Milan has raised its profile as a leader in the thermal spa sector with the opening of De Montel Terme di Milano in early April. The new property, Italy’s largest urban thermal and wellness complex, was first reported in Spa Business back in Q3 2024 and is being managed by Terme & Spa Italia, which runs Tuscany's Terme di Saturnia. De Montel Terme di Milano accommodates 700 guests and features

Global wellbeing organisation Therme Group has acquired Therme Erding – a vast 145,000sq ft wellbeing destination located near Munich in Germany. Recognised as one of Europe’s largest thermal wellbeing complexes, Therme Erding features a 40-pool bathing oasis, 35 steam baths and saunas and 28 indoor and outdoor slides. Founded by architect and entrepreneur Josef Wund in 1999, the facility has become a cornerstone of the European wellness industry. The acquisition

Huafa Snow World, a 131-hectare sport and entertainment destination in Shenzhen, China, designed by architecture firm, 10 Design is slated to open in 2025. The development is anchored by a 80,000sq m indoor ski resort, currently expected to be the largest of its kind in the world when it opens. Huafa Snow World will have a balance of retail, entertainment, commercial, hospitality, civic and cultural elements with the aim of

Morgan’s Wonderland – a Texas-based theme park which caters specifically to people with disabilities – has revealed plans to add attractions worth US$6 million in 2024. The major additions will include a 4D cinema giving, a passenger boat ride across the park’s eight-acre fishing lake, a zipline soaring above the lake and a wheelchair-accessible "bike ride". The 4D theatre, located at the park's Sensory Village, gives guests the sensation of

Medical spa brand, Lanserhof Group, has welcomed the first guests to its all-new coastal health resort on the German island of Sylt. With plans for the 55-key property first revealed in 2017, Lanserhof has invested more than €120m (US$128.6m, £102.6m) to bring the property to fruition. Currently in a soft opening phase, Lanserhof Sylt joins the group’s four other properties: the original, Lans, in the Tyrol region of Austria; Lanserhof

ASM Global has revealed HOK -designed plans to increase the capacity at its Manchester Arena venue to 24,000, which would make it the largest arena in Europe. As well as the proposed increase to capacity, the plans include the creation of an additional concourse level to house VIP boxes and lounges, as well as food and drink outlets. A new "worker bee façade" – in honour of Manchester's symbol, the

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 –

Plans have been revealed to build Europe's largest esports gaming hub in the Swedish capital Stockholm. Space Digital Culture Centres (Space) – a Swedish property and entertainments venture set up to create hubs for gaming and music – plans to establish a permanent, 7,500sq m (80,700sq ft) esports venue covering seven floors. Space is headed by co-founders Gustav Käll, Lars Blomberg and Per Sundin. Käll is the head of esports-focused

UK-based architects Invisible Studio, founded by Piers Taylor, have designed a 150sq m (1,600sq ft) gym for the Newt Hotel in Somerset that they say has one of the largest glass panels in the world. Measuring 15m (49ft) wide and 3.3m (10.8ft) high, the window is designed to give a clear and unbroken view of the garden over which it looks. The panel forms part of a bay the sides

Sports stadium and events venue experts Populous have unveiled designs for the largest video gaming and esports complex in the Southern Hemisphere. Covering 2,700sq m (29,100sq ft), spread across two floors and with a capacity for over 1,000 people, Fortress Melbourne will house a purpose-built arena with a retractable 200-seat grandstand, a professional boot camp room and training facilities, dedicated areas for LAN, RPG and tabletop gaming, two bars and

South Australia's Monarto Zoo says it will become the world's largest safari experience outside of Africa, through a A$40m (US$27.1m, €24.66m, £21.8m) development that has been approved by the regional government. The project, led by architects Intro, includes the provision of a luxury resort and eco-glamping facilities, a new visitor centre, restaurant, conference facilities and a range of new wild safari experiences in an area to be called Wild Africa,

Brooklyn-based architecture office Michael Van Valkenburgh (MVVA) have unveiled the latest set of renderings of their design for the future Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park in Buffalo, NY. According to the firm, the expanded public realm – set to replace the historic LaSalle Park on the Lake Erie waterfront – will feature numerous leisure and recreational amenities, including athletic fields, docking areas for canoes and kayaks, and a hilly

German architecture group von Gerkan, Marg, und Partner (gmp) have created a 41,000-seat stadium on the tropical island of Hainan in China. Situated minutes from the coast, Wuyuanhe Stadium is shaped to resemble ocean waves and features a 400-metre running track, lounge areas, and a top floor walkway with panoramic views of the sea. According to the architects, the sports complex – the first part of a district-wide urban regeneration

