London’s Victoria and Albert Museum has launched the final phase of its huge new photography centre, making it the largest space in the UK housing a permanent photography collection. The V&A Photography Centre features seven galleries, showcasing 600 pieces from the V&A’s vast, 200-year-old photography collection. The first phase of the project launched in 2018, with three galleries designed by architects David Kohn. The final phase sees the addition of

Luxury jewellery and design house Tiffany & Co. has reopened its flagship store on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City, following a redesign led by architect Peter Marino and OMA New York. The project marks the first renovation of the store since it first opened its doors in 1940 and has been named The Landmark. For the redevelopment, Marino reimagined the interior architecture while OMA New York,

Luxury hospitality brand Bulgari Hotels & Resorts has made its Japanese debut with a new urban hotel and spa in Tokyo's Yaesu district of Chūō. Like all other Bulgari hotels and resorts, Bulgari Hotel Tokyo's interior design was entrusted to the Italian architecture and interior design practice ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel. The firm's task was to translate Bulgari's core values of contemporary design, magnificent craftsmanship and artistic detail

Global architectural firm Woods Bagot has completed its comprehensive renewal of the Continental Sorrento in Victoria, Australia, with a luxury underground spa and bathing retreat. The hotel – known locally as the “Conti” – opened in 1875 and is based in Sorrento; a popular holiday destination thanks to its sheltered coastal access and the region’s naturally occurring geothermal mineral springs. The opening of the spa marks the final step in

Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train, Scotland has announced a long-term partnership with Dior Beauty to create a new Dior spa carriage. In homage to Christian Dior’s love for Scotland – where he famously hosted an acclaimed fashion show in 1955 – the new Dior Spa Royal Scotsman features two lacquered treatment rooms, restyled with Dior’s iconic burgundy toile de Jouy motif. The wellness space has been designed to offer guests

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (Seven) has revealed plans to develop and operate the world’s first Play-Doh attractions in Saudi Arabia. Thinkwell Group, the experience design and production agency, has been appointed to develop the attractions. Seven, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), said it will open Play-Doh sites at eight of its entertainment destinations across the country over the next 10 years. Seven has signed a

Destination wellness resort operator Jayasom – a sister brand of Chiva Som – has revealed plans to deliver an integrative multigenerational health resort for Amaala – a vast mixed-use tourism destination in Saudi Arabia being developed by Red Sea Global (RSG). Billed as the first global integrated family wellness destination, Amaala is underpinned by the principles of sustainability and regenerative hospitality. The development will be powered entirely by renewable energy and

A £186m cultural centre, set to transform the arts and music scene globally, will open its doors in June this year. Factory International, based in Manchester UK, but with a global outreach, is the largest investment in a national cultural project in the UK since the opening of London's Tate Modern in 2000. The centre will house 13,350sq m of flexible floor area, utilising supersized moveable walls that can be

A new landmark maritime centre has opened to the public in Esbjerg, Denmark. Created by WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta, the centre has been designed as a shared space for watersport clubs and visitors along the port, providing the town with a social maritime hub and architectural landmark. Dubbed "The Lantern", WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta were chosen for the project following a design competition in 2019. Designed as a "community first"

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN) has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring purpose-built indoor adventures centres to the Kingdom. The new Discovery Adventures centres will integrate Discovery’s media content and will be designed to enable young people to "be entertained and gain informed insights with educational value". SEVEN, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has a goal of transforming the entertainment

Universal Parks & Resorts has revealed plans to launch two entirely new visitor attractions concepts – a family-focused theme park and resort in Texas and a year-round horror experience in Las Vegas. Described as a "one-of-a-kind theme park, unlike any other in the world", the new Texas resort will feature immersive themed lands, family-friendly attractions, interactive shows and character 'meet and greets' utilising Universal’s IP. Designed as intimate and engaging for

Treasured hot springs destinations from around the globe are serving as the inspiration for an ambitious new hot springs venue and spa project in Georgia, US. Debuting in Q3 of 2023, Passport Springs & Spa is being designed to transport guests to exotic hot springs locations including Costa Rica, Rome, Israel and Japan. The 10-acre Forsyth County venue will be divided into four pavilions inspired by each of the above

A 15th-century monastery and chapel in Antwerp, Belgium, has been transformed into a 108-room hotel and spa focused on community, healing and comfort. Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp sits next to the city’s botanic garden and this leafy, natural setting has been central to defining the concept of the Botanic Health Spa which spans three floors. Designed to reflect a cloistral devotion to healing plants and herbs, the 10-treatment-room spa was brought

A planning application has been submitted for the creation of The Seahive, a surf wellness resort on the site of a former colliery spoil tip in Betteshanger Country Park, UK. Designed by architecture firm Hollaway Studio, the £40m (US$48.1m, €45.4m) flagship project near Deal in Kent would be integral to the wider country park. The overall masterplan for the 15-acre site features a Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon at its centre,

