Architecture and design news

Charlton Lido will become a dive centre
by Caroline Wilkinson | 19 May 2008
Planning permission has been granted for Charlton Lido in Greenwich, London, to be redeveloped into an open-water scuba diving centre. The project will be privately funded by leisure and residential development firm Open Waters and is expected to cost between £8m and £10m. When complete, the four-storey dive centre will have a 22m-deep, 25m-dive pool, a gym, treatment rooms, exercise studios and a crèche. It will also include a restaurant,

Eclectic Bars to launch second Sakura
by Tom Walker | 15 May 2008
Bar operator Eclectic, which owns the Po Na Na venues, will open its second Sakura-branded bar in Reading, Berkshire, on May 22. The Bar will replace the company’s former Fez club on the site and will have a capacity to hold 593 revellers over three levels. Sakura has spent £1m on redeveloping and rebranding the venue, which has been designed by Julian Taylor.

New facility for Trinity College
by Tom Walker | 08 May 2008
Trinity College has opened its new 30m euro (£24m) sports centre in Dublin. The centre features a 25m, six-lane swimming pool with a moveable fl oor, two sports halls and a 19m climbing wall. Open to students, staff and the local community, the facility also boasts a health and fitness area, an aerobic and dance studio, a sauna, steamroom and treatment rooms for physiotherapy. Funding for the centre came from

Council to fund museum revamp
by Tom Walker | 07 May 2008
The Leighton House Museum in London's Holland Park is to undergo a £1.3m revamp. The work, which will include upgrading the 19th-century museum’s central heating and electrical services as well as restoring the original decorations, has been funded fully by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The museum will close to the public on 31 October for the duration of the work, and is scheduled to reopen in November

Developer named for Guildford Civic Hall
by Tom Walker | 02 May 2008
Guildford Borough Council has named Willmott Dixon as its preferred bidder to construct the proposed £24m Guildford Civic Hall. The new 1,700-capacity venue has been designed by architects Austin-Smith:Lord and the council will now work with the developers to agree final planning, design and costs. A main construction contract is expected to be finalised with Willmott Dixon later this year and the venue is scheduled to host its first events

Chelsea Barracks to be redeveloped for leisure
by Caroline Wilkinson | 02 May 2008
Plans to transform the former 12.8-acre Chelsea Barracks in Westminster, London, into a mixed-use development with hotel and sports facilities have been revised. The development is being carried out by a consortium called Project Blue (Guernsey) Limited (PBGL), a joint venture between Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and CPC Group, a development arm of Candy & Candy. The Candy Brothers, directors of Candy & Candy property design and development

Indoor snow centre for Hemel Hempstead
by Caroline Wilkinson | 02 May 2008
Construction firm Sir Robert McAlpine is converting the dry slopes at Hemel Ski Centre in Bennetts End, Hertfordshire, into a £23m hub for indoor skiing and snowboarding. Called The Snow Centre, it will boast a 160m indoor ski slope – graded for all levels of experience, a100m nursery slope, large video screens that show winter sports, two drag lifts and a rope tow on the trainer slope. The centre will

Captain Cook attraction for Whitby
by Tom Walker | 02 May 2008
A new visitor attraction, centred on the legend of Captain Cook, is to be built in Whitby, Yorkshire. The Captain James Cook R.N. Charitable Trust has appointed visitor attraction design group, Continuum, to design and build the £1m attraction, which will be housed in an historic engine shed and entry will be through Whitby’ main railway station. Alan Eyles, project manager for Continuum, said: “It’s a really interesting job to

Joint service centre plans for Liverpool
by Caroline Wilkinson | 01 May 2008
Plans have been submitted for a joint venture between five Liverpool councils to fund a £8.2m sports centre --and library in Maghull, Merseyside. Contributions will come from Sefton Borough Council, Maghull Town Council, Lydiate Parish Council, Melling Parish Council and Sefton Parish Council. The new centre will be built adjoining to Maghull Town Hall. The planned facility would house a five lane 25m swimming pool, a learner pool and fitness

CABE calls for artists to play part in planning
by Tom Walker | 01 May 2008
The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has called for more unfettered designs to be used in development projects. According to CABE, the government’s advisor on architecture, making sure artists play a part in the design process could significantly enhance regenerations projects. The announcement follows the two-year PROJECT initiative, which aims to promote the role of artists in development schemes. An independent evaluation found that artists often raised

