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

Cox Architecture and Hassell have been appointed by the government of Queensland, Australia, to lead the design of the new Brisbane Stadium.   The venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic games, as well as the athletics events.  Located within Victoria Park, the stadium will also be the home of Aussie rules football (AFL) and cricket, while also being designed to host entertainment events. 

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) says wellness is becoming a mainstream priority for real estate developers and prospective residents are factoring wellbeing features into their decision-making. The GWI’s new report, Build Well to Live Well: Case Studies, Volume 1, outlines thirteen case studies across the US and the UK that demonstrate the wide range of real estate projects with wellness at their core. The authors hope the different models will

Work is underway in the London Borough of Ealing on a landmark leisure centre to replace the old Gurnell Leisure Centre, which remained closed after COVID. The modern complex will include London’s third Olympic-sized swimming pool, a waterpark with slides, fitness studios, a climbing wall, a soft play area and a café. Outside will be a new skatepark, BMX track and children’s playground. Green space around the new leisure centre

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) says the wellness real estate market reached US$584 billion (€507 billion, £434 billion) in 2024 and the institute estimates it will double to US$1.1 trillion (€955 billion, £817 billion) by 2029. The report Build well to live well: the future reveals that wellness real estate was the fastest growing market in the 11-sector US$6.3 trillion (€5 trillion, £4.7 trillion) global wellness economy – doubling from

The Global Wellness Summit and Institute have announced speakers for their fourth Wellness Real Estate and Communities Symposium and released the first of ten podcast episodes about longevity. The Symposium will take place at West End Labs in New York City on 17 June and will see specialists in real estate, investment, design, architecture, public policy, technology, medicine and sustainability gather to examine how health and wellness are shaping the

Planning permission has been granted for Rayners Penn, a multi-million-pound project set to convert a historic English country property and former school in Buckinghamshire into a luxury hotel and spa destination. The initiative will involve the careful restoration of Rayners Estate, a 19th-century property set in the scenic village of Penn. Originally built for sir Philip Rose – solicitor to former UK prime minister Benjamin Disraeli – the Victorian estate

A major new 15,000sq ft destination spa has launched in Los Cabos, Mexico, as part of Four Seasons' latest opening in Cabo’s Golden Corridor. Called Tierra Mar Spa, the ocean-side facility at Four Seasons Resort & Residences at Cabo San Lucas is designed to offer an indoor-outdoor wellness oasis set against the backdrop of Baja’s dry desert landscapes. Its design concept draws inspiration from the long Baja coastline while its

A luxury Canadian day spa nestled in a 600-acre protected forest reserve in Quebec has recently been elevated with a new two-floor wellness facility, designed to inspire relaxation and reconnection with nature. Since launching in Bromont in 2005, Balnea Spa + Thermal Reserve has positioned itself as a wellness retreat in nature committed to immersing guests in the beauty of its surroundings. The centrepiece of the new facility is a

Spelthorne Borough Council has opened the doors to a world-leading leisure centre built to Passivhaus standards. Spelthorne Borough Council is expecting the new Eclipse Leisure Centre to use between 60 and 70 per cent less energy than a typical modern leisure centre and will be a major step forward in helping the Council become carbon neutral. Located in Staines-upon-Thames, the facility includes a 25 metre main pool, learner pool, splash

Plans have been announced to introduce the first five-star private members wellness club in Northern England, located on a historic 1,000-acre estate in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire. The proposed project, based in an area of outstanding natural beauty 45 minutes north of Manchester, is being spearheaded by entrepreneurs and estate owners Amber and Guy Hindley. The duo are on a personal venture to transform part of their privately-owned 400-year-old Gisburne

Private equity firm, Levant Capital, has taken a majority stake in UAE-based premium operator, Warehouse Gym. The investment will be used to drive regional expansion, as well as to introduce advanced fitness solutions and broaden the wellness offering. Founded by Kevin Texeira, Fahad Al Rafi and Edris Al Rafi, the first Warehouse Gym launched in 2013 in an industrial area of Dubai, hence the name. The USP is street art,

Fitness-focused hospitality brand and management company Equinox Hotels has announced plans to open a modern new resort on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba in northwest Saudi Arabia. The venture is part of the ambitious US$500 billion (€462.7 billion, £396 billion) Neom* giga-project. The new resort, Equinox Resort Treyam, will be a centrepiece in Magna**, Neom’s new luxury coastal region, which encompasses 12 destinations along 120km of coastline. Magna

