Merlin Entertainments, the world's second-biggest visitor attraction operator after Disney, has revealed plans for the largest new addition at its Legoland California resort since the park launched in 1999. The new Lego Movie World area is set to open in 2020 and will be based on the popular Warner Bros movie franchise. The area is being designed by Merlin Magic Making, Merlin's in-house design team, in partnership with Warner Bros

American architecture studio LPA Design have created The Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena – the largest ice skating facility in the state of California. Located in Irvine, the 280,000 sq ft (26,000 sq m) complex comprises an Olympic ice rink, three National Hockey League (NHL)-size rinks, a multipurpose arena, an amphitheatre, a gym, an artificial beach, and a selection of dining and retail amenities. Described by the American Society

Danish design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have revealed the latest changes to their vision for the proposed Howard Terminal Ballpark in Oakland, California. Set to replace the Brutalist-style Oakland Coliseum, the new sports complex, which will be the home of the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball (MLB) team, will have a circular instead of jewel box shape in order to "boost fans' experience". In a statement, Dave Kaval, president

The City Centre Bishop Ranch (CCBR) – a retail hub and civic attraction designed by architect Renzo Piano – has opened in San Ramon, California. Comprised of two three-storey structures, the US$300m (€262.2m, £229m) complex draws influence both from Renaissance-era piazzas and the meandering hills of the nearby Diablo mountain range. "You can see how nature melts with the architecture," said Antonio Belvedere, a partner at Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Oakland Athletics baseball team has commissioned Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), to lead the design process for its new ballpark and surrounding development in California. BIG will work in collaboration on the project with James Corner Field Operations, the landscape architect for the project, and Gensler. The new stadium will replace the Oakland A’s existing 51-year-old Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which the A’s share with NFL team the Oakland Raiders. The decision

The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) is to move to a new home in Costa Mesa, California, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne and his studio Morphosis. Groundbreaking for the new building will take place in 2019 within the Segerstrom Center for the Arts complex – the county’s largest centre for arts. The projected opening has been announced for 2021. With nearly 25,000sq ft (2,300sq m) of exhibition

The new home of Hollywood Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Los Angeles FC has officially opened in the city’s Exposition Park. Designed by architect Gensler, the 22,000 capacity Banc of California Stadium is the first new open-air stadium in LA since 1962 and has also been LEED silver certified for its sustainable design features. Ground was broken on the US$350m (€289m, £251.5m) project in August 2016 on a site once

The leader of a Californian golf club claims to “have walked through the threshold of the future” by overseeing the construction of a luxurious new Clubhouse that provides a “tableau for a new lifestyle experience.” R D. Hubbard, chair of the Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert, said the site's former clubhouse was torn down in 2016 in order to be replaced by a building “that is as much about

International architects Snøhetta have unveiled their kitchen extension and garden redesign for the world-renowned restaurant The French Laundry, in Yountville, California. The three-starred Michelin restaurant, which was founded in 1994 by American chef Thomas Keller and named after one of the building’s former uses, is regularly listed as one of the best in the world. Snøhetta – working in collaboration with San Francisco studio Envelope A+D and Keller – aimed

Montage Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to open and operate a spa resort in Sonoma County, at the heart of California's wine country. Montage Healdsburg – a property owned by Ohana Real Estate Investors and developed by The Robert Green Company – will feature 130 guestrooms and will have a focus on wellness and food. Exact resort details are yet to be confirmed, but facilities include a large Spa

American fitness operator Equinox has been announced as the first tenant at One Culver; a former movie studio HQ in California that is being comprehensively renovated by international architects Gensler. Culver City real estate firm Runyon Group today (17 August) confirmed that Equinox will open “an expansive space filled with cutting edge fitness equipment, world class personal training, and unparalleled amenities” in the revamped 1980s office block, well-known for its

Singapore-based Alila Hotels & Resorts will open its first North American resort property in California’s fabled Big Sur region in autumn 2017. Transformed from the Ventana Inn into 'Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort', the multi-million-dollar revitalisation is being led by San Francisco-based interiors firm BraytonHughes Design Studios and architecture firm Parks & Associates of Carmel, California. Included in the development will be 59 revamped guest rooms, suites and villas;

Disney has offered its most in-depth look at its upcoming Star Wars Land yet, unveiling a scale model of the attraction ahead of the D23 fan expo taking place this weekend in Anaheim, California. Two years on from the last D23, when Bob Iger first revealed plans for two Star Wars attractions at Disney’s Florida and California theme parks, the operator unveiled the model, which has been made available for

Following hot on the heels of electric cars, solar-storing roof tiles, and the super-fast Hyperloop transport system, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has begun work on yet another city-shaping concept: a network of underground of tunnels that will ease congestion in gridlocked cities. Musk has founded a new firm, drily named The Boring Company, to develop the concept – with the first tunnel network visualised for Los Angeles. A video has

