by Pete Hayman | 24 Nov 2008

A new 1,500-acre (607-hectare) coastal wildlife habitat is to be established by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in Essex using material excavated as part of the construction of London's Crossrail project. Clay, chalk, sand and gravel will be shipped by boat from the centre of the capital to Wallasea Island, which is the site for Europe's largest wetland creation scheme. Designed to replace wildlife habitats damaged

by Pete Hayman | 21 Nov 2008

Leeds City Council (LCC) has approved plans for a new centre of excellence for dance which will become the new home of the Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and the Phoenix Dance Theatre (PDT). The new six-storey £12m centre will consist of seven dance studios, including a 200-seat studio theatre, as well as a health suite, a costume workshop and office space. It will also eventually house a full-time a classical

by Luke Tuchscherer | 21 Nov 2008

The National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. is to reopen today (21 November) after a two-year, US$85m (£57.5m) facelift. The museum – which is operated by the Smithsonian Institute – saw its centre core renovated, with a grand staircase and a skylight installed and a new Star-Spangled Banner gallery built. New York-based architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the project, which was then carried out by the Turner

by Pete Hayman | 20 Nov 2008

Public art and social facilities have been proposed by Leicester University as part of its £1bn campus redevelopment project. The scheme is designed to establish the university as one of the top ten in the UK, and its new Development Framework Plan outlines £786m of investment over the next two decades to complement a £300m plan unveiled in 2002. At the centre of proposals, the university plans to establish high

by Pete Hayman | 18 Nov 2008

Work has started on the second phase of the National Cricket Centre at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club. An extra floor will be built at the centre, which was first opened during the winter of 1998/99, while new seating and access facilities will also be added to the site. By the start of the 2009 season, the centre will also house a

by Pete Hayman | 17 Nov 2008

Work is set to begin by the end of the year on the £31.4m Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in North Lanarkshire after the local authority agreed to provide extra funding. North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) has approved an additional £2.4m for the new complex in order to cover rising costs, and it is now expected that preparation work can begin on site in December, with full-scale work scheduled to begin in

by Pete Hayman | 17 Nov 2008

Broxtowe Borough Council (BBC) has revealed that anti-social behaviour at a park in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, has been reduced as a result of its new play strategy. Improvements to Queen Elizabeth Park, which were completed in July, was one of a number of projects included in the strategy, which aims to 'design out' anti-social behaviour by providing dedicated spaces for young people. A new football and basketball facility was installed at

by Pete Hayman | 17 Nov 2008

Irish development company, Chartered Land, has revised plans for a 1.25m euro (£1.014m) regeneration project in the centre of Dublin. Plans for the 5.5-acre (2.25-hectare) Dublin Central scheme were unveiled in April, but the company was asked to submit further information following a request made by planners at Dublin City Council. The mixed-use project will see the regeneration of the city's old Carlton Cinema on Upper O'Connell Street, and will

by Luke Tuchscherer | 14 Nov 2008

The designs for the US$79m (£53m, 62.2m euro) expansion of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) Arena in Duluth, Minnesota, US, have been unveiled. The project is a joint venture between the arena and the University of Minnesota, whose men’s and women’s ice hockey teams play at the venue. Designed by Kansas City-based HOK Sport and Duluth-based SJA Architects, the arena will see its capacity grow from 5,100 to 6,600.

by Luke Tuchscherer | 14 Nov 2008

The £61m Curve theatre in Leicester has opened its doors after three years of construction. Based in the St George’s Conservation Area in the heart of the city’s cultural quarter, the building was designed by the Uruguayan-born, New York-based architect Rafael Viñoly and is his first completed project in the UK. Curve, which replaces the Haymarket Theatre, boasts two auditoriums – the 750-seat main theatre and a 350-seat studio –

by Caroline Wilkinson | 13 Nov 2008

Operator Edinburgh Leisure has released detailed designs of the £2.5m redevelopment of its Craiglockhart Tennis & Sports Centre in Scotland. The upgrade is part of the City’s Sport and Physical Recreation Strategy, which is intended to make Edinburgh the most physically active city in Europe by 2020. When complete, the centre will be extended by one storey and will feature squash courts, a new reception area, a fitness studio and

by Luke Tuchscherer | 10 Nov 2008

The Lune Aqueduct in Lancaster is to receive a £3m facelift. The plans, drawn up by British Waterways North West, involve relining the canal channel; repaving both sides of the canal along the aqueduct and rebuilding walls along the turning basin among other restoration work. However, British Waterways also held a public consultation at Lancaster’s Maritime Museum to discuss further plans to be included. Some of the ideas discussed included

by Luke Tuchscherer | 06 Nov 2008

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has unveiled its plans for the London 2012 Olympic Park. Designed by LDA Design and Hargreaves Associates, the 100-hectare park, to be set on former industrial land, has been inspired by the Victorian and post-war pleasure and festival gardens. The park will be home to the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velopark, multi-sports arena and the Eton Manor outdoor sports complex. It will boast lawns, footpaths

by Pete Hayman | 06 Nov 2008

Leeds City Council (LCC) has announced that a new multi-million pound entertainment arena is to be built at a site in the city centre. The council's executive selected the 5.1-acre (2.06-hectare) Claypit Lane site for the new 12,500-seat venue, which is part owned by Leeds Metropolitan University. Council land at Elland Road will be retained as a back-up option for the development after it was adjudged that the city centre

