Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como opened this week, following the renovation of the historic lakefront property. The hotel is located in Blevio, and is surrounded by natural beauty, enjoying a private, serene setting on the sunlit shores of the lake, nestled within verdant botanical gardens. Mandarin Oriental acquired the resort, which was previously CastaDiva Resort & Spa, last year. The 19th Century Villa Roccabruna is at the heart of the

The Moshe Safdie-designed Jewel Changi Airport – an atmospheric leisure complex and air terminus in Singapore – has finally opened its doors to the public. The result of a four-year construction process, the US$1.25bn (€1.1bn, £958m) structure is roofed by a unique glass and steel geodesic dome that links to its crowning feature, a 40-metre-tall waterfall dubbed the "Rain Vortex". The impressive complex – a city in its own right

Speaking exclusively with CLAD, Caroline Bos, co-founder of architecture practice UNStudio, reveals her creative influences and explains why she sees the Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini as a role model. Born in the Netherlands, Bos studied art history at Birkbeck College, University of London and urban and regional planning at the University of Utrecht. In 1988 she teamed up with Ben van Berkel to create the interdisciplinary atelier that would

New York-based architecture firm REX have released the last set of renderings for the Necklace Residence – a yet-to-be-realised multi-generational house that has been described as a "jewel box for individual lifestyles". Set to rise in Long Island, New York, the future 43,500 sq ft (4,041 sq m) living complex will comprise five homes and three shared pavilions: an event space, an entertainment section, and a children's play area. Leisure

International hospitality company Hilton Hotels and Resorts has opened the Tangier Al Houara Resort and Spa – a palatial getaway in Tangier, Morocco. The 304-key resort – the company's third property in Morocco – occupies 234 hectares of oceanfront land and boasts three swimming pools, as well as an 850 sq m spa comprising a jacuzzi, sauna, beauty salon, steam room, and fitness studio. Other facilities include an 18-hole golf

Palace Resorts has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun, the brand's flagship property, which includes a 30,957sq ft spa created in conjunction with Diana Mestre of Mestre & Mestre Spa & Wellness Consulting. Elias Architects completed extensive enhancements to its interiors and exteriors – including the spa – as well as a completely redesigned lobby, upgrades to its meeting space, new designer guest suites, redefined restaurants

Chinese design practice AFSO have created a panoply of interior spaces at the St Regis Hong Kong, a recently opened resort that has been likened to a "curated mansion". Located in the city's Wan Chai district, the 27-storey flagship – the first venue from the St. Regis Hotels and Resorts hospiality group to debut in Hong Kong – features 129 guest rooms and suites as well as a pool, bar,

A new home for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) – worth an estimated US$650m (€574.6m, £497.3m) – has cleared a major hurdle having had its plans approved. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, a former Pritzker Prize winner, the new building’s plans were approved at a county vote, which also cleared US$117.5m (€103.9m, £89.9m) in taxpayer funding for it. The museum’s design has received criticism for its

American architecture office Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the "Moon Village" project, the first full-time human habitat on the lunar surface. According to the design team, the future settlement, which would be situated in the rim of Shackleton Crater near the Moon's South Pole, would comprise three to four-story inflatable structures, "with

Andermatt Concert Hall, a 700-seat music centre taking shape in the canton of Uri in the Swiss Alps, is scheduled to open on 16 June with symphonic performances by the Berliner Philharmoniker. Designed by Christina Seilern Architects, the new arts venue – formerly a war bunker – will feature an auditorium planned by theatre specialists dUCKS scéno in collaboration with Kahle Acoustics. Shaped in what the design team have called

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

The Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon, a hospital founded in the 12th century by the semi-monastic Pontifices Fratres brotherhood, is set to reopen as a five-star resort in June following a four-year restoration. Situated on the banks of the Rhone in Lyons, France, the UNESCO World Heritage-designated hospital – in operation until 2010 – was restored by French architecture bureau AIA Architectes, who also reconverted the site's disused spaces into 8,000 sq

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will manage a second luxury hotel in Istanbul, Turkey. The project, which also features branded residences, is scheduled to open in 2022. UNStudio from Amsterdam has been appointed as the masterplanner and architect. The new development comprises three standalone towers and is located in the exclusive Etiler residential area, close to the city’s central business district. One of the towers will house Mandarin Oriental Etiler, Istanbul

The government of Saudi Arabia has pledged to fund the construction of a US$1bn "sports city" close to the Iraqi capital city Baghdad. The announcement was made by the Saudi commerce and investment minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qassabi, following a visit by senior Saudi ministers to Baghdad last week. No details of the facilities have been revealed as yet, but it is believed that the project will include a number

