Kansas City, US-based 360 Architecture is to work with Anwar Soura General Contracting Company on the development of two 30,000-seat soccer stadiums in Iraq. The design-build team has been appointed by the country's Ministry of Youth and Sport to deliver the venues in Basrah and Najaf, which will also incorporate practice facilities. Al-Menaa Sports Club is expected to cost US$86m (£53.4m) and aims to reflect Basrah's nautical tradition, located amid

Rugby Borough Council (RBC) has revealed that work could start "within months" on a new leisure centre in the Warwickshire town after plans were submitted for consideration. The B3 Architects-designed facility will cater for a range of sports and leisure uses and is to replace the current Ken Marriott Leisure Centre, which is around 40 years old. Located on the car park of the existing venue, the new leisure centre

North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) has announced that all leisure facilities at The Pods - a £21m complex designed by Andrew Wright - have now fully opened in Scunthorpe. S&P Architects worked on the scheme as delivery architects, while Bowmer and Kirkland built the facility. Buro Happold and ARCADIS were also involved with the development. Comprising five timber and glazed geodesic domes, The Pods features an 85-station, split-level fitness suite; an

S&P Architects has been appointed by Southwark Council and Lend Lease to design a new leisure centre on part of a site occupied by an existing facility in South London. The firm, which is working alongside Zaha Hadid on the London 2012 Aquatics Centre, will draw up plans for the venue to the rear of the Elephant & Castle Leisure Centre site. A six-lane, 25m swimming pool; a learner pool;

Createability has started work on a £370,000 refurbishment scheme at Winchester's River Park Leisure Centre, which will deliver an expanded fitness suite at the venue. Due to take 12 weeks to complete, the programme of work follows the announcement that operator DC Leisure had renewed its contract to manage the site for 12 more years. The scheme will see Createability break through the existing fitness suite and join it to

Hammerson has been given the green light by councillors to proceed with its proposals for the mixed-use regeneration of Eastgate Quarters in Leeds. The 92,900sq m (1 million sq ft) development is set to provide 4,000 retail and leisure jobs to the north east of the city centre, with most of the site laying vacant for a number of years. ACME are behind the design of the scheme, which will

Sunderland City Council (SCC) has confirmed that work is to start on the £2.4m renovation of Houghton Sports Complex, following the completion of a new wellness centre. Improvements will be made to the existing changing facilities and a fully-accessible disabled changing space is to be added as part of the upgrade, which was approved in March 2010. Work will also include a new dance studio on the site of the

A new £8m leisure complex under construction in Dorchester, Dorset, remains on course to open in spring 2012, with the structure of the building now reaching its full height. The Leadbitter Group commenced work on the Dyer-designed Dorchester Sports Centre in November 2010, with facilities to include a six-lane swimming pool and a 60-station gym. A dance studio and a changing village also form part of the complex, which is

The two swimming pools at Scunthorpe's new multi-million pound Pods leisure complex are to open on 11 July - a week after the first facilities at the venue were unveiled. A spokesperson for North Lincolnshire Council has confirmed that the entire building will be open from that date, with other facilities including a split-level, 85-station fitness suite. Two exercise studios; a sauna; a spa bath; a steamroom; a six-court sports

Transport for London (TfL) has revealed that construction work is now underway on a new cable car link across the River Thames, which will link Greenwich with the Royal Docks. Due for completion in summer 2012, the development aims to reduce journey times between the O2 Arena and the ExCeL venue and transform the area into a 'metropolitan quarter'. The start of work will see piles for the new passenger

Ealing Council is to hold five public meetings later this month in order to allow residents to view plans for the multi-million pound redevelopment of Acton Town Hall, west London. The first event is to take place on 15 July at Acton Baths, with proposals drawn up by S&P Architects to be put on display. Members of the project team will also be present. Plans will boast the provision of

Belfast's new £18m Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) remains on track to open its doors to the public "early next year", according to Northern Ireland arts minister Carál Ní Chuilín. Located in the city's Cathedral Quarter, the venue will replace the Old Museum Arts Centre and has received £10.76m from the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL). Facilities will comprise two black box performance spaces with seating capacity for 120

BAM Construction has been chosen by the University of Nottingham (UoN) to build a new £20m eco-friendly hotel adjacent to the East Midlands Conference Centre. Funded entirely by the institution, the property has been designed by RHWL Architects and will incorporate the latest technology in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. The hotel is due to open by the end of 2012 and will boast a gym; a restaurant; and

Plans for a new £18.2m aquatics centre as part of the Aberdeen Sports Village development have taken a step forward after Graham Construction was appointed to build the complex. Designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects, the Aberdeen Aquatics Centre will comprise a ten-lane, 50m swimming pool with a dividing boom and a part-floating floor. A 25m x 16.5m diving pool, fitted with water cushioning systems and an adjustable floor, is also planned,

