Image: The new £3m centre was constructed off-site A new £3m Cultural Centre - designed by White Arkitekter in collaboration with London-based architects Sprunt - has been lifted into position at Southend-on-Sea's iconic pier. The 170 tonne facility was constructed off-site at Tilbury Docks and has been added to the pier in a "big lift" operation. Both phases have been overseen by lead contractor Kier. It is the first structure

Image: The foundation's new Philadelphia home The Barnes Foundation is to unveil its new 93,000sq ft (8,640sq m) home in Philadelphia, US, tomorrow (19 May), which will house the organisation's extensive art collection. Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects designed the two-storey "campus", which is set amid a 4.5-acre (1.8-hectare) site on the north of the city's Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The building houses 12,000sq ft (1,115sq m) of exhibition space

Image: Artist's impression of the Members Lounge Tate has announced it has reached the £45m fundraising target for the Tate Britain Millbank Project, which is designed to conserve and upgrade a number of the art attraction's galleries. Caruso St John Architects are behind the design of the refurbishment, which commenced in early 2011 and includes the reconstruction of nine galleries in the south part of the building. Among those to

Image: TPG at 16-18 Ramillies Street in Soho, London The Photographers' Gallery (TPG) is to unveil its new home on Ramillies Street in central London tomorrow (19 May), following the completion of a major £8.9m redevelopment project. Ireland-based architects O'Donnell + Tuomey have designed the building, which will feature three floors of gallery space and has increased the available exhibition space by 100 per cent. TPG showcases work by established

Image: The new theatre is set to open in mid-2014 ASB Community Trust has contributed NZ$5m (US$3.8m, EUR3m, £2.4m) towards the construction of a new 600-seat theatre in Auckland's Wynyard Quarter, New Zealand. Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) has now secured NZ$21.7m (US$16.6m, EUR13.1m, £10.4m) towards the NZ$35.1m (US$26.8m, EUR21.1m, £16.9m) cost of the scheme The new theatre has been designed by Moller Architects in collaboration with Bligh Voller Nield and

Image: The new space will host community workshops Ipswich-based arts group Red Rose Chain has been handed nearly £1m of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) support towards a new theatre and heritage centre at Gippeswyk Hall. The proposals – designed by Nicholas Jacobs and Charles Curry Hyde – will see a 1960s annexe to the rear of the Tudor building replaced with a new sustainable centre, with the current facility deemed

Image: OMA's New York office is designing the project Marina Abramovic has commissioned international architects OMA to draw up plans for the redevelopment of a former theatre in Hudson, US, into a new performing arts institute. The Marina Abramovic Institute for the Preservation of Performance Art (MAI) scheme will be led by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas at OMA's New York office. Abramovic bought the theatre building in 2007 and

Image: Herzog and de Meuron/Ai Weiwei's vision Serpentine Gallery in London, UK, has unveiled plans for its annual Pavilion commission, which this year has been designed by Herzog and de Meuron in collaboration with China's Ai Weiwei. The 2012 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion is the 12th commission in the annual series and forms part of the London 2012 Festival - the culmination of the UK's Cultural Olympiad. Visitors will have the

Image: A former restaurant will house the new centre Garage Center for Contemporary Culture has announced plans to move to a new location at Gorky Park in Moscow, Russia, in the first of a two-phase development later this year. The first stage includes the creation of a new temporary home designed by Rem Koolhaas' Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) alongside Russia-based Form Bureau. Due to open later this year, the

Plans for the development of the "first new West End theatre in more than a decade" have been approved by Westminster City Council as part of London's Crossrail scheme. The new venue will occupy the capital's former Astoria site as part of the transformation of the Tottenham Court Road area, with retail, residential and office space also proposed. Crossrail submitted its plans in conjunction with Derwent London, which cover two

The Northern Ireland Executive has hailed the new £18m Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) in Belfast as "another symbol of progress", following the venue's official opening. Carál Ní Chuilín, the province's minister for culture, arts and leisure, was among the figures in attendance at the launch of the Hall McKnight -designed complex on 19 April. Located in the city's Cathedral Quarter, the MAC incorporates two black box theatre spaces seating 120

Plans for a new AU$25.8m (£16.8m, EUR20.5m, US$26.8m) theatre complex in Bendigo, Australia, have taken a step forward after detailed plans for the scheme were released. Heritage and planning permits have also been lodged by Bendigo Senior Secondary College and the City of Greater Bendigo for the scheme, which will be located at the city's historic gaol site. Y2 Architects are behind the design of the theatre, which incorporate an

A new report has found that Turner Contemporary in Margate, a £17.4m gallery dedicated to the life of artist JMW Turner, has generated £13.8m of value for the Kent economy. The research was published to coincide with the first anniversary of the attraction's launch on 16 April 2011 and also showed that nearly 500,000 people had visited since it opened. David Chipperfield Architects designed the iconic seafront gallery, which was