American architecture studio LPA Design have created The Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena – the largest ice skating facility in the state of California. Located in Irvine, the 280,000 sq ft (26,000 sq m) complex comprises an Olympic ice rink, three National Hockey League (NHL)-size rinks, a multipurpose arena, an amphitheatre, a gym, an artificial beach, and a selection of dining and retail amenities. Described by the American Society

British property firm The Collective has revealed the latest details for what's expected to become "the world's largest co-living space". Billed as a model for the "tech-enabled future", The Collective Canary Wharf – which is scheduled to open its doors in July – will comprise 705 apartments and also function as a short-stay hotel and cultural hub. Developed as part of the company's US$450m (€401.7m, £344.8m) investment in the increasingly

The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) has submitted plans to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) for the MSG Sphere – a multi-use entertainment complex slated to become the city's largest music venue. The 21,500-capacity arena will be situated on a 4.7-acre site in Stratford and play host to a variety of events, such as concerts, conferences, and sporting matches. Its campus will also comprise restaurants, parks, retail areas, a

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

Scandinavian architecture practice Henning Larsen have been tapped to expand the Opéra Bastille – the largest opera house in Paris. The renovated structure will feature an extended foyer, an 800-seat concert hall, workshop facilities, and a public garden path with links to the Viaduc des Arts and the rue de Lyons. First proposed in 2017 in response to a competition announced by France's Ministry of Culture and Communication, the new

American architecture practice Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) have unveiled their design for the Azrieli Tower, soon to become one of the tallest buildings in Israel. The new 340-metre, mixed-use tower – which will rise on the grounds of the existing Azrieli Centre – will comprise extensive residential, office, and retail facilities, as well as 1,393 sq m of hotel space. The key visual feature of the building's appearance is

Emirati real estate developer Viva City Developments has announced that it will supervise the creation of a record-breaking sports complex in Dubai. Dubbed "The Sports Society", the 3-storey structure will occupy 3,717 sq m of space and a feature number of leisure attractions, such as an ice-skating rink, trampoline park, martial arts dojo, bowling alley, and cricket simulator, as well as multiple climbing walls and retail shops. Other amenities in

A team led by French architecture firm Triptyque has designed Ecotone, a mixed-use development projected to become one of the largest wooden structures in the world. The €300m ($340m, £261.5m) project, which will feature biophilic and biomimetic elements – such as terraced hillsides inspired by bird and bee nests – will span 81,870 sq m and comprise a hotel and multipurpose sports hall, as well as fitness centres, restaurants, retail

German architectural firm Henn Architekten has been tapped to head up the redesign of the Gasteig, Europe’s largest cultural centre. Henn will spearhead the attraction's expansion, which will see the 30-year-old building gain a rooftop restaurant, multiple learning areas, and a 'cultural stage' atrium, which will feature as a multifunctional gathering and events space and accommodate up to 1,000 guests. The company nabbed the commission after beating out Stuttgart studios

Snowmass Base Village – set to become the largest ski resort in North America – will open its doors just in time for this year’s Christmas season. Designed by a team of firms including Oz Architecture, Raymond Letkeman Architects, and Eldon Beck & Associates, the 100,000 sq ft leisure hub and "ski in, ski out"-resort will include a public plaza and skating rink, as well as multiple restaurants, pools, gyms,

The history of Alberta, Canada, is now on display at the newly rebuilt Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) in the state capital of Edmonton, following seven years of planning and development. The museum building – now the largest in western Canada – is somewhat of an exhibition itself, with glazed walls that glow and then dissolve as the evening wears on and interior windows that allow views into its research laboratories,

Work is almost complete on what will soon be the world's largest underwater restaurant, with the Snøhetta-designed project in Norway on track to open next year. Called 'Under', work on the concrete, 600sq m (6,500sq ft) structure, reached a milestone in July when engineers began the “sinking process”, which saw the building lowered into the North Sea at the southernmost point of the Norwegian coastline by the village of Bål.

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

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has unveiled plans for its upcoming S$180m (US$138m, £99m) business school, which – on completion in 2021 – will become the largest wooden building in Asia. The six-story, 40,000sq m building – part of the administration’s desire to construct the “greenest university campus in the world” – will be co-designed by RSP Architects Planners & Engineers and Toyo Ito & Associates Architects. RSP said the objective