Bulgari Hotels & Resorts will open a new property in Miami Beach, Florida, in 2024. The Bulgari Hotel Miami Beach will be a 100-key beachfront hotel, offering a luxury wellness retreat complete with a large spa and fitness centre and outdoor pool. The hotel will be housed inside a building originally created by Miami architect Albert Anis in the late 1950s, located in the National Register Architectural District. The design

Water Street Tampa – a 56-acre community currently taking shape in Tampa, Florida – has become the first neighbourhood in the world to receive the WELL Design & Operations designation under the WELL Community Standard. Designed by landscape firm Reed Hilderbrand and Elkus Manfredi Architects, the estimated US$3bn (€2.6bn, £2.3bn) mixed-use development will feature a flurry of wellbeing-orientated facilities, including a community wellness centre with a built-in kitchen, green spaces

Architecture firm Arquitectonica and interior designer Martin Brudnizki have designed the Mr. C Coconut Grove lifestyle hotel in South Florida. The 100-room retreat, which overlooks Biscayne Bay, rises six storeys and will feature several leisure facilities and terraces, including a fitness centre, garden, swimming pool, and spa with a private sauna, treatment room, and outdoor relaxation lounge. The nautical look of the resort – as shown by its azure and

Architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi have released the latest set of renderings for the Baker Museum Repair and Expansion Project – the first stage in the renovation of the Artis–Naples campus in Florida. The work is required to repair damage caused by Hurricane Irma, which flooded two floors of the institution in 2017. The estimated US$70m (€61.3m, £53.5m) Weiss/Manfredi redesign features storm-resistant stone and metal cladding. Other updates to the 8.5-acre cultural

A long-abandoned railyard in Lakeland, Florida will soon be granted a second life as forested recreational zone and cultural 'oasis'. Set to be designed by landscape architects Sasaki, the soon-to-be regenerated property, dubbed Bonnet Springs Park (BSP), will see the presently arsenic-contaminated and non-pedestrian site transform into a 180-acre environmentally friendly public attraction. According to the BSP team, a central purpose of the park’s nature and leisure-focused facilities – which

A 35-acre public park, which will also complete the Miami Beach boardwalk, will accompany Eighty-Seven Park – Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano’s first foray into the US residential market in Miami, Florida. Eighty Seven Park’s developer, Terra, is putting $10m (€8.5m, £7.6m) towards the North Shore Park transformation with plans to create an environment that will enhance the neighborhood and “bring the North Beach community closer together”. The park project

The Florida Keys will get a new luxury hotel in early 2019 with the opening of Isla Bella Beach Resort. Located on Knights Key in Marathon, Florida, US, at the threshold of the iconic Seven Mile Bridge, Isla Bella will include a 4,000sq ft spa. Set on 24 acres of tropical landscaping, the 199-bedroom resort is being developed by Pritam Singh & The Singh Company and will be the first

Public artist and designer Steed Taylor has completed the largest continuous street mural in the world, spanning the full length of Downtown West Palm Beach in Florida. The mile-long ‘road tattoo’ is called Genii Loci, or ‘the protective spirits of a place.’ Local people were invited to paint parts of the mural – which takes the form of interweaving three-colour Celtic knots and emphasises the power of community. The north

Boutique hotelier Ian Schrager is bringing his Edition brand to Tampa, with a 173-room property set to open in then Florida city in 2021. Real estate firm Strategic Property Partners (SPP) has struck a deal with Schrager and Marriott International, which owns the brand, to launch the Tampa Edition within a 26-story tower in the heart of the Water Street Tampa neighbourhood. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and Nichols Brosch

A fundraising campaign has been launched following the announcement of plans to build a US$130m (€106m, £93.2m aquarium development in Sarasota, Florida. Called the Mote Science Education Aquarium, Massachusetts-based architecture firm CambridgeSeven are behind the plans, which will cover 110,000sq ft (10,000sq m) – more than doubling the size of the existing Mote Aquarium. In addition to aquatic displays across 3.8 million litres of water, the aquarium will offer interactive

Disney has offered its most in-depth look at its upcoming Star Wars Land yet, unveiling a scale model of the attraction ahead of the D23 fan expo taking place this weekend in Anaheim, California. Two years on from the last D23, when Bob Iger first revealed plans for two Star Wars attractions at Disney’s Florida and California theme parks, the operator unveiled the model, which has been made available for

Representatives of footballing icon David Beckham have unveiled the latest version of the stadium the former England captain wants to build as a home for his new franchise in Miami, Florida. Tim Leiweke, one of the investors behind Miami Beckham United, spoke to local politicians and residents at a Town Hall meeting last Wednesday (17 May) in Overtown, the neighbourhood where Beckham wants to locate the stadium. According to the

Architecture and planning studio Ecosistema Urbano have won a design competition to shape the future of Florida’s West Palm Beach; creating a model waterfront city that is “intelligent, flexible and responsive.” The Van Alen Institute and the City of West Palm Beach organised the ‘Shore to Core’ design and research contest. They wanted to explore how designers, urban planners and municipal leaders can fulfil their responsibility “to create healthier, more

