Celebrated Italian architect, Renzo Piano, is changing Boston’s museum landscape with three major projects in quick succession. The first project was the launch of the extension to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in January 2012. Providing a distinctive architectural addition behind the historic palace, the extension relieves pressure on the exhibition space and also adds a shop, café, exhibition preparation space, archival storage and conservation labs. In November 2013 a

A dome made by a robotic arm and live silkworms, a folding bike helmet and a floating pyramid-shaped school in a Nigerian lagoon are among the pioneering concepts nominated for Designs of the Year 2014 by London’s Design Museum. A total of 76 nominations have been put forward and will feature in an exhibition at the Design Museum from 26 March to 25 August 2013. Afterwards, the winners from each

Chinese state-owned property firm Greenland Holding Group has bought the Ram Brewery site in Wandsworth, West London - home of Britain’s oldest brewery - as part of a £600m development. The 7.75 acre (3.14ha) site, previously held by real estate developer Minerva, will be converted into 661 new homes, plus a brewing museum and microbrewery under plans approved last year by Wandsworth Council. The project includes a 36-storey landmark residential

Plans to construct a hotel and spa complex on a former naval battery outpost in Plymouth, UK, have been resurrected by Rotolok Holdings. The £10m ($16.4, €12m) scheme designed by LHC Architecture - featuring a 3,322sq.m (10,899ft) luxury hotel boasting 43 rooms and a spa overlooking Plymouth waterfront - was originally thrown out by local councillors last year, amid concerns over Drake Island’s wildlife and a Grade II-listed building. The

Florence is to welcome the opening of a new 20th Century Art Museum this April, as the city undergoes a cultural transformation which will see a host of other attractions open or receive restoration work. The city’s new Museo del Novecento, located in the former Leopoldine convent in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, will feature 800sq m (6,611 sq ft) of exhibition space, as well as 10 meeting rooms. To be

The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, has re-opened to the public after a 23-month transformation costing approximately $61m (£37m, €44.6m). Overlooking Lake Geneva, the Olympic Museum documents the complete history of the Games, spanning from ancient Athens to the present day. A major renovation of the original 1993 building, by Swiss architects Brauen & Wälchli, has virtually doubled the display areas, as well as creating new exhibition space totalling 3,000m²

The deputy director of Florida’s Norton Museum of Art believes hiring world-renowned architects Foster and Partners for its new transformation has sent a "clear message" of the institution’s "serious ambition" to become a major international art venue. James Brayton Hall described Lord Norman Foster as one of the "top three architects in the world" and said it was his work on the British Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Arts

The Tate Britain’s newly completed £45m renovation is a "triumph of funding" and could usher in a new age of philanthropy, according to Lord Browne, chair of Tate. A total of 95 per cent of the work was funded by private donors, with the majority of support coming from trusts, foundations, individual donors and Tate members – as opposed to big businesses. The Tate’s latest set of renovations sees the

Plans to build an innovative cultural museum designed by Foster + Partners in Abu Dhabi have moved a step closer following the proposal of 10 pre-qualified bids for the site's development. The Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) plans to build the Sheikh Zayed National Museum in the Cultural District area of Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. The final deadline for submissions passed on 26 November, though it is not

Following the launch in September of a competition to redesign the grounds of London's Natural History Museum, five teams have been chosen from the entrants and invited to submit their proposals. Amongst them are Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), with Martha Schwartz Partners (landscape); Grant Associates, with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (architect); and Niall McLaughlin Architects, with Kim Wilkie (landscape). Also included are Land Use Consultants (LUC), with Design Engine (architect)

The William Heath Robinson Trust has turned to crowdfunders, Kickstarter, in its efforts to raise money to open a museum commemorating the artist, illustrator and humorist. The Trust has an extensive collection of artwork, letters and books, but no permanent home. The proposed museum, at West House in Pinner Memorial Park in North East London, UK would display these artefacts in the permanent exhibition space, telling the story of his

The Queens Museum, New York, has officially reopened following US$69m (£43m, €51m) worth of renovations, which have seen the doubling of museum space, the addition of new gallery and exhibition areas, as well a new artistic facade and an additional educational component being installed. Grimshaw Architects – with Ammann and Whitney – renovated the 105,000 sq ft (9,754sq m) museum in order to integrate the attraction with its location in

The Royal Academy of Arts has moved a step closer to beginning its £36m (US$57.5m, €42.9m) Burlington Gardens redevelopment project, with designs created by David Chipperfield Architects, having been granted £12.7m (US$20.3m, €15.1m) by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The development will see the linking of 6 Burlington Gardens and the nearby Burlington House, to create a centre capable of housing contemporary art shows, a debating chamber and space to display

A two million sq ft (185,806sq m) museum complex is to be built in the Chinese port city of Qingdao, with the cultural centre featuring museums, galleries, art islands and public spaces. The Qingdao Culture and Art Centre, designed by Steven Holl Architects, will house four museums connected by a specially designed light loop that mimics the characteristics of China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge - the world’s largest bridge over water.

