The Port of San Diego is moving forward with its US$1bn bayfront regeneration project, which – when completed – will make the coastal city of Chula Vista the new home of a luxury hotel, convention centre, and two public parks. The resort will be built and partially financed by the RIDA Development Corporation and will include 1,600 rooms and 275,000sq ft of space for restaurants, bars, a swimming pool and

Renowned British architect Sir David Adjaye has been named jury chair for the 2018 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize. Adjaye, whose recent endeavours include SPYSCAPE – an interactive spy museum in New York – will head the panel deciding the award winner, with other judges including RIBA president Ben Derbyshire, 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize winner Alex de Rijke and Woman of the World Festival founder Jude Kelly.

Northern Irish architect Alan Jones has been elected the next president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Jones will take over the two-year presidential term from Ben Derbyshire on 1 September 2019. Jones is director of his own architecture practice based in County Antrim. He is also a senior lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and the RIBA’s vice president for education. Speaking about his aims for his presidency,

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the 20 buildings that have won its International Excellence Awards, one of which will go one to be named the world's nest new building by the design body. The buildings, from 16 countries, range in scale and typology and include a number of leisure projects. “The RIBA Awards for International Excellence 2018 are a testament to the breadth and quality of

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

The RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Hastings Pier, designed by architecture studio dRMM, has been put up for sale. Property agent GVA has been instructed to offer the iconic structure to the market after the Hastings Pier Charity, which runs the asset, entered administration in November 2017. The 280m-long (918ft), Grade II listed Victorian pier, originally opened in 1872, was virtually destroyed by fire in 2010, but was eventually rebuilt by dRMM

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today (14 December) announced the RIBA International List 2018, a new biennial selection of the world’s best new buildings. A number of leisure projects are included in the prestigious longlist, including high-profile museums designed by the likes of Heatherwick Studio, Stanton Williams, AL_A and Bjarke Ingels Group. Libraries, cultural centres, a hotel and a concert hall are also recognised among the 62

Hastings Pier by dRMM Architects has been announced as the winner of the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building. In a landmark moment for leisure architecture, the public attraction – which was built to restore a seaside pier ravaged by fire – was hailed by the prize’s jury chair, RIBA president Ben Derbyshire, as a “masterpiece of regeneration and inspiration”. “The architects and local community have

Sixteen giant galvanized steel columns arranged in a grid formation have been installed in front of Hull Minster, forming a new outdoor ‘room’ for the English city. Swiss artist Felice Varini and the Chilean architecture practice Pezo von Ellrichshausen have collaborated on the large-scale project – called A Hall for Hull – which has now been unveiled to the public. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Hull UK

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched a competition seeking “inspiring and innovative” ideas for the reuse of surplus gasholder bases – huge containers storing natural gas – across the UK. Once prominent across Britain, in recent years the numbers of gasholders in active use have dwindled. Now the National Grid Company, which manages the land they are built on, plans to dismantle them and find a new

Swiss artist Felice Varini and the Chilean architecture practice Pezo von Ellrichshausen have been commissioned to design an ambitious temporary outdoor structure in the historic heart of Hull, UK. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Hull UK City of Culture 2017 have commissioned the duo as part of the Hull 2017 'Look Up' programme of public art installations intended to bring new life to public spaces across the

A trio of leisure projects have made the shortlist for the prestigious 2017 Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building, which was announced today (20 July). The British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre in London by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Hastings Pier by dRMM Architects, and the Command of the Oceans museum in Kent by Baynes and Mitchell Architects are among the six projects in the running

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has called on practices around the globe to submit their projects for consideration for its 2018 International Prize, which aims to celebrate the world’s best new building. The prestigious accolade is open to any registered architect in the world and is awarded to a building of any size, type or budget completed within the past two years. According to RIBA, “the winning building

The United Nation’s global strategy on sustainable development will be put under the spotlight at a forthcoming London conference, which will see some of the world's best-known architects discuss the biggest issues facing the built environment. A programme of events and keynote speeches will take place around the British capital between 3 and 7 July for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) International Week, with the theme for the

