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

Developers have been given the green light to start work again on the US$750m (£647m, €688m) Nickelodeon theme park development at the Mall of China. Work was suspended as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, however, plans for the construction of the third and fourth phases to resume were approved following an inspection ensuring health requirements were met. Located in the Yubei District of Chongqing City, the Mall of China

A new US$550m (€509m, £426m) African-themed water park and resort from Kalahari Resorts & Conventions is due to open in Round Rock, Texas, in November 2020. With 1.5 million sq ft (457,000sq m) of resort space, Kalahari said the resort would be its largest yet, and would also be America's largest indoor water park, at 223,000sq ft (68,000sq m). Facilities at the venue will include Tom Foolery's Adventure Park –

TechnoAlpin created a snow-filled retail installation for clothing brand Woolrich as part of the 97th edition of clothing exhibition Pitti Uomo from 9-10 January last week. The Woolrich Forest installation was created in Florence’s La Dogana, with a space in the building transformed into a winter scene that echoed the wintry landscapes of Pennsylvania, where the brand was founded, and that allowed its outdoor products to be suitably showcased. TechnoAlpin

Neutelings Riedijk Architects are transforming a former railway station in Brussels into a vast mixed-use "covered city" with public realm and event spaces, places to eat and drink, retail offerings and workspaces. Gare Maritime dates from the beginning of the 20th century and comprises five parallel steel-framed structures – three larger and two smaller – in total measuring 280m (919ft) long, 140m (459ft) wide and 24m (79ft) high. The design

Four Seasons will open a resort in Los Cabos, Mexico this November, designed by Guerin Glass Architects. The Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas will have 141 bedrooms, including 23 suites, designed to integrate indoor-outdoor living. In the hotel, native landscaping and layers of texture – metal, wood, glass, plaster and stone – will contrast with vibrant local art to create an elemental luxury designed to feel warm

Plans have been approved for a 19,000-seat, multi-use indoor arena in Belmont Park on Long Island, New York. The US£1.3bn venue is set to become the new home of National Hockey League (NHL) franchise New York Islanders. As well as the indoor arena, the project includes a 350,000sq ft entertainment complex and a 250-bedroom hotel. The plans were approved by the Empire State Development Board – the New York state

The Moshe Safdie-designed Jewel Changi Airport – an atmospheric leisure complex and air terminus in Singapore – has finally opened its doors to the public. The result of a four-year construction process, the US$1.25bn (€1.1bn, £958m) structure is roofed by a unique glass and steel geodesic dome that links to its crowning feature, a 40-metre-tall waterfall dubbed the "Rain Vortex". The impressive complex – a city in its own right

The State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta has fully reopened, following a US$192.5m (€169m, £152m) renovation project which has transformed the 20-year-old indoor venue. Completed in phases, the redevelopment has been driven by Tony Ressler, owner of the Atlanta Hawks NBA franchise, which is the arena's primary tenant. Ressler acquired the Hawks in 2015 and made upgrading the venue, formerly called Philips Arena, a priority focus in his plans to

A major new indoor snow centre and leisure destination in Swindon, UK has been given the green light by the local council. Designed by sports and leisure specialists FaulknerBrowns Architects, the £270m (US$345m, €303m) project will include a 2,00sq m (21,500sq ft) snow centre featuring two real-snow slopes – measuring 75m and 170m in length. It will also house a 12-screen cinema with the largest IMAX screen in the UK;

Plans have been announced to build the world's largest indoor ski park, with the record-breaking development coming to Shanghai's Pudong neighbourhood. Conceptualised by Mercurio Design Lab, the Wintastar resort will be run by Dubai's Majid Al Futtaim, which unveiled the Middle East’s first indoor ski slope in 2005. Singapore-based KOP Limited (KOPL) will build the sport's attraction, which will span 227,000sq m (2.4 million sq ft). The park will feature

Construction is nearing completion on “a world-class, signature lifestyle destination” at Singapore’s Changi Airport, which has been designed to boost the city-state’s appeal as a stopover point for global travellers. Conceived as the world’s most ambitious airport leisure attraction, the complex, called The Jewel, is being built inside an enormous glass dome covering a 40m-high indoor waterfall and a five-storey ‘forest valley’ with 2,500 trees and 100,000 shrubs. The building

One of the largest ongoing leisure developments on the planet, EuropaCity in Paris, will feature a dramatic indoor/outdoor cinema embedded into the landscape, courtesy of a competition-winning design by UNStudio. The Dutch practice have been selected as the architects to realise the Centre Culturel Dédié Au 7è Art – one of eight key buildings within the wider EuropaCity masterplan created by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Described by UNStudio as “a

Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff has been selected as the preferred site for a new 15,000-seat indoor arena. The planned £110m (US$155m, €124m) venue – which would be capable of hosting sports, cultural, and entertainment events – is now set to be built across two sites in Atlantic Wharf close to the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff Bay. Cardiff Council, which is driving the project, has identified a large indoor venue