Helsinki mayor Jussi Pajunen has formally offered financial backing to plans for the establishment of a fourth European Guggenheim museum in the Finnish capital. The news comes as no surprise as Pajunen has been among the most vocal supporters of the project, which is headed jointly by the Helsinki City Council and the Guggenheim Foundation. Pajunen has now outlined a financial package which will see the council provide 2.8m euros

Plans to undertake an "extensive" expansion and renovation of Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, US, have received the approval of the attraction's board of trustees. The H&A Architects -designed project is to form part of a US$45m (£28.2m, EUR33.7m) capital programme currently in its "quiet phase" and which has also included the new Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. Work will commence in July this year and will see 8,000sq

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) in Sydney has reopened following the completion of a "significant" AU$53m (£34.3m, EUR41.2m, US$55m) redevelopment. Sydney-based Sam Marshall has worked with the New South Wales Government Architect on the design of the new-look attraction, which has added 4,500sq m (43,438sq ft) of space. The expansion has increased MCA's size by nearly 50 per cent and has included three new galleries, a refurbishment of

The new National Art Gallery, Singapore in the heart of the civil district remains on track to open in 2015 after the SG$530m (£265m, EUR316m, US$422m) scheme moved onto its next phase. Housed in the former City Hall and Supreme Court buildings, the new visual arts institution has been designed to position Singapore as a regional and international hub when complete. The 60,000sq m (645,835sq ft) attraction is to comprise

Belfast's new £18m Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) is to open its doors for the first time next month in the Northern Irish capital's Cathedral Quarter. Hacker Hall McKnight are behind the design of the new complex, which will house two black box theatre spaces with seating capacity for 120 and 350 spectators respectively. Three art galleries; a rehearsal space; a dance studio; and education rooms also form part of the

Work has now started on demolishing the Studio Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, which is making way for the construction of a new £3.5m cultural complex. First opened in 1981, the Studio Theatre was originally built at a cost of £50,000 but is now being replaced by a new building designed by London-based Foster Wilson Architects. The facility aims to provide an "intimate and flexible space for 21st

Edinburgh-based firm Miller Construction has been announced as the preferred bidder for the contract to build a new £40m arts and innovation complex at Bangor University, Wales. Work on the Pontio development is expected to get underway in May/June, with Grimshaw Architects behind the building's design. Arup and Atkins are also involved with the project. The 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) complex will boast a theatre with a seating capacity of

A new £4m art gallery housing the Jerwood Foundation's collection of 20th and 21st century works is to open its doors to the public in Hastings, East Sussex, tomorrow (17 March). The development of the Jerwood Gallery - designed by Colchester-based HAT Projects - is part of a wider £9m regeneration of the Stade, a historic area located in Hastings' old town. It is hoped the gallery will add Hastings

Damien Hirst, one of the UK's most prominent contemporary artists, has announced plans to open a new public gallery housing his personal collection in south London in 2014. The artist told the Observer newspaper that the Lambeth development would display highlights from his collection, which encompasses more than 2,000 art works. Hirst said the Caruso St John -designed attraction will transform a terrace of listed buildings and will be as

The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) in Ohio, US, has announced that its new building in the Uptown district of University Circle will open on 8 October. London, UK-based Farshid Moussavi Architecture are behind the design of the new facility, which aims to provide a catalyst for "creativity and growth" in the surrounding neighbourhood. The 34,000sq ft (3,159sq m) building is 44 per cent larger than MOCA's current rented

International spa company ESPA has announced the first of its planned cultural partnerships for 2012 with the sponsorship of the annual Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Hyde Park, London, UK. The pavilion is a temporary structure commissioned annually by the Serpentine Gallery to provide a showcase for contemporary architectural practice. This year, the gallery has been designed in partnership by Chinese artist and architect Ai Weiwei and Swiss architects Herzog &

Neath's Gwyn Hall arts and cultural venue is to be officially opened on 8 March, following the completion of a £9m transformation of the building undertaken by the local authority. The venue was damaged in an October 2007 fire while undergoing a £4m revamp, but has now been restored and revitalised under plans drawn up by Holder Mathias Architects. Morgan Ashurst and Swansea-based contractor John Weaver have been involved with

The National Museum of Scotland (NMS) and Hepworth Wakefield have been included among 52 schemes to be recognised at this year's Civic Trust Awards (CTA) in Edinburgh. A total of 27 projects across the UK and overseas were confirmed as award winners, with a further 18 receiving commendations and seven given a community recognition accolade. Six of the award winners picked up special awards, which are designed to celebrate projects

Aberdeen City Council (ACC) has announced that work has commenced on a multi-million pound restoration of Duthie Park, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year. The local authority approved the scheme in November 2010 and has contributed £2.67m to help fund the work, with the Heritage Lottery Fund providing a further £2.56m. Hunter Construction has been appointed to deliver the restoration, while consultants URS is to