Viceroy is developing a resort with a rainforest spa on the Bocas del Toro peninsula in Panama. The Viceroy resort and branded residences will form part of a 165-hectare development called CasiCielo, which translates from Spanish to “Almost Heaven”. Design collaborators include Zurcher Arquitectos and Wimberly Interiors. The whole site will have 700 guestrooms and 700 residential units when it is complete. The destination is a partnership between VHG, West

Laugarás Lagoon, a new two-storey geothermal day spa destination, has opened on Iceland’s Golden Circle – a popular tourist route. Located on the banks of the Hvitá River in the village of Laugarás, the facility honours traditional Icelandic turf houses – grass-roofed earth shelters that blend into the landscape. Drawing on Roman and Japanese design principles, visitors can descend from an upper pool to a lower pool through a passage

Middle East operator, Gymnation, has opened its largest club to date in Riyadh's Qurtubah district, offering male and female facilities. The 77,000 square foot club offers Saudi Arabia’s biggest ladies-only reformer Pilates studio, as well as a private reformer Pilates room; an outdoor roof terrace for fitness and social events; the region’s largest free weights area; a recovery zone with saunas, ice baths, and treatment rooms; a dedicated Glute Training

Rosewood has opened its first property in the Netherlands in the former 17th Century Palace of Justice at the heart of Amsterdam’s UNESCO-listed canal district. This is the last new hotel development which will be permitted within a monumental building in Amsterdam. A stay at the luxury 134-key hotel or one of its five 'houses' gives access to the property’s 560sq m Asaya Spa, which blends Eastern healing, Ayurvedic rituals

David Lloyd Clubs launched its latest site at Bury St Edmunds, UK, yesterday (3 December,) which has been under construction since last year. Facilities include a 100+ station gym featuring an Intuitive Strength Circuit; heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools; tennis, padel, badminton and pickleball courts; group exercise studios with the full range of signature David Lloyd Clubs’ classes, including Blaze, Spirit, Ign1te, Battlebox and Rebels. There is also a

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has published the fourth edition of the Guide to Hydrothermal Spa & Wellness Development Standards The 230-page guide, developed in collaboration with the GWI Hydrothermal Initiative* members, continues to set the industry standard for designing and constructing thermal experiences and wet areas in commercial and residential properties. Originally published in 2014, the publication is designed to help stakeholders – including owners, operators and consultants –

London has a new double Olympic skating centre following a £30m investment by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The aim is to encourage physical activity and community within the local population. In addition to the rinks, it has a large gym and a dance studio, as well as community spaces and a café. Designed by architects FaulkerBrowns, The Lee Valley Ice Centre will open on Saturday 17 June, with

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

Icelandic attractions and hospitality brand, Pursuit, has launched Sky Lagoon, a restorative geothermal retreat just outside Reykjavik, situated against the striking backdrop of the North Atlantic Ocean. The new retreat is a competitor to the world-famous Blue Lagoon, which is located a 10-minute drive away. Features of the geothermal Sky Lagoon include an ocean-side 75-metre, (246 ft), infinity-edge pool showcasing expansive ocean and sky views, a sauna with Iceland’s largest

Icelandic attractions and hospitality brand, Pursuit, has launched Sky Lagoon, a restorative geothermal retreat just outside Reykjavik, situated against the striking backdrop of the North Atlantic Ocean. The new retreat is a competitor to the world-famous Blue Lagoon, which is located a 10-minute drive away. Features of the geothermal Sky Lagoon include an ocean-side 75-metre, (246 ft), infinity-edge pool showcasing expansive ocean and sky views, a sauna with Iceland’s largest

Global design and production agency BRC Imagination Arts has appointed Christian Lachel as chief creative officer, taking over the role from BRC founder Bob Rogers. Previously vice president and executive creative director, Lachel first joined BRC in 1997. Since then, he has helped guide the company during a period of rapid GLOBAL growth, and has taken lead roles on projects including Destination Scotland (Johnnie Walker Princes St, Glenkinchie Distillery), Jameson Distillery

A 152-room luxury hotel, designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), recently opened in an 1820s listed building that used to house London's Metropolitan Police headquarters. Great Scotland Yard is now the first Unbound Collection by Hyatt hotel in the UK, but is described by Hyatt as one of the UK capital's most historic buildings. David T’Kint, partner at HBA, explained: "This building is an icon hiding a century and more

The historic Terminal Warehouse, in the West Chelsea area of New York, is being transformed by COOKFOX Architects into a mixed-use destination with retail units, hospitality outlets, open spaces and offices. Originally designed by architect George Mallory and built in 1891, the 1.2 million sq ft (111,000sq m) warehouse occupies an entire city block in Manhattan. With good access to the water, rail and road transportation networks, it became a

The Rothko Chapel will reopen in Houston this June after a 14-month restoration project by Architecture Research Office that is part of a wider $30m (€28m, £23m) masterplan project the studio is carrying out. Opened in 1971, the chapel was created as a place for interfaith worship and contemplation by its founders – artist Mark Rothko and John and Dominique de Menil – and has 14 huge Rothko canvases on

Francl Architecture have created a new ice sports centre in the Canadian city of Surrey, British Columbia, with a vast timber roof that recalls the waves of the nearby Fraser River. The North Surrey Sports and Ice Complex, which opened late last year, covers an area of 134,000sq ft (12,500sq m) and houses three ice sheets that are used for ice hockey, sledge hockey, figure skating and other ice sports.

