The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has opened a new luxury resort and spa in Japan, expanding its luxury Asia Pacific portfolio into the historic mountain region of Nikko. Nikken Sekki led the architecture for the overall project, while rooms and public spaces were designed by Layan Architects + Designers. The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko, showcases a new spa designed to be an urban sanctuary of wellness inspired by the abundance of natural revitalising

A South Tyrolean wellness resort in Saltaus, Italy, has received a new two-floor wellness centre designed to provide a sanctuary of wellbeing that integrates smoothly into the natural landscape. Apfelhotel Torgglerhof hotel’s new 570sq m facility has been created to complement the resort’s existing spa with its apple-shaped bio-sauna – inspired by the local apple orchards. Architecture and interior design firm Network of Architecture (noa*) led the overhaul, with construction

Mario Cucinella Architects have designed a new mixed-use building for Tirana, Albania, that is inspired by the shape of the nearby Mount Dajti and is wrapped around a central scoop filled with greenery. The 93m (305ft)-tall, 24-storey Ekspozita Building will house a variety of commercial, residential and public amenity spaces. Occupying three and a half sides of a square footprint and tapering as it rises, the building will accommodate commercial

Aurelien Chen has created a pavilion in China that reimagines the traditional Chinese landscape of mountains, forest, clouds and water. The 350sq m (3,770sq ft) Dragon Mountain Landmark Pavilion, so-called because of its location in Zhulongshan – literally Dragon Mountain, was created to draw the attention to the entrance of the Dragon Mountain Natural site. Described by Chen as "an ethereal and abstract version of a traditional Chinese landscape", the

Gad Line+ Studio have created a reading space in China that resembles a cloud floating in its rocky mountain surroundings. Jiunvfeng Study is situated on Mount Tai in Daiyue District, Tai’an City, and has a footprint of 287sq m (3,100sq ft). The building is constructed on a stone plinth, curving with the shape of the mountain to create two bulbous ends joined by a more sinuous midriff. Flowing floor-to-ceiling windows

Kerry Hill Architects have designed a spa and wellness resort on a mountainside in Hokkaido – their fourth resort in Japan for hotel operator Aman, following the opening of Aman Kyoto. The Aman Niseko resort is to be an all-season retreat situated among the mountain, forest and river surroundings of Mount Moiwa. It is designed to take advantage of the setting by framing the forest and mountain scenery from inside

C+ Architects have created art gallery in Wulong, China, that is designed to look like a glowing ring in the mountains. The LAB Art Museum is set on a 3,000sq m (32,300sq ft) hilltop site that at times is surrounded by clouds. Its white elliptical form stands out against the surrounding green hills and its main volume is raised up on four functional blocks at ground level that serve variously

Architecture office Henning Larsen have been chosen to revitalise a 30,000 sq m seafront park in Esbjerg, Denmark. The architects' plans will see the centuries-old public space transformed into a “city mountain” with new footpaths, artificial ponds, and an expansive amphitheatre. “We are reconnecting the city back with its environment,” said Salka Kudsk, Head of Landscape at Henning Larsen. She continued: “It was initially practical, holding the sand in place

Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron have unveiled their plans to redesign the Klein Titlis, a 50-year-old mountaintop observatory station in Switzerland. The firm’s plan – dubbed Titlis 3020 – will see the current structure gain a new antenna tower and expanded gondola station in addition to an underground tunnel which will offer visitors a close-up glimpse of the glacier’s inner 'heart'. Other amenities and facilities will include an

Architect Bill Bensley is working on a national cultural heritage site in Yên Tu Mountain – considered to be the cradle of Trúc Lâm Zen Buddhism in Vietnam – as part of the Vietnamese government’s strategic development plan for the area. Designed with attention to historical detail – Bensley has created the entire Yên Tu Village in 13th-century style and using 13th-century techniques where possible – the village will include

A dramatic mountain-top arts centre has been built in the Yanshan mountains in China. The Hilltop Gallery – also known as the Phoenix Valley Summit Art Centre – was designed by the Chinese architecture studio, deep Architects (DA). The undulating structure follows the topography of the mountainside and has been built in concrete, bamboo, and terracotta. The 2,600 sq m building has a ballroom, theatre, open cooking area, lounge and

American artist James Turrell has recently unveiled Skyspace: Lech – the latest iteration of his Skyspace series, which was first developed in the 1970s. Located 1,780m (5,800ft) above sea level in the Arlsberg mountains of Austria, the tumulus-like structure–dubbed the lightroom on the mountain – was produced in collaboration with German architectural firm, Baumshlager-Eberle. Turrell, who draws artistic and spiritual inspiration from religious sites like the Egyptian pyramids, Machu Picchu,

Montage International and Crossharbor Capital Partners have announced plans to launch a 150-bedroom luxury resort in Montana’s scenic Big Sky region. The US$456m (€397m, £350m) development, which has been described as a "mountain paradise", will be based less than an hour away from Yellowstone National Park in the lofty Spanish Peaks district. Among other things, Montage Big Sky will offer ski-in, ski-out access and feature 39 residences, as well as

