Janu, the new hotel brand from luxury operator Aman, is gearing up to launch its first location this March in Tokyo. The property will feature one of the city's largest gyms. Part of a 4,000sq m state-of-the-art wellness centre, the 340sq m gym will feature five group exercise studios for spinning, aerial yoga, golf simulation, functional training, Pilates and high-impact circuit training, as well as the first boxing ring in

Aman’s sister brand Janu will launch its flagship property in Tokyo in March 2024, representing the first in a 12-strong global pipeline of projects across city, country and coastal destinations. Meaning ‘soul’ in Sanskrit, Janu is a hotel, residence and lifestyle brand based on social connection, equilibrium and human interaction. With reservations now open for bookings in March, the first Janu will feature 122 rooms and suites, eight dining venues,

Hotelier Adrian Zecha, founder of Aman resorts, has expanded his Azerai brand with a new barefoot luxury destination and spa in Southeastern Vietnam. Named Azerai Ke Ga Bay, the beachfront retreat has come to fruition after an extensive makeover of the former Princess D’Annam Resort & Spa. The resort comprises 46 suites and a newly refreshed oceanfront spa with an aesthetic defined by clean minimalism. “We wanted to create a

Kerry Hill Architects have designed a spa and wellness resort on a mountainside in Hokkaido – their fourth resort in Japan for hotel operator Aman, following the opening of Aman Kyoto. The Aman Niseko resort is to be an all-season retreat situated among the mountain, forest and river surroundings of Mount Moiwa. It is designed to take advantage of the setting by framing the forest and mountain scenery from inside

Hotel operator Aman has opened a third resort in Japan that has been designed by the late architect Kerry Hill and his team to capitalise on its lush forest surroundings. The 26-room Aman Kyoto, announced in February, is situated in a hidden garden close to Kinkaky-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, near the centre of the prefecture. The 80ac (32ha) Aman Kyoto site comprises 72ac (29ha) of permanent forest

The transformation project designed to turn Paisley Museum, in Renfrewshire, Scotland, into a world-class tourist destination is moving forward, with the first images of the redesign produced by architects AL_A being released. The town of Paisley is best known for the pattern of the same name – an ornamental textile design using a teardrop-shaped motif with a curved upper end. Renfrewshire Council is planning to invest a total of £100m

Luxury hotel operator Aman will open its third resort in Japan this November with the launch of Aman Kyoto, which will include a spa concept themed around the property’s natural spring water. Situated in a hidden garden close to Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion), the resort, with 24 bedrooms and two two-bedroom villas, draws on the country’s ryokan (traditional inn) and onsen (hot spring) concepts to provide an authentic yet contemporary

British architect Amanda Levete has won the 2018 AJ/AR Jane Drew Prize, which celebrates individuals who have raised the profile of women in architecture through their work. Levete – who won the 1999 RIBA Stirling Prize for the Lord’s Media Centre, alongside her then-husband and business partner Jan Kaplický – is the founder of AL_A, a studio who have received acclaim for public projects such as Lisbon’s Museum of Art,

Belgian architect Jean-Michel Gathy has been commissioned to create the first Aman Resort in the US, within New York’s landmark Crown Building. The principal designer of Denniston International specialises in 'ultra-luxury' hospitality design, having worked around the world with companies such as Banyan Tree, Mandarin Oriental and One&Only. He has previously collaborated with Aman for resorts in Venice, the Indonesian island of Moyo and Sveti Stefan islet in Montenegro –

Luxury hotel operator Aman is set to open its fourth location in China on Monday (8 January) – the culmination of an ambitious 15-year conservation initiative which saw the relocation of an entire forest and the reconstruction of a historic village. Kerry Hill Architects have restored 50 disassembled antique houses in order to create Amanyangyun, integrating contemporary comfort into the 400-year-old fabric of the buildings. The story began in the

As 2017 draws to an end, CLAD looks back at some of the most significant leisure buildings, both big and small, that have opened this year – from sports stadiums to museums, hotels, theatres and health clubs. No such list can be truly comprehensive of course, so please let us know your own favourite leisure buildings of the year in the comments section below, or on our Facebook and Twitter

Aman has unveiled details of its planned New York property, set to open in 2020 in the heart of Manhattan. Aman New York will be housed in the 1921 Crown Building on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street overlooking Central Park, and will include a three-storey, 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) Aman Spa. The 26-storey Crown Building – designed by architects Warren and Wetmore, who also designed New York’s Grand Central Station

Global luxury hotel operator Aman has added a new two-storey, 767sq m (8,256sq ft) spa at Aman Le Mélézin in Courchevel, France, which is due to open in December for the Alpine skiing season. The hotel is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and has undergone two years’ of redevelopment, a process which began in 2016 with the refurbishment of all the rooms and suites. Construction work involved the entire building being

A host of leading international architects are in the running to create a concept design for a new Centre for Music in the City of London. Snøhetta, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and the firms led by Amanda Levete, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano have all been shortlisted in the international competition for the concert hall; billed as “a state-of-the-art building of acoustic and visual excellence.” In May, the

