The architectural competition to decide the designer of the planned Shenzhen Opera House has reached the closing stages, with three high-profile practices being selected as finalists. Those making it to the final list are Jean Nouvel Ateliers, Bjarke Ingels Group, working with Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, and Kengo Kuma and Associates, working with Shenzhen University Institute of Architectural Design. The opera house project is being driven by the local

Waterfrom Design 's Exhibition of Frozen Time spa in Beijing, China, was conceived to eschew the traditional impression of Chinese medicine in favour of a more clinical and technological approach. Created for Aqua Health Clinic, the facility was conceived to use "medical principles of pulse diagnosis, medication and food therapies as the approach to design specific treatments for visitors to relieve physical and psychological fatigue." Covering 280sq m (3,000sq ft),

Eight Inc. have created a gym in Beijing for digital fitness startup Keep that integrates technology into the space to improve the workout experience and help optimise training performance. As with many other gyms, Keepland allows users to browse and sign up for classes using a digital app, but its use of technology goes further. On arrival, visitors sign in at a screen by scanning a QR code and collect

Catanian have created a sculptural installation for a noodle restaurant in Beijing that takes the form of an abstract tree made of thin white noodle-like threads. The dining area of the Tingzhen Beef Rice Noodles restaurant provides just 50sq m (538sq ft) of space, but Catanian were keen to make it unique. Inspired by the client's memories of his grandmother's beef rice noodles when he was a child, they wanted

maison h have unveiled designs for a Winter Olympics Museum to be built in the mountains north of Beijing in Chongli, China, that is aimed at building on the legacy of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and will form part of the 2022 Winter Olympics development. The museum is part of a broader project to revitalize the city centre by improving the quality of public space and connecting and adding

MAD Architects have inserted a number of organically-shaped bubbles into the fabric of Beijing's Qianmen district to provide new space, new use cases and incentives for younger generations to return to the area. The Hutong Bubble 218 project sees organically-shaped interstitial interventions inserted into the restrictive context of a former hospital on a hutong – a narrow street or alley. The hospital had already been converted into accommodation for around

Chinese architects Archstudio have transformed a gallery in Beijing from one that is uninspiring to look at and walk around to being visually eye-catching and interesting to tour. The Ioma art centre was housed in a functional but unremarkable building and was lacking in space for certain uses. In addition to extending the building upwards and along the street, Archstudio added a new façade to capture the imagination of visitors

Beijing Fenghemuchen Space Design has created a 1,170sq m (12,600sq ft) library, coffee shop and cultural space in China's Hangzhou City that is contained and shaped by natural wooden bookshelves and elements. The aim was to create a reading-themed space that could also be used for shared experiences and community purposes. Designers Yi Chen and Muchen Zhang chose to use oak throughout for its warmth and naturality as a material

Chinese interior designers MQ Studio Shanghai have created the PuXuan Spa and Hotel – the latest venture from the Urban Resorts Concepts (URC) brand – in China's famous Forbidden City. Housed in the Ole Scheeren-designed Guardian Arts Centre in the Wangfujing district, PuXuan is situated opposite the National Art Museum and features 116 rooms and suites, two restaurants specialising in French and Cantonese cuisine, a tea room, and an UR

The Vanke Times Centre in Beijing, has reopened after an extensive refurbishment by architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL), part of Perkins + Will. The new space includes retail, art installations, exhibition space and a bamboo meditation garden, as well as extensive office space on the upper floors. The architects have acted with public leisure in mind, adding elements such as the meditation garden, which is open to the public. Chris

The Serpentine Pavilion programme – one of the highlights of the UK's architectural calendar – is coming to Beijing in 2018. A major international agreement has been struck between Chinese retail giant WF Central and the Serpentine Galleries, which organises the long-running annual pavilion showcase in London’s Kensington Gardens. The inaugural pavilion has been designed by Chinese firm JIAKUN Architects, and it is set to open in May on the

German architect Ole Scheeren has completed the much-anticipated Guardian Art Center on the doorstep of Beijing’s historic Forbidden City. The building is a hybrid cultural institution, featuring museum galleries, conservation facilities, restaurants and a hotel. It also claims to have the world’s first custom-built auction house. The centre’s lower portion is a series of nested stone volumes that echo the scale and materiality of the adjacent traditional hutong courtyard houses,

Chinese practice MAD Architects have completed their latest urban-scale “expansion of nature” – a vast residential, commercial and leisure complex in Beijing that brings mountainous man-made towers into the heart of the city. The 220,000sq m (2.3 million sq ft) Chaoyang Park Plaza is formed of 10 organically shaped buildings, each with smooth curved surfaces of black and white. It was conceived as an extension of the park – the

