Rockwell Group have unveiled designs for luxury hospitality and wellness amenities at Manhattan's 550 Madison office tower, which is currently being renovated by co-owners Olayan Group. The updated amenities will complement work like the development of a new public garden designed by Snøhetta that will increase the amount of public open space at the tower by 50 per cent and bring new green space to the area. They are intended

PLP Architecture have won a competition to build a mixed-use tower in Rotterdam with a glazed volume intersected by timber floorplates that extend beyond the building envelope to form a series of interconnected terraces. Developed for Provast, the €160m ($177m, £136m) Tree House is modelled on the holistic ecosystem of a tree. The part-timber structure will make use of recycled materials, collect and reuse rainwater and store CO2. Planted with

Arab Engineering Bureau have designed new hotel and residences towers for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts that are based on underwater forms and the local coral formations in Qatar's Lusail City. The two adjacent towers will be wrapped in perforated white façades that will be both an aesthetic feature and a means of moderating solar gain. According to Rosewood: "The organic architectural design approach is aimed at respecting the site and

A new public garden, designed by Snøhetta, is being created at the prestigious 550 Madison tower in Manhattan, with the aim of introducing much needed green space to the area and honouring the vision of the building's original architects. Designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, 550 Madison was initially intended to be a community amenity with public open space, in addition to an office tower. Co-owner of the building

Tham & Videgård have won a competition to design the +One Tower in Gothenburg – a new hotel and exhibition centre entrance with pinstripe- or matchstick-like mullions, pillars and floorplates. The 28,000sq m (301,000sq ft) development will sit alongside the city's three existing Gothia Towers and, with them, form part of the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre, providing new accommodation and amenities. Its thin white mullions, pillars and floorplates will

Untitled Toronto, the residential tower designed by musician Pharrell Williams in collaboration with IBI Group and U31, will combine parametric design, natural elements and "universal spaces" intended to act as a backdrop for the lifestyles of its residents. The development will comprise two towers with a shared podium and was inspired by the concept of a jugalbandi – a performance in Indian classical music featuring an intricate duet between two

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 newly completed 565 Broome SoHo residential tower, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), has a luxury and high-tech amenities offering in line with its sleek and refined design. The tower is located on the western edge of New York's SoHo district and north of Tribeca, offering residents views across Manhatten and over the Hudson River. To make the most of the views, RPBW built curved glass corners into

Rockefeller Group 's Rose Hill residential tower, with exterior architecture and interiors designed by CetraRuddy, has topped out in the NoMad neighbourhood of Manhattan. Rising 600ft (183m) and 45 floors, the tower will house 123 residences, ranging from studios to four-bedroom homes starting from $1.2m (€1.1m, £900,000). Residences will feature hand-picked materials, custom kitchen cabinetry and marble baths with custom-designed vanities - and many will have outdoor terraces. Residents will

Luca Curci Architects have designed a water-based vertical city concept designed to encourage healthier lifestyles and to reimagine the traditional concepts of community and society. The 750m (2,500ft)-high city-building is intended to be population-dense, accommodating 25,000 people across 180 floors, but also highly sustainable. The building has a modular structure constructed from 18 prefabricated slice-like elements that are repeatable both horizontally and vertically. Each element houses 10 floors with their

Istanbul-based MAS Architecture Studio have created a barjeel – or wind tower – installation for Dubai Design Week 2019 that gives passersby a place to pause, rest and cool down. The installation, titled Barjeel, was a response to an open call via which Dubai Design Week was seeking to showcase "the design identity of the UAE through diverse representations of local and international creative efforts." Barjeel was inspired by the

MU Architecture have unveiled the design for a paleofuturist tower in the hilly forest of Quebec, Canada, that will house a luxury private retreat. The site for the so-called Pekuliari tower will cover 326,000sq ft (30,300sq m) and the tower itself, reminiscent of a totem or a stone cairn, will rise 670ft (204m). The structure is designed to appear as though it is from a forgotten age, but with materials

Ground has been broken on the Eleven tower, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, which will feature a variety of luxury amenities for its residents. The US$190m (€171m, £147m) development in the US city of Minneapolis will cover 146,000sq ft (14,000sq m) and spread 41 storeys across a height of 550ft (168m). It has been conceived to gradually taper as it rises, with floorplates of 12,500sq ft (1,200sq m) near

Sculptor David Černý and architect Tomáš Císař from the studio Black n' Arch have designed a 135m ( 450ft)-tall tower for Prague shaped like an upended shipwreck with an observation deck at the top. Top Tower comprises a conventional high-rise tower with a base section that partially acts as a pedestal for the accompanying sculpture, which takes the form of a sunken ship's skeleton covered in seaweed. The sculpture is

A 170,000sq ft (51,816sq m) vertical aquarium is one of the ideas being considered for a proposed 500ft-high (152m) observation tower at the centre of a development project on the California coast at San Diego. Seaport San Diego, a US$2.4bn (€2.15bn, £1.93bn) scheme that encompasses 70 acres of land and water along Harbor Drive, is currently in the initial planning stages with architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and developers 1HWY1.