The largest building project undertaken by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in over 100 years opens to the public on Friday (30 June). Architect Amanda Levete and her firm AL_A have designed the new V&A Exhibition Road Quarter – comprising of a courtyard, a vast underground exhibition gallery and a new entrance to the museum. The project has redeveloped 2,200sq m of underused space, providing the V&A with 6,400sq

AL_A, the architecture practice of Amanda Levete, has completed a striking 37-floor retail, leisure and hotel tower in central Bangkok. Located within the former gardens of the British Embassy, along Ploenchit Road, the Central Embassy project has been developed for Central Group, Thailand’s leading retailer and department store operator. The 1.5m sq ft (139,000sq m) complex has been designed to “bring a distinguishing new silhouette to the city” that “extends

Hotelier Adrian Zecha, who founded luxury hotel brand Aman, has opened a new hotel in Luang Prabang, Laos, described as “the first chapter of a new story and brand of hotels.” Azerai Luang Prabang takes its name from a combination of Zecha’s initials, AZ, and the Persian word ‘caravanserai,’ which means a resting place with a central courtyard for travellers. The two-storey, 53-bedroom hotel building is the result of architect

In an exclusive interview with CLAD, the architect who oversaw the creation of Lisbon’s sparkling new Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology explains the inspiration behind the acclaimed design. Maximiliano Arrocet, a director at architecture practice AL_A, discusses the choices that informed the building’s unique façade, it’s rooftop gathering space and the importance of integrating public realm in high-profile leisure projects. The full feature can be read below. The new

The reinstallation of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s (V&A) Aston Webb Screen – previously a solid stone wall hiding the building’s Victorian boilers – has been completed, breaking down the separation between the street and the museum. The last stone has now been placed in the modified, newly-open structure; signalling a major milestone in the V&A’s Exhibition Road renovations designed by architects AL_A. According to the design team, “the screen

Luxury hotel operator Aman will open a location outside of Shanghai in Q3 2017 that is the culmination of years of restoration and conservation efforts to preserve an ancient forest and historic Ming and Qing dynasty dwellings, and is described by the company as its “most ambitious project to date.” Amanyangyun, as the retreat will be called, gets its name from the phrase ‘Yang Yun,’ meaning ‘the nourishing of clouds,’

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from the winner of the 2016 Stirling Prize to new openings by Amanda Levete, Steven Holl and Coop Himmelb(l)au. Monday • Three architecture studios have been shortlisted in the design competition to create a Science Island for the Lithuanian city Kaunas. Read here. • Four of the six winners of this year’s Aga Khan Award for Architecture are

The first phase of a contemporary art museum designed by architecture studio AL_A on Lisbon waterfront opens today (5 October). A curving, low-rise new structure and the recently renovated Central Tejo power station together form the new home for the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT), which explores contemporary culture through visual arts, new media, architecture, technology and science. Four distinct gallery spaces sit beneath the undulating roof of

Adjaye Associates, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and AL_A are among the six architecture practices in the running to illuminate 17 of central London’s bridges with permanent light installations. Les Éclairagistes Associés, Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, and a team led by Sam Jacob Studio and artist Simon Heijdens are also in contention for the ambitious £20m (US$26.6m, €23.8m) project. Over 340 firms, grouped into 104 teams, entered the competition to breathe new

The second phase of a 15-year restoration and redesign programme at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is nearing completion, with construction progressing on the new entrance, open courtyard and underground gallery designed by architecture studio AL_A. The £49.5m (US$71.4m, €63.5m) Exhibition Road Building Project – the V&A’s largest architectural scheme in the last 100 years – is expected to open in 2017 now that 95 per cent of its

Aman’s first Japanese hot springs resort, Amanemu, has opened in the idyllic setting of Ise Shima National Park on the shores of Ago Bay. Providing a rural complement to Aman Tokyo, and continuing Aman’s journey within Japan, Amanemu has adopted a classic Japanese aesthetic in the ryokan tradition with each of the 24 suites and four two-bedroom villas featuring their own onsen. Designed to be a relaxed, peaceful and contemplative

Aman is opening a new resort in Q4 2015 in the Dominican Republic, set on a clifftop overlooking the crescent-shaped Playa Grande beach and framed by the dramatic Cordillera Septentrional mountain range. The resort is set to become the hotel group's first golf-integrated property. The Amanera resort is named after the Sanskrit word for peace – Aman – and the word era, which means water in Taino – the language

The five-star Naman Retreat in Danang, Vietnam, has opened a 15-room Pure Spa featuring lush, open-air gardens, lotus ponds and a “wall-less” ground floor. Designed by Ho Chi Minh-based MIA Design Studio, the 2,250sq m (24,219sq ft) spa includes a deep soak tub, cushioned daybed for two, male and female whirlpools, sauna and steamrooms, a gym and yoga pavilion. The hotel claims to “blur the lines between resort and spa,”