DP Architects and interior design specialists Ilya Corporation have joined up to create the Woodleigh Residences – a sprawling, Zen-inspired living community in Singapore. Situated amidst the 10-hectare Biddari Park and the privately accessible Alkaff Lake, the new housing development will boast 667 two- to four-bedroom condos, a swimming pool, and various Japanese-style wellness amenities, including an onsen spa, meditation pavilions, and tatami rooms. Other features of the property will

Tokyo-based architecture studio Line-Inc have transformed a 1930s-era hotel in Hokkaido, Japan into the Unwind Hotel and Bar Otaru. Erstwhile known as the Etchuya Hotel, the building was originally designed by Japanese architect Kuniharu Karasawa, who devised its master plan during the country's pre-war period to appeal to foreign tourists. The site was later purchased by real estate developer Global Agents, which subsequently commissioned Line-Inc to restore the space to

London-based designer Afroditi Krassa has unveiled renderings of her latest project, Lucky Cat – a new dining concept from British celebrity chef and gastronome, Gordon Ramsay. The flagship – Ramsay's first major London restaurant in over a decade – has been described as an "eating house" and "late-night lounge" and will feature a number of Japanese-inspired decorative and structural elements, such as bamboo panelling, indigo fabrics, and sculptures of whimsical

Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan are coming to Disney's Tokyo theme park, after the operator announced a multi-billion dollar agreement with the Oriental Land Company for the largest expansion in the history of DisneySea. Expected to open in 2022, the development, which has been budgeted at ¥250bn (US$2.26bn, €1.95bn, £1.7bn), will see an eighth port comprising three themed areas opened, as well as a new luxury hotel. The port, says

Construction is nearing completion on the only new stadium being built for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The 16,000-capacity Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium in Iwate Prefecture will host two fixtures at next year’s tournament. It will first open on the 19 August 2018 for a memorial match between the Kamaishi Seawaves Rugby Football Club and Top League side Yamaha Jubilo, in honour of those who lost their lives

A new cultural destination in London, celebrating Japan and funded by its government, has announced its public opening date. Called Japan House London, the new attraction will offer visitors authentic Japanese encounters when it opens on 22 June, with the best in the nation's art, design, gastronomy, innovation and technology. Almost every aspect of the new space has been derived “from source” in Japan. Japanese interior designer – Wonderwall principal

Philippine property firm Revolution Precrafted, which specialises in producing modular pavilions and homes, has struck a deal to build at least 85 design-driven prefabricated holiday villas on the island Miyako in Okinawa, Japan. The company’s range of boutique luxury properties – ranging in size from 23-60sq m (247.5-645.8sq ft) – are designed by some of the world’s best-known architects and designers, including Daniel Libeskind, Christian Portzamparc, Marcel Wanders, Jean Nouvel

A theme park based on The Moomins will open in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture in March 2019, after its developers confirmed construction plans for the nature attraction in the city of Hanno. Called Moomin Valley Park, the attraction will sit on an area around Lake Miyazawako, owing to the area’s resemblance to the nature-rich homeland of the Moomins. The 190,000sq m (2,000,000sq ft) park will celebrate Nordic culture, with plans calling

The Ace Hotel Group has announced it will open its first property in Japan, with architect Kengo Kuma commissioned to design a “monument to the beauty and unique legacy of Kyoto”, transforming the city’s 92-year-old former Central Telephone Office. The company has partnered with the Japanese NTT Urban Development Corporation to open the Ace Hotel Kyoto in winter 2019. Located on the former grounds of the imperial palace, the project

Japanese architecture giants Nikken Sekkei have partnered with construction firm Sumitomo Forest to create the world’s tallest wooden skyscraper, which they hope will inspire the transformation of “cities into forests” around the globe. Located in central Tokyo, the timber tower, tentatively called the W350, is set to be completed by 2041 to celebrate Sumitomo Forest’s 350th anniversary – a milestone that has informed its anticipated height of 350m (1,148ft). The

The Pritzker-winning architect Shigeru Ban has completed the dramatic Mount Fuji World Heritage Center in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, with a design that mimics the famous dormant volcano. Located 20 miles southwest of the natural landmark, Ban’s 3,400sq m (36,500sq ft) facility is formed by an inverted latticed timber cone, that appears mountainous when seen in the large reflecting pool at the front of the complex. Inside, exhibitions tell the story

Hotel giant Marriott International has signed a deal with Malaysia-based YTL Hotels as continues its expansion into the Asian luxury market. The deal will see the pair develop new hotels across Asia – one of the fastest growing sectors in the global hospitality industry. During an official ceremony held at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, the two companies agreed to develop two luxury hotels in Malaysia under the JW Marriott and

London architects Sybarite have collaborated with a Japanese fashion giant Onward Holdings to create an authentic Japanese soba noodle restaurant overlooking the River Thames. Located on The Strand, Yen invites diners “to step off the busy street into an all-encompassing Japanese experience” created by the design team using Japanese materiality, design cues and construction techniques. The concept of the design is built around Japanese cultural interpretations of nature and space,

