Having piloted the McFit rebrand earlier this year, RSG Group has now lifted the lid on the details of its “modernisation offensive.” The McFit makeover was trialled at clubs in Vienna and Heilbronn earlier this year and now the multi-million Euro rebrand is set to roll out across the estate. Between September and December, four studios in Munich and one studio in Cologne will be reopened with the rebrand. Further

A new hotel room concept which "shapes around the visitors" looks to transform the overnight experience for hotel guests. Called Heya, the concept was created by a team of designers, led by ReardonSmith Architects. Using technology and innovative design, Heya can be dramatically reconfigured by guests to suit their purpose and is built around the idea that guests shouldn’t have to settle into their room: it should take shape around

Blueroom and Urban Crossovers have created a conceptual proposal for reactivating the Rijnhaven port area in Rotterdam, Netherlands, that would use innovative approaches to tackle the environmental and climate challenges. The Rotterdam Next Level! development is designed to be attractive and accessible for all, but also to be a unique urban typology that is CO2 and energy neutral, eliminates waste, increases biodiversity and builds a strong community. Buildings would be

Partisans have unveiled their vision for a new community of the future where "small town and rural lifestyles are enhanced by the benefits and attributes of urban living." The concept was developed for the town of Innisfil in Ontario, Canada, which is situated about 60km (37mi) north of Toronto. A new transit hub is set to be built in the town over the next four years, which will provide access

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

Disability organisation Purple has claimed that health club operators and gyms are losing "millions of pounds of revenue" every year by "turning their backs on disabled consumers", with design and architecture and access some of the areas most in need of improvement. Purple is basing its view on a poll of 500 disabled people, conducted ahead of Purple Tuesday – an international event taking place on 12 November which focuses

Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have joined forces to conceptualise a man-made archipelago for OCEANIX, a non-profit company interested in exploring the viability of floating cities. Intended to serve as a blueprint for future pelagic communities, the conceptual city – also named "Oceanix" – is designed to organically expand over time and accommodate up to 10,000 residents. "The additive structure has a

Finnish studio PES-Architects have won a competition to design what’s been described as a "future-oriented" urban "archipelago" in Turku, Finland. Dubbed "Luoto" (skerry), the estimated €500m (US$571m, £435m) project will see the coastal city gain a 170,000 sq m experience centre, which will include a multipurpose sports arena, hotel, chapel, residences, and office space, as well a number of entertainment and retail facilities. The new destination, which PES says will

The iconic Empire State Building, Manhattan’s preeminent architectural wonder from the 1930s, now has a newly renovated entrance, marking the first step of the redevelopment of the iconic building's exhibition hall. The renovation, which moves the entrance from its former location on Fifth Avenue to a new location on 34th street, was carried out in order to enhance the landmark’s visitor experience and highlight its history as one of the

A redeveloped football stadium designed by Italian architectural practice Iotti+Pavarani in Pisa, Italy will blend into its Tuscan surroundings and sit low, so as not to disrupt the skyline of the city, according to the architects. Paolo Iotti, partner at the firm, told CLADglobal : “The architectural intention is to define a ‘new landscape’ establishing strong synergies with its context rather than creating a self-contained object of ‘design’; our main

Architects MnM Studio, Maria Brightei and Marcello D'Orsi were named as joint winners of the Celia Thomas Prize at this year's Bespoke Access Awards. Now in its second year, the Bespoke Access Awards is an international design competition run in association with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The Celia Thomas Prize, named for Baroness Celia Thomas, is designed to champion accessible hospitality design to make the hotel experience

A new museum exploring the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel has opened its doors to the general public in Bristol. Called Being Brunel, the £7.2m (US$10.1m, €8.2m) museum explore the life of the man who is known as one of the greatest minds in the history of engineering, hailed as the “genius who built Britain”. The new attraction, designed by local firm Alec French Architects, is made up of six

Dutch architects MVRDV are have announced a large-scale leisure project in Shanghai that will see the firm meld nature, culture and entertainment in a huge public park on an island in the Yangtze River. Zhangjiang Future Park will become a new focal point for the district of Pudong, with communal public facilities built into a series of green landscaped buildings surrounded by 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) of plazas converging towards

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has indirectly criticised US president Donald Trump for his attempts to suspend immigration to the US from seven Muslim-majority countries, stating that such restrictions “negatively impact business and the profession of architecture.” The organisation – whose leadership previously had to release an apology after vowing to work closely with the Trump administration – has now released a strongly-worded statement outlining its view that “people

The concepts of “old world design and the glory of British craftsmanship” have inspired the designers of a 73-bedroom hotel that will open in London this summer. The Pilgrm has been conceived as reinterpretation of the traditional hotel. Despite being located in a historic Victorian building in Norfolk Square, Paddington – with many of the original exterior and interior features retained by design studio 93ft – any items or services

Moreau Kusunoki, the architecture studio behind the failed attempt to bring the Guggenheim art museum to Helsinki, have expressed their “disappointment” at the council’s decision to block the project. However, the philosophical founders of the Paris-based practice, Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki, told CLAD that the process of designing the project as an “extraordinary adventure” despite the result of the council’s vote, which was recorded as 53 to 32 against.

