A spectacular light and sound event has launched in Townsville, north-eastern Queensland in Australia. Halo, which is created by Sydney-based AGB Events, will run in the evenings until 4 August, and is being staged in conjunction with the inaugural North Australian Festival of Arts. The event will see Castle Hill, which looms above the city, lit up with a dramatic light and sound show for five minutes, every 20 minutes.

Architecture firms Snøhetta and Blight Rayner have won an international competition to design an AU$150m (US$103.8m, €90m, £81.4m) theatre for the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in Brisbane, Australia. Set to open in 2022, the pivotal facility, which will turn QPAC into the largest performing arts centre in Australia, will feature two studios, foyer spaces, and an expansive glass façade. "The building will glow by night and sparkle by day

Westin Hotels, Marriott International's upscale brand, has opened its first resort in Brisbane, Queensland. The new, 299-room Westin Brisbane – located in the city’s upscale, Mary Lane mixed-used development – features the city's only swim-up bar, as well as three restaurants, spa facilities, and a fitness studio. As part of its wellness offerings, the hotel also engages a "run concierge", a staff member who can be recruited by guests to

The Brisbane Transit Centre – often cited as the Australian city’s ugliest building – is to be demolished to make way for a metro station and leisure district, dominated by an entertainment area from architects Populous. The project was confirmed in last week’s Queensland State Budget 2018-9, with deputy premier and treasurer Jackie Trad pledging that “the western gateway to the city will be totally transformed.” When complete, the new

Australia’s first “Active Lifestyle” project is coming closer to reality, with the Sunshine Coast Council granting development approval for the first phase of the $400m (US$305m, €280.7m, £243m) Queensland venture. SANAD Capital – the Australian offshoot of Dubai-based investment firm Najibi Group – is developing the project, called ACTIVE, across a 25 hectare plot on Steve Irwin Way, which it purchased in January 2016. The council has now approved 14

Cox Architecture, the studio behind the Jakarta International Velodrome, has been appointed to design a 25,000-capacity stadium for the North Queensland Cowboys rugby league team. The project has been unveiled by the Townsville and Queensland Government, and will have a AS$250m (£146.1m, US$180.8m, €174.1m) budget. It has been slated to be ready in time for the 2020 National Rugby League (NRL) season. According to the architects, the stadium has been

Four design companies have been shortlisted from a field of 17 international and national firms in the race to create the AU$250m North Queensland Stadium in Townsville, Australia. BVN Architecture, Cox Architecture, Hassell and Populous will now vie for the project, with each studio asked to develop a concept design and masterplan for the project. “The four companies have all demonstrated a proven track record in major sports stadiums,” said

An ambitious AS$30m (£14.9m, US$21.5m, €19.3m) netball facility is being designed in Queensland, Australia, which is expected to benefit thousands of elite, grassroots and school players in the region. Curtis Pitt, Queensland’s minister for sport, revealed that local architects BVN will design the State Netball Centre based in Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city. The eight-court facility will also come with a training centre and administration offices for Netball Queensland, the regional