by Luke Tuchscherer | 06 Nov 2008

A £115m golf course on the outskirts of Aberdeen has been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government, less than 48-hours after Donald Trump’s £1bn Balmedie golf resort was also approved. The course, designed by former Open champion Paul Lawrie and being developed by the Muir Group, will also boast a hotel and housing. The proposal was previously okayed by Aberdeenshire Council and the government has decided not to call

by Luke Tuchscherer | 05 Nov 2008

The proposed health centre for the London 2012 Athletes’ Village has reportedly been shelved. The Architects’ Journal said that the project, designed by Penoyre & Prasad, could be scrapped and the healthcare facilities could now be housed in a temporary building during the Games. Lend Lease, the developer, is struggling to raise its contribution to the £1bn required for the village due to the global credit crisis, which has also

by Pete Hayman | 05 Nov 2008

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) has launched a fundraising appeal to help finance a new £22.5m arts training and performance complex in Cardiff. Cardiff Council approved planning permission for the scheme in September, and the college is now seeking to raise £3.5m from donors with 80 per cent of the project's funding already in place, including a £10m contribution from the Welsh Assembly Government. Plans for

by Luke Tuchscherer | 04 Nov 2008

Work has begun on the £5m redevelopment of the University of Bradford Leisure Centre. The university is working with Cambridge-based architects Saunders Boston and Lotus Construction to revamp the sports and recreation facilities on its city centre campus. Chris Spargo, head of commercial services for the university, said: “This significant investment into new and redeveloped sports facilities not only provides a fantastic opportunity for the current and future student community,

by Pete Hayman | 04 Nov 2008

A 400m (1,312ft) stretch of Brighton's seafront is set to be given a heritage-style makeover as part of a £300,000 improvement project along the city's Madeira Drive. New bollards and railings will be installed and the pavement widened, as part of work to protect seafront arches underneath the thoroughfare which can no longer take the weight of heavy vehicles parking on top of them. In September, a £250,000 scheme to

by Pete Hayman | 04 Nov 2008

Draft plans for the redevelopment of Potters Field on the South Bank, which include a new cultural centre, are currently being drawn up following consultation with local residents. The 3-acre (1.2-hectare) site, situated opposite the Tower of London, has been disused for a number of years, and now a joint project between Southwark Council and residential developer Berkeley Homes is set to transform the area. London-based architect, Squire and Partners,

by Luke Tuchscherer | 03 Nov 2008

The designs for Panama City Centre in Panama City, Panama, have been unveiled by design firm WATG. The project consists of two towers that will feature a conference centre, a casino, a spa, a fitness centre with pool, food and beverage units and retail outlets. One of the towers will house a 397-room hotel with a fine-dining restaurant on top, while the other will have office space with a nightclub

by Luke Tuchscherer | 03 Nov 2008

The £250m Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre has opened in Bern, Switzerland. Designed by New York-based architect Daniel Libeskind, the new complex boasts 55 shops, 10 restaurants and bars, a 144-room hotel, a multiplex cinema, a fitness centre and a fun pool. Libeskind’s concept was to “create a public space with day and night facilities, a self-enclosed district offering endless amenities and services, almost like a city within a city”.

by Pete Hayman | 03 Nov 2008

A three-year fundraising appeal to secure the future of the Watermill Theatre in Berkshire has reached its target of £3m. The campaign to save the Grade-II listed theatre in Bagnor, near Newbury, was launched in June 2005 and attracted more than 4,000 contributions from individuals, trusts, foundations and businesses, including £200,000 from Arts Council England. By January 2007, campaigners had already raised the £1.8m needed to acquire the theatre premises,

by Caroline Wilkinson | 31 Oct 2008

Developer Dubai Properties is building a £255m museum, dedicated to Middle Eastern modern art as the centre piece of its £8bn Cultural Village project in Dubai, UAE. The 25,000 sq m Museum of Middle East Modern Art (MOMEMA), designed by Amsterdam-based architects UN Studio, will include exhibition spaces, art galleries, leasable workshop spaces, an auditorium and an amphitheatre for live performances and international festivals. MOMEMA will also feature a 60-room

by Tom Walker | 31 Oct 2008

Work has commenced on the £7.6m remodelling of a large two-storey Marks & Spencer retail unit, which had been vacant for over three years, on High Road in Wembley, London. Designed by Brimelow McSweeney Architects for Dukelease Properties, the scheme will provide a leisure centre and two retail units while existing offices on upper floors will be converted into residential accommodation. The 1,345 sq m health club will be operated

by Pete Hayman | 30 Oct 2008

The birthplace of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas has been turned into an 'experiential self-catering holiday home' following a refurbishment project. Guests staying at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in the Uplands area of Swansea will be given the chance to experience life as it would have been in 1914, the year in which the property was first bought the property. In order to replicate conditions from nearly a century ago, the house

by Pete Hayman | 30 Oct 2008

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) has announced plans to move to a new 60,000-seat stadium in north London. The club has outlined the proposals as part of its Northumberland Development Project, which will also incorporate new facilities including a museum and a new base for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. Plans for the new stadium cover an area around 20 acres (8.1 hectares), and include the site of the current 36,000-seat