A landmark 1925 California hotel with a storied history will be reborn this summer, with new interiors created by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard – who has dreamed up glamorous homes for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Eva Mendes and Cher. When it first opened in 1925, the Hotel Californian was one of the first of a new wave of Spanish Colonial Revival style structures, but was open for little

Luxury hotel and restaurant group Nobu Hospitality has announced the opening date of the first property in its new Ryokan Collection. Nobu Ryokan Malibu, located above the famous Carbon Beach along California’s Pacific Coast Highway, will welcome its first guests on 28 April. Studio PCH and Montalba Architects have transformed a 1950s vintage beach motel “into an exclusive destination retreat reflecting the cool elegance of the California coastline.” The property

Twenty-five is the magic number for the long-awaited Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation (MOXI), which will launch on the 25 February after receiving US$25m (€23.2m, £19.8m) in capital funding. The project also took more than 25 years to complete, after being first proposed in 1990 when the Children’s Museum of Santa Barbara incorporated as a non-profit organisation. The 25,000sq ft (2,300sq m) MOXI broke ground in 2014. The signature

The Kroenke Sports and Entertainment company has broken ground on the new HKS-designed Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, which will be the new home of National Football League (NFL) franchise the LA Rams. Sized at nearly 3 million sq ft (278,700sq m), multipurpose venue is set to be the largest in the NFL when it opens in 2019. It will include 70,000 fixed seats, with the flexibility

Following an extensive renovation, the acclaimed Freemark Abbey winery in California’s Napa Valley has reopened to reveal a total transformation of its century-old stone building, which now houses a high-end restaurant and visitor centre. San Francisco firms SB Architects and BraytonHughes Design Studio led the design of the project, which pays homage to Freemark Abbey’s past while introducing several complementary contemporary features. The original stonework dating from 1886 is highlighted

The new California home of US National Basketball Association franchise the Sacramento Kings has become the first indoor sports venue to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The US$507m (£336m, €476m) Golden 1 Center, which will host its first preseason fixture on 10 October, is the highest-scoring stadium ever certified by the US Green Building Council – the body that oversees the LEED system. It is also among the top three per

Since opening its US$57m (€51.5m, £43.7m) African Adventure, California’s Fresno Chaffee Zoo has experienced a 40 per cent upturn in attendance. Funded mainly by a levy a tax to help support new zoo projects and programmes, the 13-acre (57,000sq m) project offers a modern home for a number of species, including African elephants, lions, cheetahs, wildebeest, giraffes, ostrich, springbok and more. “It’s by far the largest project we’ve done both

A construction agreement has been reached to revamp the Century Plaza, California's iconic crescent-shaped hotel. According to Commercial Property Executive, real estate firm Next Century Partners has secured $1bn (€902m, £752m) in construction financing to begin overhauling the Los Angeles hotel as part of a wider US$2.5bn (€2.25bn, £1.8bn) mixed-use development of the Century City neighbourhood. When finished, the hotel – which has hosted several US presidents and was particularly

Ground was broken last month on a US$16.4m (€14.8m, £12.6m) planetarium development for the Orange Coast College (OCC) in Costa Mesa, California. Part of a larger seven-year US$965m (€854m, £625.2m) renovation to OCC’s district campuses, the 125-seat planetarium will include a 3D immersion theatre with a 40ft (12.2m) dome, a large Foucault pendulum and open space for exhibits. Newport Beach-based architects HPI are handling design for the project. "It will

After nearly two years of legal disputes, George Lucas has finally pulled the plug on plans for his Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago, with the director now thought to be eyeing San Francisco or Los Angeles for his legacy project. Blaming delays over a lawsuit from a parks group opposed to development along the city’s waterfront, Lucas said in a statement that he would be taking the museum to

In recent times, CLAD has reported on a glass-bottomed swimming pool suspended between two towers and a glass bridge crossing a canyon. Now, a forthcoming Los Angeles attraction is taking things one step further, with an outdoor glass slide located 1,000ft above the ground. The 45ft Skyslide will link the 70th and 69th floors of the Bank Tower; the tallest building on the west coast of the US. Thrillseekers who

British exhibition and interior designers Mather & Co will venture into the US market for the first time after winning a competitive tender to develop a new visitor attraction and stadium tour experience at California’s world famous Rose Bowl Stadium. The 92,500-capacity facility, designed by American architect Myron Hubbard Hunt and located in Pasadena, is a National Historic Landmark and the country’s 12th largest stadium. Since its construction in 1922

David Rockwell’s design studio have revealed the first renderings of the “playfully sophisticated” Los Angeles hotel they are creating for boutique operator Dream Hotels. The 179-room Dream Hollywood Hotel, located on the city’s Selma Avenue, will open in Q2 2016. The building’s architecture and design – created by the Rockwell Group – celebrate the mid-century modern architecture of Hollywood and LA and are partly inspired by the work of Austrian-American