Ian Mulcahey, global director of cities at Gensler, says its masterplan for a former military camp near Baghdad could act as a model for the repair of cities globally. As part of the rehabilitation of the Iraqi capital, the heavily polluted site will be transformed into an ecological and urban district. Called Baghdad Sustainable Forests, it will feature an expansive network of forests, parks and green corridors. Early proposals outline

The much delayed, billion dollar Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, celebrates its full public opening today (4 November), following a lavish opening gala on 1 November. Designed by Heneghan Peng Architects, the museum is set across a 500,000sq m site, and houses more than 100,000 pharaonic antiquities – many of which have never been displayed in public before. It covers 5,000 years of Egyptian history, from pre-dynastic times to

Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts is set to launch its “most significant wellbeing offering” to date on 14 March with the unveiling of Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, the brand’s new ultra-luxury five-star Dubai resort. Commanding a prime location on the Dubai peninsula, adjacent to the group’s iconic Burj Al Arab property, the destination will feature a large 3,500sq m spa spread over three floors – one of which will be dedicated

Luxury Japanese hospitality brand Hoshino Resorts is set to make its mark in the US wellness market with a new hot springs development in New York state's historic spa village of Sharon Springs. Scheduled to open in 2028, the 40-key property will blend the tradition of Japanese ryokan inn-style accommodations with onsen bathing facilities powered by Sharon Springs' mineral-rich hot springs. It will be located approximately a 3.5-hour drive from

Architecture and interior design firm Studio A+ has revealed the design inspiration behind its recent boutique hotel and hot springs retreat project in Fengxi New City, Shanxi Province, China. Founded by Min Wang in 2007, the studio’s vision was to create a property that represents a seamless fusion of city life and nature, providing guests with a peaceful and refined sanctuary. The architectural approach to Mu Feng Yue Hot Spring

Spanish wellness brand, SHA Wellness Clinic, will open its first international outpost in Mexico today (26 January), in the first phase of its global expansion plans. Building on the success of its flagship clinic in Spain, the global rollout plan has been developed to reflect the consumer demand to place health and wellbeing at the forefront of all areas of life – business and personal. SHA Mexico is located in

Rural Scottish retreat Murrayshall Country Estate has received the green light for its £30 million (US$38 million, €34.8 million) masterplan. The proposal includes plans for an extension to the 40-key four-star hotel in Scone, Perthshire, as well as the addition of a new spa and leisure facility with treatment rooms, a spa pool, spa cafe, gym and studio, a leisure pool and outdoor spa terrace. Proposed updates also include a

International luxury wellness brand Como Shambhala will unveil its largest-ever urban flagship in Singapore on 20 December 2023. The new space occupies 9,000sq ft on the fourth floor of Como Orchard, the new multi-floor lifestyle destination – which includes wellness, fashion, food and drink, and hospitality – created by the Como Group* in the company’s home city of Singapore. “Wellness sits at the heart of my own lifestyle choices,” says

Spanish wellness brand SHA Wellness will open its Latin American flagship in January in Costa Mujeres, a secluded beach destination just north of Cancun. Joining SHA’s Alicante flagship, SHA Mexico’s opening will mark the first phase of SHA’s global expansion plans with an additional Abu Dhabi forest destination set to debut in 2025. The two upcoming properties are part of AB Wellness, one of three divisions which fall under the

Wellfit, UAE-based operator of vast health and fitness, sport and wellness clubs, has announced plans to open its third full-service, large-scale hub in the Emirates. Wellfit Madar will be located in Sharjah within the new Madar family entertainment district, which is part of the Aljada mega project. The entire project is being brought to fruition by property development company Arada which founded the Wellfit brand in 2021 to operate health

Grimshaw has partnered with The Eden Project to create a special pavilion at the COP 26 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Located in the Blue Zone in the Scottish Exhibition Campus, the Eden Project Pavilion has been designed by Grimshaw as a showcase of – and call to arms for – the actions needed to regenerate the planet. It harnesses the geodesic design reminiscent of the Eden

Work has been completed on the Khor Kalba Turtle and Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Commissioned by Sharjah’s Environmental Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) and situated on Kalba Creek, one of the most sensitive and biodiverse nature reserves in the Gulf, the complex comprises a cluster of rounded building forms, creating a sanctuary for rehabilitating turtles and nurturing endangered birds. Designed by Hopkins Architects, the sanctuary will also

Sha Wellness Clinic has announced plans to open residences in 2022, as part of its new Sha Mexico resort. The second development from Sha follows on from the original clinic in Spain – the new resort will have a clinic alongside the wellbeing-focused residences which will offer a "complete immersion in the Sha lifestyle". The destination and residences will be located just north of the Riviera Maya on the Caribbean,

Construction work has begun on the huge Shanghai International New Cultural and Creative esports Center. The 500,000sq m venue is estimated to cost around 5.8 billion yuan ($898.2m) and forms part of a larger, US$1.5bn project. Built by Chinese property company SuperGen Group – the parent company of Chinese esports organisation Edward Gaming (EDG) – the venue is located in the city's Minhang District. The 6,000-seat arena is expected to

Construction work on Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Sydney, Australia, is expected to be completed in late 2020. The City of Sydney, which owns the centre, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused delays to works and it now expects the facility to open by the end of the year. When complete, Gunyama Park will be the biggest aquatic complex built in Sydney since the 2000 Olympic Games.