Jack Nicklaus golf resort planned for Ireland
by Caroline Wilkinson | 22 Apr 2008
A consortium of investors has submitted plans to Waterford County Council for a £104m (€150m) resort on the coast of Cahir near Tramore, south-east Ireland. The as yet unnamed resort project will be located in Islandikane, and will have an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course as its centrepiece, along with a period-style hotel with courtyard, health spa, bar, restaurant and function room. A clubhouse, leisure centre with various sports

San Francisco hotel goes solar
by Caroline Wilkinson | 22 Apr 2008
Hotel Carlton, part of boutique hotel company Joie de Vivre Hospitality, is the first in San Francisco to have solar panels installed to offset its energy use. The hotel partnered with San Francisco-based Sunlight Electric, a commercial solar power supplier to undertake the installation and has had 105 solar panels fitted covering 1,332 sq ft (124sq m) of its roof. The panels will reduce the hotel’s electricity usage by 12
Aberdeen arts centre to open in 2010
by Tom Walker | 18 Apr 2008
A £13m modern arts centre is to open in Aberdeen in 2010, after proposals were green lighted by the Scottish Government. The new centre recently received £4m in capital funding from the Scottish Arts Council and will be the first of its kind in northern Scotland. The development is the result of a partnership between Aberdeen City Council and Peacock Visual Arts, which hopes to attract 200,000 visitors a year
Nottingham Tennis centre to be revamped
by Tom Walker | 18 Apr 2008
The Nottingham Tennis Centre is set to undergo a £735,000 refurbishment scheme as part of the Nottingham City Council’s Leisure Centre Transformation Programme. The council has launched a public consultation on the proposals, which would include replacing the ground floor catering with a new air cooled fitness suite with multi activity and spinning studios and re-locating the ground floor catering to the first floor. Councillor David Trimble said: "The proposals

Plans for Meadowbank Stadium cause controversy
by Caroline Wilkinson | 16 Apr 2008
The renovation of Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Stadium may result in its capacity being reduced from 16,000 to 5,000 seats so Edinburgh Council can sell excess land to fund further indoor sports facilities. Although it is at the outline planning stage, the decision has caused much controversy with the Meadowbank Community Council, which claims that it is completely at odds with what the public want. Giacomo Modica, community council chair explained: “It

Plans submitted for a £1.3m Club Hub at Taunton County Ground
by Caroline Wilkinson | 16 Apr 2008
Somerset County Cricket Club has submitted plans to build a £1.3m Club Hub at the County Ground in Taunton, located next door to and interlinked with the Ondaatje Pavilion. The hub is the second part of a two-phase development scheme involved in Project Taunton, a regeneration plan for the town. It will replace the original plans for an £8m club hub which was to be located in St James car

New national showground for Scotland
by Caroline Wilkinson | 16 Apr 2008
The Royal Highland Agricultural Society for Scotland (RHASS) is funding a delivery study, to be carried out by construction firm Mace Group, for the proposed £275m Norton Park project in Edinburgh. The project is part of the relocation of The Royal Highland Centre– Scotland’s National Showground for 150 events and the headquarters of the RHASS, which is being forced to move due the expansion of Edinburgh Airport, planned for 2013.

Harrow to invest in eco-friendly gym
by Tom Walker | 16 Apr 2008
Harrow Council has unveiled plans to build one of the most environmentally friendly leisure centres in the country. The eco-friendly plans for the £37.2m centre include reclaiming 800 cubic metres of rainwater per year from the roof, enough to fill the 25m swimming pool twice over, and harnessing outgoing warm air from the swimming pool, reducing the cost of heating the building by 75 per cent. The council also plans

Groucho Club gets green light
by Tom Walker | 15 Apr 2008
HKR Architects have been granted planning permission for their designs for the extension of the famed Groucho Club in Soho. Plans for the private social club include a four-storey extension which will include new bedrooms as well as a complete refurbishment of the existing accommodation. Gordon Pickering, chief executive of the London office of HKR said: “We’ve enjoyed working on this project for the past 12 months and steering it

Camden’s Prince of Wales Baths get lifeline
by Caroline Wilkinson | 08 Apr 2008
After years of political wrangling, planning permission has been given for the refurbishment of Camden’s historic Victorian Prince of Wales Baths. The £25m refurbishment will start in May. The Baths, now known as Kentish Town Sports Centre, will retain three swimming pools while a dance studio, 125-station health suite and new changing facilities will also be added. The 33 1/3-yard Willes pool will be refurbished and the Grafton pool downsized
People’s History Museum revamp gets underway
by Tom Walker | 07 Apr 2008
Work has begun on the £12.2m redevelopment of the People's History Museum in Manchester. The redevelopment of the site will see the museum double in size and consolidate its current two sites into one via an extension. The extension has been designed by architects Austin-Smith:Lord, with Headland Desing Associates responsible for the exhibition design. Funding for the project has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£7.18m), Manchester City Council (£2m),

