The government of Flevoland has approved a master plan devised by Dutch architects Mecanoo to transform Nationaal park Nieuw Land into the largest man-made natural park in the world. Mecanoo's intervention will see the 29,000-hectare polder – which comprises four loosely connected areas of wetlands near greater Amsterdam – combined into one contiguous attraction with bike and walking trails, a parkway, sightseeing towers, and bird reserves. The architects will also

Construction has begun on a multi-use, community pavilion designed by Dutch architecture practice, Powerhouse Company. Located in the Amsterdam-Zuidoost borough near the new office of banking group ING, the 900 sq m, minimalist structure will feature a transparent facade with rounded corners and a green roof composed of wood and stonecrops. The pavilion will also be the home of the Traveller, a dining outlet created by Dutch restaurateurs Michiel Deenik,

Dutch architect and founder of Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) Rem Koolhaas will deliver the closing keynote speech at the 2018 World Architecture Festival (WAF). Koolhaas, one of the most famous names in architecture today, will close out the event which takes place in Amsterdam and whose theme this year is on identity. Paul Finch, WAF programme director, said: “This is the first time we’ll be holding WAF in the

Dutch hotelier Eric Toren and designers Wim van de Oudeweetering and Cris van Amsterdam are collaborating on a boutique hotel in Amsterdam they claim will offer a level of luxury that is “unprecedented in the Netherlands.” Hotel TwentySeven has been created within the city’s early 20th century Royal Industrial Club building, located opposite the palace in Dam Square. It will open at the end of October. The designers have created

International architects OMA have been selected by the Dutch government to transform a former prison into a cultural and civic space for Amsterdam. Bijlmerbajes was built in the southeast of the capital in the 1970s, and in the intervening decades the complex’s six linked towers have become a city landmark. As Amsterdam has expanded in all directions, they have gradually become the geographic centre of its newest urban districts. The

Construction has begun on a 75,000sq m (807,300sq ft) green-terraced, mixed-use building located in Amsterdam’s Central Business District – the latest leisure project from Dutch architects MVRDV. The studio’s design for developer OVG Real Estate – which was selected by the Municipality of Amsterdam in 2015 following an international competition – includes shops, bars, restaurants, cultural facilities, apartments, offices and a sky bar spread across a sprawling forested man-made valley.

Global finance firm AXA Investment Managers - Real Assets has joined forces with Denmark’s largest pension fund, ATP, to acquire a 650-room lifestyle hotel in Amsterdam designed by the architectural practice of Rem Koolhaas. The four star Nhow Amsterdam RAI Hotel – which will feature conference facilities, a wellness centre, skybar and restaurant and its own TV studio – is being built on the southeastern edge of the RAI Expo

The Delta Development Group has signed an initial agreement to drive forward plans for a Dutch-inspired theme park and leisure destination near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The scope of the project has also widened to include plans for on-site hotels providing up to 4,000 rooms. Delta signed the deal with the City of Haarlemmermeer, a large suburb south of Amsterdam and the municipality where Schiphol Airport is located. Concept drawings

The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the first Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant outside of the Americas will open in the first quarter of 2017, featuring “a house within a hotel” for private groups. Amsterdam is the location for the hotel, with architects Kentie en Partners and design firm Michaelis Boyd Associates appointed to renovate and refurbish three original Renaissance-era buildings located close to the city’s central station. When finished,

Soeters Van Eldonk will oversee a “large-scale renovation project” of the Amsterdam ArenA, which will innovate with energy by using repurposed car batteries as a back-up system. The home to Ajax – the most famous and successful Dutch football team – will undergo its most ambitious revamp since it opened in 1996 as part of its Project ArenA 2020 strategy. Project ArenA 2020 will occur in three stages. The first

The W group's Amsterdam hotel has been extended with the renovation of the historic Bank building, which houses a 300sq m (3,229sq ft) Away Spa set in the former vault. Originally designed by F.W.M. Poggenbeek in 1908, the building was one of the first concrete constructions in The Netherlands. Spa consultant 4SeasonsSpa worked with designers Baranowitz + Kronenberg and consultants Raison d'Etre to create the spa, which is housed behind

Ben van Verkel and his firm UNStudio have won one of the largest urban projects in Western Europe: the redevelopment of Amsterdam’s Oosterdokseiland island. The 225,000sq m (2.4 million sq ft) scheme, located to the east of the city’s main station, will see the practice create a social hub designed to “encourage encounters” between the public and workers in the district. In total, 72,500sq m (780,300sq ft) of space will

Interior designers Studio Proof have revamped Amsterdam’s famous Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky to evoke the atmosphere and stylistic flourishes of the 1920s. The hotel, which was established by enterprising tailor Wilhelm Krasnapolsky in 1855, is one of the city’s oldest and has become a landmark in Dam Square. It is now part of the NH Collection’s portfolio of five star hotels across Europe. Studio Proof were tasked with refreshing the hotel’s

