York-based cultural visitor attraction group, Continuum, is in discussions with the landlords of York House, Kings Square, York, as part of plans to create a new confectionary-themed visitor attraction in the city. Oakgate Group is currently applying to York City Council for 'change of use' planning permission for the premises for use as a visitor attraction and associated uses including retail and café. The 6,400sq ft space is spread across

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - Western Isles Council (CNES) is to hold a consultation event on 28 June to exhibit plans for a new heritage attraction at Lews Castle, Stornoway. CNES, together with its partners, is proposing to develop a new museum and archive at the historic property, which will also involve the restoration of the castle for hospitality use. Edinburgh-based Malcolm Fraser Architects has been appointed to lead a

Historic Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) have revealed the first designs of the proposed new Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre, which is due to open in 2014. Edinburgh-based architects Reiach and Hall are behind the proposals, which will be lodged with Stirling Council and are also on display at the Bannockburn Heritage Centre. Sinclair Knight Merz; Turner and Townsend; and KJ Tait feature as part of the

Plans to extend the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens, London, UK have been approved. The directors of the gallery chose architect Zaha Hadid to design and create the new gallery in 2010, and the extension is now scheduled to open in 2012. As part of the project, the Grade II-listed The Magazine building of the gallery will be renovated and extended to house collections. The project, to be known as

The Zaha Hadid-designed Museum of Transport in Glasgow - also called the Riverside Museum - will open its doors to the public next week (21 June). The £74m attraction will be operated on behalf of the property owner Glasgow City Council by charitable trust Glasgow Life, formerly called Culture and Sport Glasgow which was rebranded last year. The new museum building will house more than 3,000 exhibits across 150 displays

An international procurement process to find contractors to design and build the new Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Canada, has been launched by the Government of Alberta. The new CA$340m (£212.3m, EUR237.9m, US$347.7m) attraction will double the size of the existing museum and will showcase the province's history and natural environment. A Request for Qualifications stage is currently open until 22 June for interested bidders to submit proposals, form which

Bath's Holburne Museum has been officially reopened by artist Sir Peter Blake, following the completion of an extensive £11.2m refurbishment of the attraction. An extension designed by Eric Parry was at the centre of the redevelopment scheme, which has doubled the available display space and provided bespoke education facilities. Top-lit galleries for temporary exhibitions have also been constructed as part of the project, which received funding support from the Heritage

A new art gallery and youth hostel has officially opened in Berwick-upon-Tweed, following the completion of a £5m refurbishment of the Grade II-listed Dewar's Lane Granary. In addition to the exhibition space and 55-bed hostel, the six-storey property also includes a modern bistro; meeting and conference rooms; and an outdoor courtyard seating area. The Berwick Preservation Trust (BPT) led the restoration programme, with One North East and the government's now-defunct

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction work on a new home for the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, US. The attraction has confirmed that it has already raised US$508m (£308m) towards the total US$720m (£436.5m) cost of the Renzo Piano-designed scheme. Forming part of a public-private regeneration of Manhattan, the new 200,000sq ft (18,581sq m) museum building is to be constructed

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney, Australia, has announced that it is to reopen in March 2012, following a AU$53m (£34.2m, EUR39.2m, US$56.5m) overhaul. Work started on the redevelopment project last August, with architect Sam Marshall and the New South Wales Government Architect behind the design of the new-look attraction. An additional 4,500sq m (43,438sq ft) of space will be created as part of the project and will

A number of leisure schemes have been included among the 97 UK and European projects to be named as winners of the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards. The RIBA Awards are designed to recognise "architectural excellence" and comprised 89 properties in the UK and a further eight across the European Union. Among the 2011 winners is the new £112.8m home for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon,

A new multi-million euro cultural attraction - Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) - has opened its doors to the public in Antwerp, Belgium, following a four-year construction process. Netherlands-based Neutelings Riedijk Architects was appointed by Antwerp City Council to design the new museum in 2000, with B-architecten chosen to lead the interior design. Covering a total surface area of 6,600sq m (71,042sq ft), the museum also features pavilions and a

LPA has been selected by the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum/ExplorOcean design and construction committee to draw up plans for a new waterfront facility in Newport Beach, California, US. The architectural practice has been appointed to design the Core Building Shell and Site phase, including the concept; planning and design; and schematic design. Meanwhile, The Hettema Group has also been chosen to provide concept design; exhibition themes; and unifying project elements

Architecture Tours Ireland - a new joint venture between the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) - has been officially launched. Jimmy Deenihan, the Irish minister for arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht, has given his support to the scheme, which aims to generate interest in architecture as a cultural form. Architecture Tours Ireland is already working with tourism agency Fáilte Ireland in order