The Britannia Hotel – once a turn-of-the-century pied-à-terre for aristocrats, Arctic explorers, and literati, has reopened in Trondheim, Norway following a £107m (US$139.5, €123.8m) overhaul. The 148-year-old landmark features 257 newly renovated rooms and suites, as well as revamped common areas, restaurants, and leisure facilities. The spa centre at the Britannia comprises a 200 sq m fitness room, six treatment rooms, a heated lap pool, a sauna, steam bath, ice

Retirement community developer PegasusLife is gearing up to launch a collection of 'later living' residences in Tetbury – a picturesque village in the Cotswolds, UK. Called the "Steepleton", the property, which was designed by British studio Proctor and Matthews Architects, comprises nine buildings, each housing 133 one-to three-bedroom flats. According to PegasusLife, Steepleton's "layout draws on the idea of ancient settlements, with a farmstead at the centre and a variety

The Rosewood Bangkok has opened in the heart of the city’s prime central business and retail district. As the 27th property in the growing global network for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the hotel is the brand’s second destination in Thailand; it features the brand’s ‘A Sense of Place’ philosophy, with a design that honours Thai culture while celebrating the cutting-edge creativity and contemporary design ethos of the dynamic capital. The

The Shed – the long-awaited movable events space and one of the crowning structures of the Hudson Yards development – has finally opened to the public. The multi-use arts venue, which was co-designed by Rockwell Group and Diller Scofidio+Renfro (DS+R) kicked off its events programme with The Soundtrack of America, a five-night concert celebrating African-American music. The production was conceived and developed by British filmmaker Steve McQueen in collaboration with

Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have joined forces to conceptualise a man-made archipelago for OCEANIX, a non-profit company interested in exploring the viability of floating cities. Intended to serve as a blueprint for future pelagic communities, the conceptual city – also named "Oceanix" – is designed to organically expand over time and accommodate up to 10,000 residents. "The additive structure has a

Thailand-based developers Dusit Thani Public and Central Pattana (CPN) have unveiled the latest details for the Dusit Central Park project – an immense mixed-use scheme planned for the heart of Bangkok. The new 440,000 sq m development, which will adjoin the city's Lumpini Park, will be designed by the Office of Metropolitan Architecture and Architects 49, and play host to a series of leisure-friendly attractions and facilities, including luxury residences,

The Techniquest science discovery centre in Wales is building a £5.7m (US$7.4m, €6.6m) expansion that will more than double its exhibition space and use a remarkable power source – fish. Techniquest’s new building, called Science Capital, sits on Cardiff Bay in the Welsh capital and the centre has consulted a number of STEM, energy and marine biology specialists across Wales for the Scale-ectric power project. Bream, carp and rudd in

The Amerikalinjen Hotel – once the main office of one of Norway's earliest transatlantic cruise lines – has opened in Oslo. Situated on Jernbanetorget Square near the city's opera, the 6,000 sq m Den Norske Amerikalinje (Norwegian American Line) building now features refreshed exteriors by studio Kritt Arkitekter as well as a number of expanded private and common areas designed by Finnish studio Puroplan. The 122-key property, which was originally

The Chinese government has commissioned Scandinavian architecture firm Snøhetta to design the Shanghai Grand Opera House. Described by the architects as an "accessible canvas for global visitors, local citizens, and artists", the new opera building, which will rise on the banks of the Huangpu River, will comprise a 2,000-seat auditorium, two smaller performance halls, restaurants, exhibition areas, libraries, and cinemas. Key structure elements of the future landmark will be its

A new Savoy Palace resort is set to open in Funchal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, to include a destination spa with 11 treatment rooms. The 16-story hotel will include 352 bedrooms and a design that blends bold, modern and historical styles. The 3,000sq m spa has been inspired by the island’s Laurissilva Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest surviving laurel forest in the world. In

London-based designer Afroditi Krassa has unveiled renderings of her latest project, Lucky Cat – a new dining concept from British celebrity chef and gastronome, Gordon Ramsay. The flagship – Ramsay's first major London restaurant in over a decade – has been described as an "eating house" and "late-night lounge" and will feature a number of Japanese-inspired decorative and structural elements, such as bamboo panelling, indigo fabrics, and sculptures of whimsical

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa in Texas will undergo a US$45m renovation later this year, including a complete refurbishment of the Trellis Spa to include a luxury outdoor water experience. Trellis Spa is a Mediterranean-style, 17,000sq ft facility with 21 treatment rooms, hair and nail salons, locker rooms with whirlpool and steam rooms, an indoor float pool, a relaxation lounge with fireplace and a Tranquility Room. Located on 27

The Andaz Hotel Munich Tor Schwabinger – Germany's first Andaz-branded hospitality venue – has opened its doors. Designed by Dutch architecture studio Concrete Architectural Associates to reflect what the group have called the "kaleidoscopic" cultural and artistic diversity of Bavaria, the hotel boasts 234 rooms and 43 suites, as well as a spa, two bars, a pool deck, a gym, and a restaurant. The Andaz Spa – said to be