Plans for £40m Edinburgh hotel development revealed
by Luke Tuchscherer | 04 Apr 2008
A £40m hotel development is being planned in Edinburgh on a site ravaged by fire in 2002. Located in South Bridge/Cowgate, the site was previously host to the J&R Allan department store – home to the Gilded Balloon comedy venue, Bridge Jazz Bar and La Belle Angele nightclub – which was destroyed by a major blaze that attracted worldwide attention. The new scheme – called SoCo – is the brainchild

£67m Joint Service Centre planned for Wigan
by Luke Tuchscherer | 03 Apr 2008
A £67m public service hub, featuring leisure and learning facilities, is being planned for Wigan. The complex – to be called the Joint Service Centre – will boast a 25m swimming pool, a fitness centre and a new library, with the aim of being a one-stop shop for public services. The centre is being funded by private finance initiative (PFI) credits, for which Wigan Council had to compete against 100

Historic Scotland questions Leith Docks plans
by Tom Walker | 02 Apr 2008
Heritage watchdog Historic Scotland has warned that the planned regeneration of Leith Docks could threaten Edinburgh’s historic skyline. In a letter to the city council, Historic Scotland voices its concerns over plans to include tall buildings within the mixed-use scheme. The plans – the biggest planning application ever to come before the local authority – were handed in last year and a decision is expected by the end of this

Lama win for Letterkenny
by Tom Walker | 31 Mar 2008
Aura Letterkenny Leisure Centre, which opened last summer in Ireland, was recently named Best Sporting Facility at the Local Authority Members Association (LAMA) Awards. The Letterkenny Leisure Centre, managed by Aura on behalf of Letterkenny Town Council, was designed by Holohan Architects who, like Aura, are part of the Holohan Group. The centre includes a 25-metre swimming pool, kiddies’ and learner pool, a water slide, gym, health suite, multi-purpose sports
Architects announced for Spanish arts quarter
by Tom Walker | 31 Mar 2008
London-based David Chipperfield Architects (DCA) has been appointed to create the masterplan for a new arts and technology quarter in Segovia, Spain. According to the brief, the new 120,000sq m area of town will comprise an art museum, a technology centre, a hotel and a congress centre. According to DCA, the early designs of the new quarter have been inspired by the historic city’s walls and narrow irregular streets. A
‘Bistro on the Bridge’ to open in Hull
by Tom Walker | 19 Mar 2008
Urban regeneration company Hull Citybuild has announced plans to open a restaurant on a linking bridge it is constructing as part of The Boom development on the Hull waterfront. Citybuild says that the eatery, which has been given the working name ‘Bistro on the Bridge’, will offer diners a unique experience as they will be able to remain on the bridge as it opens and closes for boats passing on

ODA appoints Olympic Park designer
by Tom Walker | 19 Mar 2008
The Olympic Delivery Authority has appointed LDA Design and US-based landscape architects Hargreaves Associates to design the Olympic Park for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The designers will be tasked with developing detailed proposals for the open spaces in the Olympic Park for the Games. A significant aspect of the design brief will be to incorporate usage for the legacy of the park. The 2.5sq km Olympic Park

Dinosaurs take over Australian Museum
by Tim Nash | 17 Mar 2008
The Australian Museum in Sydney has unveiled a new 650sq m permanent exhibition exploring the pre-historic world of predator and prey. The Dinosaurs exhibition is split into four areas: Dinosaur World, Dinosaur Life, Discovering Dinosaurs and Surviving Dinosaurs. The creatures are brought to life through a range of hands-on fossil specimens, models, skeletons, touch screen computers, interactives, dramatic lighting effects and projected scenes. Visitors can make sounds like a crested

Doncaster plans £300m cultural quarter
by Tom Walker | 06 Mar 2008
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council has announced plans for a £300m Civic and Cultural Quarter (CCQ) in the city’s Waterdale district. The council aims to regenerate 10 hectares – around 25 per cent – of the city centre, providing leisure amenities, housing, Doncaster’s first public square and a new performance venue. The scheme will be delivered in four stages over six to eight years, with the final phase expected to be
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