New York’s bustling borough of Brooklyn has become home to a brand new 50,000sq ft (44,645sq m) day spa offering an array of global bathing practices. The newly-launched facility features one of the largest co-ed hydrothermal bathing areas in New York and offers bathing practices from across Europe, Russia, Turkey, Finland and Japan. BK Developers and RYBAK Development co-created the destination, working with Feng Shui consultants and Design for Leisure

One of the world’s tallest hotels made almost exclusively from wood, has officially opened at the birthplace of cross-country skiing, Skellefteå in Swedish Lapland, with the property's rooftop Vana Spa giving spectacular views over the city. Designed by White Arkitekter and standing at 20 storeys, the Wood Hotel, which soft opened in 2021, is 75 metres high and made almost entirely from spruce and pine sourced from nearby forests. First

Thermal wellbeing organisation and developer Therme Group has partnered with the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) to create a year-round wellbeing destination in the South Korean city of Incheon. Therme has announced that it’s working with the mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City Yoo Jeong-bok and IFEZ commissioner Kim Jin-yong to build a wellbeing resort that can welcome upwards of one million people per year. Therme creates natural urban oases for

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBD Sports) and metaverse services provider Infinite Reality have entered into a multi-year agreement that will deliver new immersive and interactive metaverse experiences to sports fans. The scope of what’s on offer – described as “new avenues for sports communities, athletes and brands to interact with each other within unique virtual environments” – can be experienced and previewed for the first time at the UCI Track

A huge "film city" and visitor attraction project in Nigeria has reached a major milestone, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between marketing and development agency Del York International Group and The Lagos State Government. The two partners signed what they described as a "monumental agreement to transform the face of the creative industry on the continent of Africa". The deal will see the state government officially

US wellness lifestyle brand Canyon Ranch is set to strengthen its portfolio with two new urban clubs and a brand-new destination resort in Texas. The company has partnered with real estate investment trust VICI Properties* to secure up to US$200m (€204.6m, £178.7m) in capital to develop an Austin-based wellness resort in the Texas Hill Country, with plans to begin construction in 2023 and open to guests in 2025. Meanwhile, the

The iconic Battersea Power Station on the south bank of the River Thames, London, UK, has finally reopened, following a £9bn redevelopment project. The Grade II* listed former coal-fired power station has been transformed into an entirely new district featuring a blend of residential and leisure, with health clubs, a visitor attraction, spa and wellness offerings, retail, bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, parks and historic spaces. Developments within the 42-acre site

The International Museum Construction Congress (IMCC) will take place in the Norwegian capital city, Oslo, from 6 to 8 November 2022. Now in its seventh edition, the three-day IMCC is designed for international museum leaders, architects, project managers, museum leaders and any other professionals involved in the construction, renovation and expansion of museums. The planning committee for this year's event is chaired by Göran Joryd, project manager for the new

The Grand Egyptian Museum is set to finally open its doors after a design and construction project which has taken more than 20 years to complete. Touted as the world's most anticipated museum – thanks to both its unique design and the treasures it will house – the attraction was first announced to the world in 2001. A design competition in 2002 received more than 1,500 entries, from which Heneghan

The new Serena Williams Building at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, US, has been declared open. The 1m sq ft building, designed by architects Skylab, is the largest structure on the Nike campus and establishes new links to the existing campus through restored wetlands, public plazas, and view corridors. The building consists of four parts a 12-story tower with shared amenities for all of the Nike Campus – including

Virgin Active and Myrtha Wellness have joined forces to open a health club and wellness centre at Milan’s new Bocconi University. The entire campus was designed by Pritzker-prize winning architects, SANAA, whose work includes the New Contemporary Art Museum in Manhattan, the Christian Dior building in Tokyo and La Samaritaine department store in Paris for LVMH. The fitness and wellness facilities are located on the first floor of the Bocconi

Liseberg theme park in Sweden has confirmed the opening date for its new Grand Curiosa hotel. A highly themed family hotel, the Grand Curiosa will have 457 family rooms, a restaurant with a fully functional merry-go-round from 1923, and a rooftop bistro with a view of the park and several bars. The theming has been inspired by the history of its home city, Gothenburg, and the West Swedish East India

A team of architects led by BIG and HOK have won an international competition to design the largest dock of Zurich Airport in Switzerland. Composed predominantly of regional wood, The new Dock A and adjacent buildings seek to strengthen the airport’s continued status as the gateway of Switzerland. Bjarke Ingels, BIG founder and creative director, said: “As airports grow and evolve and as international guidelines and safety requirements change, airports