As part of the World Congress of Architecture in Copenhagen, Buro Happold will be hosting the one-hour walk and talk event through the city centre of Copenhagen to explore the challenges and solutions for active mobility planning. Buro Happold’s global lead for active mobility, Sidsel Birk Hjuler, will be hosting the side event on why it is so important to create more liveable places by making active mobility an integral

Global online architecture platform Architizer has spotlighted innovative spa and wellness architecture concepts around the world as part of its 11th Annual Architizer A+Awards. Founded on the premise of democratising architecture, the annual A+Awards honour the best buildings and spaces from across the globe. The 2023 awards were split into 119 categories including a Spa and Wellness subsection which awards the best overall architecture dedicated to psychological and physical wellbeing.

A museum dedicated to children will open its doors in London, UK, on 1 July 2023. The new £13m Young V&A is set to become the UK's leading cultural destination for children, families, and young people. Designed by De Matos Ryan and AOC Architecture, the museum is the result of a three-year redevelopment of the iconic, Grade II*-listed V&A Museum of Childhood in London's Bethnal Green. Dedicated to children aged

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

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

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 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

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

The first Ritz-Carlton location in Costa Rica will launch in 2024, situated within the 1,400-acre private club and resort community Peninsula Papagayo. Hospitality specialists SB Architects are behind the design, with spa and wellness consultancy Blu Spas helping create programming, project design and concept for the wellness areas. Located in Guanacaste, Peninsula Papagayo sits on the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica, deemed to be one of the most biodiverse

A new geothermal forest spa called Forest Lagoon will launch in April near Akureyri, in Northern Iceland, with design by Basalt Architects – the creative driving force behind Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon. The story behind Forest Lagoon began in 2014 when workers digging inside the Vaðlaheiðargöng heath – for an unrelated project – discovered a geothermal hot water spring. This water source will serve as the beating heart of the

Nordic Hotels & Resorts is creating an urban wellness retreat in Norway’s capital city of Oslo as part of its 231-room hotel project. Owned by Norwegian hotelier Petter Stordalen, the luxury destination will be named Sommerro and welcome guests in the city’s Frogner neighbourhood as of September 2022. Sommerro will be housed in a restored 1930s building – formerly the headquarters of the city’s original electrical company – and encompass

A 15th-century monastery and chapel in Belgium’s capital city of Antwerp is being transformed into a new five-star hotel and botanical spa; Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp. Developer IRET Development is working to retain the location’s identity and create an urban retreat that brings together a sense of the building’s history with contemporary sensibilities and sustainable design. So far, the sensitive restoration project has sought to strip away the fripperies of times

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas has launched its brand new desert retreat called Six Senses Shaharut in Israel. With its secluded setting laid into a dramatic cliff with panoramic views of the Negev Desert, the resort is home to a 1,900sq m spa realised by Tel Aviv-based Plesner Architects. The facility is designed to offer a contemporary interpretation of nomadic structures, reminiscent of the Nabataean community which occupied the area

Planning approval has been granted to what is set to become one of the first Passivhaus-certified leisure buildings in the world. The new Spelthorne Leisure Centre in Staines, Surrey – which will be owned by Spelthorne Borough Council – has been designed by GT3 Architects and Passivhaus specialists Gale and Snowden. With sustainability and wellbeing at its core, the building will be optimised to reduce energy in use by up

Proposals have been submitted for a AUS$25m (€15.5m, £13.4m, US$18.3m) hot springs development on the banks of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. Formerly Dalkeith Hot Pools, the site was a popular bathing spot for tourists and the local community from the 1920s to the 1950s. After reading articles about the history of Dalkeith Hot Pools, local investor and director of FJM Property, Barry Jones, was inspired to redevelop

Designs have been revealed for a flexible, multi-purpose events centre which will have the appearance of a "cloud floating by the sea". Designed by MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, the “Cloud Center” in Qinhuangdao, China, will offer a new multi-purpose public space for Aranya – one of China’s most vibrant seaside arts and culture communities. Situated close to the scenic Beidaihe coastline in the north east of the country,