The world-famous Bauhaus museum, based at the design school’s former campus in Dessau, Germany is offering people the chance to stay in the dormitories once used by the innovational institute. Guests can stay in the school’s Studio Building, which was once occupied by promising architecture and design students in the 1930s. One of the rooms on the site has been reconstructed to resemble its original state, while the other dorms

The Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing, China, designed by innovative firm Steven Holl Architects, has opened its doors to the public, with the centre exploring the viewpoints, structures and materials that influence Chinese painting. The museum is based at the opening of an architectural site in the Laoshan National Forest Park, which houses projects from the Chinese International Practical Exhibition of Architecture (CIPEA) programme. Alongside the museum, the park will feature

Pittsburgh’s iconic Andy Warhol Museum has a new progressive lounge area, innovative multimedia experiences and more retail space at the Andy Warhol Store following a first floor renovation and redesign. Designed by Desmone & Associates Architects and built by F.J Busse Company, the renovations were funded by the Eden Hall Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, Anonymous and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. The work sees the installation of leading audio visual

The Danish Maritime Museum in Helsingor, Denmark has opened its doors to the public following innovative design work from Danish architecture firm BIG, which created the underground museum by incorporating an old dry dock into its structure. BIG originally won the design competition in 2007 and has since set about transforming the area located within the grounds of Denmark’s famous 15th century Kronborg Castle, as part of a project to

The Museum of African Design (MOAD), Johannesburg, South Africa has opened its doors to the public, with the museum looking to create a pan-African cultural hub and connect the city’s existing art and design archives. The museum was created with the aim of challenging some of the problems facing African design and society at large and exhibit design pieces from across the continent. Located in the country’s innovative Maboneng Precinct

The Bass Museum of Art, US is to undergo an expansion with the addition of a new wing dedicated to educational facilities and exhibition space, following a $7.5m (£4.6m, €5.4m) grant from the City of Miami Beach. The expansion is to coincide with the museum’s 50th anniversary next year, with the City providing funding as recognition of the centre’s contribution to the area’s cultural output. The expansion would see the

Work on the Czech Republic’s first 3D planetarium has been completed at the Techmania Science Centre in Plzen, with an opening date of 4 November. The planetarium, which cost CZK150m (£4.95m, US$7.98m, €5.8m) to build will include two large domes for education, a laboratory, workshops and clubs, and is housed inside the heritage listed ASAP Skoda cafeteria, built in 1917. “We have rebuilt a dilapidated building into an ultramodern planetarium

A luxury holiday home built within the walls of a derelict castle in Warwickshire has won this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture. Astley Castle, near Nuneaton, was chosen from six shortlisted buildings – including the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre in Northern Ireland – to win the award, which is the highest accolade of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The building dates back 1,000 years, has links to

The Bavarian Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts and Haus der Kunst have announced that David Chipperfield Architects has won the final round of the competitive tender process for the renovation of the Haus der Kunst art museum, one of Munich’s most iconic and controversial architectural landmarks. David Chipperfield's record in renovating museum buildings within an international context was given as a major reason for the choice. The jury

The Regional Fund for Contemporary Art in the Centre region (FRAC Centre) will open its doors in a new location in France in September, with a striking public reception piece designed by architects Jakob + MacFarlane. The Turbulences, the public entrance area, features a cafeteria, bookshop and auditorium. The prefabricated tubular structure is covered in an anodised aluminium casing and will be programmed with lighting displays. The FRAC Centre will

Italy’s eagerly-awaited science museum, the eco-friendly Museo delle Scienze (MUSE), has opened in Trent, Italy, providing the public with an education about science, nature and the environment. MUSE offers a progressive range of displays, with visitors beginning at the top of the building in the mountains and working their way down to a rainforest at the bottom, as they gain an understanding in how habitats change with altitude. Some of

The Peterson Automotive Museum in Southern California will mark its 20th anniversary in 2014 with an exterior transformation and interior redesign, creating world class facilities displaying the art, culture and heritage associated with automobiles. The museum’s new exterior is designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and will incorporate long ribbons of stainless steel that wrap around the redesigned red building, in order to create imagery linked to speed and the

Hastings Pier will undergo a £14m restoration after the 140-year-old structure was almost completely destroyed by fire in 2010. The Hasting Pier Charity formally took ownership of the derelict pier following a Compulsory Purchase Order issued by Hastings Borough Council, forcing ownership from Panamanian company, Ravenclaw, after it failed to carry out repair work. Renovation work is due to start later this month. It will include a refurbishment of the