The headquarters of Santander are to be transformed into a public space and art gallery following the move of the Spanish banking giant to new offices. Coming as part of an initiative to bring much of the bank’s vast art collection – currently held in Madrid – to Santander itself, Santander will move its operation to the nearby Banesto building, freeing up its former home for public use. British architect

Costa Rican architects Studio Saxe have completed a hotel that steps down a steep coastal hillside, formed of a series of terraces that can be completely opened up to the elements. The firm – self-declared creators of ‘tropical architecture’ – have blended a European design aesthetic with Costa Rican craftsmanship, while opening up the building to allow the verdant landscape to invade from almost all directions. The Swedish owners of

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

Design initiative Young Architects Competitions (YAC) has joined forces with the Italian government to launch ‘Art Prison’, an ideas contest for the refurbishment of a fortress on a remote island in southern Sicily. The fortress of Santa Caterina stands over the peak of Favignana, an isle in the Mediterranean Sea. It was once a prison but has stood abandoned for more than a century. Over time, it has become a

Frank Gehry has revised his design for a two-acre mixed-use leisure development in Santa Monica, following the adoption of a new Downtown Community Plan by the Californian city’s council. The Ocean Avenue Project at 101 Santa Monica Boulevard was first announced by property firms M David Paul Associates and the Worthe Real Estate Group in 2013, after five years spent developing the scheme with Gehry’s practice. Now, in response to

New York practice SHoP Architects have completed their expansion of SITE Santa Fe, one of the most respected contemporary arts venues in the US. The museum – which runs year-round exhibitions, artistic residencies and educational programmes to foster avant-garde art – has occupied a former warehouse in the Santa Fe Railyard since its opening in 1995. SHoP were brought in to emphasise SITE’s role as “a progressive and dynamic cultural

A landmark 1925 California hotel with a storied history will be reborn this summer, with new interiors created by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard – who has dreamed up glamorous homes for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Eva Mendes and Cher. When it first opened in 1925, the Hotel Californian was one of the first of a new wave of Spanish Colonial Revival style structures, but was open for little

An opening date of 23 June 2017 has been announced for Renzo Piano’s first completed building in Spain: the Botín Center art museum in Santander. Designed in collaboration with Luis Vidal Architects, the building was described by Botín Foundation director general Inigo Sáenz de Miera on 30 March as “a unique place for art, and an engine that generates economic, social and cultural wealth for northern Spain.” The building is

Twenty-five is the magic number for the long-awaited Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation (MOXI), which will launch on the 25 February after receiving US$25m (€23.2m, £19.8m) in capital funding. The project also took more than 25 years to complete, after being first proposed in 1990 when the Children’s Museum of Santa Barbara incorporated as a non-profit organisation. The 25,000sq ft (2,300sq m) MOXI broke ground in 2014. The signature

SantaPark, the award-winning Lapland attraction and “official home” of Father Christmas, is nearing completion on 37 luxury accommodations and bistro-style restaurant and bar. The €20m (US$22m, £17m) Arctic TreeHouse Hotel development – which is scheduled to open on 19th November at the theme park in Rovaniemi, Finland – has been designed by fledgling Helsinki architecture firm Studio Puisto. The rooms boast panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows facilitating views of forest and Arctic surroundings as

Game of Thrones creator George R R Martin has partnered with a design company and arts and entertainment production studio to create an explorable attraction in Santa Fe, US. The House of Eternal Return is a 20,000sq ft (1,800sq m) space filled with fantastical environments, technology and art. Billed as “a unique combination of children’s museum, art gallery, jungle gym, and fantasy novel”, visitors are invited to walk, climb and

Hong Kong-based Langham Hotels & Resorts is expanding its US presence with three new hotels in Texas, California and New Mexico. Langham Place, Wade Park will be located in Frisco, Texas and will open in early 2018 and is part of a US$1.6bn (€1.4bn, £1.1bn), 175-acre development created by Thomas Land & Development. Designed by Dallas-based 5G Studio Collaborative, the 35-storey hotel will have a sleek, modern feel and will

SITE Santa Fe, one of the most respected contemporary arts venues in the US, will undergo a radical expansion overseen by New York firm SHoP Architects. The museum – which runs year-round exhibitions, artistic residencies and educational programmes to foster avant-garde art – has occupied a former warehouse in the Santa Fe Railyard since its opening in 1995. SHoP’s planned renovation and expansion will dramatically increase SITE’s size. The studio’s

Image: Buckingham Palace features on the route Santander, the bank and lead sponsor of the British Formula One Grand Prix, has unveiled its vision for a street-race route incorporating some of London's most iconic landmarks. Populous were appointed to compile the detailed feasibility study for the proposals on behalf of Santander, which has included the production of a concept film detailing how a London Grand Prix could look. The plans