Australian architecture studio Group GSA have won a design competition to create an information hub for the ski resort hosting events during the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Four Seasons Town Reception Center will welcome spectators to Fulong Four Seasons Resort – the Olympic venue located 90km (56 miles) northwest of Beijing in the city of Chongli, Hebei province. Fulong is a master-planned, year-round community featuring 37 ski trails – the

Ultra luxury hotel operator Bulgari Hotels and Resorts will open its fourth property in Beijing next month, which will house a large spa. The 119-bedroom Bulgari Hotel Beijing – due to open on 27 September – will be located within the mixed-use Genesis complex in the heart of Beijing’s Embassy District. Designed by the architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners, Bulgari Hotel Beijing is being marketed as an “urban

A 3,500sq m (37,600sq ft) Shangri-La health club designed to “inject energy into the heart of Beijing’s central business district” will open in the Chinese capital in June. The forthcoming 450-bedroom Hotel Jen Beijing – a Shangri-La property – will operate the Trainyard Gym, keeping it open 24/7 in a bid to cement the facility as “the city’s go-to spot for fitness, recreation and nutrition.” Designed by Stickman Design, the

The public consultation process for the proposed Hong Kong Palace Museum has been extended and new designs of the building released, as backers of the project strive to win support for the controversial scheme. A 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) site on Hong Kong’s western harbour front has been earmarked to house the museum, which would display artefacts on long-term loan from Beijing’s famous Palace Museum under the terms of a

Visitors to China’s capital can experience the Beijing National Stadium from a dramatic new perspective following the the opening of a corridor along the structure’s roof. According to the China Daily newspaper, visitors can now ascend to the very top of the landmark ground, which was designed by architecture studio Herzog and de Meuron and artist Ai Weiwei for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. A 200m (656ft) section originally built

Ma Yansong and MAD Architects have unveiled their design for a brand new China Philharmonic Hall in Beijing. Located in the bustling business district of Sanlitun next to the multipurpose Beijing Workers Stadium, the building will take the form of a curving 11,600sq m (125,000sq ft) structure covered by a translucent curtain facade. Lush trees and lotus ponds will be installed around the south side of the site in order

The Beijing Institute of Architectural Design has won an international competition with its vision for a new regional gateway for culture and commerce in Ryde, Australia. The Design Our Ryde contest has been an eight-month search for ideas to revamp the city’s Civic Hub Precinct – located on a prominent ridgeline outside of Sydney, with views of the surrounding Blue Mountains. The hub is the current location of the local

Beijing is preparing to transform the facilities it built for the 2008 Olympic Games to accommodate other sports ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics. China’s capital city will host the Games in six years time, and organisers are planning to reuse venues created for the 2008 showpiece rather than build more expensive facilities. The Water Cube Aquatics Centre – which has been converted into a public water park since the

The first museum in the world to be dedicated entirely to roses has opened in Beijing, with a design packed with motifs and references to the flower. The distinctive Rose Museum, designed by NEXT Architects, is a solid volume covered by a detached silk-like skin of stainless steel with a pattern of cut-out Chinese roses. This 300m (984ft) long, 17m (56ft) high façade extends outwards from the main museum building,

Work is nearing completion on the Chongwenmen M-Cube; MVRDV’s latest high-profile leisure building. Located in Beijing, the the 44,000sq m (473,600sq ft) M-Cube is due to be completed by Q3 this year. Once open, it will be a cultural hub for the Chinese capital – with leisure, retail, dining and nightclub facilities housed beneath a rooftop garden overlooking many of the city’s landmarks. The building's most striking feature will be

Diners at a newly-opened restaurant in Beijing appear to hover above the ground as they eat on narrow ‘floating’ platforms surrounded by fog. Golucci International Design created the minimalist interiors for the Diaoye Niunan restaurant in the Chinese capital. The studio attempted to create a peaceful and relaxing environment for diners by referencing nature. Seating podiums resemble mountains emerging from the fog, chalk-white tree sculptures fill the space and the

Hong Kong-based design firm Remedios Studio is working in collaboration with wellness hospitality and spa design firm A.W. Lake on a new spa to be located in the Guardian Art Centre Beijing, China – the project that has been masterplanned by Büro Ole Scheeren. Expected to open in Q1 2017, the 120-bedroom hotel called Puxuan Beijing Hotel & Spa is being constructed within the new home of auction house China

Beijing will become the first city to organise both Summer and Winter Olympics, after the Chinese capital was selected as host of the 2022 Winter Games. Beijing organisers have announced that they will rely heavily on existing venues, including those built for the Summer Games in 2008, such as the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Cube aquatics centre. The city’s proposed budget for investment in Olympic villages, sports

Auction house China Guardian has commissioned Büro Ole Scheeren to design its new home. Far from being simply a headquarters, the Guardian Art Centre will include a museum, courtyard, the auction house, event space, an 120-room hotel and several restaurants. Construction is now underway on the mixed-use cultural complex, close to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD) is also working on the project, which