Developer Nakheel and Thai hotel group Centara Hotels and Resorts have unveiled plans to open a hotel, beach resort and waterpark on Dubai’s Deira Islands. The two companies have formed a joint venture agreement for the “family-centric lifestyle destination,” which will be part of the newly-formed Deira Islands – a 15sq km (5.8sq mi) group of four reclaimed artificial islands currently under development. Set to open in 2020, the 600-bedroom

Danish architectural firm Henning Larsen have won an international design competition for a striking leisure-filled skyscraper in the heart of Manila, the Philippines. The currently unnamed tower – located in the Bonifacio Global City financial district – will stand at 308m (1,010ft) tall and has been conceived to redefine the city’s skyline with its distinctive pointed form, which will be illuminated at night. According to the design team, the project

An adaptable performance installation designed by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten of architecture practice OMA has opened to the public in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens today (2 October). Inspired by ancient amphitheatres, the MPavilion 2017 is shaped by two-tiered grandstands – one fixed and the other rotatable – and covered by a floating roof structure. The 19×19m (204x204sq ft) aluminium clad structure will host a free programme of talks, workshops

The Lux* Resort Grand Gaube in Mauritius has undergone a US$32m (€27m, £23.8m) renovation and is set to reopen in December with a “wellness centre like no other,” according to the company. The new Lux* Me spa has been developed with an aim to connect guests to nature, and ncludes a hydrotherapy pool, aromatic steam room and sauna. Located on the African island’s north coast, the Lux* Grand Gaube has

Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh has completed a 77-room hotel within the early 20th century home of the former Royal Danish Conservatory of Music. The 5,500sq m (59,200sq ft) building, built in 1903, has become the first property outside Sweden for hospitality company Nobis Group. It is located in the heart of Copenhagen, close to the town hall square, National Museum and the Danish Design Center. Wingårdh and his eponymous design

LivNordic’s Katara Beach Club in Doha, Qatar, is set to open at the beginning of October. Located at the Torch Hotel, the two-storey, 4,600sq m (49,514sq ft) club is described as “a unique fusion between Middle Eastern hospitality, Nordic design and treatment heritage, and innovative fitness facilities.” It will include separate male and female floors with gender-separated entrances, an Aurora Borealis light fixture in the relaxation lounges, Nordic bathing rituals,

Scottish football club Celtic has been granted planning permission in principle for a hotel and museum complex to be built adjacent to the 47-time Scottish Premier League (SPL) champions’ home ground in Glasgow. First revealed in February, the £18m (US$24m, €20m) plans, which were submitted to Glasgow City Council for approval, also include a new ticket office and retail store, with the development to come up outside the main stand

Los Angeles’ long-awaited Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has taken a big step forward this week, after media mogul Haim Saban donated US$50m (€42.4m, £37.2m) towards the US$388m (€329.2m, £288.7m) project. The donation from Haim and his wife Cheryl brings the museum’s fundraising total to US$288m (€244.3m, £214.3m) leaving it US$100m (€84.9m, £74.4m) short of its total. In recognition of the gift, the five-storey structure which will house the museum’s

A shortlist of three architecture firms are in the running to design a major international cultural centre in Kaunas, Lithuania, having reached the final in the design competition for the project. Adam Khan Architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and a pairing of UAB Paleko Archstudija and UAB Baltic Engineers will now enter negotiations with the city government, who will select a final partner to oversee the “emblematic new building”. The

Sir David Adjaye's US$175m (€148.7m, £131m) vision for Harlem's Studio Museum will break ground next year, marking the institution's 50th anniversary. Since 1982, the museum – which celebrates the work of contemporary artists of African descent – has operated out of the former New York Bank for Saving, being adapted by late African-American architect J. Max Bond Jr following the move. New design renderings for the museum showcase a planned

The government of Dubai has announced plans for the development of a vast 'space simulation development' in Dubai called Mars Science City, as part of Dubai's Mars 2117 Strategy, which seeks to build the first settlement on Mars in the next 100 years. The AED 500 million-scheme, extending over 1.9m sq ft, will simulate conditions on the surface of the red planet, with heat and radiation insulation and walls which

Lego fans from around the world will soon be descending on the small Danish town of Billund to a new museum and experience centre dubbed the ‘House of the Brick’. Bjarke Ingels Group have created the 12,000sq m (129,000sq ft) Lego House as a vibrant three-dimensional village of interlocking buildings and spaces, with the structure designed to look like a giant stack of Lego blocks topped by a giant 2x4

One of Europe’s most iconic resorts has had a soft re-opening after nine years of construction, with its Qatari owners claiming to have overseen “the project of the century.” Sophia Loren lived there, Audrey Hepburn was married in the local chapel, Charlie Chaplin was a regular visitor and Sean Connery’s James Bond dropped by in Goldfinger. Now the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne has been transformed to appeal to a new

San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum has unveiled a US$90m (€76.6m, £67.2m) plan to transform the institution, a project supported by the largest financial gift in the museum’s history – a US$25m (€21.3m, £18.7m) donation from Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang. Los Angeles-based architecture firm wHY are behind the plans, which the museum says will create new interpretive approaches in its galleries, affirming the local relevance and global impact of Asian art.

