Five prominent architectural practices have revealed their designs for the planned new National Museum of the United States Navy. The five teams – Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Gehry Partners, DLR Group, Perkins&Will, and Quinn Evans – were finalists in an “artistic ideas competition” held by the US Navy and its historical and curatorial arm, the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The quintet was chosen from 37 teams that submitted

From 2017-2020, the global wellness real estate market expanded from US$148bn (€126bn,£109bn) to US$275bn (€235bn, £203bn). These figures were released today (28 September) in the Global Wellness Institute’s (GWI) new study, called Wellness Real Estate: Looking Beyond COVID-19. The GWI defines wellness real estate as the construction of residential and commercial/institutional properties that incorporate intentional wellness elements into their design, materials and building, as well as their amenities, services and/or

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) is preparing to host a Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium on 28 September 2021. The conference will take a deep dive into the fast-growing market and gather top executives, developers, investors, architects, designers, analysts, policymakers and media to examine the future of the market. The hybrid event is being hosted both online and in-person in New York City at etc.venues 601 Lexington. Hosted between

At a time when companies in the hospitality sector are facing unprecedented challenges, private equity firm Alta Capital Real Estate has grasped the opportunity to invest in undervalued wellness hospitality assets across Asia-Pacific. It recently launched the Alta Hospitality Fund Asia with the aim of “repositioning, rebranding and redeveloping assets for the post-COVID world in order to deliver solid returns”. It aims to create a portfolio value of US$50m (€42m,

Luxury Irish spa resort, The Johnstown Estate, in County Meath, has invested €3.5m (US$4.13m, £3.18m) in creating a new spa nearly twice the size of its previous facility, scheduled to launch early November 2020. The overhaul was conceived by Millimetre Design, the interior design and branding studio which created Johnstown’s Fire & Salt Restaurant, Coach House Brasserie, The Atrium and many of the other spaces at the 167-key Johnstown Estate.

Six Senses has announced plans to open a new Italian resort at a historic castle estate nestled into the Umbrian countryside, in Perugia, scheduled to open in 2023. Architecture firm Woods Bagot is behind the masterplan, while interiors are being planned by Tokyo-based Design Studio SPIN. The redevelopment is being driven by VIY Management (VIYM), a London-based investment firm focused on luxury hospitality and mixed-use real estate projects, and Alessio

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

State Library Victoria, in Melbourne, Australia, has reopened after being revamped by Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Australian studio Architectus to expand its community outreach and enhance the visitor experience. The work is part of a five-year redevelopment plan and focused on a number of spaces within the library, which comprises 23 individual buildings and occupies an entire city block. The aim was to better weave together the spaces within the

Studio Arthur Casas have designed a tower complex in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that combines apartments, a hotel and restaurants in a design described as "discreet, timeless and stately". Praça Henrique Monteiro will cover an area of 3,000sq m (32,300sq ft) with three street-facing elevations. This will allow the apartments, hotel and restaurants to operate independently, despite being part of the same development and sharing some elements. They will be connected

The observation deck on the top floor of the Empire State Building has reopened this week after the third of a US$165m (€148, £128) four-phase redevelopment of the experience at the iconic New York City landmark. The observatory redevelopment was carried out by design consultants Beneville Studios, project managers JLL, elevator company Otis, contractors Skanska and Thinc Design, who designed the wider observatory experience exhibition. Squint/Opera were responsible for the

Monkey Island Estate has opened in Bray-on-Thames, England, with interiors by New York-based Champalimaud Design. Part of the Malaysian hotel group, YTL Hotels, the historic estate is set across seven acres on an island in the River Thames, with a rich history dating back 800 years. Monkey Island was bought by YTL Hotels in 2015, after the late YTL founder Yeoh Tiong Lay visited and fell in love with the

Construction is almost complete on the Atlanta Hawks’ highly anticipated State Farm arena. The US$192.5m (€166.7m, £145.6m) renovation – said to be the second largest in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) history – will see the sports centre gain the league’s first-ever courtside bar. Other innovative amenities intended to enhance fans’ in-game experiences include a four-chair barbershop – strategically built to overlook the basketball court – Top Golf Swing suites,

The iconic Empire State Building, Manhattan’s preeminent architectural wonder from the 1930s, now has a newly renovated entrance, marking the first step of the redevelopment of the iconic building's exhibition hall. The renovation, which moves the entrance from its former location on Fifth Avenue to a new location on 34th street, was carried out in order to enhance the landmark’s visitor experience and highlight its history as one of the

Construction work has now begun on the £300m (US$393m, €336m) renovation of Borough Yards in London – a series of Victorian-era railway arches that sit near to the River Thames, Tate Modern art gallery and world-famous foodie haunt Borough Market. Due for completion in 2020, Borough Yards will feature five mixed-use buildings that will house a workspace, retail units, gallery, restaurants, cinema and creative spaces. The brick-built railway viaducts will

