Image: Spa by Cinq Mondes at Five Hotel and Spa Design Hotels has opened the new Spa by Cinq Mondes at Five Hotel and Spa in Cannes, France - a 250sq m (2,691sq ft) facility described as "a destination in its own right". Jean Louis Poiroux created the spa, which boasts four treatment rooms - one of which is a double - plus two saunas, a Turkish hammam, a scrub

Image: Copenhagen Arena is due to open in 2015 A team led by Denmark-based 3XN Architects has won an international design competition for the development of a new indoor arena complex in the Ørestad area of Copenhagen. HKS Architects, Arup, ME Engineers and Planit also form part of the team, with the facility to be divided into a plinth and a top under the successful Copenhagen Arena proposals. The design

Image: The exterior of Le Méridien's new Oran hotel Le Méridien Hotels and Resorts has announced the launch of its first Algerian hotel as part of a mixed-use oceanfront development in the north western city of Oran. Rockwell Group Europe have designed the Le Méridien Oran Hotel and Convention Centre, which is owned by Sonatrach and is located on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The signature Explore Spa is

Image: The hotel is planning the addition of a spa A new health spa is among a number of facilities being proposed as part of a major expansion of the historic Ramside Hall Hotel in Carrville, Durham. Ramside Estates was granted outline planning consent for the new extension in 2005, before a subsequent reserved matters application and listed building consent was approved in 2008. The project is now coming back

Image: Oasis Leisure Centre will receive a revamp Swindon's Oasis Leisure Centre has been transferred to a private operator in the next phase of a £65m scheme to develop a major new "regional leisure hub" for the Wiltshire town. Oasis Operations Ltd has taken control of the facility under an agreement between Swindon Borough Council (SBC) and Moirai Capital Investments announced earlier this year. Leisure specialists S&P Architects are involved

Image: A 50m swimming pool is being proposed A draft masterplan for a major redevelopment of Willoughby Leisure Centre in New South Wales, Australia, have been put on display by the local authority. Willoughby City Council (WCC) is seeking the local community's feedback to the scheme, which will overhaul a facility that is currently used by more than 500,000 people each year. The Suters -designed masterplan allows for the addition

Image: The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012 The Serpentine Gallery in London has unveiled the Herzog and de Meuron/Ai Weiwei-designed Pavilion - the 12th commission in the contemporary art attraction's annual series. This year's Pavilion - part of the London 2012 Festival - enables visitors to go beneath the Serpentine lawn to explore the "hidden history" of the gallery's previous 11 commissions. A total of 11 columns represent previous structures, while

Image: The new resort overlooks the Atlantic Ocean A new 189-bedroom Radisson Blu-branded resort has become the Rezidor Hotel Group's first property to open on the island of Gran Canaria - one of the Spanish Canary Islands. Each of the guestrooms and suites has its own balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the interior design has been conceived and developed by Norway-based Sias Contract. Resort facilities include a 265sq m

Image: The museum building on Oslo's waterfront Astrup Fearnley Museet, a new NOK650m (US$106m, EUR86m, £69m) contemporary art attraction, is scheduled to open its doors in Oslo, Norway, on 29 September. The museum will be situated on the city's waterfront and will be housed in a new 7,000sq m (75,347sq ft) building designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano. Design features of the building include a double-arched glass roof filtering daylight

Image: The hall forms part of HMNS' expansion plans A new US$85m (EUR68m, £55m) Hall of Palaeontology featuring more than 30 dinosaurs opens to the public at Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) in Texas, US, tomorrow (2 June). The 30,000sq ft (2,787sq m) facility forms part of a wider expansion – the Dan L Duncan Family Wing – designed by Gensler and boasts a total of 60 major mounts,

Image: The historic hotel building in Montreal The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company (RCHC) has relaunched its "second Canadian jewel" in Montreal, following a major CA$200m (US$193m, EUR156m, £126m) refurbishment. First opened as a hotel in 1912, the Ritz-Carlton, Montreal building has been preserved and restored as part of the Provencher Roy + Associés -designed project. Public spaces throughout the hotel have been revamped and upgraded, while a spokesperson said that a

Image: Studio E designed the new leisure centre A planning application for a new leisure centre and academy in North Kensington, London, has been submitted to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC). London-based architects Studio E have drawn up proposals on behalf of the local authority, having been selected from a shortlist of six design practices late last year. The leisure centre element will feature a 120-station fitness

Image: The County Ground will be transformed Bristol City Council (BCC) has approved plans put forward by Gloucestershire County Cricket Club (GCCC) for the redevelopment of its County Ground home. The Arturus -designed project was given the green light by the local authority's development control (north) committee, which had previously rejected the club's initial plans earlier this year. Working in partnership with Linden Homes, GCCC is planning a comprehensive revamp

Image: The museum will be located at LACMA West The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen architects Renzo Piano and Zoltan Pali to design the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in California, US. Los Angeles-based Pali is the design principal and co-founder of Studio Pali Fekete, which worked on the renovation and expansion of the Getty Villa museum among others. Meanwhile, Piano founded the Renzo Piano

