Ekies All Senses Resort, Halkidiki, Greece, has undergone a redesign and expansion project inspired by an ascetic vibe and its proximity to Mount Athos – home to 20 monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Resort owner, Alexandra Efstathiadou, worked in collaboration with Athens-based Agarch + Architects and Fytron Landscape Design, to create ten brand new suites and renovate five existing rooms. The team drew on

Japanese architect Junya Ishigami has created a shingle-covered Serpentine Pavilion that draws on the ancient building cultures of Cumbria, UK. Situated on the grounds of The Serpentine Gallery in London's Kensington Gardens, the artwork features a 61-tonne slate canopy and is supported by a series of white poles. “This is an attempt to supplement traditional architecture with modern methodologies and concepts, to create in this place an expanse of scenery

Luxury hotel operator Aman will open its third resort in Japan this November with the launch of Aman Kyoto, which will include a spa concept themed around the property’s natural spring water. Situated in a hidden garden close to Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion), the resort, with 24 bedrooms and two two-bedroom villas, draws on the country’s ryokan (traditional inn) and onsen (hot spring) concepts to provide an authentic yet contemporary

Following the opening of Six Senses Duxton, sister property Six Senses Maxwell is scheduled to open on December 1, 2018. Six Senses Maxwell is the second of two heritage buildings that together form Six Senses Singapore. While Six Senses Duxton portrays Anouska Hempel’s East-meets-West eclecticism, the 120-bedroom Six Senses Maxwell, designed by French architect and designer Jacques Garcia, offers an alternative aesthetic with his signature European style, which melds tradition

Ahead of 2019’s Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, the architect behind Douala, Cameroon’s new 50,000 seater stadium and sports park, Japoma Sports Complex, has told CLAD about the stadium's ergonomic structure that will bring in the very fabric of the culture of the city around it. Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon – the host nation for the 2019 tournament – is famed for its street craftspeople and, as

Singaporean Hospitality design firm LTW have completed a design-led Pullman hotel in Kaifeng, China that references the architecture of it’s neighbour – an ancient imperial palace. The city was the capital of ancient China during the Northern Song dynasty, and as such is steeped in history and culture. LTW were commissioned to reflect this in their design for the Pullman Kaifeng Jianye, which subsequently features an expansive layout, sloping roofs

Situated in Tokyo’s business district, the latest offering from hotel and resort operator Hoshinoya Resorts, Hoshinoya Tokyo, features a spa and top floor natural hot spring. Designed by Azuma Architect & Associates and created by large-scale construction specialists Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei, the 17-storey, 84 room hotel is the city’s first luxury ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), offering traditional Japanese culture combined with high-level hospitality. Each floor of the hotel replicates a

Chinese architecture and design firm Golucci International have completed a Shanghai hot pot restaurant inspired by Asia’s spa heritage. Si-Pu Nabe, located in the Tianshan neighbourhood, has been designed as an intimate space where diners can choose either to reflect in isolation or socialise in a relaxed atmosphere. To provide a platform for contemplation, the restaurant has no public areas and instead consists of 27 private dining rooms of various

Work is nearing completion on a new Four Seasons hotel sat in an 800 year old garden in Japan’s ancient imperial capital Kyoto. The Four Seasons Kyoto, which will open on 15 October 2016, has been designed by architecture studio Kume Sekkei and interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates to reflect a “contemporary evolution of traditional Japanese style”. Inspired by traditional design elements and motifs, the guest rooms will feature

The monastic-themed Sanctum Inle in Myanmar is set to open 1 October, and will include a Sanctum Spa with six treatment rooms designed by France’s Brigitte Du Mont Chassart, who is responsible for all of the resort’s interiors. Sanctum Inle will also include an Olympic-sized swimming pool overlooking Inle Lake, and takes full advantage of its position in an off-the-beaten-path location. “In a region long closed off to the wider

Western and Japanese concepts of spatial definition and materiality merge in a newly opened spa and health club in Tokyo, designed by COE Architecture International. Aqua Sports & Spa, which was completed this month for fitness operator Seta Sports Connection, is a six-storey, 6,000sq m (65,000sq ft) building in Setagaya-Ku ward. It replaces a 1980s facility, and has been designed to promote personal sports training, Japanese bathing and social activities

MVRDV’s design for a cultural hub in Zaandstad, Holland, featuring a concert hall, cinema, arts space, dance studio, library and architecture centre, has been given the green light by the municipality. The project, called The Cultural Cluster, can now be pushed forwards into the next stage of design. The Dutch architects have completed the preliminary design phase, which visualises a raised cubic volume with variously coloured silhouettes of traditional Zaan

Aman’s first Japanese hot springs resort, Amanemu, has opened in the idyllic setting of Ise Shima National Park on the shores of Ago Bay. Providing a rural complement to Aman Tokyo, and continuing Aman’s journey within Japan, Amanemu has adopted a classic Japanese aesthetic in the ryokan tradition with each of the 24 suites and four two-bedroom villas featuring their own onsen. Designed to be a relaxed, peaceful and contemplative

Several high-profile Japanese architects have told CLAD how Japan’s traditional country inns are inspiring contemporary designs for lodgings as diverse as urban hostels and five-star resorts. In a special CLADmag feature on ryokans – the name for roadside accommodations where guests can take a relaxing break from travelling – architect Yukio Hashimoto revealed that a “modern Japanese interpretation” of traditional architectural practices is becoming prevalent in the country. Last year

Ten years after opening luxury boutique hotel le Sereno in St. Barths, Sereno Properties is set to open a new location, il Sereno Lago di Como, on the shores of Italy’s legendary Lake Como. Scheduled to open in Q2 2016, il Sereno will feature interiors by Milan-based designer Patricia Urquiola. Guests can arrive at il Sereno by boat, thanks to the hotel’s private docking facility. Boat maker Cantiere Riva is

Six Senses has opened a 33,000sq ft (3,066sq m) spa at Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Muscat, Oman. Al Bustan Palace is a beachfront retreat that is tucked away between the rugged Al Hajar Mountain range and the Sea of Oman, and includes 250 guest rooms and suites. A five-minute walk from Al Bustan Palace, the spa is built into the surrounding landscape of towering stone and rock

Bjarke Ingels has said that his upcoming zoo project in Givskud, Denmark, will completely reimagine the traditional format, doing away with cages and revolutionising the relationship between the zoo’s visitors and its inhabitants. Ingels, founding architect of his own practice, BIG, created designs for Denmark’s Zootopia – a hybrid of a traditional zoo and a safari based on the concept of a completely cageless experience. “Essentially the idea is to