Netherlands-based architects MVRDV have been appointed to design the new China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM), which is to be developed in Hangzhou. The group was selected following an international design contest for the EUR92m (£81.6m) scheme, with the attraction to comprise eight speech balloon-shaped structures. Covering a total area of 13.7 hectares (33.9 acres), the complex will also include a series of parks on islands; a public plaza; and

The new US$30m (20m euro, £18m) wing of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, US has been opened to the public. The 30,000sq ft (2,800sq m) expansion includes 15,000sq ft of archival storage, an additional classroom, a staging area for exhibits and curatorial work, and a new temporary exhibit gallery. Boston-based architect Einhorn Yaffee Prescott and Quincy-based construction firm Lee Kennedy Company were chosen by

The National Mining Museum Scotland has opened its Scottish government-funded conservation project, restoring some of Scotland's most fragile industrial heritage and saving the buildings for future generations. The work has consisted of preservation of the tippler floor, picking tables, elevator shed and brick-vaulted undercroft. The conservation has been carried out by a team of architects, structural engineers, project managers and builders. An exhibition is currently running in the museum to

Trustees of the Baltimore Museum of Art in Maryland, US, have revealed that Ziger/Snead Architects are to work on a US$24m (£14.4m, EUR16.2m) renovation of the attraction. It follows an extensive year-long procurement process for the scheme, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014 ahead of the museum's 100th anniversary. The renovation of Baltimore Museum of Art is to create "dynamic" new spaces for art and visitors, including enhancements

West Lothian Council (WLC) has announced the full reopening of the historic Burgh Halls in Linlithgow, which have undergone a major £5.2m redevelopment. The property has benefited from an extensive transformation and restoration of its features, with a new interactive display exploring its history available in the reception. Burgh Halls also features a gallery and the Glasshouse Café, while local community groups will also make use of the building. Malcolm

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art senior curator Philip Long has been announced as the director of a new Victoria and Albert museum to be developed on Dundee's waterfront. Long, who also leads the National Galleries of Scotland's Artist Rooms project, will take on the responsibility for establishing the V&A at Dundee as an international centre for design. In addition to his role as senior curator at the Scottish National

Turner Contemporary, a new £17.4m gallery dedicated to the life of 19th century artist JMW Turner, has officially opened its doors to the public in Margate, Kent. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the attraction was opened by artist Tracey Emin, musician Jools Holland and local schoolchildren on 16 April. R Durtnell and Sons has delivered the building, which incorporates 750sq m (8,072sq ft) of gallery space across two floors. The

North Somerset Council (NSC) has approved planning permission for the development of new visitor facilities at the Grade I-listed Clevedon Pier. Clevedon Pier and Heritage Trust's (CPHT) scheme - designed by Bristol-based O'Leary Goss Architects - was given the go-ahead by NSC's north area committee. Under the trust's plans for the historic pier, a new visitor centre would house purpose-built education, exhibition and refreshment areas in a bid to enhance

David Chipperfield Architects' design for the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany, has been handed the 2011 European Union (EU) Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. The attraction reopened in 2009 for the first time in 70 years, following the completion of an extensive EUR212m (£187m) redevelopment project. Originally launched in 1855, the Neues Museum closed when World War Two broke out in 1939 and suffered extensive

Bristol, UK-based property and architects company Saturn Projects Group has launched a dedicated exhibition design division targeting the attractions industry. Saturn Imagineering will be making its debut at the Dubai Entertainments, Amusement and Leisure Show (DEAL) this week. Simon Pickard, Saturn's managing director said the company will look to establish itself in the MENA region (Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean and Asia) is currently in the process of opening an office

Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) leader Mary Mears has said that a large housing development will not be permitted for the site of a historic 1930s lido in Saltdean. Concerns had been raised after it was revealed that the leaseholder of Saltdean Lido's eyed up plans for more than 100 flats on the site. However, Mears said: "I want both the leaseholder and residents to forget about the idea

Nearly £900,000 of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) investment is to go towards plans for the construction of a new home for Arundel Museum, West Sussex. Arundel Museum Society (AMS) has secured the funding, which will help with a three-year scheme to develop a new purpose-built museum building for the town's collections. Located near the entrance of Arundel Castle, the attraction is to provide gallery spaces and a range of facilities

The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, is to open a new exhibition charting the story of the current Afghanistan campaign. The Battle Group Afghanistan exhibition – designed in partnership by the Tank Museum and Devon-based exhibition designer Imagemakers – tells the tale of soldiers fighting in Afghanistan through their own words and relays to the public the dangers they face in the field. It will also see the displaying of