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

Scunthorpe's new £14.4m Baths Hall venue, which will play host to a programme of music, theatre, comedy and dance events, has been officially unveiled today (7 November). North Lincolnshire Council's (NLC) own architects led the design of the complex, which is located on the site of the former Scunthorpe Youth Centre and the old Baths Hall. Built by Clugston Construction, the venue has retained the frontage of the 1930s Baths

UK sports and cultural schemes have missed out at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards 2011, following the announcement of the first 12 winners from this year's event. The Pods (Andrew Wright with S&P Architects) and the Silverstone Wing (Populous) had been shortlisted in the sport category, but were held off by Germany's Max Aicher Arena. Built for this year's World Single Distant Speed Skating Championships and designed by Behnisch

The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, has reopened following a six-year, RUB24bn (US$804m, 570m euro, £500m) redevelopment programme. Considered one of the finest performance venues in the world, the theatre was designed by Russian architect Joseph Bové and first opened in 1825. It was closed in 2005 with the initial reopening date set for late 2009. The discovery that the structure was more unstable than first thought, however, lead the

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Georgia, US, is to open its major new teaching museum dedicated to contemporary art and design tomorrow (29 October). SCAD Museum of Art will offer 1sq ft (0.1sq m) of academic space for every 1sq ft (0.1sq m) of exhibition space, with its galleries to act as extensions to traditional classrooms. The 82,000sq ft (7,618sq m) venue boasts the Walter O

Cloud-based business management software provider GramercyOne has launched GoSuite, a free booking and marketing tool aimed at small and medium-sized service businesses. Unveiled at the Street Fight Summit in New York City yesterday, GoSuite includes two products - GoBook and GoPromote - which have been designed to cater for a number of service providers from dance studios to personal trainers and tutors. The cloud-based software allows companies to book appointments

Bord Gáis Energy has signed a new six-and-a-half-year partnership deal with operator Live Nation, which will see Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre rebranded from 7 March 2012. The venue will be called the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre as part of the deal, while other terms include the provision of complimentary and discounted tickets to Bord Gáis customers. Commercial targets relating to its investment in the theatre will see Bord Gáis generate

Work has been completed on a £2.8m scheme to transform Devon's Cockington Court as a historic attraction and 'innovation workspace' for creative businesses in the Torquay area. The regeneration of the Grade II*-listed building has been designed by Torquay-based Kay Elliott, with the existing property benefiting from structural repair and modernisation. Three new buildings have also been constructed to the rear of Cockington Court and feature art spaces, galleries, craft

London's 'newest West End theatre' in more than 10 years is to be created as part of plans for the redevelopment of the Tottenham Court Road area unveiled by Crossrail. Three planning applications have now been lodged with Westminster City Council, covering four sites on the corner of Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road. AHMM are behind designs for the first two sites, which features a new theatre on the

A special groundbreaking ceremony has taken place in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, to mark the start of construction work on the town's new £20m performance venue. Vinci Construction has been appointed to build the 4,625sq m (49,783sq ft) building, which will be situated at the heart of a new Civic and Cultural Quarter development. Muse Developments is working with Doncaster Council on the project, with the new facility to include a

Canterbury's new £25.6m Marlowe Theatre has been officially unveiled for the first time by HRH The Earl of Wessex, following the completion of a two-year construction project. A gala event marked the opening of the new arts venue, which has been designed by London-based Keith Williams Architects and replaces a former building first opened in the 1930s but that has now been demolished. The new Marlowe Theatre includes a 1,200-seat

Hepworth Wakefield, the David Chipperfield Architects-designed art attraction in Yorkshire, has been crowned Best Architectural Achievement at the British Design Awards 2011. The building held off four other shortlisted projects to pick up the accolade, including work by RHWL and Richard Griffiths Architects at London's St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. Heatherwick Studio's UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010; Plasma Studio's Creativity Pavilion; and Alain de Botton's Living Architecture were also