Looklen Architects have created a stripped back gym in Bangkok, Thailand, that uses steel latticing to create transparent partitions and pieces of furniture around the space. This third branch of Sam Yan Gym was actually completed in 2016, but the project has only just surfaced. The owner wanted to create a contemporary and functional gym, but one that was also differentiated from others. The facility is located in a former

Fyra have designed a new concept self-service store in Helsinki, Finland, where online shopping customers can have items delivered, collect them, try clothes items on and return items that they don't want to keep. Created for Finnish postal and logistics company Posti and developed in partnership with consulting company Motley, Box is based on the growth of online retail and the recognition that there was a gap to fill in

Sweden's iconic Icehotel is in its 30th year and the first pictures of the special anniversary creation have been released, showing glowing walls, glittering chandeliers and snowy sculptures. The Icehotel – or some form of it – has been created every year since 1989, when founder Yngve Bergqvist ran an ice sculpting workshop on the edge of the Torne River in the village of Jukkasjärvi. Nowadays, the Icehotel is constructed

Alberto Apostoli is designing a new four-level spa for the Formentin Hotel that is inspired by the Aurora Borealis and the icebergs of the Northern seas. A historic thermal hotel built in 1911, the Formentin Hotel is located in the centre of Abano Terme, an ancient thermal area located between Verona and Venice. The 840sq m (9,042sq ft) spa will include a swimming pool on the ground floor, a thermal

RDH Architects have converted an old derelict post office in the Candian city of Cambridge, Ontario, into a bookless library with new glass volumes that are cantilevered over the adjacent Grand River. The Idea Exchange provides a free community hub with spaces for learning, creativity, meeting and socialising. The $11.1m (US$8.4m, €7.6m, £6.5m) project combined contemporary additions and design with restored elements of the original building, which was built in

Thai architects Onion have created a community reading space in Bangkok called Samyan Co-op that offers different types of seating and atmosphere to suit different types of users. The project was commissioned by Golden Land Property Development, who were planning to build a new commercial mall and wanted to give something back to society. Their brief for Onion was to create 500-capacity reading and working space that would be free

BuckleyGrayYeoman are to convert a former ice factory, coachworks and power station to house 30,000sq ft (2,800sq m) of restaurant units, retail space and offices adjacent to another of their mixed-use developments. The firm completed its Eccleston Yards mixed-use creative hub project on a derelict and underutilised car park in London, UK, for Grosvenor last year. It comprises a public courtyard where people can sit and a pedestrian mews surrounded

Seattle-based studio Best Practice Architecture has created a new gym with innovative design touches and thoughtful use of materials and colour. The 7,750sq ft (720m) WorkOut by EXOS gym, which is owned by Gaw Capital USA and managed by Urban Renaissance Group, is housed in several former retail units at Seattle's Columbia Center. A full-length glazed façade unites the spaces and provides views into the venue, giving a sense of

The Manser Practice has created a concept design for a road bridge that is temporarily closed to traffic, reimagining it with green public space for use by pedestrians, cyclists and riverboat users. London's Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to vehicles since April this year due to concerns about its structural integrity. People have responded to the closure by making use of its full width as pedestrians and cyclists and enjoying

Designs have been released for the latest edition of the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, northern Sweden, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The competition saw 126 applications received from artist teams across 34 different countries and 15 were chosen to create designs for the hotel, which will open on 13 December. In addition, three teams received a special invitation to create the new main and ceremony hall, as well

Architects Wilkinson Eyre are to create a new visitor attraction in the form of a massive biome complex, near Reykjavik. The Aldin Biomes have just received planning permission and when complete, will showcase a tropical environment and local food production methods, as well as a range of wellness offerings, including barfus walks and yoga. The 48,000sq ft structures, designed for client Spor í sandinn, have been conceived as a major

FaulkerBrowns Architects and LDA Design have unveiled designs for a new ice rink and urban park in east London. Featuring an Olympic-size, twin-rink ice centre, the £30m project is being driven by client, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which wants the new complex to replace the ageing Lee Valley Ice Centre. The existing, 34-year-old ice centre attracts around 279,000 visits a year, but the venue is reaching the end