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Hollywood legend Robert De Niro and interior designer David Rockwell were on hand at a cocktail event in New York last night (7 November) to celebrate the soft opening of their latest Nobu hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Rockwell has overseen a multi-million dollar renovation and restoration of the 1950’s Eden Roc Miami Beach hotel building; a national landmark designed by architect Morris Lapidus. The Nobu Miami

Brazilian designer Isay Weinfeld has been tasked with designing the new home for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York, which has just closed its iconic Manhattan home of 56 years. The Four Seasons’ owners are relocating from the Seagram Building after being unable to negotiate an extension to their current lease. They are widely expected to move the restaurant south, to a spot on Park Avenue. After winning a

High profile figures ranging from Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former US presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have urged for further research and investment into making our cities more sustainable in recent weeks. Now the UN has increased its own commitment to this drive by introducing a new scientific tool that measures the rate of global urbanisation, its characteristics and the potential effect of urban sprawl on the quality

The first ever project of pioneering engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel – London’s underwater Thames Tunnel – has this week opened to the public as a new cultural attraction and concert hall. The 19th century tunnel – the first in the world built underwater – is now used as part of the city’s rail network. It was built in 1843 by a teenage Brunel with his father, Marc, to connect the

Milanese architects Vittorio Grassi + Partners have designed a fluid multipurpose building for the Italian city of Lamezia Terme, which will host international sporting events for disabled athletes. The asymmetrical design for the Palazzo dello Sport is inspired by the pebbles found along the city’s Mediterranean shoreline. The distinctive shape allows for 8,000sq m (86,100sq ft) interior space to host a range of events – from sports events to concerts

Four Seasons is planning a new luxury resort in Napa Valley, California, that will include a spa using the natural geothermal waters unique to the Calistoga region. Owned by Boston-based real estate private equity firm Alcion Ventures and developed in partnership with Colorado-based boutique firm Bald Mountain Development, the Napa Valley resort will include 85 guest rooms and 20 private residence villas. Designed by O’Bryan Partnership Architects, with interior design

The new branch of Taiwan’s National Palace Museum – one of the most-visited museums in the world – is nearing completion and set to open at the end of December. The National Palace Museum (NPM) Southern Branch, which has been designed by Taiwanese architect Kris Yao of Artech, will focus on Asian art and culture. The new museum is located in the southern county of Chiayi, reflecting wider ongoing efforts

Brazil’s minister for tourism has said that the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will act as a springboard for the country’s cultural attractions, cementing the Games’ legacy through improved infrastructure and tourist links in the years to come. Following its selection as Games host in 2009, Brazil has come under scrutiny in its preparations for the games, amid slashed budgets cleanliness issues and slow development. Despite

Design Hotels’ latest property aims to offer an authentic and quintessential Italian experience having secured the services of designer Alessandro Agrati. Filario Hotel & Residences is located by Lake Como, in Lezzeno, Italy, and features 21 rooms and apartments, each with their own private terrace. In creating the hotel’s décor, Agrati implemented his signature style of “dressing” interiors with textiles and light and strong-tempered objects. Guestrooms have been designed to

London-based architecture practice Brisac Gonzalez has received planning permission for a multi-million dollar mixed-use project in Paris, France. Developer Paris Habitat – France’s biggest public housing agency – is building the residential and leisure complex in the 17th arrondissement of Paris in Clichy-Batignolles. It’s part of the first phase of a wider urban development project where a new 54-hectare (133-acre) eco-district is being constructed on the former railway site of

Legendary 19th century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel – creator of UK landmarks like Bristol’s Clifton suspension bridge – is to be the subject of a new £7m ($11.6m, €8.5m) museum celebrating his work. The attraction, Being Brunel, will sit next to the SS Great Britain ship museum in Bristol, which centres on another of Brunel’s famous creations. It will be built within the historic Great Western Steamship Company dockyard and