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

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will tonight (31 August) officially open the nautically-themed new Dubai Opera House, with developer Emaar stating the venue will rival the Sydney Opera House for cultural impact. The singer, known as “the King of Opera”, will give the very first performance at the configurable 2,000 seat venue, which will host theatre, concerts, art exhibitions, opera, orchestra, film, sports events and seasonal programmes. Architecture studio Atkins were

Ground has been broken on what will be Vietnam’s tallest building – the 460m (1,509-ft) Vincom Landmark 81 – featuring 25 separate rooftop gardens and an observation deck as part of the development. A collaboration between Atkins and Arup, the 81-storey development will come up in Ho Chi Minh City’s Vinhomes Central Park. In addition to the rooftop gardens, many of which will be accessible to the public as visitor

Everything appears to be shipshape for a new nautical-themed multi-format cultural venue in Dubai that is set to be completed in 2016. The 2,000-seat Dubai Opera will host theatre, concerts, art exhibitions, opera, orchestra, film, sports events and seasonal programmes, according to developer Emaar, and will form the centrepiece of the emirate’s new downtown opera district. The complex can be configured in three different modes to accommodate the type of

Cruise ship operator Carnival Corporation is on-site in the Dominican Republic, developing Amber Cove, an $85m (E75m, £55m) port in Puerto Plata. It will open in October this year. The new two-berth port will accommodate the largest cruise ships and liners in operation today and has been designed to handle 250,000 people a year. The project is a joint venture between Carnival and Grupo Navieras B&R, and the largest cruise-related

Global architecture and design firm Atkins has been appointed to design a landmark development in Changsha, China. Atkins is working closely with developer Changsha Northstar Real Estate Development Company to create a the Northstar Changsha Centre, which will include a 400m (1,312ft) landmark tower. Situated in Hunan province, Changsha is one of China’s most economically advanced cities. Already acting as a commercial and industrial hub, this development will offer new

Engineering and design company Atkins has drawn up plans for a new mixed-use resort project in Vietnam, which will include both residential and hotel properties. Situated in the east of of the country, in Vung Ro, the plans for development include a marina, hotel resort and luxury villas. Three areas have been identified for construction: The Marina for direct ocean views, the Village occupying the valley plain and the Bai