan Barnbrook.
![Skyscrapers completed in 2015 reach record numbers](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Year-in-skyscrapers_Council_on_Tall-Buildings_and-Urban-Habitat_2015_dezeen_sq.jpg)
In other news, it was revealed that a record number of towers over 200 metres tall were completed in 2015 while the number of skyscrapers over 600 metres high – known as "megatalls" – is set to more than double.
![Manhattan West tower in New York by SOM](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/manhattan-west_som_new-york-tower_dezeen_sq2.jpg)
Architecture firm SOM showcased new renderings of Manhattan West – a trio of skyscrapers spanning massive rail yards in New York City – and Selldorf Architects was selected to design a mixed-use project in Washington DC on the site of an HIV treatment centre named after the actress Elizabeth Taylor.
![Google driverless car](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Driverless-cars-news_Google_dezeen_sq.jpg)
The US Department of Transportation unveiled its plan to eradicate accidents on American roads by investing in self-driving cars, and the US Treasury unleashed a series of measures to crack down on "dirty money" flowing through the luxury real-estate market.
![Ikea home furnishings](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Ikea_interior_lifestyle_dezeen_sqe.jpg)
Ikea announced that the western world had reached "peak home furnishings", but also said it wanted to double sales by 2020, and British designer Jasper Conran – son of Terence – resigned from his position as head of the family business.
![Rotterdam skyline with OMA's De Rotterdam and Ben van Berkel's Erasmus Bridge](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Rotterdam-port-skyline-with-De-Rotterdam-by-OMA-and-Erasmus-Bridge-by-Ben-van-Berkel_dezeen_sq.jpg)
Rotterdam is fast becoming a centre for innovation, according to architects we interviewed this week. Rotterdam-based architecture firm OMA also released images of its renovation plan for Berlin's KaDeWe department store.
![House of Trace by Tsuruta Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/House-of-Trace_Tsuruta-Architects_London_dezeen_sq.jpg)
We also revealed the winners of the Don't Move, Improve awards for London's best new extension, including an updated south London residence that retained its original brickwork.
![Apartment with a slide by KI Design Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Apartment-with-a-slide-by-KI-Design-Studio_dezeen_sq.jpg)
Popular projects this week on Dezeen included Rafael Viñoly's circular bridge in Uruguay, a Kiev apartment with a slide, and a dining table designed to create the appearance of a watery abyss.
![Abyss Dining Table by Duffy London](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2016/01/Abyss-dining-table_Duffy-London_furniture-design_dezeen_sq.jpg)
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