Wutopia Lab have created a bookstore on the 52nd floor of Shanghai's tallest building, Shanghai Tower, that incorporates a lecture room, an exhibition space, a coffee shop, a dessert café and a snack outlet. Covering 2,200sq m (23,700sq ft), the store has been designed to accommodate 60,000 books and 2,000 products. It is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows that draw the sky and the cityscape into the space, making the views

The residential offering of the South Bank of London's River Thames is set to be reshaped with projects by PLP Architecture and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). PLP, working with Native Land, recently received planning approval for new proposals for its Eastern Yards site, part of the £1bn ($1.25bn, €1.13bn) Bankside Yards mixed-use development for which planning consent was given in 2014 and construction began in 2019. PLP created the full

Six Senses has confirmed its desert resort and spa in the Arava Valley, Israel, designed by Plesner Architects, will open in June after ten years of design and planning. Located in the Negev Desert, Six Senses Shaharut will be a modern reinterpretation of nomadic structures, reminiscent of the Nabataean community which occupied the area over 2,000 years ago. The resort’s design preserves the unique characteristics of the site, integrating with

Wutopia Lab have transformed a former church in China into a 388sq m (4,176sq ft) poetry bookstore by installing a large freestanding steel frame that provides shelving and creates a space within a space. The St. Nicholas Church in Shanghai was built in 1932 and has variously been used as an office, a factory, a warehouse, a canteen, a residential space, a club and a restaurant. Its historic status meant

The recently opened, Klai Juba Wald -designed Guitar Hotel at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has a new string to itself following the launch of a new J-Lo-themed music and light show on its LED façade. The Hollywood hotel opened in October 2019 as part of a $1.5b (€1.4b, £1.2b) expansion of the Seminole resort and is claimed – probably not unreasonable – to be the world’s first

Steven Holl Architects have topped out the Shanghai Cofco Cultural and Health Center, which is aimed at being "a social condenser" for residents of the dense surrounding housing. Designed in 2016 and expected to be completed mid-to-late 2020, the 7,520sq m (81,000sq ft) development comprises a mix of public realm, a canalside park, space for recreational and cultural programs, amenities and health facilities. An open, spacious design contrasts that of

A bookstore in Wuhan, China, has reopened after a two-year design and renovation project by Wutopia Lab that has seen a huge "light cone" inserted into the building, drawing natural light from the roof down to all floors. The 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) Hubei Foreign Language Bookstore was established 40 years ago and has undergone a number of alterations and renovations over the years. Wutopia Lab were keen to re-establish

RMJM Shanghai has won a competition to design a monument for the Hengyang in Hunan Province, China, with a design aimed at reflecting the city's status as a fast-evolving tech hub as well as its cultural heritage. The Xiangjiang Gate will comprise two bipedal towers that curve up from their feet and rise gracefully together to 177m (581ft), joining and torquing at their midriffs, before separating again at the top.

Construction of a new pavilion at the Seattle Aquarium, designed by LMN Architects, looks set to go ahead after the city council approved a US$34m (€30.7m, £25.8m) contribution towards funding. Designs for the US$113m (€102m, £85.8m) 50,000sq ft (15,240sq m) Ocean Pavilion project were unveiled in 2017. It will see a 325,000-gallon (1.5-million-litre) martini glass-shaped tank built to house sharks, stingrays, and schooling and reef fish from the South Pacific's

The first exhibition has opened at MICA, the contemporary art museum at the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre, which which was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). ZHA says the 115,000sq m (1,240,000sq ft) centre is the largest and most versatile cultural centre in China's Hunan province, comprising three separate but complementary venues that each cater for a different use. The 1,800-seat Grand Theatre, which was completed in

Art collective teamLab have launched their second digital-only Borderless museum, described as "a world made of artworks without boundaries." Located in Huangpu District, Shanghai, teamLab Borderless Shanghai ​ follows the launch of MORI Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless in Tokyo last year. Designed by teamLab Architects, the 6,600sq m (71,000sq ft) destination is said to be an intricately-structured three-dimensional space housing around 50 artworks. Visitors walk through the galleries

SHA Wellness Clinic has announced the second phase of an ambitious global expansion plan, with SHA Emirates at AlJurf in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based place-maker IMKAN. The property will be the third SHA Wellness Clinic, following the company’s inaugural facility located in Spain and its second recently announced opening in Mexico in 2021. In addition to the resort’s 120 suites, SHA Emirates at AlJurf will also