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

The UK government has launched a £1bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), providing grant funding for energy efficiency measures across the public sector. The funding has been made available for capital sustainability and heat decarbonisation projects within public sector non-domestic buildings, including central government departments and non-departmental public bodies in England. Public sector bodies can apply for a grant to finance up to 100 per cent of the costs of

The final retail and dining offerings are due to open next month the vast American Dream leisure, entertainment and retail complex in the US state of New Jersey, which opened in October having broken ground in 2004. Developed by Triple Five Group and designed by Gensler, the destination covers 3,000,000 sq ft (280,000sq m), with over 450 stores and 15 attractions. According to Don Ghermezian, president of American Dream, this

The 1920s-built Lensbury private members club, which also now incorporates a hotel, conference centre and a leisure centre, has reopened following the refurbishment of its leisure facilities by Zynk. The club is set within 25ac (10ha) of landscaped grounds in Teddington, London, and celebrates its centenary next year. Work has included the redesign of facilities including the holistic studio, group cycling studio, gym floor and Hi-Energy / HIIT studio. The

BuroHappold will transform New York State's Erie Canal as part of a $300m (€269m, £231m) initiative to grow regional tourism, support outdoor recreation, reduce flooding, restore wetlands and improve irrigation. The project has come out of the Reimagine the Canals Task Force, which is aimed at developing a canal system fit for the 21st century. Work on the 350mi (560km)-long canal, which passes through 225 communities along its course, is

Dattner Architects have been chosen to transform the Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center North Campus in Brooklyn into an affordable housing complex with integrated leisure, wellness and community elements. The project, which is part of a wider initiative to create more affordable housing in Brooklyn, will see three buildings demolished on the 102,000sq ft (9,500sq m) site, as well as the redevelopment of a former hospital building. A total of 266

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and WXY Architects have unveiled a vision for Downtown Brooklyn aimed at reanimating the 370ac (150ha) district with public spaces, recreation amenities and pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. The two practices spent last year working on the Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Action Plan – a study of the area's streets, sidewalks, plazas, parks, alleyways, intersections, underutilised spaces and other public spaces. Carried out on behalf of the Downtown Brooklyn

Retail and leisure destination developer Intu is creating an €800m ($886m, £679m) resort on Spain's Costa del Sol, designed by WATG and Broadway Malyan, that will feature eight distinct neighbourhoods, each offering a different experience for visitors. Located in Torremolinos, Intu Costa del Sol will cover 2.5 million sq ft (235,000 sq m) and will incorporate 1.5 million sq ft (142,000 sq m) of retail space, 20+ leisure operators, 70+

LABS Collective is transforming the Grade-II listed Victoria House in Holborn, London, into a 200,000sq ft (18,600sq m) co-working space with a variety of amenities for downtime and a focus on wellbeing. The neoclassical building will be updated with a modern design and contemporary feel, while its heritage will be preserved through sensitive restoration of its architectural detail. The new facility will accommodate around 4,000 professionals, with 150,000sq ft (14,000sq

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) and Cox Architecture have won an international competition to design the new Western Sydney Airport in Australia, proposing both a passenger-focused experience and a leisure destination for locals. The new AU$5.3b (US$3.6b, €3.3b, £2.8b) greenfield airport is aimed at helping to drive the growth of Sydney and its greater metropolitan area over the coming decades. In addition to a design for the airport, ZHA and Cox

Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) has collaborated with agricultural collective Cityplot to design a lifelong learning centre in Germany that uses social, spatial and leisure elements to optimise the learning process. Life Hamburg will be a 12,000sq m (129,000sq ft) figure-of-eight-shaped building that is aimed at reinventing learning for 800 children and 800 adults. The centre's design is based on the purpose-inspired and personal learning educational principles of Learnlife and

The shortlist has been revealed for the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2019 Awards and leisure projects are represented across the majority of the 33 categories – as well as in dedicated categories of their own. Among the most notable leisure projects in contention for an award are: • Alexandra Palace East Wing Regeneration by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios • Coal Drops Yard by Heatherwick Architects • Morpheus Hotel by Zaha

Danish architecture office Henning Larsen have won an international competition to design a 5.5 million sq m waterfront district in Shenzhen, China. Described by the firm as a "polycentric megacity", the new quarter will feature a vast swath of public land with a microclimate shaped by tree-lined boulevards, plazas, and gardens. According to the architects, the "leisure city" aspect of the development will comprise multiple cultural attractions, among which will

