Week's top news: Design Museum Awards, Thailand's tallest tower and Dubai's boat-shaped new opera house
Here are some of the most popular stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from a museum inspired by a kiln to a landmark opera house for Dubai.
• Hotel brand Wyndham Garden has launched a new global design prototype to help hospitality operators save money, improve efficiency and forge a closer connection to nature. Read here.
• The body in charge of organising Tokyo’s Olympic Games has admitted its decision to cancel Zaha Hadid Architects’ (ZHA) National Olympic Stadium design for a cheaper alternative has already cost it over US$650m in compensation payouts. Read here.
• China’s Wanda Group has signed an agreement to build “the world's first culture, tourism, sports and commerce super complex” as its rivalry with Disney escalates. Read here.
• Architecture studio Weston Williamson + Partners have triumphed in an international design competition to create a world-class Science City for Egypt. Read here.
• Manica Architecture have revisited their stadium design for National Football League (NFL) franchise Oakland Raiders, with the proposed location shifting from California to Nevada. Read here.
• Studio Pei-Zhu have designed a museum in China for, and inspired by, pottery. Read here.
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro have won a competition to create a 250 hectare eco-tourism hub for Haikou Bay in China’s Hainan province. Read here.
• Ma Yansong, Bjarke Ingels, Rem Koolhaas and Herzog and de Meuron are all in the running for the annual architecture prize awarded by London’s Design Museum. Read here.
• Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has opened the boat-shaped Dubai Opera House, with developer Emaar stating it will rival the Sydney Opera House for cultural impact. Read here.
• Australia’s Wave Park Group has proposed bringing one of its URBNSURF parks to Perth as a 4.5 hectare centrepiece for the city’s sports and recreation precinct. Read here.
• A new London exhibition is set to explore communal bathing culture through the work of contemporary architects and designers. Read here.
• German architect Ole Scheeren has completed one of his highest profile projects since leaving OMA and setting up his own studio: Thailand’s tallest building. Read here.
• A Japanese fabric manufacturer has teamed up with Kengo Kuma and Associates to demonstrate how carbon fibre curtains can protect buildings from earthquakes. Read here.
• Starwood Hotels has expanded its Latin American portfolio with the opening of the 119-bedroom W Punta de Mita in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. Owned by Fideicomiso Los Veneros, the new hotel is part of the multi-use oceanfront development Los Veneros. Read here.
• Joyce Wang Studio have designed an atmospheric new restaurant in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, with charred walls and coppery furnishings evoking the head chef’s love of grill cooking. Read here.
• Culture, health and movement are the focus at MVRDV’s new community centre in Copenhagen, which encourages adults and children alike to enjoy a better quality of life through physical activity. 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
Week's top news CLAD Design Museum Awards Thailand Ole Scheeren Dubai Opera House Atkins Zaha Hadid Architects Tokyo Olympics architecture
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