The architecture practice of Sir David Adjaye will lead the design of a major library and events centre in the city of Winter Park, Florida. Adjaye Associates have been hired by the Winter Park City Commission to work alongside HuntonBrady Architects on the project, which will be located in the northwest corner of the city’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. The building will be the new home of the Winter

The Shores Resort & Spa, located in Daytona Beach, Florida, has been acquired by US real estate investment company Uhon. Uhon has plans to upgrade the resort hotel to match the local history of Daytona and to improve the hotel for long term ownership (pointing to a buy and build strategy). Renovation plans are still in early stages and thus full details of what will be on offer are currently

A new resort with a nature-inspired spa has opened adjacent to an environmentally protected 208-acre state park along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Located in Destin, Florida, The Henderson features 170 bedrooms and architecture “reminiscent of a grand seaside manor of yesteryear.” Atlanta-based architect Cooper Carry used traditional coastal architecture, including steep gabled rooflines, shingles and a design that references Florida’s nautical history. The Salamander Spa has 11 treatment rooms as well

International architecture and research office Carlo Ratti Associati have unveiled the design of a new master plan for the Currie Park waterfront of West Palm Beach, Florida, which features a floating public plaza partially submerged beneath the sea. A system of responsive air chambers, similar to the ones used by submarines, will keep the floating peninsula stable. The site will incorporate a series of public facilities, including an organic restaurant

The city council of St. Petersburg in Florida, US, has officially approved both the funding and design for a US$20m pier designed as the centrepiece of a new 34 acre waterfront leisure district. The St. Petersburg Pier – designed by ASD/SKY, Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers and Ken Smith Workshop – will extend into Tampa Bay, providing multi-level observation platforms, cycling routes, restaurants, a 4,000-capacity events space, a cafe

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida. British architects Foster + Partners are expanding the existing Art Deco-inspired museum – which opened in 1941 – adding 12,000sq ft (1,100sq m) in gallery space and creating a new entrance to regain the symmetry of the building’s original east-west axial arrangement. Three new double-height pavilions made of white stone will house a

New York-based architect Rogers Partners’ designs for a new pier in St. Petersburg, Florida, have been approved by the city council. Landscape architect Ken Smith and local firm ASD are also part of the The Pier Park design team. The project combines a large transparent building located at the end of the pier with a collection of smaller experiences in “zones of activities” positioned along its entire 1,380ft (420.6m) length.

Merlin Entertainments has continued its policy to turn its major attractions into multi-day features by debuting its new Legoland Hotel at Legoland Florida. The multi-coloured exterior and entrance, conceptualised by Merlin’s Magic Making team, is the gateway to 152 Lego-themed rooms and suites, interactive play areas, a pool and a restaurant. The hotel features suites across four themes – Pirate, Kingdom, Adventure and Lego Friends. Each room can sleep up

A Star Wars-themed pop-up lounge and restaurant will make its debut at Disney World in Orlando on 15 May, with the restaurant being open at the resort’s Hollywood Studios through May and June. Announced on 4 May (In line with the internet-popular ‘May the 4th be with you’), the new restaurant, will be called Rebel Hangar: A Star Wars Lounge Experience and feature a full menu of Star Wars -themed

The US$175m (€157m, £114m) Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida – inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of singer, songwriter and author Jimmy Buffett – has confirmed it will open in Q3 of this year. The 349-bedroom 17-storey resort has been designed by architects and interior design firm The McBride Company with a “no worries” tropical theme, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. Among the numerous leisure facilities

Three finalists have emerged in the competition to redesign the St. Petersburg Pier in Florida, US. Designs from Alfonso Architects, St. Pete Design Group and Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers made the cut, following the latest meeting of the City of St. Petersburg’s Pier Selection Committee, at which four other concepts were eliminated. The replacement of the pier has been a matter for the whole community, with Mayor Rick

Wyndham Hotel Group is building a Planet Hollywood luxury resort called ph Premiere Hotel & Spa Orlando, minutes away from Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. New York-based developer Azzurra Development has released early details of the project, which has been designed by Arquitectonica and Meyer Davis Studio. The resort will house 436 bedrooms, a 35,000sq ft (3,252sq m) sandy beach pool deck with cabanas, a lakeside pavilion for water

The newest addition to Marriott’s Autograph Collection and first new hotel build in Key Largo, Florida for 20 years – Playa Largo Resort & Spa – is set to open in Q3 2015. Development and construction experts Prime Hospitality, plus Shaner Hotels – owner-operators with experience in franchising – will co-manage this resort. The duo currently manage a total of seven hotels across the state of Florida but this will

A Mars encounter could soon become a reality, after plans were revealed to build a US$80m (£47.7m, €57.9m) Mars-themed attraction in Brevard County, Florida. 4Frontiers – the company behind the plans – has launched an initial private offering to finance the first phase of Interspace Florida, an interactive space-themed destination focused on the red planet. The first phase of development will see construction of one-third of the site, leaving room