Week's top news: Patrik Schumacher faces backlash, OMA reveal Feyenoord stadium and designers create boat powered by human energy
by Kim Megson | 03 Dec 2016
Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from the announcement of the world’s best building to new projects for OMA, Foster + Partners and Eric Parry.
Monday
• Madrid’s historic Hall of Realms will be refurbished and transformed into an important art exhibition space by architects Foster + Partners and Rubio Arquitectura Read here.
• The Kroenke Sports and Entertainment company has broken ground on the new HKS-designed Los Angeles Stadium, which will be the new home of National Football League franchise the LA Rams. Read here.
• The City of London’s planning committee has green lit architect Eric Parry’s design for the district’s tallest tower. Read here.
• The Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) in Lima, designed by Grafton Architects, has won the first ever RIBA International Prize for the world's best building. Read here.
Tuesday
• A new resort with a nature-inspired spa has opened adjacent to an environmentally protected 208-acre state park along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Read here.
• Patrik Schumacher’s position at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) is not under threat despite the practice issuing a frank statement distancing itself from his controversial comments about social housing and the privatisation of public space. Read here.
• A masterplan a new leisure district for Dutch football club Feyenoord, which includes a sculptural new stadium, has been approved by the mayor of Rotterdam. Read here.
• Parisian gym-goers could soon be powering scenic boat trips along the River Seine on a fitness vessel that harnesses energy from passengers’ workouts. Read here.
Thursday
• Plans for Factory, the flagship arts building for the north of England designed by Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture have been submitted to Manchester City Council. Read here.
• Faena Forum, the new cultural core of the Faena District in Miami Beach, has opened to the public in time for the Design Miami global forum. Read here.
• A US Army base in the centre of Seoul will be repurposed as a vast public park by Dutch landscape architects West 8. Read here.
Friday
• Italian studio Network of Architecture (NOA*) have created a cantilevering swimming pool overlooking a forest valley in the Dolomites in Italy. Read here.
• The world’s first permanent ice hotel has opened to guests 200km (124m) north of the Arctic Circle. Read here.
• Ground has been broken on a life-size replica of the doomed Titanic passenger liner now under construction in China’s Sichuan Province. Read here.
For a quick and comprehensive overview of all our recent stories, take a look at CLAD's Grid View mode.
For more leisure design and architecture news you can check the CLAD website every day and follow us on Twitter @CLADglobal
Patrik Schumcher Norman Foster Eric Parry Zaha Hadid Architects design architecture
OMA's sports district and stadium for Dutch football club Feyenoord has been approved by Rotterdam's mayor Credit: OMA
Architect Carlo Ratti has designed a boat powered by gym-goers' workouts that looks set to sail along the River Seine Credit: CRA
Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from the announcement of the world’s best building to new projects for OMA, Foster + Partners and Eric Parry. Monday • Madrid’s historic Hall of Realms will be refurbished and transformed into an important art exhibition space by architects Foster + Partners and Rubio Arquitectura Read here. • The Kroenke Sports and Entertainment company has broken ground on
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by Helen Andrews | 21 Jul 2026
TLee Spas and Wellness has revealed the design for a wellness destination concept for AI company Midjourney, that blurs the boundaries between spa, fitness and preventative healthcare, with the goal of improving public health. TLee collaborated with Basalt, the company that created Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon, as well as San Francisco-based architects Rapt Studio to create a blended environment with organic forms and tech-driven experiences. Midjourney is a generative AI
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by Helen Andrews | 21 Jul 2026
Ameyalli, the 78-acre wellbeing resort and residential community in Midway in Utah, US, has broken ground on phase two of the hot spring development – the Ameyalli Resort and Spa – which is due to open in 2028. We first wrote about the project in 2024, when wellness industry figure Deepak Chopra and the Chopra Foundation were co-developers. Chopra has since stepped away from the project, but he played a
OMA completes New Museum transformation with landmark expansion and Oberon restaurant
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OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance, hospitality and public programming. The latest addition, Oberon, extends the visitor experience beyond the gallery, reflecting a growing trend for museums to become all-day destinations.
The New Museum in New York has entered a new chapter with the completion of a major
David Rockwell creates immersive magic destination, The Hand and The Eye
by Liz Terry | 14 Jul 2026
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Montana Heritage Center by Cushing Terrell opens after US$107 million investment
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Universal Destinations and Experiences has launched a new regional theme park model with the opening of Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas. The resort is the company's first theme park designed specifically for families with young children and represents a move beyond Universal's traditional large-scale destination resort model. Developed on a 97-acre site north of Dallas, the resort combines a family-focused theme park with the 300-room Universal Kids Resort Hotel.
'Minor wellness hotels' recorded the strongest growth across top KPIs in 2025, finds RLA Global
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Marriott International partners with Fitwel for wellness solutions across its residential portfolio
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Places Leisure is working with Roberts Limbrick to build £60m wellness flagship in Basingstoke
by Kath Hudson | 10 Jul 2026
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and wellness destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. This will be the biggest investment in wellbeing the borough has seen for decades. The landmark facility will replace Basingstoke Aquadrome. Subject to planning permission, the complex will be built in a new location on the site, enabling the existing Aquadrome to remain open until the new
Hoshino Resorts opens Kai Kusatsu as it expands the Kai onsen ryokan brand
by Helen Andrews | 01 Jul 2026
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Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth. The company highlighted the investment programme as part of a wider campaign marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, while also drawing attention to the economic contribution of its domestic parks and experiences
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The London Museum’s new site will open in Smithfield, East London, on 28 November 2026. The new museum, designed by Asif Khan and Stanton Williams, alongside conservation architects Julian Harrap, will tell the story of London and its history, and will also act as a social space for residents and visitors. Items on permanent display will include the vest worn by King Charles I at his execution, Emmeline Pankhurst’s hunger
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Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
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Palazzo di Varignana launches family wellbeing and longevity retreat in Emilia Romagna
by Helen Andrews | 22 Jun 2026
Palazzo di Varignana, in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, has created a new tailored health programme designed specifically for families. Families with young children can visit the 650-hectare estate, located near Bologna, to experience a retreat designed by the resort’s scientific director, Dr Annamaria Acquaviva. A dietitian and expert in mindfulness and longevity science, Acquaviva has created the programme to help children and teenagers build healthy and lasting habits.
Anasa Wellness and Spa debuts at Patmos Aktis as it joins Marriott
by Helen Andrews | 22 Jun 2026
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and rebranded wellness offering called Anasa Wellness and Spa. The property, which is located on the southeast side of Patmos Island in Grikos Bay, is owned by the Greek investment fund SMERemediumCap (SMERC). The resort has now completed a full renovation to reposition itself in the Luxury Collection brand category for Marriott International. This brand
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by Kath Hudson | 22 Jun 2026
Koru Health Club launched recently within Luxembourg’s multi-experience destination, GRID X, which combines culture, retail and hospitality. The club combines high-end sports facilities with a strong sense of community in an ultra-modern space. UK-based interior designers, Zynk, delivered the interior architecture and brand identity for the 27,000sq ft club. The vision was to create a premium fitness and wellness destination that blends high-performance training with restorative experiences to create a
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Lithuanian care operator Addere Care has launched a “wellness care hospital” in Vilnius. It's the company’s second Lithuanian site, following a hospital in Trakai, but the first to offer professional medical care in a spa resort environment. The new 4,400sq m facility has been developed within a reconstructed former hotel. It features 160 rooms and a day care centre that can accommodate up to 12 patients at a time. The
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All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
by Helen Andrews | 28 May 2026
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