Image: The £6.9m Novium museum will open in July The Novium, a new £6.9m museum developed around the remains of a Roman bath house in the centre of Chichester, West Sussex, is to open its doors to the public on 8 July. Keith Williams Architects are behind the design of the new attraction, which has been built by Vinci Construction UK and project managed by Robinson Low Francis. Work on

Image: The concept will include swimming facilities Willmott Dixon, the Hertfordshire-based construction company, has announced its plans to launch a new leisure sector version of its standardised build concept this summer. Sunesis was officially unveiled last year in collaboration with Scape - a company owned by six local authorities to provide "various tools" to increase efficiency in the public sector. The concept currently offers ready-made school designs for the education

Image: The new hotel includes a 2,000sq m spa area Bulgari Hotels and Resorts has opened its latest luxury property in the Knightsbridge area of London, UK - the 85-bedroom Bulgari Hotel and Residences, London. The new hotel has been developed in accordance with best practices for sustainable design outlined by the BREEAM environmental assessment method for buildings. Facilities include a 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) spa, health and beauty area,

Image: The South Bank site has been transformed London's Jubilee Gardens are reopening today (31 May) ahead of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations this weekend, following the completion of a £5m transformation. The South Bank gardens were first created in order to mark the Silver Jubilee in 1977, with Netherlands-based landscape architects West 8 behind the design of the site's makeover. Frost Landscape Construction has delivered the scheme, which has

Scottish culture secretary Fiona Hyslop has launched a consultation into a new architecture and placemaking policy, which provides "an opportunity to build a better world". Speaking at an International Design Summit at The Lighthouse, Glasgow, Hyslop said that "well-designed buildings and places have a vital role to play in Scottish society". "Our historic build environment enhances our understanding and appreciation of our surroundings and contributes to our sense of national

Image: Scott based his design on Clydesdale horses SH Structures has been appointed by the Helix Trust to build two 30m (98ft)-high stainless steel-plated horses' heads that will form part of a major £41m regeneration scheme in central Scotland. The new sculptures - The Kelpies - have been devised by Glasgow-based artist Andy Scott and will contribute to the transformation of the landscape around Falkirk and Grangemouth. In March, Dundee-based

Image: Erect Architecture are behind the designs Plans for a new community hub in the northern part of London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park have been submitted by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). The facility will be located in the North Park - one of the first areas to reopen after the 2012 Games - and will provide a local ecology-themed community building and play space. Erect Architecture are behind

Image: Facilities include Le Spa with L'Occitane France-based hospitality group Accor has announced the launch of the new flagship Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit hotel - the luxury brand's second property in Thailand's capital city. Facilities include the 414sq m (4,456sq ft) Le Spa with L'Occitane, which features seven treatment rooms and is the first spa in Thailand to offer products from L'Occitane. The treatment rooms each refer to a Thai and

Image: S&P Architects worked on the RCP scheme Edinburgh's Royal Commonwealth Pool (RCP) - unveiled in March after receiving a £37m refurbishment, has been named among the winners at the Scottish Design Awards 2012. The S&P Architects -designed overhaul involved stripping back the A-listed building's shell and rebuilding the facility. It was the winner of the Re-use of a Listed Building category. S&P Architects worked with Buro Happold on the

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced additional investment totalling £13.6m for 51 skills projects through its Skills for the Future and Training Bursaries programmes. Nearly 790 new placements are to be delivered as a result of the funding boost, representing 700 years' worth of paid training opportunities for those looking to enter the heritage sector. Among the projects set to benefit from the latest investment are the digitising of

Image: The new Soweto Theatre in Johannesburg Soweto Theatre, a ZAR150m (US$18m, EUR14m, £11m) arts complex located in the centre of Jabulani, is being unveiled today (25 May) by the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Ranburg-based architects Afritects are behind the design of the new theatre, which comprises a 420-seat main auditorium with an end stage, orchestra pit, fly tower and buttress. Two smaller black box venues can seat 180

Image: Sandton Skye is scheduled to open in 2014 Construction work is underway on the ZAR1.5bn (US$179m, EUR143m, £114m) Sandton Sky lifestyle development in the financial hub of Johannesburg, South Africa. The luxury residential and hotel scheme has been designed by local architect AMA and includes a ZAR8m (US$954,000, EUR763,000, £610,000) wellness spa featuring modern African and eastern design styles. Spanning 450sq m (4,844sq ft), the spa will accommodate 12

Image: AEW Architects are behind the OTSC proposals Ex-Manchester United Football Club captain Gary Neville has been given the green light for the development of a new mixed-use complex near the club's stadium in Manchester. AEW Architects are behind the design of the new 10-storey Old Trafford Supporters' Club (OTSC), which is to be located at the junction of Wharfside Way and Sir Matt Busby Way. The 8,000sq m (86,111sq