Anticipation is rising ahead of a 12 July launch date for a brand new James Bond visitor attraction nestled snugly inside a mountain peak in Sölden, Austria. The state-of-the-art facility, called 007 ELEMENTS, promises to immerse visitors in an environment that will make them feel like secret agents themselves. Described as a cinematic installation, the new attraction will be housed in a purpose built structure designed by local architect Johann

Wellness design firm A.W. Lake has opened its new headquarters in Northern Colorado, with the building set to become a hotbed of wellness research in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. The monolithic steel building, called the Center for Wellness Strategies, stands 2,000m (6,800ft) above sea level on a 40 acre (16 hectares) site bordering a vast swathe of national forest land. The building will serve as a hub for

Chinese practice MAD Architects have completed their latest urban-scale “expansion of nature” – a vast residential, commercial and leisure complex in Beijing that brings mountainous man-made towers into the heart of the city. The 220,000sq m (2.3 million sq ft) Chaoyang Park Plaza is formed of 10 organically shaped buildings, each with smooth curved surfaces of black and white. It was conceived as an extension of the park – the

Construction is underway for a mountaintop retreat in Utah focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. Summit Powder Mountain, near Eden, is a ski village planned by architects and environmental designers Studio Ma to include residences and leisure communities that will host a year-round community of creative professionals and social entrepreneurs. The project is taking shape on a 10,000-acre public site surrounded by ski slopes. The centrepiece of the village will be

Thailand-based hospitality company Dusit International has signed a management agreement with property investor Omstone Asia Capital Nepal to operate its first property in Nepal. The Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort & Spa – which will house 44 bedrooms and 20 exclusive villas – is scheduled to open in 2020. While the exact wellness facilities are yet to be confirmed, a spokesperson confirmed the property will have a Devarana-branded spa, providing personalised

The Winkler Hotel in northern Italy's Dolomites is adding a 3,500sq m (37,674sq ft) spa with an extensive sauna area, mountain lagoon and Kneipp tunnel. Built with an investment of €3.2m (US$3.4m, £2.7m), the spa is part of a new addition to the hotel that also includes luxury suites and restaurants designed by architect Astrid Steinwandter set to debut this summer. The interiors and the spa have been designed by

The sweeping Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy has inspired a dramatic new hotel designed by architecture firm Network of Architecture (noa*). The irregular, asymmetrical silhouette of the Hotel Tofana in the town of St. Kassian is designed to evoke one of the tree-lined mountain peaks that dominate the region’s Badia Valley, complete with plants lining the building's terraces and façade. Guests can “ascend” the hotel as if it was

Latvian practice Mailitis Architects have designed an amphitheatre with a unique wind tunnel for a band of levitating monks. The Shaolin Flying Monks Theatre has been built on Songshan Mountain in central China – a Unesco World Heritage that is home to the Shaolin Monastery, traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Kung-Fu martial arts. The monks who live on the mountain develop skills in many scenic

Scheduled to open this summer, the reimagined Burgenstock Resort Hotel Lake Lucerne will feature a gargantuan spa covering 10,000sq m (107,639 sq ft). Situated on the shoulders of the Burgenburg cliff and offering views of Lake Lucerne, the Rigi and Pilatus, the new spa is among the largest and most modern in Europe. Aiming to introduce leading wellbeing facilities to provide ‘wellness without limits’ to guests, the concept has been

Landscape architecture studio TLS will design a 74 acre urban park in the centre of Suzhou, China after winning an international design competition for the high-profile project. The park will be designed around the existing Lion Mountain – named due to the lion-shaped geological formation at its peak – and a newly-created lake. The site is currently home to a run-down amusement park and small pond – described as “less

Oslo studio Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter have completed work on the Norwegian Mountaineering Center, which is designed to resemble a snow-topped peak. Reiulf Ramstad won a design competition for the project in 2009 with their vision for a site that captures the experience of mountaineering through form. Located on the harbourside of Åndalsnes in Norway’s mountainous Romsdalen Valley – the completed structure resembles a angular mountain, with pixelated white shingle cladding

The rebuilding of a disused ice rink in Schierke, Germany has officially started, with architecture studio GRAFT transforming the site into a multi-use sports arena with a unique roof structure. The Nature Rink, located at the foot of the snow-topped Harz Mountains, is one of the country’s oldest natural ice stadiums. It is being renovated at a cost of more than €7m (US$7.7m, £5.8m) enabling it to host ice sports

Construction has been completed on a meandering ’Sky Walk’ and observation deck towering 55m (180ft) above a forest valley in the Czech Republic. Local studio Franek Architects created the dramatic timber and steel structure for a ski and wellness resort in the mountains near Dolni Morava. The Sky Walk provides a constantly shifting view as you ascend to an altitude of 1,116 meters above sea level. A number of ways

The world-famous Whistler Blackcomb ski resort is expanding its offering beyond the slopes, announcing a US$345m (€300m, £238m) plan to revitalise and invest in its mountain facilities. To be rolled out in three stages, the ‘Renaissance’ expansion plan will focus first on a US$100m (€87m, £69m) plan to create weather independent, year-round attractions. Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners – who also prepared the first masterplan for Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain