The developers of EuropaCity in Paris have provided a first glimpse at the eight key leisure buildings that will be constructed for the €3.1bn (US$3.8bn, £2.7bn) project. Following a competitive six-month competition process, several established and emerging architecture practices from France and further afield have been selected to work on the accommodation and attractions that will form the cultural heart of the vast scheme – which has been masterplanned by

Noma, the two-Michelin-star restaurant regularly ranked as among the world’s finest, has reopened in Copenhagen last week after relocating to a new home designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Opened by chef René Redzepi in 2003, noma is known for its twist on traditional Nordic Cuisine, with people traveling from across the world to try the award-winning food. The success of the restaurant has led to the launch of international

A starry shortlist has been announced in the international competition to find a design team to create a new art museum in Adelaide, Australia. The Adelaide Contemporary – conceived as a sister museum to the Art Gallery of South Australia – will include an art gallery, a public sculpture park and a meeting place for the city. The competition brief required proposals that "integrate art, education, nature and people" and

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have revealed their latest major US project – a sports and entertainment neighbourhood in Texas under a dramatic chequered roofscape. Ambitious plans for the 1.3 million sq ft (121,000sq m) East Austin District were announced today (5 December) by Austin Sports & Entertainment, founded by sports media executives Andrew Nestor and Sean Foley. Located at the home of rodeo in Austin, the new complex is described

BIG founder Bjarke Ingels and CEO Sheela Maini Søgaard have revealed how they transformed a struggling firm 10 years ago into one of the world’s fastest-growing and best-known architecture practices today. Speaking to CLAD for our comprehensive BIG Special, Ingels and Søgaard described how a decade ago BIG found themselves facing an uncertain future. “By the fall of 2007, we were going down,” said Ingels. “I took control of our

Danish toymaker the LEGO Group has revealed new photographs, renderings and an aerial drone video of its forthcoming Bjarke Ingels-designed brand museum in the city of Billund, where the company was founded 85 years ago. The visitor attraction – built to resemble a giant stack of Lego bricks – is rapidly taking shape, and an opening date of 28 September has been announced. Consisting of 21 huge multi-coloured blocks built

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have formed their own specialised BIG Engineering unit, which will be dedicated to “ensuring the structural, mechanical integrity and resilience of BIG buildings globally.” Duncan Horswill, the former chief operating officer of Copenhagen company Søren Jensen Engineers, has been hired to lead the new team. Studio founder Bjarke Ingels said the move would allow the practice to “stretch the boundaries of the physical, financial, regulatory and

Hyperloop One, the Los Angeles firm racing to realise Elon Musk’s dream for a high-speed transport system powered by magnetic levitation, is considering building a network in India. A major long-term goal for Hyperloop One is to “create a fifth mode of transport that will connect distant cities to form dynamic and efficient economic super-regions” – a vision which has major connotations for the leisure industry. It is already exploring

Details have emerged of Bjarke Ingels Group’s latest high-profile US project; a mixed-use complex in Los Angeles’ Arts District formed of a giant superstructure of plant-topped concrete frames. According to the LA Times, the sizeable new development includes two connected buildings, which rise to 30 storeys at their highest point. Each frame within the structure could be filled by glass-walled offices, apartments or shops, depending on the demand. Some tenants

by Kim Megson | 02 Jul 2016

Renovations of some of the world’s most famous hotels dominated the CLAD headlines this week. The Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia has unveiled a multi-million dollar renewal project designed by Wimberly Interiors; Chinese company Anbang is considering converting two-thirds of the rooms at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel into private condos; and the Ritz Paris reopened its doors after a four year revamp. Meanwhile, details have emerged about some exciting future hotels

by Kim Megson | 29 Jun 2016

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have created an inflatable beer pavilion for the Roskilde Music Festival which is part sculpture, part bouncy castle. The structure – called FOAM and is sponsored by beer brand Tuborg – is a giant “bubble-like cloud” which is illuminated by purple LED lights at night and can be inflated in seven minutes. BIG were tasked with creating a 120sq m (1,300sq ft) mobile pavilion which could

by Kim Megson | 12 May 2016

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has allocated US$170m (€149m, £118m) of the city’s budget for 2017 on climate resiliency projects, including construction of Bjarke Ingels Group's leisure-oriented storm barrier The Dryline. The money will be used to create the stormwater management infrastructure required for the Lower Manhattan project – a 12 km-long high-water barrier incorporating public space with parks, seating, bicycle shelters, sports facilities and skateboard ramps. Elevated embankments,

by Kim Megson | 11 May 2016

Hyperloop One, the Los Angeles firm racing to build the world’s first Hyperloop high-speed transport system, has partnered with Arup, AECOM and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to realise its ambitions. The announcement was made today (11 May) as the company, formerly known as Hyperloop Technologies, attempts to prove its futuristic goals have a solid basis in reality and can revolutionise the worlds of transport, business and leisure. In addition to

by Kim Megson | 04 Apr 2016

The Museum of London has announced today (4 April) the six architectural teams shortlisted to design its new museum in a Victorian market hall complex. The museum, which has a construction budget of around £150m (US$214, €188m), will be located in a 25,000sq m (269,000sq ft) collection of buildings in West Smithfield, providing much-needed extra space for its enormous archaeological archive and thousands of exhibits exploring the history of London.

by Kim Megson | 15 Mar 2016

New York’s contemporary art museum the Albright-Knox Art Gallery has announced its intention to launch an US$80m (€72m, £55.8m) expansion of its Elmwood Avenue campus, with five high-flying studios in the running to design the project. Allied Works Architecture, Bjarke Ingels Group, OMA, Snøhetta and wHY have all been shortlisted for the tender, with the final selection due in June 2016 and the design phase set to take place in