Cox Architecture and Hassell have been appointed by the government of Queensland, Australia, to lead the design of the new Brisbane Stadium.   The venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic games, as well as the athletics events.  Located within Victoria Park, the stadium will also be the home of Aussie rules football (AFL) and cricket, while also being designed to host entertainment events. 

Saudi Arabian developer Midad Real Estate has signed an agreement with the state-owned developer Diriyah Company to invest SAR 3.1 billion (US$827 million, €760 million, £652 million) in the creation of Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Diriyah. The property's footprint will measure 235,938sq m in the historic town of Diriyah on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.  Diriyah is becoming a heritage and tourism destination because

Gaia Retreat’s owners have submitted a planning application to the local government authority in Byron, Australia, for an AU$37 million (US$24.2 million, €21.0 million, £10.3 million) expansion of the facility that was originally co-founded by Olivia Newton-John in 2005. The wellness facility in Brooklet was purchased in 2021 by Fiveight, the property development arm of an investment company called Tattarang, owned by Andrew and Nicola Forrest. They bought it for

International wellness brand The Well and Miami-based real estate developer Terra have secured a US$238 million (€218.4 million, £183.5 million) refinancing loan to complete the new mixed-use luxury wellness development The Well Bay Harbor Islands in Miami, US. The loan provides the project with a long-term financing solution. The funds come from Eldridge Real Estate Credit, the real estate investing strategy division of Eldridge Capital Management, and global investment management

Bulgari Hotels and Resorts has signed an agreement with UAE real estate developer Eagle Hills to open a new property called Bulgari Resort and Mansions Abu Dhabi, in 2030. The resort will be located on a private horseshoe-shaped island and will have a Bulgari Spa. Off the coast of the Abu Dhabi Corniche (an 8km waterfront promenade), Milanese design company ACPV Architects (Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel) will create the resort’s

Contrast bathing and social wellness start-up Othership has raised US$11.3 million (€10.5 million, £8.94 million) to expand its presence across the US. The Toronto-based firm is known for its social sauna and ice bath experiences, with three existing sites – two in Toronto, Canada and a US flagship in the Flatiron district of New York City. Othership will use the funds to increase the number of its sites in New

A new social wellness concept curated by three industry veterans will open soon in Amsterdam before being rolled out to key cities. 432 – a name which comes from 432 hertz, the earth’s natural frequency – has been created by wellness consultant, Jamie Waring, Jonathan Fisher, CEO of Holmes Place and Tribute Brands and Emlyn Brown, who is currently vice president of wellbeing at Accor. Speaking in this month’s HCM,

A £14 million redevelopment of the iconic Doncaster Dome, one of the youngest listed buildings in the UK, has begun. Designed by Neil Taylor and the team at FaulknerBrowns to echo the pink and cream banding of the Duomo in Florence, the building received a Grade II listing on the National Heritage List for England in 2023. The Doncaster Dome has been operated by the Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust

Global wellbeing organisation Therme Group has acquired Therme Erding – a vast 145,000sq ft wellbeing destination located near Munich in Germany. Recognised as one of Europe’s largest thermal wellbeing complexes, Therme Erding features a 40-pool bathing oasis, 35 steam baths and saunas and 28 indoor and outdoor slides. Founded by architect and entrepreneur Josef Wund in 1999, the facility has become a cornerstone of the European wellness industry. The acquisition

Center Parcs is pursuing plans to develop its first-ever holiday village in Scotland. The proposed project will feature 700 lodges, a luxury spa and extensive leisure facilities, with a projected investment of £350-400 million (US$443-507 million, €418-480 million), pending planning approval. Located in the Scottish Borders, north of Hawick and south of Selkirk, the site is approximately a 90-minute drive from both Edinburgh and Newcastle and two hours from Glasgow.

Plans have been announced to introduce the first five-star private members wellness club in Northern England, located on a historic 1,000-acre estate in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire. The proposed project, based in an area of outstanding natural beauty 45 minutes north of Manchester, is being spearheaded by entrepreneurs and estate owners Amber and Guy Hindley. The duo are on a personal venture to transform part of their privately-owned 400-year-old Gisburne

French theme park Futuroscope has opened its new 6,000sq m waterpark, featuring unique immersive aquatic experiences as part of a €304 million investment by the French government which supports the park as a regional wealth generator. The new €57m Aquascope waterpark features three zones. The Thrill Zone, with eight slides including a spiral slide that winds around the building, a vertical drop launch slide and two-lane racer slide. This zone

Reservations are now open for Mandarin Oriental’s second London hotel, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, set to open on 3 June. The luxury establishment will feature 50 guestrooms, 77 private residences and a luxury underground spa retreat. The new wellness facility – designed as a boutique counterpart to the flagship Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park spa – will cater to hotel guests, residents and the local community. The urban retreat will offer an indoor