Sports and leisure specialists FaulknerBrowns Architects have submitted a planning application for a major new indoor snow centre and leisure destination in Swindon, UK. Plans for the destination include a 2,00sq m (21,500sq ft) snow centre featuring two real-snow slopes; a 12-screen cinema with the largest IMAX screen in the UK; a bowling alley; an indoor trampolining centre; a 130-room hotel; and a variety of shops, bars and restaurants. The

The drive to make Abu Dhabi's Yas Island one of the world’s top leisure and entertainment destination continues with the under-construction CLYMB, a futuristic building that will hold a supersized flight chamber and climbing wall. Miral, the developers and management company behind Yas Island, has said the 9.75m (32ft) flight chamber will be the widest in the world and the 43m (141ft) indoor climbing wall will be the tallest. “CLYMB

National sporting infrastructure in Ireland has received a major boost with the delivery of the €41m (US$44m, £35m) National Indoor Arena in Dublin, which will be officially opened today (26 January). Located within the wider National Sports Campus, the new 44,500sqm (479,000sq ft) facility can accommodate 1,900 spectators and host 20 multi-disciplinary sports. It includes an internationally certified running track and training hub for athletics, a gymnastics centre, a 12

The French ski resort of Tignes will soon be able to offer 365-day skiing after having plans approved to build a €62m (US$66.4m, £52.1m) indoor slope on one of its existing runs. French architects De Jong (DJA) are behind the 400m (1,300ft) Ski Line snow centre, which will sit at an altitude of 2,000m (6,500ft) and will feature a chairlift to take visitors to the top of the slope, as

Nickelodeon has unveiled plans to build the largest indoor amusement park in the western hemisphere as part of New Jersey’s under-construction American Dream Meadowlands mall and leisure complex. Dubbed Nickelodeon Universe, the 35,000sq m (370,000sq ft) amusement park will feature a number of rides based on iconic Nickelodeon brands, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and newer shows like Blaze and the Monster Machines. In addition to a selection

The main contractor has been appointed for the construction of Urban Sports Park (USP) – a multi-level indoor skating complex in Folkestone, UK designed by Guy Holloway Architects. The developer of the project, Shepway Sports Trust, has commissioned Westridge Construction to carry out the main work on the building, which received approval from the district council in February. Preparations will take place soon for construction to begin, with a target

Designers Rockwell Group and architectural firms WATG and Pacific Asia Design Group will work together to significantly transform the Pacific Beach Hotel in Hawaii. The hotel – which is located next to the former residence of Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last reigning monarch – is being renovated and rebranded at a cost of US$115m (€103.5m, £86.5m). The Pacific’s exterior façade, 839 guestrooms and suites, public areas and lobby aquarium will all

David Rockwell has collaborated with seven famous street artists to create VANDAL; a new street food restaurant in New York. Located on Bowery Street in Manhattan, the bi-level, 350-seat restaurant is a labyrinthine web of private rooms, secret catacombs, hidden gardens and surprising art installations. Rockell’s design team planned VANDAL’s interiors and British street artist Hush curated the wallscape. He created seven huge murals for the space and commissioned six

Entertainment technology company, IMAX Corporation, which specialises in creating immersive, large-screen 3D and 4D cinematic experiences, is moving into the US health and fitness industry. The company has applied for a permit to open an indoor cycling studio in Brooklyn, New York, which will be fitted out with a giant screen. “The gym would consist of tiered rows of stationary bikes which would face the screen, which would play original

Oslo-based property developer Selvaag has been granted planning permission to develop one of the world’s largest indoor ski arenas. Masterplanned by London architects Chapman Taylor, in collaboration with Norwegian architect Professor Thomas Thiis-Evensen, the Winter Village scheme in Ødegården has been designed for cross country, free ski and downhill skiing, and will be the first indoor ski arena to be built in Norway. Offering year-round skiing for both local people

Dubai-based developer Meydan has launched a record-breaking project that will bring Dubai the world’s longest indoor ski slope, biggest gym and tallest residential tower among a host of leisure amenities. The 1.2km-long (0.74 miles) indoor ski slope will eclipse the current record holder, the paltry in comparison 400m (1,312ft) slope at the Mall of the Emirates, which opened in 2005. The record-smashing slope will be the centrepiece of the new

More than 100,000 visitors have visited an unusual seaside-inspired installation at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, causing online ticket sales to be ceased to ensure current ticket holders can be accommodated. The temporary exhibit, entitled BEACH, has been installed in the museum’s famous Great Hall and is the work of architecture practice Snarkitecture. The Brooklyn-based firm’s 10,000sq ft (929sq m) interactive architectural exhibit – made from a mishmash

The Houston Astrodome, could be saved and turned into a multi-use leisure facility, following the publication of a new report by the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The ULI report was complied by a panel of experts from the fields of architecture, urban planning and land use. Suggestions include a ground-level open space that could host an array of activities including an adventure park, indoor track, zip lines and mountain bike