The city of Paris has selected London-based landscape design practice Gustafson Porter + Bowman (GP+B) to lead a €72m (US$80.3m, £63.5m) expansion of the public realm around the Eiffel Tower. Expected to dramatically enhance and diversify the visitor experience at the iconic building, the project will see a variety of new spaces created, including a green amphitheatre at the Place du Trocadéro and two plazas – one on each side

Danish architects Effekt and global engineering consultancy Arup Associates have completed a tornado-shaped observation tower at the Camp Adventure Climbing Park in Denmark. The structure, which rises 45 metres above the Gisselfeld Klosters Skove – a preserved forest outside Copenhagen – features a winding ramp designed to accommodate visitors of all physical abilities. The tower also is linked to a 900-metre boardwalk that snakes through the nature park. According to

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have unveiled plans for EPIQ – the firm's second project in Quito, Ecuador. Overlooking La Carolina Park, a 165-acre green space in the city, the 24-storey building will comprise a variety of wellness and residential amenities, including a rooftop pool, spa centre, extensive lounges, a music room, a fitness suite, and a yoga area. In an apparent evocation of the Spanish Colonial buildings in Quito's UNESCO-recognised

One Wall Street, a 56-storey Art Deco skyscraper in Manhattan, New York, is undergoing an extensive refurbishment and will soon be home to a series of luxury condos as well as a 74,000 sq ft (6,900 sq m) Life Time Fitness-branded wellness centre. The limestone building, which was designed by prolific 20th-century architect Ralph Walker and acquired by Macklowe Properties in 2014, will comprise 566 studio- to four-bedroom apartments, in

Work on the eye-catching Réalimenter Masséna (Recharge Masséna) project, the spiralling design of which has been likened to both mythological and real-life structures, such as the towers of Babel and Pisa, is now slated to begin in 2020. The mid-rise, which is expected to implement practices derived from the circular economy model, will serve as a culinary hub, community attraction, and urban farm. Set to rise near the grounds of

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) have won a competition to create a new "sculptural icon" in Shenzhen, Hong Kong. Described by the architects as an "anthropomorphic" structure, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Centre (SHKIC) is designed to symbolise the agon or competitive struggle endured by high-performance athletes. Rising 700 metres high, the skyscraper will feature several leisure and hospitality facilities, including an observation deck, restaurant, nightclub, spa, swimming pool,

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts (SRHR) has opened its latest hotel on the waterfront of Wanzai, Zhuhai in the city’s tallest skyscraper. Commissioned by the Zhuhai Huafa Group and designed by Chinese architectural firm RMJM, the 31-storey St. Regis Zhuhai – which reportedly is also the first luxury hotel in the district – features 251 guest rooms and 34 suites. In addition to its five on-site restaurants, the resort also

Some of the world’s most renowned architectural practices have submitted entries to a design competition for a new building in Melbourne, Australia. Situated in the city’s Southbank area, the new building will be a mixed-use tower development. Six entrants, including Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), MAD Architects, Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and MVRDV have submitted entries. BIG, in partnership with Fender Katsalidis Architects, are proposing a mega 359.6m-high two-building development

The iconic Sunset Tower hotel – considered the one of the best examples of Art Deco design in Los Angeles – will emerge from a multi-million-dollar renovation this August that will include a new 7,000sq ft fitness centre and spa. Led by owner Jeff Klein, who has owned the property since 2004, the hotel is located on Sunset Boulevard and first opened its doors in 1931. Designed in 1929 by

The city of Melbourne is aiming to secure itself as Australia's culture capital, with the development of the country's largest contemporary art gallery and its tallest building. To be built next door to the National Gallery of Victoria as part of a new arts precinct, the NGV Contemporary site would be developed at a cost of AU$151m (US$115mm, €98.5m, £86m), replacing the former Carlton & United Brewery. Victoria State will

Four design teams have been shortlisted for a project to reimagine the Eiffel Tower's visitor experience. Groups led by AL_A, Gustafson, Porter + Bowman, Agence Ter and Koz Architectes are in the running for the large-scale project, which covers a 540,000sq m area either side of the River Seine. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has voiced the city’s ambition to make every visit to the landmark more enjoyable and accessible by

Brazilian design studio MMBB Arquitetos and legendary architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha have collaborated on the transformation of a disused tower block in central São Paulo into a vibrant leisure destination for the city. Created for Brazilian non-profit SESC, the 14-storey building, situated on Rua 24 de Maio and Rua Dom José de Barro, has been stripped of several unnecessary elements – including a bankrupt department store at its heart