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released promising new research on the wellness real estate market at its third-annual Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium in Manhattan. The GWI defines wellness real estate as homes and buildings that are proactively designed, built and operated to support the holistic health of their residents. Called Wellness Real Estate: Market Growth (2019-2023) and Future Developments, the paper reveals wellness real estate is by

A multi-million-euro geothermal spa and leisure centre, called Terme Bjelovar, is scheduled to open in the Croatian city of Bjelovar in Q3 of 2025. Already six years in the making, the project in Veliko Korenovo is projected to cost €38 million (US$41.2 million, £32.6 million) to complete – according to Dario Hrebak, mayor of Bjelovar, who says the facility will “revitalise the city”. Terme Bjelovar will be home to a

English Premier league club, Manchester City, has submitted a planning application seeking to expand the capacity at its Etihad Stadium from 53,400 to 60,000. Designed by architects Populous, the project would expand the existing North Stand with one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier. Above the upper tier, a sky bar with views overlooking the pitch will be introduced, together with a stadium roof walk experience. As

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF), is to invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn) to develop 21 integrated entertainment destinations across 14 cities in Saudi Arabia. Developed in partnership with a range of international brands, the destinations are set to feature more than 150 "innovative attractions". SEVEN has so far signed deals with Warner Bros., Discovery, Clip ‘n Climb and toy giants Mattel (for its

A huge "film city" and visitor attraction project in Nigeria has reached a major milestone, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between marketing and development agency Del York International Group and The Lagos State Government. The two partners signed what they described as a "monumental agreement to transform the face of the creative industry on the continent of Africa". The deal will see the state government officially

Brewing giant Diageo has revealed plans to create a Guinness-themed cultural hub and microbrewery in London, UK, with design by London-based agency, Hot Pickle. Called Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard, the visitor attraction is set to open in London’s Covent Garden in Autumn 2023. Located on a historic brewing site – ​​the Old Brewer's Yard was the site of beer brewing as far back as 1722 – the £73m development

Construction work has begun on a £13m redevelopment project which will look to transform the V&A Museum of Childhood into the UK’s "premier national museum" entirely dedicated to children. Designed by De Matos Ryan and AOC Architecture, the revamp of the iconic Grade II* listed site in Bethnal Green, London, UK will provide the museum with an entirely new visitor experience. Plans include three new galleries – called Play, Imagine

US wellness lifestyle brand Canyon Ranch is curating a members-only urban wellness club concept to help its guests lead healthier happier lives. The 26,000sq ft spa and fitness location will open within the US$250m (€213.4m, £183m) mixed-use development Crescent Fort Worth Development in Fort Worth, Texas. Crescent Fort Worth is being developed by Crescent Real Estate, a company owned by John Goff – the chair and owner of Canyon Ranch.

Planning approval has been granted to what is set to become one of the first Passivhaus-certified leisure buildings in the world. The new Spelthorne Leisure Centre in Staines, Surrey – which will be owned by Spelthorne Borough Council – has been designed by GT3 Architects and Passivhaus specialists Gale and Snowden. With sustainability and wellbeing at its core, the building will be optimised to reduce energy in use by up

Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) has pledged to provide SAR500m (US$133m, €112m, £96m) worth of loans to companies, in order to create new attractions and entertainment projects in the country. GEA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the country's Social Development Bank (SDB), which will see soft financing opportunities being made available to investments that contribute towards the growth and sustainability of the Saudi attractions and entertainment sector

SH Hotels & Resorts has revealed it will take its Treehouse boutique hotel brand outside London in 2023, when it opens its second and third sites in Manchester and Miami respectively. Speaking to CLAD the company revealed plans to create a new-concept gym for the Manchester property – the first of its kind – with custom-designed space hoppers and other novel workout concepts as part of a playful new approach to exercise.

Luxury eco-resort Kisawa Sanctuary has launched with a soft opening on Mozambique's subtropical island of Benguerra, complete with a Natural Wellness Centre inspired by Mozambican dwellings. Kisawa has been brought to life using patented 3D sand-printing technology and is the brainchild of entrepreneur Nina Flohr – the daughter of Thomas Flohr, Swiss billionaire and founder of private aviation company VistaJet. The method was used wherever possible to replace less sustainable

A 300m-long superyacht is set to launch in 2025, carrying a scientific "strike force" tasked with studying the earth's climate and coming up with plans to tackle global warming. Called Earth 300, the research vessel will feature a 13-storey Science Sphere, housing 22 laboratories and acting as a floating scientific hub. Designed by Iddes Yachts – led by naval architect Iván Salas Jefferson – and Polish naval architecture firm NED,

In 2021, the Hotel Green Solution House (Hotel GSH), on the Danish island of Bornholm will welcome a brand new wing, built, clad and insulated using wooden materials that will be both CO2 neutral and climate positive. Currently under construction, the groundbreaking 24-key wing will feature a rooftop spa and conference room, and is being designed by the same team that originally built Hotel GSH in 2015 – Danish architecture