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Foster + Partners’ Mecca hotel to Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s RIBA Gold Medal. Monday • Construction has begun on a large-scale public space in central Hong Kong, designed by landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman, bringing dense tropical vegetation to the heart of the concrete jungle. Read here. • Luxury hotel operator Aman will open a location

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has presented Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha with the 2017 Royal Gold Medal for architecture. Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the Royal Gold Medal is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence “either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture”. Da Rocha is famous for his numerous cultural buildings in Brazil, particulalry

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Kengo Kuma’s Tokyo National Stadium, which is now under construction, to Ian Schrager’s first Chinese hotel. Monday • German aviation company Lufthansa-Technik has designed a new VIP aircraft interior concept with a wellness and relaxation theme and on-board spa. Read here. • The first design images of a new contemporary art museum in Moscow, located within a

Design studios Motionspot and Ryder Architecture have been crowned winners of the Celia Thomas Prize, which promotes hotel design that is accessible for disabled people. The international accolade, which was presented at the RIBA Bespoke Access Awards in London, received submissions from as far afield as Germany, Russia, Hong Kong and Canada. The winning concept, called AllGo, is a universal approach to hotel room design that ensures all rooms are

The Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) in Lima, designed by Grafton Architects, has won the first ever RIBA International Prize. Six projects were shortlisted for the award – which recognises the best building in the world – four of which were leisure buildings. The eventual winner however was the educational complex in Peru – although it does have a leisure component with the inclusion of a theatre and cinema

Leisure buildings dominate the shortlist of the first ever RIBA International Prize, which is seeking the best building in the world. The Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan by Zaha Hadid Architects; the Stormen Concert Hall in Bodø, Norway by DRDH Architects; the Arcquipelago Contemporary Arts Centre in The Azores by Menos é Mais Aquitectos; and the Museo Jumex in Mexico City by David Chipperfield all feature on the six-strong

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from the winner of the 2016 Stirling Prize to new openings by Amanda Levete, Steven Holl and Coop Himmelb(l)au. Monday • Three architecture studios have been shortlisted in the design competition to create a Science Island for the Lithuanian city Kaunas. Read here. • Four of the six winners of this year’s Aga Khan Award for Architecture are

Newport Street Gallery – Caruso St John Architects’ conversion of almost an entire street of listed industrial buildings in south London into a free public gallery for artist Damien Hirst’s private art collection – has won the 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building. The presentation of the prestigious trophy took place at a special ceremony on Thursday evening (6 October) at the headquarters of the Royal

The winner has been announced in a hotly-contested competition to design a new leisure centre and area of public realm for Finsbury, north London. Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects were selected from a five strong shortlist and will now develop their vision for the site, which will replace the existing 1970s Finsbury Leisure Centre building with a new sports and health hub. New council homes will also be provided as part

Two leisure projects have made the shortlist for the prestigious 2016 Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building, which was announced today (14 July). Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall by Caruso St John and Weston Library in Oxford by WilkinsonEyre are among six projects in the running for the UK’s highest accolade for architecture. The winner will be announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on 6

Architects from across the UK have reacted with shock after waking up to the news that the country will leave the European Union (EU) following a referendum on its membership. Over 72 per cent of the electorate cast their votes yesterday (23 June) and the final result showed 51.9 per cent to in favour of Brexit. While the Leave campaign have begun wild celebrations, British Prime Minister David Cameron, a

Mark Wray Architects have won an open design competition to design a visitor hub for an ancient forest site in Surrey, England. The firm’s design for the project – which will be located in 640 acre Langley Vale Wood – was described by judges from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Britain’s Woodland Trust as an “imaginative and beautiful scheme that demonstrates well how mankind and nature can

This week leisure architecture was celebrated in two high-profile competitions: RIBA’s first International Prize and the Aga Khan Architecture Award. The first is seeking the best building, anywhere in the world, created in the last three years, while the second celebrates projects that exhibit architectural excellence and improve the overall quality of life. Between them, the two competitions have shortlisted public buildings, housing, schools and hospitals alongside acclaimed leisure buildings