SOM to build mile-long floating gardens and social hub on the Chicago River
by Andrew Manns | 07 Mar 2019
International architecture firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) have unveiled their designs for a first-of-a-kind floating eco-park in Chicago.
The scheme will see sections of the Chicago River and shoreline transformed into a nature reserve and leisure attraction for urban dwellers looking for a temporary escape from city life.
Called "Wild Mile Chicago", the project – which is being supported by Chicago's Department of Planning and Development, as well as by a collective of urban planners and ecologists named "Urban Rivers" – is anticipated to establish a hitherto non-existent recreational corridor around the city's main waterway.
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According to Urban Rivers, the new space will feature "floating gardens, forests, wetlands, public walkways, educational learning stations, and kayak access points".
The site will also maintain a number of habitats for birds, bees, and bats.
"This initiative will improve the North Branch Canal as a truly unique waterfront for the entire city, where visitors will be able to engage and appreciate the city's ecosystem through unprecedented public access," said Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Details for Wild Mile are due to be finalised in March. The project, which has been on the boards since 2017, is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
SOM Chicago Wild Mile Urban Rivers
Wild Mile Chicago will feature public walkways, nature reserves, and kayaking access points. / Courtesy of SOM
The new park is expected to be completed in 2020. / Courtesy of SOM
International architecture firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) have unveiled their designs for a first-of-a-kind floating eco-park in Chicago. The scheme will see sections of the Chicago River and shoreline transformed into a nature reserve and leisure attraction for urban dwellers looking for a temporary escape from city life. Called "Wild Mile Chicago", the project – which is being supported by Chicago's Department of Planning and Development, as well as
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More photos released of Ingenhoven Architects' design for Lanserhof at the iconic Arts Club
by Tom Walker | 16 Aug 2019
German wellness operator Lanserhof has opened its first UK location at the historic Arts Club in London. The six-storey luxury health and wellness club – situated on Dover Market Street in Mayfair – has a focus on personalised services and houses a wide range of gym spaces equipped by Technogym, exercise and studio rooms and a full-service spa featuring treatment rooms and a cryotherapy chamber. Designed by Ingenhoven Architects, the
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A £5m (US$6m, €5.4m) programme of improvements at world-famous Tintagel Castle, Cornwall, UK, has reached a milestone, with the opening of a footbridge that joins the two halves of the castle for the first time in more than 500 years. Designed by Ney & Partners engineers and William Matthew Associates Architectural Practice, the bridge spans a 190-foot gorge between the 13th-century gatehouse on the mainland and the courtyard on a
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by Andy Knaggs | 14 Aug 2019
Car manufacturer Toyota has opened its first visitor attraction in North America – the 44,000sq ft (13,400sq m) Toyota Experience Center (TEC) at its headquarters in Plano, Texas. The company says the centre, which was planned, designed and project managed by experience designers JRA, is intended to educate visitors about Toyota's past, present and future as a mobility company. The centre features a variety of interactive exhibits and displays, all
Waterway above Notre Dame among 'People's Design Competition' for new cathedral roof
by Tom Walker | 14 Aug 2019
A competition to find alternative designs to replace the destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral roof has attracted a number of innovative "solutions" – including a rooftop waterway over the medieval cathedral. The People’s Notre Dame Cathedral Design Competition was launched in defiance of the French senate’s plans to restore the roof exactly as it was before the devastating fire earlier this year. Set up by book publisher GoArchitect, the campaign invited
Las Vegas to host world's first 'smart mini-city'
by Tom Walker | 13 Aug 2019
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New York's US$1.3bn Belmont Park indoor arena approved – design team includes JRDV Architects, Populous and Stantec
by Tom Walker | 13 Aug 2019
Plans have been approved for a 19,000-seat, multi-use indoor arena in Belmont Park on Long Island, New York. The US£1.3bn venue is set to become the new home of National Hockey League (NHL) franchise New York Islanders. As well as the indoor arena, the project includes a 350,000sq ft entertainment complex and a 250-bedroom hotel. The plans were approved by the Empire State Development Board – the New York state
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Canada's first natural swimming pool by gh3 architecture wins plaudits for innovation
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Architects Rael and San Fratello create seesaws that reach across the divide at US-Mexico border
by Tom Walker | 07 Aug 2019
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by Tom Anstey | 05 Aug 2019
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by Andy Knaggs | 01 Aug 2019
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Perfect Circle consortium begins work on 'reality lab' for UK's National Space Centre
by Andy Knaggs | 01 Aug 2019
The UK's National Space Centre (NSC) in Leicester is building a new laboratory for the creation of virtual, augmented and mixed reality media, which it says will extend its capacity to deliver community engagement and attract new audiences. Perfect Circle – a consortium comprising Pick Everard, Gleeds and AECOM – is responsible for design, surveying and project management, while Woodhead has the construction contract. The Extended Reality Laboratory (or XR Lab)
AECOM design US$1bn arena for the LA Clippers to resemble basketball net
by Tom Walker | 01 Aug 2019
The owners of NBA team LA Clippers have revealed detailed plans for a US$1bn indoor arena, to be built in the Inglewood district in Los Angeles, California. Designed by a team including AECOM, Anderson Barker Architects, the City Design Studio of Los Angeles and Hood Studios, the development will include a "fan-focused" NBA arena for the Clippers, team basketball and business operations headquarters and a first-of-its-kind training centre tailored specifically
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by Jane Kitchen | 31 Jul 2019
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Clark Enersen Partners are part of the transformation team working on the Truman Presidential Library and Museum
by Andy Knaggs | 30 Jul 2019
The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, has closed to allow a year-long renovation, which will see the facility reopen to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Truman becoming US president in 1945. Museum planning and design firm Gallagher & Associates has created the new designs, and is working in collaboration with Monadnock Media, architectural firm The Clark Enersen Partners, and construction company JE Dunn Construction.