The W Amsterdam, which opened last October, is set to debut a new Away Spa in August, set inside an old bank vault. The spa was conceived by 4SeasonsSpa and designed by architects Baranowitz + Kronenberg, and includes a cold pool, whirlpool, sauna, steamroom and wet area, including a 25m (82 ft) outdoor whirlpool with views of the Royal Palace and historic city. The spa is set inside several historic

Dutch architecture studio Concrete have helped design their own restaurant brand inspired by Asian street food and nightlife. Restaurant group IQ creative – which also worked with Concrete on their Supperclub bar and eatery – and celebrity chef Julian Jaspers commissioned the studio to design the concept, interior design and graphic identity of the chain, called happyhappyjoyjoy. The second restaurant has just opened in Amsterdam on Oostelijke Handelskade street, neighbouring

Dutch exhibition designers Kossmann.dejong have created a show celebrating the “spectacular” interior designs of the Amsterdam School of architecture in the early 20th century. The exhibition, called Living in the Amsterdam School: Designing for the Interior 1910-1930, will open in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam tomorrow (9 April). The Amsterdam School – which grew out of international Expressionist architecture – is famous internationally for the progressive buildings its followers produced,

Pulitzer Amsterdam, the 45-year old waterside hotel in the Dutch capital’s canal district, has announced that phase one of its extensive restoration project is complete. 80 redesigned guestrooms and suites and a restaurant and bar are now open once more to guests staying at the hotel, which is spread across 25 interlinked buildings over 400 years old. The renovations, which were led by interior designer Jacu Strauss, showcase a design

Hilton Worldwide has opened it latest addition – the Mecanoo-designed Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol – which features a dramatic facade comprising a cubic, moulded structure with a distinctive pattern and a vast glass-roofed atrium. The hotel, designed by the Dutch architects, will certainly have a visual impact on passengers arriving and departing from the airport, with the 3,150sq m (33,900sq ft) complex having three main elements: a plinth, a rotated

After seventeen years, Amsterdam’s original Supperclub – a mixture of restaurant, lounge, gallery, bar and club – has moved to a new home, complete with a colourful interior design by Dutch concept creators Concrete. Located in the old Odeon brewery building in the heart of the city’s canal belt, guests to the new Supperclub arrive through the kitchen and enter an oval hall with lavish ornamental elements and a grand

A boutique hotel spread across a maze of waterside houses in Amsterdam’s famous canal district is embarking on an expansive renovation programme. Interior designer Jacu Strauss is leading the revamp of the Pulitzer Amsterdam hotel’s twenty-five 17th Century canal buildings. Rooms are being stripped back to emphasise their historical features, with vintage furniture brought in to complement newly-introduced contemporary stylings. Four themed suites – dedicated to books, music, art and

Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has completed work on a new tennis clubhouse in Amsterdam which allows spectators to view the on-court action from the structure’s roof. Named 'The Couch' due to its distinctive design, the 332sq m (3,570sq ft) clubhouse features a roof which dips down towards the south side and is raised 7m (23ft) towards the north. Rows of seating are subtly incorporated for up to 200 spectators, who

Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ first Dutch property, W Amsterdam, is due to unveil a series of gastronomic experiences and some accommodation before the full hotel’s debut in December, designed by Office WINHOV and BK Architects. The historic former KAS Bank building and neighbouring Exchange building – a former telephone exchange – are both part of the W Amsterdam. Parts of the KAS Bank building are already open to guests, including

The tender for the design of a hotel that will be linked to Amsterdam RAI exhibition and convention centre in the South Axis district of Amsterdam has been awarded to OMA – the architectural practice founded by Rem Koolhaas. A total of 11 design firms were competing for the project but OMA won the contract due to its vision for additional special features. Not only will the 91m (300ft) tower

A hotel that has been constructed inside an old mechanical crane has recently opened in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The crane, situated in a former harbour, was set for demolition when its 50m (164ft) high structure fell into disuse. Since then, the hunk of metal has been transformed into the luxury Hotel Faralda, offering three suites and a hot tub with impressive views of Amsterdam perched near the top of the

Plans to create a €400 million (£314m, $489m) metropolitan theme park on the outskirts of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, are being developed by a caucus of leading design firms. The project – Park 21 – would be a 1,000-hectare (3,000 acre) cultural, recreational urban parkland, with landscaped and leisure elements. Facilities such as shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions are central to the proposal, which would offer a ‘cluster concept’ where visitors

Image: The Rijksmuseum first opened in July 1885 Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum has announced it will open its doors to the public in April 2013 following the completion of a renovation and restoration programme lasting nearly 10 years. The new-look attraction will explore the history of the Netherlands from the Middle Ages to the present, with the EUR375m (US$471m, £297m) project led by architects Cruz y Ortiz. First opened in July 1885,