The "respectful renovation" of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium is among the four winners of this year's European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention (AHI). Now in its fifth edition, AHI is a biennial award organised by the Association of Architects for the Defence and Intervention in Architectural Heritage (AADIPA) and the Association of Architects of Catalonia (COAC). The renovation of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts

A swimming pool suspended 35m (115ft) above the ground and forming a bridge between two buildings has opened as part of a residential project in Nine Elms, south-west London, UK. Designed by HAL Architects, the 25m Sky Pool spans two buildings at the Embassy Gardens development, located opposite the new US Embassy. The pool has transparent walls and floor, which allows passersby to observe the swimmers – and those in

Work has been completed on the Khor Kalba Turtle and Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Commissioned by Sharjah’s Environmental Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) and situated on Kalba Creek, one of the most sensitive and biodiverse nature reserves in the Gulf, the complex comprises a cluster of rounded building forms, creating a sanctuary for rehabilitating turtles and nurturing endangered birds. Designed by Hopkins Architects, the sanctuary will also

A global team of architects has been chosen to design the masterplan for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic village. The team, called Outcomist, includes Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Arup, Nigel Dunnett Studio, Carlo Ratti Associati, Gross Max, Portland Design, Systematica, Studio Zoppini, Aecom, LAND, Artelia and PLP Architecture. The project – called Parco Romana – will transform the vast Porta Romana railway yard area in Milan, creating a Athletes’ Village

Construction work has been completed on the M+ museum building in Hong Kong, ahead of its grand opening later this year. The Herzog & de Meuron-designed museum – created in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup – is the latest addition to Hong Kong's global arts and cultural landscape and is set to become a new international architectural icon. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District on the Victoria

Baca Architects has submitted a scheme to transform an unused flooded quarry and surrounding land into an eco-wellness resort, centred on waterside living and water-based recreation. In development is a response to pandemic travel bans, which are driving growth in the UK holiday market. The 80-hectare Ashwicken Lake site is situated in East Anglia, UK, and features woodlands, wetlands and a 1sq km lake. A £35m (US$49.4m, €40,7m) investment by

In the depths of the French countryside sits 48° North Landscape Hotel, a holistic ecotourism and wellness destination inspired by Scandinavian and French traditions. Realised by Nordic architecture firm Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter in collaboration with local firm, ASP Architecture, the secluded hotel is perched on the heights of the Breitenbach village in the Alsace region of France. Accommodation consists of 14 interpretations of traditional Scandinavian cottages – called a hytte

Architects AZPML and UKST have secured the commission to design the Korean Museum of Urbanism and Architecture (KMUA), a £31.4m project in Sejong, South Korea. The competition was organised by the National Agency for Administrative City Construction (NAACC), which is looking to establish a museum exploring the history and the development of the built environment across the country. With a total floor area of 17,050sq m, the museum will be

International architecture practice 10 Design has revealed its design concepts for an ambitious redevelopment of Edinburgh’s city centre. The project will transform the former Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) site on Dundas Street into a first-rate mixed-use development, which will create a new urban centre, providing a significant addition of public realm, including hotel, retail, residential and office components. The development will replace the existing car park and the ex-RBS

Designs have been revealed for the world’s first dedicated coral conservation facility, to be located at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. Designed by Australian architects Contreras Earl Architecture, in partnership with Arup and Werner Sobek for the Great Barrier Reef Legacy, The Living Coral Biobank aims to secure the long-term future and biodiversity of corals worldwide. The 6,830sq m multi-function centre will have exhibition areas,

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has opened a new luxury resort and spa in Japan, expanding its luxury Asia Pacific portfolio into the historic mountain region of Nikko. Nikken Sekki led the architecture for the overall project, while rooms and public spaces were designed by Layan Architects + Designers. The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko, showcases a new spa designed to be an urban sanctuary of wellness inspired by the abundance of natural revitalising