Emirati developer Emaar Properties has announced plans for an AED25bn (US$6.8bn, €6bn, £5.2bn) waterfront leisure district in Dubai. Called "Mina Rashid", the government-backed scheme will see the creation of numerous luxury facilities and properties, including art galleries, villas, a museum, a floating yacht club, a theatre, and the city's largest swimming pool. Sirdhana, the development's on-site residential complex, will comprise an as-yet-undisclosed number of one- to three-bedroom condos, plus a

Architectural icon, Peter Cook, and his business partner, Gavin Robotham, co-founders of Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau (CRAB), have revealed they're working on an innovative fitness, sport and leisure project in Mumbai. Speaking in the latest issue of CLADmag, Cook said the new facility could represent the future of mixed-activity clubs. "The core of the building's central area runs through two floors and is surrounded on both by a series of

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

Jewel Changi Airport – long-praised as representing a new paradigm in passenger experience design – is scheduled to open its doors this spring in Singapore. Planned by Safdie Architects and delivered by BuroHappold Engineering, the first-of-its-kind transit hub will double as an attraction and boast several publicly accessible and "community-centric" leisure facilities and hospitality outlets, including boutique hotels and restaurants, a 40-metre-high indoor waterfall, and a five-storey "paradise garden". Shaped

French architecture firm Reichen and Robert (RR&A) have been selected to spearhead a €100m (US$113.4m, £87.3m) makeover of Marseille-Fos Port (the Grand Port of Marseille) – the largest seaport in France. Dubbed the "J1, La Passerelle", the new 29,106 sq m mixed-use structure, which will be located minutes away from the iconic Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (MUCEM), will offer extensive recreational amenities, including a floating

Italian architecture studio Migliore+Servetto have revealed renderings of their proposal to transform an abandoned, oceanfront railroad into a scenographic linear park in Busan, South Korea. The redevelopment project – called the "Blue Line Park" – will cover an area of 5 km and comprise a series of multifunctional pavilions seemingly designed to evoke the feeling of moving between scenes in a play. These theatre set-like spaces will include the "Islands

As a new year approaches, CLAD brings you our list of some of the most anticipated leisure buildings expected in 2019, from museums and restaurants to spas, theatres, and resorts. Arctic Bath Designed by Scandinavian architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi – Arctic Bath is set to open in the High North town of Harads, Sweden, 50km south of the Arctic Circle. The free-floating retreat, which will be situated on

John Cora – a former senior executive of The Walt Disney Company – has announced plans to create "Elysium City", a sustainable development and entertainment district in western Spain. Set to rise in rural Castilblanco, Extremadura – in the heart what has been described as a "Spanish Siberia" – the new property will reportedly comprise a 40,000-capacity sports arena, a mega-casino, a theme park, and a marina, as well as

The second day of the World Architecture Festival Awards (WAF) saw a number of restaurants, hotels, and cultural spaces celebrated in multiple categories. In the Culture Future Projects category, Studio 44’s Museum of the Defence and Siege of Leningrad took the top prize. Created to commemorate the Siege of Leningrad, arguably one of the most violent episodes of WWII, the building features an in-depth 'Chamber of Diaries' which narrates the

A long-abandoned railyard in Lakeland, Florida will soon be granted a second life as forested recreational zone and cultural 'oasis'. Set to be designed by landscape architects Sasaki, the soon-to-be regenerated property, dubbed Bonnet Springs Park (BSP), will see the presently arsenic-contaminated and non-pedestrian site transform into a 180-acre environmentally friendly public attraction. According to the BSP team, a central purpose of the park’s nature and leisure-focused facilities – which

Gateshead Council is moving forward with plans to expand the iconic Gateshead Quays, a leisure and entertainment-focused development in Tyne and Wear, UK. The £200m (US$255m, €225m) expansion, which is being spearheaded by Ask Real Estate and PATRIZIA UK, will see the riverside locale gain a number of hotels, bars, and restaurants, as well as a 12,500-seat arena and 10,000 sq m conference centre. Set to be designed by HOK

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,

Construction on Hjertet (“The Heart” in Danish), a multi-purpose leisure centre in the Jutlandic town of Ikast is now complete. The 3,600sq m (39,000sq ft) building, which has been described as a “melting pot” and a link between Ikast’s International School and the local community, recently opened to the public. Among other things, the venue includes a cafe, shop, gymnasiums, and multiple spaces for meditative and performative activities like yoga

London-based architectural firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) have been selected to design a 1.2km leisure garden in the Qianhai area of Shenzhen, China. Described as an "urban living room", the new green space – which is intended to encourage pedestrianism – will be elevated above the city’s roads and will feature a number of cultural and recreational areas, including an opera house and a convention centre. In a