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

St James Theatre is to become central London's first newly-built theatre complex for three decades when it opens on the site of the former Westminster Theatre in September. The new facility, which has been designed by Foster Wilson Architects, is located on Palace Street, Victoria, and has been entirely funded through private sector investment. A 312-seat auditorium, a brasserie and a bar will be included among the facilities, along with

Renowned musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has marked the topping out of a new £10m arts complex being built overlooking the River Clyde in Greenock, Scotland. The LDN Architects -designed Beacon Arts Centre is on course to open this summer and is to replace Greenock Arts Guild Theatre, which has been operating for more than 60 years. Part of the wider regeneration of industrial land along the Inverclyde waterfront,

Shakespeare's Globe has received a £1.5m gift from an anonymous private donor towards its plans to open the historic London arts venue's Indoor Jacobean Theatre next year. The £1.5m donation will be used to match every pound raised by the Globe and it is hoped the match-giving scheme will encourage more people to contribute towards the project. Allies and Morrison were appointed last summer to work on the £7m scheme,

A design team has been selected for the renovation and expansion of the Kimball Art Center in Utah, US, which is home to Sundance House during the annual Sundance Film Festival. Denmark-based BIG and US-based Architectural Nexus will lead the team that also includes Dunn Associates, VBFA, Envision Engineering and Big D on the proposed scheme. Work is due to commence on the project in mid-2013, with the project to

A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the start of work on a GBP28m redevelopment of the Everyman theatre in Liverpool, which has been designed by Haworth Tompkins Architects. The Everyone for the Everyman project will include the creation of a 400-seat auditorium; a new creative hub for writers; rehearsal space; and improved front-of-house facilities. A dedicated space for schools and community groups will also be established at the theatre, which is

Cardiff's Sherman Cymru has opened its doors to the public for the first time in two years, following the completion of a major GBP6.5m refurbishment of the arts venue. Jonathan Adams of Capita Symonds, the man who designed Wales Millennium Centre and the WJEC building, was the architect behind the redevelopment of the theatre. Work has included a new exterior and a foyer that has undergone a complete overhaul. The

London's Photographers' Gallery is to reopen on 19 May, following the completion of its £8.9m development project designed by Ireland-based O'Donnell and Tuomey Architects. The transformation of the photography attraction has included the addition of a two-storey extension, which has doubled the size of the available exhibition space at the Soho venue. A new environmentally-controlled floor now enables the Photographers' Gallery to display more work from its archives, while top

Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) has revealed the opening dates for three museums that form part of the Saadiyat Cultural District in the United Arab Emirates. Located on the Saadiyat Island development in Abu Dhabi, the first attraction to launch is to be the Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2015. Zayed National Museum will follow a year later. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be the third new museum to be unveiled

The new US$35m (£22.5m, EUR27m) Sunnylands Center and Gardens, which forms part of The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in California, US, will open its doors on 1 March. Reich+Petch Design International has worked on the media, wayfinding and exhibits at the 17,000sq ft (1,579sq m) facility, which was designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners. Attractions include a glasses-free 3D tour of the Sunnylands residence and its development over the years,

David Wilmore of North Yorkshire-based historic theatre consulting firm Theatresearch has been appointed to work on a £4m restoration of the Globe Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees. Jomast Developments is working alongside Stockton Borough Council on plans to overhaul the venue, which is a Grade II-listed Art Deco building first opened in 1935. Once the restoration project is complete, the Globe Theatre will offer a main auditorium with a capacity of around

Plymouth's Theatre Royal is to benefit from an extensive programme of work to modernise and upgrade facilities after a planning application was submitted to the local authority. London-based Andrzej Blonski Architects are behind the proposals, which include five main elements and include the creation of a new learning space in the existing basement. The replacement of aluminium cladding; an extension to the main entrance area; an overhaul of the interior

A new one-bedroom, maritime-themed 'hotel' installation, which forms part of the London 2012 Festival, has opened at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Located on the roof of the venue, A Room for London has been designed by David Kohn Architects in conjunction with Fiona Banner following a global design contest. The winning boat-shape design offers panoramic views of the River Thames from Big Ben to St Paul's

Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT) has been given the green light for a £22m redevelopment after local councillors approved planning permission and funding support for the scheme. The venue is to demolish all extensions added to the Grade II-listed building after 1962 and revamp the original hexagonal auditorium; as well as adding new foyer-side extensions. A back-of-house extension and a new outdoor piazza are also included in plans approved by Chichester

Hastings' new £4m Jerwood Gallery, which will enable the Jerwood Foundation to display its collection of contemporary British paintings, will open to the public on 17 March 2012. Designed by Colchester-based HAT Projects, the new contemporary art attraction is to form part of a wider £9m redevelopment of the East Sussex resort's Stade area in the Old Town. Capital and running costs for the Jerwood Gallery will be entirely funded

Ukrainian vice prime minister and minister of infrastructure Borys Kolesnikov has unveiled plans to develop a new "tourist city" near Yevpatoria over the next three-and-a-half years. Addressing delegates at the recent Inside Ukraine conference, Kolesnikov said the project is part of a national programme to transform the Crimean peninsula into a visitor destination. It is expected the development will be built from scratch and will offer hotel accommodation and opportunities

The first phase of a £10.6m project to refurbish Royal Court Theatre Liverpool is to start in February 2012 after receiving support from the Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF). An £867,800 grant has been awarded to the Royal Court Liverpool Trust (RCLT) towards a major Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)-designed overhaul of the historic venue. AHMM were selected to design the refurbishment after being one of seven shortlisted firms and proposed

Casson Mann has revealed that it is working in partnership with Paris-based architects X-Tu on the development of a new international cultural wine centre for Bordeaux, France. The facility, which forms part of a strategy to promote the city as the world's wine capital, is due to open in 2014 and will explore the stories behind wine and its place within culture. It is hoped the Centre for Wine Culture

National Galleries Scotland (NGS) has reopened the Scottish National Portrait Gallery after completing work on an extensive £17.6m refurbishment of Edinburgh attraction. The gallery was initially designed by architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and was one of the first purpose-built portrait galleries in the world when it opened in 1889. Work has now been carried out by BAM Construction in a two-year scheme to provide new education facilities, including a

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has confirmed plans for a major US$5.6m (£3.6m, EUR4.2m) improvement campaign at its base in Sarasota, US, which is due to commence in early 2012. The scheme, which has been designed by Potvin Architects with C Alan Anderson Architect PA and Contractors, will include a revamp of the 6,000sq ft (557sq m) Gompertz Theatre. A new 18,000sq ft (1,672sq m) extension is also proposed as part

Vision West Notts (VWN) has received the green light to progress with the development of a new £11m complex at its Derby Road campus in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Forming part of the institution's £24m redevelopment, the building will comprise 4,000sq m (43,056sq ft) of teaching and learning space with a health spa and a fine-dining restaurant. Hair and beauty salons are also proposed as part of the facility, which will cater

A new £12m home for Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre in Leeds, which opened its doors earlier this year, has been awarded its second accolade in the space of a week. The purpose-built centre has been named 2011 Civic Building of the Year by the Society of Chief Architects for Local Authorities (SCALA) at a ceremony held on 11 November. Jacobs Architecture worked alongside Leeds City Council on the