A newly opened department store in South Korea, designed by OMA, has the appearance of a rock with a gemstone seam running through it. Created for luxury retailer Galleria, the store has a gross floor area of 137,000sq m (1,475,000sq ft) and is located in the town of Gwanggyo, just south of Seoul. Textured mosaic of varying grey shades gives the impression of the volume having been shaped organically, while

A temporary memorial for victims of the Holocaust, designed by Studio Roosegaarde, is on display in the Netherlands, with 104,000 luminescent stones representing each one of the country's victims. Levenslicht (literally "Lifelight") was created for the National Committee for 4 and 5 May, a Dutch authority for war monuments and memorials, in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on 27 January 2020. Studio Roosegaarde explained: "The

Snøhetta have won a competition to create the Xingtai Grand Theater in China with a design that provides indoors and outdoors performance spaces, unites nearby cultural programmes and anchors a new masterplan for the region. The fast-growing city of Xingtai is one of a number in Hebei Province that is struggling to meet the demands of its development. The Grand Theater has been conceived as the cultural cornerstone of a

The Silverstone Experience, a journey through the home of British motor racing, is to open in a refurbished WW2 RAF hangar later this month. The £20m (US$24.6m, €22.3m) development has taken seven years to bring to fruition and included the restoration of the 4,000sq m (13,100sq ft) hangar. Led by architect Jane Lock-Smith of Cube Design, the project required more work than was initially expected, with the hangar having to

Japanese architect Junya Ishigami has created a shingle-covered Serpentine Pavilion that draws on the ancient building cultures of Cumbria, UK. Situated on the grounds of The Serpentine Gallery in London's Kensington Gardens, the artwork features a 61-tonne slate canopy and is supported by a series of white poles. “This is an attempt to supplement traditional architecture with modern methodologies and concepts, to create in this place an expanse of scenery

The Moxy Chelsea – billed as Manhattan's newest "secret garden" – is on track to open in February. Partially inspired by the Floral District on West 28th Street, the hotel will comprise 349 bedrooms, a fitness centre, restaurant, cocktail bar, and multiple lounges. The project brought together three design firms: Rockwell Group, Yabu Pushelberg, and Stonehill Taylor. Rockwell Group designed the ground floor food and beverage areas, the entire 2nd

Buildings whose red facades represent 'phoenix bloodstones' could feature at the athletes' village for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, as part of a scheme by Benthem Crouwel Architects and Powerhouse Company. Phoenix bloodstones are a type of precious gemstone local to the region. The village would be built on land recently reclaimed from the sea and has been dubbed ‘Sponge City’, because of a vast rainwater collection and

The Rolling Stones have officially opened one of the largest indoor stadiums in Europe, Paris’s U Arena. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and co ended their latest world tour with three sold-out shows at the stadium, built in the heart of the French capital’s La Défense district, close to the landmark Grande Arche. Designed by Pritzker-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, the arena forms a distinctive horseshoe shape – the ‘U’ of

Architecture competition organiser Bee Breeders have revealed the winners of its latest challenge: a task to design a meditation and wellness camp in one of Latvia’s most remote regions. The Stone Barn Meditation Camp competition sought to create a refuge for individuals amid “the pristine natural beauty” of Vidzeme, eastern Latvia – which is surrounded by forests, lakes and grasslands. Entries were received from across the work. Ultimately, Ukrainian practice

The foundation stone has been laid for the “world’s biggest cricket stadium” in the city of Ahmedabad, India. The unnamed ground and its surrounding landscape will reportedly cover an area of 63 acres in the Montera locality, with the city’s previous cricketing venue – the 49,000-capacity Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium – razed to make way. Sports architects Populous are overseeing the project. The firm previously designed Melbourne Cricket Ground –

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded £9.1m (US$11.5m, €10.7m) to the Silverstone Heritage Experience, guaranteeing development of a new permanent exhibition at the home of British motor racing. Sitting at the main entrance to the race circuit, the exhibition by Mather & Co will create a series of interactive exhibitions and displays to be housed inside the only remaining Second World War hangar on the Silverstone site. For the

Hilton and Paraguayan conglomerate Grupo Cartes have signed a management agreement for a new-build Hilton hotel in Asuncion, Paraguay, marking Hilton’s first foray into the country. Hilton Ascunsion, scheduled for 2021, will occupy part of a 600,000sq ft mixed-use complex in the city and will house a 4,400sq ft (409sq m) spa featuring five treatment rooms, four manicure and pedicure rooms, a relaxation space and a sauna. It will also

The construction of Qatar’s Al Rayyan Stadium, a proposed host venue of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has entered a new phase after the first concrete was poured at the location of the stadium’s West Stand. The milestone means the project, designed by architecture studio Ramboll and Pattern, is now five weeks ahead of schedule. As well as being a World Cup venue, it will also serve as the new

