The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind ultra-luxury Saudi tourism destination Amaala, has now signed over 300 contracts worth more than SAR 6.62 bn (US$1.7bn, €1.7bn £1.5bn). Underpinned by sustainability, Amaala is being designed for ultra-high net worth individuals and will centre on wellness and sports, arts and culture and sea, sun and lifestyle. Spanning 4,155sq m of the Saudi Arabian coastline, Amaala will be spread across three

Work has been completed on the redevelopment of Montreal's Biodome – a science museum which occupies the site of the former velodrome built for the 1976 Olympic Games. The Biodome allows visitors to walk through replicas of five ecosystems found in the Americas – a tropical rainforest, a maple forest, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, a sub-Antarctic island environment, and the Labrador Coast. Biodome is one of four attractions located

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has opened a new luxury resort and spa in Japan, expanding its luxury Asia Pacific portfolio into the historic mountain region of Nikko. Nikken Sekki led the architecture for the overall project, while rooms and public spaces were designed by Layan Architects + Designers. The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko, showcases a new spa designed to be an urban sanctuary of wellness inspired by the abundance of natural revitalising

The original Corinthia Hotel in Malta – the Corinthia Palace Hotel – has revealed further details of its new Athenaeum Spa, which is scheduled to open in March 2020 following a €9m (US$10m, £7.5m), year-long refurbishment. Built in the 19th century as a private villa for the chief justice of Malta, the hotel was used as living quarters by British Forces during the Second World War. In 1959 it was

Spa designers Sparcstudio have completed a £14m ($17.2m, €15.8m) refurbishment of the Cottonmill Spa at Sopwell House Hotel, which has seen a three-storey glass-fronted extension and a private spa garden added to the Georgian property. The spa boasts bright, spacious rooms, Tom Dixon lighting, bespoke furniture, and a warm palette of natural tones complemented by the turquoise accents of the Onice Smeraldo marble which is used. At the heart of

At first glance it may appear as just another cruise ship moored in Southampton – but look closer and you will see it is, in fact, a new spa hotel. UK-based boutique hotel operator Harbour Hotels' latest property occupies a prominent spot at Southampton Port’s Ocean Village marina and mimics the design of a super-yacht, helping it blend into its surroundings. The 91-bedroom Southampton Harbour Hotel is owned by property

Developer Dilip Barot, founder of Creative Choice Group, is building what he calls an “urban destination spa resort” on Singer Island in Palm Beach, Florida with a 100,000sq ft (9,300sq m) ESPA spa. Spread across seven acres on the Atlantic shoreline, the Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences will have a focus on wellness lifestyle, taking inspiration from Patanjali yoga, and is due to open in 2019. The one million sq

The creation of vibrant and meaningful public spaces will be the focus of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara have revealed. Meeting the press last week in the Italian city, the duo announced that the 16th International Architecture Exhibition is to be themed ‘Freespace’ and will “celebrate architecture’s proven and enduring contribution to humanity.” Explaining the concept, they said in a statement: “We’re interested in

A 2,850sq m ESPA spa will be part of the One&Only Sanya, set to open later this year. The first One&Only in China, One&Only Sanya will open in Q4 2017. The 190-bedroom resort is designed by architect Jean-Michel Gathy and will be situated among 40 acres of palm trees with views of the South China Sea. The ESPA spa will be set in a secluded garden area, and include an

The 16,000sq ft (1,486sq m) Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach in Miami has been re-imagined with a fresh redesign, modern fitness facility and destination-inspired therapies. Located in Miami Beach’s historic Art Deco district, the landmark Art Moderne hotel was originally designed by famed architect Morris Lapidus in 1953. To celebrate the spa opening, a sage-smudging ceremony was performed to cleanse and purify the spa of its past and welcome

Located on the beachfront, the five star Nikki Beach Resort & Spa in Dubai has opened its doors, with the 1,650sq m (17,760sq ft) Nikki Spa opening in April 2017. Offering "the best of wellbeing" in a contemporary setting for guests and visitors, facilities will include seven separate spa suites for men and women, one couples suite, a hammam chamber, sauna, steam, ice fountain, mixed vitality pool and indoor and

The historic Lloyds Bank building in Bristol is one of two former banks that have been merged together to form the newly-opened Bristol Harbour Hotel & Spa. The building, designed by William Bruce Gingell in the early 20th century, has been carefully merged with the Midland Bank site next door, and converted by DO Design Studio to house a hotel with 42 restaurants, a restaurant and cocktail bar. The underground

The director in charge of overseeing FC Barcelona’s ambitious expansion plans has said that the €600m leisure campus planned by the club will reinvigorate the city and boost tourism. The Espai Barça project – described by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu as “the most important sports project in Europe and the world” – will create a pedestrianised, landscaped boulevard surrounding the club’s famous Camp Nou stadium. The district will integrate

England’s Boringdon Hall in the Devon countryside is set to open its 1,800sq m (19,375sq ft) wellness spa on Monday, 1 August. Gaia Spa – named for and inspired by Mother Nature – includes 12 treatment rooms, an infinity pool, hydrotherapy pool, Finnish sauna, crystal salt steam room, aromatherapy steam room, herbal sauna, shower experiences, relaxation room, gym, beauty salon with champagne service, and outdoor area for relaxation and meditation.

Spanish football giant FC Barcelona has revealed more details about its plans to revamp its iconic Camp Nou stadium, with a design by Japanese architecture studio Nikken Sekkei. The new design takes the famous open bowl designed by Francesc Mitjans in 1957 and reinterprets and inverts it, adding a new roof to the stadium but creating an open space around the ground, which will integrate with the club’s huge planned

FC Barcelona has unveiled new images and a video for the New Palau Blaugrana – a multi-sports and concert arena created by US sports architects HOK and Spanish practice TAC Arquitectes. The highly flexible complex will comprise three areas that can operate independently: a 10,000-seat arena, an auxiliary court for 2,000 spectators, an ice rink with room for 800 spectators and a campus for the club’s football academy, FCB Escola.

The ESPA beachfront spa is now open for business at the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal. The 16-treatment room spa spans 21,500sq ft (1,997sq m) and consists of one hammam, two saunas, three steam rooms, four experience showers, two ice fountains and two swimming pools - all designed, supplied and installed by spa engineers Barr + Wray. The heat experience showers and one of the steam rooms have been built

Image: The spa now boasts 18 hydrotherapy cabins Espace Henri Chenot, the destination spa created by alternative health specialist Henri Chenot at Palace Merano in northern Italy, has reopened following an extensive refurbishment. Part of a wider multi-million euro investment in the hotel, the scheme included the addition of 24 new treatment rooms and an extension of the floorspace from 3,500sq m (37,674sq ft) to 4,000sq m (43,056sq ft). The

International spa company ESPA has announced the first of its planned cultural partnerships for 2012 with the sponsorship of the annual Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Hyde Park, London, UK. The pavilion is a temporary structure commissioned annually by the Serpentine Gallery to provide a showcase for contemporary architectural practice. This year, the gallery has been designed in partnership by Chinese artist and architect Ai Weiwei and Swiss architects Herzog &

Spa management and skincare company ESPA revealed ESPA Life, its brand new spa concept, at the five-star, 294-bedroom Corinthia Hotel London, UK, yesterday (4 July 2011). ESPA Life is billed as 'a leading voice in the next generation of spa' and will offer a fully integrated wellness approach alongside a luxury spa experience. The wellness menu includes lifestyle programmes that focus on detox, sleep, weight-loss, pregnancy and general vitality. It