Two Asian-inspired wellness sanctuaries crafted by Banyan Tree will open on luxury private islands off the coast of Mozambique in Q4 2022. The first, a signature Banyan Tree spa, will open at Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira – a new private island getaway. The resort will be joined by a sister island named Banyan Tree Veya Ilha Nejovo, dedicated to wellness and wellbeing. This adults-only 20-villa wellness destination will be located

A new creative hub in Doha looks to position itself as the new heart of Qatar’s fashion and design industry – as well as a public showcase for innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. The M7 Design and Cultural Hub, designed by John McAslan + Partners, is the architectural anchor of the 31-hectare Msheireb mixed-use development. Established by Qatar Museums, under the leadership of Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin

Little Island, an urban park built on stilts on the Hudson River in New York City, has opened to the public. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, in partnership with Arup and Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects (MNLA), the 1.1-hectare (11,000sq m) park and performance venue features 540 metres of pathways and a range of performance spaces. Little Island’s distinct exterior is supported by 132 "tulip-like" concrete piles. Each tulip’s shape is unique

Coventry, the UK City of Culture in 2021, wants to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create an arts hub to establish the city as an international destination for culture. Coventry City Council (CCC) has revealed multi-million pound plans to transform the IKEA building in the city into a visitor attraction showcasing some of the UK's greatest works of art. The new national Collections Centre would be created through a partnership

Maslina Resort has opened on the Croatian island of Hvar, inspired by local healing traditions and nature. Croatian architect Tomislav Alujevic, interior designer Léonie Alma Mason and landscaper Thomas Seconde were responsible for the project, working with Melany Martinez Thomas, founder of consultancy, Spa and Wellness Collective on the spa. Located near Stari Grad, the 53-key resort is surrounded by olive groves and terraced vineyards, stretching across two hectares of

Peppas N Architects, Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) and Constantina Tsoutsikou are working together to create Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete for Troulis Royal Collection, with a design inspired by the Cretan heritage. The aim has been to go above and beyond a typical luxury family resort while combining Crete’s rugged landscape and the character of its people with a cosmopolitan style. "The landscape’s rough beauty creates a wonderful juxtaposition

Meliá Hotels has opened Meliá Koh Samui, a beachfront resort and spa in Thailand designed by PIA Interior that pays homage to Samui's island heritage with suites constructed from old merchant vessels. Meliá opened the resort in partnership with Thai holding company Asset World Corporation as part of a plan to build three properties in the country. Located on Choeng Mon Beach, it accommodates 159 rooms and 41 suites, with

A team led by Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) is one of two left in the running to create a new library in Skien, Norway, with a hybrid design that will allow visitors to experience the work and influence of Henrik Ibsen. The Ibsen Library is being established to drive increased social involvement and democratic participation in the region, to become a visitor attraction and to honour the legacy of the

COMO Hotels and Resorts is gearing up to reopen their Cocoa Island private island resort in the Maldives on 9 January following a seven-month refurbishment. “The Maldives has become a highly competitive market,” said Olivier Jolivet, COMO Group’s CEO. “Luxury hotel companies keep raising the ante, from building ‘reclaimed islands’, to tunnelling out underwater wine cellars. Sometimes we forget that nature is powerful, and simplicity has a very important role

Architects WilkinsonEyre and landscape architects Grant Associates have unveiled a conceptual masterplan for "a global leisure and recreation destination" on two islands off the south coast of Singapore. The Sentosa-Brani Master Plan is part of a wider scheme to rejuvenate Singapore’s Greater Southern Waterfront. The scheme would use the natural features and tropical landscape of the islands as a backdrop for leisure attractions and day-to-night hospitality offerings. New public realm

A new carbon neutral and nature-based neighbourhood designed by SLA and Biecher Architectes is to be built on the site of a former rail depot in Paris, France. The so-called “ecosystem neighbourhood” is designed to ensure that its constituent parts interact and work to benefit each other. For example, renewable energy generation will power amenities that will link up green spaces. The Ordener-Poissonniers development will cover 36,500sq m (392,900sq ft)

Chester Zoo has announced it will build “an extensive African savannah”, designed by Gillespies in partnership with Darling Associates and BDP. The Grasslands scheme will incorporate a restaurant with views across the savannah and overnight accommodation in the form of 28 lodges and 14 safari-style tents. It will be home to multiple rare and endangered species including zebras, giraffes, antelopes and ostriches. The scheme is aimed in part at helping

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.