Sports and leisure architects Populous have announced the opening of a new office in Tokyo as the firm continues its global expansion. The decision to establish an office in Japan expands Populous’ global footprint to 15 branches worldwide, including six in the Asia-Pacific region. The organisation now has more than 500 employees around the globe. “Japan offers a wealth of opportunity with its strong culture, burgeoning sports scene and as

A Japanese-inspired hotel spa in Germany, billed as the country’s first, has opened among Bavaria’s Alpine peaks. Located in the town of Rottach-Egern, which sits alongside Lake Tegernsee, the Mizu Onsen Spa is inspired by Japanese minimalism – with clean lines, a neutral colour palette and subtle lighting – allowing guests to fully connect with their senses. German practice rgp architekten and New York studio Design MW have used locally-sourced

Yayoi Kusama – the Japanese artist famed for her use of repetitive patterns and bold colours – has announced the opening of her own art museum, in Tokyo, Japan. The five-storey museum building, designed by architecture firm Kume Sekkei, has already been erected in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, but the purpose of the structure had been kept under wraps. Two of the storeys will be devoted to exhibiting Kusama’s

The colours of the changing seasons in Japan have inspired architect Sun Tianwen to design an eye-catchingly luminous restaurant in the city of Changchun, China. The concept for the 1,300sq m (14,000sq ft) restaurant, called Setsugekka, derives from the ancient Japanese art and design tradition of the same name, which celebrates the motifs of snow, moon and flowers and the passage of time throughout the year. Sun’s restaurant, therefore, features

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from a spectacular cantilevered skybridge in Dubai to stadium seats made from palm trees. Monday • Kengo Kuma’s US$33.5m US$33.5m (€31.3m, £26.2m) expansion of Portland’s Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic of its kind gardens outside Japan, has opened to the public. Read here. • Japanese architecture practice Nikken Sekkei are designing “a timeless new

Kengo Kuma’s US$33.5m US$33.5m (€31.3m, £26.2m) expansion of Portland’s Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic of its kind gardens outside Japan, has opened to the public. The project, Kuma’s first public commission in the US, has seen the creation of a new Cultural Village that provides additional space to accommodate the attraction’s rapid visitor growth and immerses visitors in traditional Japanese arts and culture. To honor the

Plans have been announced to open an anime and manga theme park on an island in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, with the attraction to be based on popular titles Hi no Tori (Phoenix) and Crayon Shin-chan. Dubbed Nijigen No Mori – which translates to ‘Anime Forest’ – Pasona Group will operate the attraction in Awajishima Koen park on Awajishima island. Utilising the area’s natural beauty, along with the latest visual technologies,

Torontonians have flocked to the city’s beach in record numbers to experience the unveiling of eight brand new Winter Stations installations along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. The creators of the attractions, who were chosen in a design competition, were tasked with designing “playful” structures – based around the beaches’ lifeguard stations – capable of drawing people into the chilly outdoors to interact with the icy environment. The installations include

David Rockwell has designed Starwood’s first Luxury Collection hotel in Tokyo – an “ethereal dream-like environment” that has now opened in the historic heart of the Japanese capital. The designer’s vision for The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho was inspired by “the sprawling sky and kaleidoscopic colours of the surrounding city,” which the hotel overlooks from its position across the top seven floors of the new 36-storey Tokyo Garden Terrace tower

Situated in Tokyo’s business district, the latest offering from hotel and resort operator Hoshinoya Resorts, Hoshinoya Tokyo, features a spa and top floor natural hot spring. Designed by Azuma Architect & Associates and created by large-scale construction specialists Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei, the 17-storey, 84 room hotel is the city’s first luxury ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), offering traditional Japanese culture combined with high-level hospitality. Each floor of the hotel replicates a

The life and art of the famous Japanese painter and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai is celebrated in a new Tokyo museum, design by SANAA’s Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kazuyo Sejima. The Sumida Hokusai Museum, located in the ward of the same name, is the sculptural home for over 18,000 works created by Hokusai and his apprentices over 200 years ago, including the artist’s most famous work – ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa'.

Construction work has kicked off on Tokyo’s new National Stadium, the Kengo Kuma-designed stage for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. The design by the Japanese architect was chosen to replace Zaha Hadid Architects’ original scheme – ostensibly due to the rising cost of that project – in December 2015, and received the green light two months ago. Kuma’s stadium is estimated to cost 150bn yen ($1.5bn, €1.3bn, £1.1bn) to build.

The Japanese government has approved a 150bn yen ($1.5bn, €1.3bn, £1.1bn) contract allowing work to begin on Kengo Kuma’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium. Construction is scheduled to begin in December. The government-funded Japan Sport Council (JSC), which is overseeing the project, estimates that construction will be completed at the end of November 2019 – five months behind the original schedule. New Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would closely monitor

by Kim Megson | 14 Sep 2016

Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha has been awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale global prize for architecture. The accolade – among the most valuable in the profession with prize money worth upwards of US$132,000 (€117,000, £100,000) – has been awarded annually by the Japan Art Association since 1989. Winners are also announced in the categories of painting, sculpture, music and theatre/film – areas of achievement chosen as they are not