International spa and wellness consultancy Blu Spas is working on a project to develop a resort in Paradise Valley in Montana, close to Yellowstone National Park. The site is being developed at the Yellowstone Hot Springs, near the national park’s northern access, and is in the same location where the LaDuke Hot Springs and Corwin Hot Springs were popular resort and bathing destinations more than a century ago. Designers, engineers

The largest and highest observation wheel in the world is taking shape on Dubai’s Bluewaters Island, with the structure’s hub and spindle safely placed on top of its 126m (413ft) high legs. Two of the world’s largest cranes have assembled the key components of the wheel, which will be called Ain Dubai. The current weight of the structure is 1,805 tonnes – equivalent to four Airbus A380 aircraft. The hub

The first venue within Hong Kong’s emerging West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) has been completed on time and on budget. The M+ Pavilion is a flexible small-scale arts space created by a trio of young local designers. The site is designed as an accompaniment to Herzog and de Meuron’s forthcoming M+ building – a new home for Hong Kong’s museum for visual culture, art, design and architecture. The new pavilion

France’s rugby federation has reached an agreement with contractor Ibelys to begin building a new 82,000-capacity home for the sport in Paris. The planned stadium, designed by Populous, will form the heart of a new leisure district planned for the French capital. In addition to hosting all French national team home matches, the multi-purpose stadium will also accommodate conventions, shows and other sporting events. The capacity can be extended to

The under-development Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi took a major step forward this week when the temporary sea wall surrounding the structure came down, flooding the area around the building. Contractor Arabtec Holdings has removed the 14m (46ft) temporary hydraulic cutoff walls used during the main construction phase, with the sea water now enveloping the museum, giving it the appearance of floating on water. "This delicate process is the result

Internationals architectural practice Aedas have completed their first building for the forthcoming Hongqiao World Centre in Shanghai, which will be a major mixed-use leisure complex for China’s biggest city. The Gallery is a leaf-shaped arts and exhibition space which will anchor the wider World Centre project; which will open later this year and will include a five-star hotel and a major shopping centre serving Hongqiao’s central business district. All the

The iconic London venue where the Rolling Stones made their musical debut will unveil its latest incarnation on 28 January when it is reopened as a new lounge, bar and dining space. Restaurateur D&D London – which has have operated two previous restaurants on the site of the former Marquee Club in the city’s Soho district – is relaunching the venue as 100 Wardour St: “a destination celebrating creativity, talent,

Blackstone, one of the world's biggest real estate investors, has announced that it will buy Chicago’s Willis Tower, the second-tallest building in the US for US$1.3bn (€1.19bn, £800m). Previously known as Sears Tower, the Willis Tower is an iconic structure – designed by Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill – it dominates the Chicago skyline. Vendors, 223 South Wacker, said Blackstone will be an "excellent steward of this world famous building". Blackstone

Milford Hall Hotel, a Georgian mansion dating back to the 1800s just a short drive from Stonehenge, UK, is adding a £500,000 (US$756,200, €652,300) spa to its four-star amenities. The property is owned by Hughes Hotels, which has brought in consultancy Spa Creators to create the Lime Spa – expected to open in May 2015. Alistair Johnson, managing director of Spa Creators, spoke exclusively to Spa Opportunities, detailing the company’s

Work on the upcoming Louvre Abu Dhabi has progressed, with construction of the mammoth US$653m (€512.9m, £404.6m) structure’s dome roof now complete. Building work on the dome started in December 2013 and the elaborate roof currently sits on 120 temporary support towers, which will be replaced with four permanent support pillars and the dome will be clad in aluminium. The construction of all the 9,200sq m (99,000sq ft) museum’s galleries

The owners of the Glenstone Museum in the United States, Mitchell and Emily Rales, have announced the beginning of construction for a new building to house their extensive private art collection. The museum will join an existing one on their private estate in Potomac, Maryland. The current building, which opened to the public in 2006, was designed by Charles Gwathmey of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects and covers a total

Broken Sound Club, a luxury Platinum Club in Boca Raton, Florida, US has unveiled a US$7m (5.4m euro,£4.5m)free-standing spa and fitness centre. The 13,100sq ft (1,217sq m) Moonstone, The Spa at Broken Sound will be managed by American Leisure who are also responsible for the treatment concepts and protocols, product selection, and overseeing operations. The spa, designed in warm natural tones, features six treatment rooms, plus a "Moonstone Suite" couples

Image: Peter Davies, mayor of Doncaster (centre) at the topping out ceremony A topping out ceremony has been held for a new £20m performance venue in Doncaster. When complete, the centre will house a wide range of spaces and facilities that include a 620-seat theatre kitted out to accommodate touring shows and a 200-seat or 400 standing flexible space for live music and smaller productions. There will also be modern

A topping out ceremony is being held today (29 August) to mark the latest milestone in the £5.6m restoration of Newbridge Memorial Hall - the historic arts venue in South Wales. Seddon Construction started work on the overhaul in January, with Alwyn Jones Architects designing the restoration of the Grade II*-listed 'Memo' and the Grade II-listed Institute. Both buildings were built with contributions from local miners, with the Institute opening