Four teams have been invited to submit proposals for the design and build of the new Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Canada, following a Request for Qualifications stage. The Request for Proposals part of the project has now been launched by the Government of Alberta, which received an initial seven expressions of interest now whittled down to four. EllisDon Construction Services; Graham Design Builders; PCL Construction Management; and Ledcor Design

Construction work is now underway on a new £21m sports and leisure facility to replace the existing Fife Institute for Physical and Recreational Educational (FIPRE) in Glenrothes. Graham Construction has been chosen by Fife Council to build the new complex, which has been designed by B3 Architects and Cre8 Architecture. Facilities will include a 25m x 17m, eight-lane competition pool with viewing gallery to cater for 250 spectators and a

Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) has backed plans for the development of a new multi-million pound sports and leisure village on the site of a former prisoner of war camp. A special meeting of the full council on 4 July approved the Island Farm scheme, which had already received the backing of the local authority's planning committee in late June. The plans - comprising a 15,000-seat rugby league stadium and

Spa management and skincare company ESPA revealed ESPA Life, its brand new spa concept, at the five-star, 294-bedroom Corinthia Hotel London, UK, yesterday (4 July 2011). ESPA Life is billed as 'a leading voice in the next generation of spa' and will offer a fully integrated wellness approach alongside a luxury spa experience. The wellness menu includes lifestyle programmes that focus on detox, sleep, weight-loss, pregnancy and general vitality. It

London-based artist Cecil Balmond has been selected to work with designer Charles Jencks on the creation of a new contemporary landmark to be located at Gretna, Scotland. The Star of Caledonia is the working title of Balmond's response to a design contest for "The Great Unknown" as part of The Gretna Landmark Project. Wide Open (South Scotland) will develop and produce the project for the Gretna Landmark Trust, which evolved

Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG) is a step closer to embarking on a £1.5m redevelopment of its four iconic Tecton structures after securing a first-round funding pass from the Heritage lottery Fund (HLF). HLF awarded DZG development funding of just over £123,000, giving the zoo up to two years to submit more detailed plans and apply for a full HLF grant of £970,000 towards the project. The attraction contains the world's

Churchill Sports Centre in North Somerset is undergoing a £900,000 redevelopment. The leisure centre, a dual use site with Churchill Community School, is managed by leisure trust Tone, which is investing more than £100,000 towards the work, whilst North Somerset Council will provide the further £800,000. The redevelopment, carried out by leisure development partner Createability and project managed by Alliance Leisure, will include a 35-station gym, two studios and a

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (THFC) has submitted a bid for public sector support to help kick-start the stalled Northumberland Development Project (NDP) in North London. The Premier League club had previously stated that the multi-million pound development - including a new 56,250-seat stadium and designed by KSS - was financially unviable. However, THFC has now submitted an application for Round Two of the Regional Growth Fund in a bid to

A split-level, 85-station fitness suite and a six-court sports hall are among the first facilities to be opened today (4 July) at The Pods leisure complex in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. Two exercise studios; a sauna; a spa bath; a steamroom; and a café with an outdoor terrace have also been unveiled at the venue by North Lincolnshire Council (NLC). However, the council has yet to confirm a date for the opening

The Four Seasons Marrakech resort in Morocco has opened. The resort has 141 rooms and suites and facilities include three restaurants and a luxury spa. Blu Spas has been working with architect Didier Lefort of DL2A Paris and the UK-based GA Design on the interior of the property. The US$15m (11m euro, £9m) spa boasts 17 treatment rooms with the main pavilion offering 15 treatment rooms. There is also a

A ceremony has taken place to mark the start of construction work at the £13.7m Tollcross Aquatics Centre in Glasgow, which is to be used for swimming events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The scheme has been designed by an in-house team at Glasgow City Council (GCC), with Barr Construction appointed to deliver the development. Work will include the creation of a new six-lane, 50m warm-up swimming pool to add

Researchers at the University of Bradford have devised a new formula for measuring tranquillity, which could help to increase the health benefits of urban and country parks. According to Greg Watts, professor of transportation noise at the School of Engineering's Centre for Sustainable Environments, the toolkit could help in the design of better parks. Methods to assess noise levels and the visual setting have been devised by Professor Watt, which

London's Design Museum has confirmed that it has received a £7.5m donation towards its new development project from the Conran Foundation - endowed by Sir Terence Conran. The cash gift has been pledged by the foundation, in addition to the value of the sale of the lease of the current museum building at Shad Thomas, which is valued at £10m. Under its development plans, the Design Museum is aiming to