Sparcstudio, Holder Mathias Architects and Sisk Group create Ireland's first forest spa at Center Parcs Longford Forest
by Lauren Heath-Jones | 30 Jul 2019
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Whey Aye: Europe's tallest observation wheel approved for Newcastle Quayside
by Tom Walker | 27 Jul 2019
Plans to build Europe’s tallest observation wheel in Newcastle, UK, have been given the green light by the city council. The 140m-tall Whey Aye – named after a popular phrase in the local dialect pronounced 'why eye', meaning 'yes' – is being developed by the World Wheel Company and is set to stand five metres taller than The London Eye. Designed by Concept I, the wheel will be built at
Everton FC reveals designs for new £500m Bramley Dock stadium
by Tom Walker | 26 Jul 2019
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by Jane Kitchen | 25 Jul 2019
Cyprus-based hospitality group Stademos Hotels has unveiled its latest resort, Amara, a 207-bedroom hotel in the coastal town of Limassol. With the architecture and interior design of the new build carried out by SB Architects, David Rockwell Studio and WA Interiors, the hotel’s interiors were inspired by Cyprus’ intricate heritage, with cultural influences and architectural details expressive of the island’s Mediterranean landscape. The floor-to-ceiling windows welcome an abundance of natural
Ethos Design and Architecture design £10m aquarium for Belfast
by Andy Knaggs | 25 Jul 2019
Proposals for a new £10m (US$12.48m, €11.21m) ReefLIVE aquarium in Belfast's Titanic Quarter are to be put forward for approval, with hopes that the attraction will draw more than 300,000 visitors per year. Designed by Ethos Design and Architecture, and with planning by consultants Turley, the aquarium would be situated opposite the Titanic Hotel on Queen's Road, which is a short distance from the Titanic Belfast museum. ReefLIVE, a UK
Science museum built from wood could be 'future icon of sustainability' as Cobe architects envision carbon-neutral plan
by Andy Knaggs | 25 Jul 2019
Danish architecture firm Cobe has won an international competition to create designs for a new science museum in the Swedish city of Lund, with the visitor attraction set to open in 2024. Constructed of wood, the museum will be CO2-neutral and will have "the potential to become a future icon of sustainability", according to Cobe. The two-storey building proposed in the successful design has a total floor space of 6,000sq
Corporate Fitness Works launches health club design division
by Tom Walker | 25 Jul 2019
Corporate Fitness Works (CFW) has launched a fitness club design division, responding to demand from commercial real estate owners and developers wanting to include a fitness element in their projects. US-based CFW has carved out a market in developing and managing health clubs and programmes for corporations, such as New York Life and Volkswagen. The new division, called CFW Design, will cater for the increased demand from developers wanting to
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by Jane Kitchen | 24 Jul 2019
The Hammams of the Casablanca Hassan II Mosque in Morocco have been redeveloped abd renovated, and are open to the public for the first time. French design and operations specialists, Deep Nature, is operating and managing the hammams through its Moroccan subsidiary. Built at the same time as the mosque, the hammams are inspired by tradition and have undergone a complete renovation, respecting the architectural authenticity of the baths. Located
Atelier Ferret Architectures-designed sports centre named after paralympic star Marie-Amélie Le Fur
by Tom Walker | 24 Jul 2019
A new €6m (US$6.7m, £5.4m) community sports centre is being built in the Hauts-de-Bry in the commune of Bry-sur-Marne on the eastern suburbs of Paris. The centre – designed by Atelier Ferret Architectures – will provide 3,200sq m of space for a number of indoor sports, with facilities including a large, multi-use sports hall, a table tennis area and a large climbing wall. It will be able to host regional
Wilkinson Eyre design giant biome attraction for Reykjavik, Iceland
by Liz Terry | 23 Jul 2019
Architects Wilkinson Eyre are to create a new visitor attraction in the form of a massive biome complex, near Reykjavik. The Aldin Biomes have just received planning permission and when complete, will showcase a tropical environment and local food production methods, as well as a range of wellness offerings, including barfus walks and yoga. The 48,000sq ft structures, designed for client Spor í sandinn, have been conceived as a major
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