German architecture group von Gerkan, Marg, und Partner (gmp) have created a 41,000-seat stadium on the tropical island of Hainan in China. Situated minutes from the coast, Wuyuanhe Stadium is shaped to resemble ocean waves and features a 400-metre running track, lounge areas, and a top floor walkway with panoramic views of the sea. According to the architects, the sports complex – the first part of a district-wide urban regeneration

Monkey Island Estate has opened in Bray-on-Thames, England, with interiors by New York-based Champalimaud Design. Part of the Malaysian hotel group, YTL Hotels, the historic estate is set across seven acres on an island in the River Thames, with a rich history dating back 800 years. Monkey Island was bought by YTL Hotels in 2015, after the late YTL founder Yeoh Tiong Lay visited and fell in love with the

International architecture studio MKV Design (MKV) have completed work on a new 44-key spa resort in Mykonos – Greece's "Island of the Winds". Nestled between white-painted Cycladic buildings and the wine-dark (to use Homer's words) Aegean, the Mykonos Riviera Hotel and Spa – echoing the surrounding seascape – features a swirl of aquamarine, stone, and marble accents. Leisure and wellness facilities include an infinity pool and a 500 sq m

Construction on the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) – the first institution of its kind in the US – is expected to begin by the end of 2019 in the Bronx, the birthplace of hip hop music. Supported by a team of acclaimed rap stars and disc jockeys, among whom are LL Cool J, Ice-T, and Kurtis Blow, UHHM will celebrate the genre's enduring resonance and cultural significance with various

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

Australian property company Northstar Developments has unveiled plans to construct a floating island oasis in the shallows of the Swan River in Perth. Designed to be a watersports and general leisure destination, the Swan River Deck–if approved–would be a jellyfish and algae-free zone, comprising multiple naturally heated pools, an outdoor cinema, a sand-bar for sunbathing, a top platform for dining and lounging, and a green-roofed conference hall with rooms inside

Jumby Bay Island, a 300-acre private island on the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, is undergoing a complete renovation programme before it re-opens this winter. Once a Rosewood Resort, Jumby Bay Island became part of the Oetker Collection last year. The resort will unveil a fresh Caribbean Ocean-inspired look, designed by Brazilian interior designer Patricia Anastassiadis of Anastassiadis Arquitetos. Anastassiadis also created the design concept for the sister Oetker

Kengo Kuma and Associates, in collaboration with OODA, have won a competition to redevelop an abandoned industrial slaughterhouse in Porto into a public complex featuring a museum, library and performance spaces. The Matadouro building was once an important urban landmark. However, it was closed and abandoned almost 20 years ago and has gradually become disconnected from the city as new buildings – including a speedway and a stadium for FC

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has announced plans for the development of Caye Chapel, a private island in Belize, to create “a luxury destination for residence owners and leisure travellers” in the heart of the country’s largest marine sanctuary. Scheduled to open in 2021, the project is in partnership with Thor Urbana, Inmobilia Desarrollos and GFA Grupo Inmobiliario, three real estate development groups based in Mexico. Named the Four Seasons

Design initiative Young Architects Competitions (YAC) has announced the winners of an ideas contest for the transformation of a remote Italian fortress into "one of the most atmospheric centres of contemporary art in the Mediterranean". Italian studio Simposio have secured first prize for their proposal to carefully integrate new cultural and hospitality buildings into the rocky landscape of Favignana, an isle in the Southern Sicily that is home to Santa

Philippine property firm Revolution Precrafted, which specialises in producing modular pavilions and homes, has struck a deal to build at least 85 design-driven prefabricated holiday villas on the island Miyako in Okinawa, Japan. The company’s range of boutique luxury properties – ranging in size from 23-60sq m (247.5-645.8sq ft) – are designed by some of the world’s best-known architects and designers, including Daniel Libeskind, Christian Portzamparc, Marcel Wanders, Jean Nouvel

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island hotel has announced the submersion of what it claims is the world's first undersea residence, which will be completed in Q4 2018. Crown Company, which owns the hotel, has invested US$15m in The Miraka (meaning ‘coral’ in Dhivehi, the local language of the Maldives). The company’s director, Ahmed Saleem, is the named architect, and the project is being constructed by New Zealand aquarium technology firm

International architecture practice von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) have completed a conversion of Slaski Stadium in Chorzów, Poland, adding the largest translucent polycarbonate roof in Europe to the 50s-era landmark. The original building dates from 1956, and was design by architect Julian Brzuchowski and engineer Wiktor Pade. It was converted in the 1990s and served as a venue for music events, the Speedway motorcycle World Cup and as the

SMAR Architecture Studio have won the international design competition to create a Science Island attraction in Kaunas, Lithuania. The practice, with offices in Australia and Spain, were selected ahead of SimpsonHaugh and Donghua Chen Studio for the prestigious €25m (US$30.6m, £21.8m) project, which will be officially known as the National Science and Innovation Centre. Expected to open a year in advance of Kaunas’ tenure as European Capital of Culture 2022,