OMA 's first hotel in Bali has been designed both for guests and to engage the local community, with an open space for cultural events and leisure activities. The open space, or platform, at Potato Head Studios runs from the hotel down to the beach at Seminyak and is based on the raised and ground-level courtyards of Indonesian and Balinese homes. It provides a flexible stage where guests and locals

The first property from new hotel brand Salt, launched by the team behind Lux Resorts, has opened in Mauritius. The 59-bedroom Salt of Palmar has been conceived to champion sustainability, connect with the local community and introduce culturally curious travellers to the “real, unvarnished Mauritius,” the company said. Its distinctive look is born out of collaboration between local Mauritian architect Jean-François Adam of JFA Architects and French artist Camille Walala,

Lux Resorts is launching a new brand, Salt, and the first property is set to open in November on the east coast of Mauritius. The 59-bedroom Salt of Palmar is designed to add a humanistic approach to hospitality for the “culturally curious traveller”, and to connect guests to locals and their way of life. Salt guests will be immersed into Mauritian life, with the opportunity to connect directly with locals

The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi in Malaysia, due to open in July 2017, has released details of its spa to CLAD. On top of a range of conventional treatments and features, the spa’s standout offering will be its five floating cocoon-shaped spa pavilions, shaped to resemble Malay Bubus, which are intricately woven fish traps that have been used for centuries by local fishermen. The pavilions will float above the Andaman Sea and

Planning permission has been granted for London's controversial ‘Paddington Cube’ development designed by architect Renzo Piano. Westminster City Council’s Planning Application Committee approved the 14-storey project on 31 London Street earlier this week, despite complaints from campaigners and heritage groups that it will have a negative impact on the capital’s skyline. The £775m (US$978.3m, €917.5m) cubic building will replace the former Royal Mail sorting office next to Paddington Station. In

New designs for the controversial Casement Park development in Belfast have been unveiled after opposition from local residents halted original plans. Ulster Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has put forward designs for a reduced size arena to quell concerns raised by locals about the quality of their lives being impacted on matchdays. The body has also put forward a “sustainable transport strategy”, which includes coach travel and park-and-ride options, to improve

Chelsea Football Club’s plans to build one of the largest stadiums in England have hit a stumbling block – the local population of endangered bats. The club submitted its plans for the £500m (US$660m, €584m) project to London’s Hammersmith and Fulham council last year, but have been asked to provide more evidence of how they will protect the nearby grade I-listed Brompton cemetery and its population of the nocturnal mammals.

Hospitality group Taj Safaris has opened its first lodge outside of India; a traditionally designed retreat within a national park once used as a hunting ground by Nepal’s royal family. Leopards, rhinos and Bengal tigers roam the UNESCO World Heritage listed Chitwan National Park located near the city of Bharatpur. The thick grasslands, meandering water bodies and abundant wildlife – including 68 species of mammal and 550 native bird species

SO-IL has revealed its design for an art gallery in Brooklyn, New York, which explores the relationship between both exterior and interior, and light and dark. The four-storey Artes Amant – expected to complete by 2017 – is a haven for modern art, where artists can create, display and store their work. The designs for the 1,320sqm (14,250sq ft) Artes Amant began with the inside, looking first at the functionality

Shigeru Ban’s latest project – the Oita Prefectural Art Museum – has opened in Japan, becoming an artistic piece in its own right to inspire the local community, acting as a “cultural catalyst.” Located on the southwestern island of Kyushu, the building’s timber-lattice clad structure – in reference to the region’s history of producing fine wood crafts – covers three floors and is designed so the external walls, comprised of

The £80m (US$121m, €104.4m) Jurassica dinosaur attraction proposed inside a limestone quarry in Dorset, UK, could generate £20m (US$30.3m, €26.1m) for the local economy every year, according to the charity behind the planned attraction. If the plans go ahead, the attraction is estimated to bring in 960,000 visitors annually. The subterranean geological park – backed and supported by Sir David Attenborough, the Eden Project's Sir Tim Smit and science writer

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) has been ordered by the Development and Planning Commission (DPC) to cease unauthorised work being carried out on the proposed Europa Point stadium. The order came last month when it was discovered works including drilling had been undertaken without the correct permissions to do so, against a backdrop of strong local opposition. The DPC also asked the GFA to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

A heritage row has erupted over plans to build a permanent home and museum for the Nobel prize – the first in the award’s 114-year history. The new headquarters threaten two historic buildings with demolition and a group of more than 5,000 has formed in protest of the plans. Under the proposals, a 25,000sq m (269,000sq ft) facility will open in 2018. The new centre will house nearly all Nobel’s

A Minnesota-based construction firm has been selected to build a new $975m (£600m, 750m euro) Vikings stadium by the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority (MSFA). Local contractor Mortenson Construction has built more than 100 sports and entertainment venues and expects the new Minnesota Vikings stadium to be open for the 2016 football season. MSFA, which will own and operate the new stadium, chose Mortenson based on the company's national sports construction

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) has moved forward with efforts to offload the site of the town's existing leisure centre at Majuba Road and Lobster Road. It comes as specialist drilling machinery returns to the site of a replacement facility, which is being built as part of a new £31m leisure, business support and community complex. Members of the council's cabinet resolved to proceed with a marketing process detailed

Plans for a new £31m leisure and community facility in Redcar have received the support of local residents, following a public exhibition and consultation. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) is proposing a purpose-built venue as part of the scheme, which will feature a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and leisure pool. A dance hall and performance space; a fitness suite and junior gym; and business space for small-to-medium enterprises are

North Somerset Council (NSC) is to hold a public exhibition to allow residents in Weston-super-Mare to comment on redevelopment plans for the Tropicana centre. Havard Tisdale and the Nightingale Group are the two developers currently in the running to lead the regeneration of the seafront site. NSC has confirmed that plans drawn up by both firms will be on show at the events, which are due to be held at

Liverpool City Council (LCC) has given its approval to a £4.5bn regeneration scheme designed to transform Birkenhead Docks into a major new waterside destination. The 18 million sq ft (1.7 million sq m) Wirral Waters project is being led by the Manchester-based developer, Peel Holdings, and will incorporate a range of restaurants, cafés, bars, a hotel and cultural attractions. Individual architects have been involved with the design of different elements