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has published the fourth edition of the Guide to Hydrothermal Spa & Wellness Development Standards The 230-page guide, developed in collaboration with the GWI Hydrothermal Initiative* members, continues to set the industry standard for designing and constructing thermal experiences and wet areas in commercial and residential properties. Originally published in 2014, the publication is designed to help stakeholders – including owners, operators and consultants –

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released promising new research on the wellness real estate market at its third-annual Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium in Manhattan. The GWI defines wellness real estate as homes and buildings that are proactively designed, built and operated to support the holistic health of their residents. Called Wellness Real Estate: Market Growth (2019-2023) and Future Developments, the paper reveals wellness real estate is by

The Walton family, owner of US supermarket chain, Walmart, has opened the doors to a new corporate health, fitness and wellness centre at the company's Bentonville campus. The Walton Family Whole Health and Fitness and Children’s Enrichment Center by Duda Paine Architects, represents a significant investment in the health of Walmart employees. The fitness centre runs to 360,000sq ft, while the children's centre covers 73,000sq ft. According to Alice Walton

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

Timbaland, Platinum Grammy Award-winning producer, who's worked with artists such as Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Madonna, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Drake and Björk, has announced a partnership with health and wellbeing music provider, Myndstream. The new partners will collaborate to produce an album of wellness music to help improve the health and wellbeing of listeners, whether that be to destress, relax, unwind or focus. They will be available for use by

1 Hotels, the eco-luxury brand and brainchild of Starwood Capital founder Barry Sternlicht, has opened its debut European property in the heart of the UK capital with design by GA Group. 1 Hotel Mayfair has been designed to set a new benchmark for lower-impact luxury in London and adhere to 1 Hotels’ sustainability-minded philosophy that “those that travel the world should also care about it”. The London location is gearing

A world-scale, integrated resort is being planned for Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital city. Feature unique water attractions, a themed hotel, immersive dining, and live entertainment, the development will be located close to urban regeneration district, New Tashkent City and is being designed with both local and international audiences in mind. US-based design firm Legacy Entertainment has been appointed to design and build the resort's waterpark, which will anchor the project. No

Five prominent architectural practices have revealed their designs for the planned new National Museum of the United States Navy. The five teams – Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Gehry Partners, DLR Group, Perkins&Will, and Quinn Evans – were finalists in an “artistic ideas competition” held by the US Navy and its historical and curatorial arm, the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The quintet was chosen from 37 teams that submitted

English Premier league club, Manchester City, has submitted a planning application seeking to expand the capacity at its Etihad Stadium from 53,400 to 60,000. Designed by architects Populous, the project would expand the existing North Stand with one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier. Above the upper tier, a sky bar with views overlooking the pitch will be introduced, together with a stadium roof walk experience. As

International spa and wellness consultancy bbspa_Group has been appointed by Italian football club Cagliari Calcio to create an urban destination spa inside the club’s upcoming new stadium. Cagliari Arena will open with a 4,000sq m spa rooted in Sardinian healing traditions, following an agreement between Cagliari Calcio, industrial holding company Costim, bbspa_Group and Snow Group (of which bbspa_Group is a shareholder). With a capacity of 25,000 seats, the stadium will

Private investment firm Starwood Capital Group and real estate and hospitality company, Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (AJ Capital), have unveiled a new outdoor-focused hotel group called Field & Stream Lodge Company. Field & Stream is an existing American brand established in 1871. Starwood and AJ Capital want to initially create approximately 20 to 25 hotels, first targeting US markets in close proximity to authentic natural experiences, including national parks, beaches,

A new floating visitor center and art installation is showcasing aquaculture, informing the world on how to better feed the planet with sustainable seafood. Called Salmon Eye, the aquaculture centre is located in Norway’s Hardangerfjord, just outside the town of Rosendal. Created by Kvorning Design, the project was conceived and financed by Sondre Eide, the CEO of third-generation salmon farming business Eide Fjordbruk. A world-class visitor and learning center, Salmon

An immersive audiovisual experience that "observes everything as it is" was a among the highlights of this year's Noor Riyadh festival in Saudi Arabia. Created by design studio Nohlabs, the installation – called Everything – is true to its name and questions everything in existence by suggesting new possibilities for them. Offering visitors the opportunity to observe the elements that construct their everyday lives, the experience ascribes new meanings to

A permanent public art sculpture allows the public to observe the galaxy's exoplanets – which human life could potentially exist on. Data Gate is the brainchild of creative media studio, Ouchhh, and is comprised of 360 LED installations. Commissioned by the Chinese Government and located in Nanjing, the installation utilises NASA's Kepler data sets to create AI-driven content. Weighing 15 tons, the sculpture was created in collaboration with Dawn Gelino,