Richard Meier and Partners have completed their first pedestrian and vehicular bridge, envisioning the sculptural crossing as a new type of public space for the Italian city of Alessandria. The international architecture firm have spent twenty years working on the Cittadella Bridge, which reconnects the modern city with the Citadella, an 18th century fort and tentative UNESCO World Heritage site. A separate stone bridge hailing from the Napoleonic era was

Hospitality designer Bill Bensley has teamed up with Cambodian luxury boutique hotel group Shinta Mani to launch his own brand of hotels in the country, with two projects already in the pipeline. ‘The Bensley Collection’ is billed as a portfolio of “super luxe hotels and resorts showcasing visionary concepts, extraordinary design and bespoke service”, with Bensley granted “complete freedom to let his famed creative spirit run free.” The debut property,

A new museum celebrating the art of graffiti has opened its doors in Berlin, Germany. The Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art (UN Museum), which opened on Bülowstrasse, was developed to document and promote street art and graffiti for the first time. A portrait of a man sculpted out of the wall of the museum by the Portuguese artist Vhils, colourful figures by Berlin-based artist Mimi S, and paintings

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

Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC Architects have been announced as the lead design team who will comprehensively revamp London’s historic Olympia exhibition centre. The owners of the 130-year-old building, Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance, want to transform the site into a “world-leading arts, entertainment, exhibition and experiential district whilst staying true to its original heritage as an exhibition business.” Olympia London, located in Kensington, was designed by architect Henry Edward Coe

Ritz Carlton has opened its second property in Langkawi, Malaysia, with the launch of an oceanfront resort designed by Philippe Villeroux of Kuala Lumpur-based Tropical Area Architects. Ritz Carlton Langkawi has been created to “immerse travellers in the island's natural ecosystem and local culture”. Reflecting the architecture of the nearby traditional villages – which are known as Kampongs – the resort is set in a tranquil private bay and surrounded

German architect Ole Scheeren, best-known as the designer of a series sculptural towers in Asia, has announced his first project to be built in Europe: a spectacular residential high-rise in the city of Frankfurt. Riverpark Tower, commissioned by developer GEG German Estate Group, will emerge through the conversion of a forty-year-old concrete office building. Büro Ole Scheeren, the architect’s eponymous practice, will cut some floors and insert new, larger horizontal

Officials in the city of Chicago are exploring a proposed plan to transform a network of underground tunnels into a tourist attraction, granting a non-profit permission to create more detailed plans for the project. Running beneath the city’s central business district, the Pedway connects more than 50 buildings and offers a convenient way to navigate downtown Chicago, but has been criticised for being difficult to navigate. The non-profit Environmental Law

One of Paris’ most controversial buildings is set to undergo a green-tinged transformation, with three architecture studios joining forces to comprehensively renovate the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper. The monolithic glass and steel building, which climbs 209m (685.6ft) into the sky, provoked a public outcry when it was completed in 1973 and is widely considered to be out of place in the city’s urban landscape. The negative reaction was so strong, the

One of China’s largest real estate developers has joined forces with hospitality company Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to open a luxury property in the northeastern city of Dalian. Luneng Group has appointed architects NBBJ Shanghai and designers Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) to create the Four Seasons Hotel Dalian on a site within the Donggang East Harbour. The hotel will be housed in a new mixed-use tower overlooking Dalian’s historic

Spa consultant Diana Mestre of Mestre & Mestre Spa and Wellness Consulting is creating a 12,000sq ft (1,115sq m) sunken spa for the upcoming 1 Hotel Los Cabos in Mexico, which is set to open in 2019. Designed with the purpose of revitalising the senses, the Seed Spa will use recycled and organic materials along with water, music, aromas, light and living plants with an aim to create an environment

Adria Lake of wellness and spa design company A.W. Lake Design has created a new Balinese spa for the Radisson Blu Uluwatu – the first Radisson Blu in Bali, which is set to open in December. The 633sq m (6,814sq ft) SpaEsc will include seven treatment rooms, including two doubles with private steam showers and two express massage rooms. A beauty area, “floating” courtyard relaxation room, fully equipped gym, yoga

The government of South Australia is commissioning an international search for a design team to create a second site for the state’s acclaimed art gallery. The project, called the Adelaide Contemporary, will form a new public and cultural space in the city, with the brief calling for an “architectural landmark on the celebrated North Terrace boulevard adjacent to the historic Botanic Garden.” It will house a community meeting place "integrating