Week’s top news: Heatherwick hits back, De Niro gets green light and Fairmont build ‘a park in a hotel’
Here are some of the most popular stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Elon Musk’s proposed solar roof to three new football stadium designs.
Monday
• A “smart” self-shading window has been developed that can switch from transparent to opaque in a matter of seconds. Read here.
• Two alternative designs have been proposed for Sir Peter Jackson’s Wellington Movie Museum. Read here.
• GOCO Hospitality is developing a spa and wellness retreat on the dramatic German island of Rügen. Read here.
• Dubai’s next planned stadium will be fully air-conditioned and the largest sports facility in the UAE. Read here.
Tuesday
• Developer Nakheel and hospitality giant RIU Hotels & Resorts have officially kickstarted development on a huge resort and waterpark on Dubai’s artificial Deira Islands. Read here.
• Billionaire inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk has teased his latest innovation: a customisable roof with integrated solar panels. Read here.
• A new leisure centre in north London will be surrounded by an outdoor running track. Read here.
• OMA’s managing partner tells CLAD about the studio’s football stadium design for Dutch club Feyenoord. Read here.
Wednesday
• A 380m long elevated walkway is bringing leisure to the skies of Kolkata. Read here.
• Guests at a new resort in the Maldives can open their bedroom roof at the touch of a button. Read here.
• The design team revamping FC Barcelona's iconic Camp Nou stadium have given an exclusive snapshot of their competition-winning plans. Read here.
Thursday
• Fairmont’s hotel in Austin, Texas will be filled with trees and plants to become ‘a park in a hotel.’ Read here.
• Thomas Heatherwick has launched an impassioned defence of his Garden Bridge project in London, hitting back at critics “with an agenda.” Read here.
• The National Museum of Oman has opened its doors to the public in a modern-day palace. Read here.
Friday
• Miami’s culture-heavy Faena Forum by OMA is nearing completion. Read here.
• AECOM are exploring the possibility of expanding New York’s famous but congested Brooklyn Bridge. Read here.
• Robert De Niro’s boutique London hotel has won planning permission and will be built soon. 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.
Robert De Niro Elon Musk OMA Thomas Heatherwick FC Barcelona Feyenoord Tesla solar roof Fairmont GOCO
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
BodyHoliday plans 10-15 locations in the next 15 years
Floating wellbeing destination planned for London’s Royal Docks
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres



