Tate St Ives is the only leisure building to find its way onto the shortlist for the 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building. The Cornish museum – designed by Jamie Fobert Architects with Evans & Shalev – is one of the six projects today (19 July) revealed to be in the running for the prestigious prize. The other nominees include student housing, an office building, a

Construction is nearing completion on the only new stadium being built for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The 16,000-capacity Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium in Iwate Prefecture will host two fixtures at next year’s tournament. It will first open on the 19 August 2018 for a memorial match between the Kamaishi Seawaves Rugby Football Club and Top League side Yamaha Jubilo, in honour of those who lost their lives

New details have been announced for the entertainment arena being developed in Swansea as part of a £1.3bn leisure investment designed to reinvigorate the Welsh city centre's cultural scene. Swansea City and County Council has announced the signing of a deal with live entertainment company the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) to operate Swansea Arena, construction of which will begin this year. Architecture practice ACME is designing the 8,825sq m (95,000sq

The first renderings have been released showing what the Madison Square Garden Company’s (MSG) striking spherical entertainment venue will look like in London. Designed by Populous, the MSG Sphere London has been conceived as the conglomerate’s first international arena, and an “iconic venue that will feature game-changing technologies and pioneer the next generation of transformative, immersive experiences.” It will host concerts, live shows, expos, esports and other large-scale events. MSG

London’s National Portrait Gallery has appointed architecture firms Jamie Fobert and Purcell to deliver the British institution’s £35.5m (US$50.2m, €40.2m) transformation. Called ‘Inspiring People: Transforming our National Portrait Gallery,’ the plans from the London-based practices mark the largest ever development for the Victorian-era National Portrait Gallery since it opened in 1896. The decision follows an international selection process to find the best candidates, with Jamie Fobert – who recently celebrated

The Global Wellness Institute has released its first report on wellness real estate and communities, Build Well to Live Well. The organisation estimates that the global wellness real estate market was worth US$134bn (€108bn, £94bn) in 2017, and projects it will grow six per cent a year, to US$180bn (€145bn, £126bn), by 2022. The US is the largest market, worth US$52.5bn (€42bn, £37bn), followed by China, Australia and the UK,

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London has made an unusual acquisition – a section of a former council estate that’s set to be demolished. The piece of the building that the museum has acquired consists of a three-storey maisonette flat, its exterior walkway and sections of concrete stairway, which was part of Robin Hood Gardens in Poplar, East London. It’s being taken apart and will be delivered to

Boutique hotel operator City & Country Hotels has revealed plans to open its fifth UK property next year. The Langley, in Iver, Buckinghamshire, will be located on the former estate of the Duke of Marlborough and will occupy two buildings – the duke’s historic mansion and a Grade II-listed 18th century building, formerly used as stables and a brewhouse. The buildings are currently undergoing an extensive, multi-million-pound renovation under the

Tate St Ives, the art gallery credited with helping to regenerate the southwest, will unveil its new look tomorrow (14 October) when it re-opens following a £20m redevelopment. Jamie Fobert Architects’ cliffside extension has doubled the exhibition space, with the aim of better accommodating the 250,000 annual visitors to the Cornish attraction. With an additional 600sqm floor space, the gallery will be able to host more exhibits, display more works

The Buffalo State College in New York State, US, is about to enter the third phase of a US$35.5m expansion to its Science and Mathematics Complex (SAMC), with the plans to include a new planetarium open to members of the general public. Once complete, the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium will include a 35ft (10.6m) diameter projection dome with state-of-the-art digital and analogue projectors and seating for 48 people. The planetarium itself

Dutch architects Mecanoo have completed an elegant pavilion for a hotel, restaurant and spa complex near Maastricht, the Netherlands. Château St. Gerlach is a historic estate situated close to the hills of the scenic Limburg countryside. It is formed of a number of old buildings and monuments, including the Château (1661), the St. Gerlachus Church (1727), the Farmstead (1759) and the Manor Farm (1668). Mecanoo were tasked with creating a

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the foundation of iconic British sculptor Henry Moore has opened a new visitor centre and archive dedicated to his work. The Henry Moore Foundation was founded in 1977 to encourage public appreciation of the artist’s work and to support emerging talent. In the last four decades it has awarded over 2,000 grant awards totaling £31m (US$39.7m, €36.4m). To mark its birthday, the organisation has upgraded

Work is nearing completion on Jamie Fobert Architects’ cliffside extension of Cornwall’s Tate St Ives, with an official opening date now set for 14 October this year. A four-year construction project, the plans go back 12 years to 2005 when the London-based Jamie Fobert was first appointed to double the size of the museum. In addition to lengthy delays because of planning issues, Jamie Fobert lost the project in 2011