Holding company Meraas has revealed plans to develop a tropical forest bio-dome in Dubai featuring more than 3,000 plants and animals inside an enclosed eco-system – a first for the Middle East. Located in Dubai’s City Walk, Green Planet will extend four storeys and include the largest indoor man-made and life-sustaining tree in the world at 25m (82ft)-high, according to Meraas. In addition to a canopy of tropical vegetation, the

In a surprise move, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is exhibiting his first original works in France at a luxury department store in Paris. The show, named Er Xi, Air de Jeux (Child’s Play), features more than 100 bamboo and silk kites and 3D structures depicting mythological creatures from Chinese legend. The exhibition at Le Bon Marché – which will run to 20 February 2016 and is promoting a store

France’s National Commission for Public Debate will host a series of open discussions about the development of Bjarke Ingels’ Europa City masterplan; one of the largest ongoing leisure developments on the continent. From 15 March to 30 June, Europa City’s developers and the commission will conduct a “real-time exchange and reflection” with residents of the Parisian suburbs close to the development site. Professionals from the world of culture, tourism and

The developers creating an elevated park on a disused bridge in Washington D.C are to begin feasibility testing and community outreach programmes early this year as the project enters the pre-construction phase. Architects Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and landscape designers OLIN have designed the park to sit on the city’s 11th Street Bridge, which links Capitol Hill and the Anacostia neighbourhood and is currently being replaced. When finished, the

Plans to build a futuristic integrated wind turbine, hotel and tourist attraction in Rotterdam have taken a step forward after 11 companies from the worlds of construction, sustainable design, research, innovation and energy reached an agreement to develop the project. The Dutch Windwheel is envisioned as a 174m (571ft) structure comprised of two giant rings leaning against each other. The outer ring would house 40 pods on moving rails, providing

London studio Mossessian Architecture have won an invited competition to design a museum of the Islamic faith in Mecca (known locally as Makkah), Saudi Arabia. The firm have partnered with French exhibition architects Studio Adeline Rispal to work on the project in Islam’s most sacred city. The museum – located 7km from the city’s Grand Holy Mosque – will explore the history and practice of Islam and the life of

The 2016 grand opening of North America’s longest-running ice hotel took place last night (15 January) in Quebec, Canada. A fireworks display and concert marked the official unveiling of this year’s Hôtel de Glace, which has opened every winter in the city since 2001. The hotel was originally inspired by Sweden’s famous Icehotel – which recently re-launched for its 26th year and is now launching an extension that does not

International developer Triple Five has moved a step closer to realising its vision of creating North America’s largest mega-mall after submitting a planning document to Miami-Dade County. The hugely ambitious American Dream Miami scheme – described by Triple Five as “as an evolution in retail and entertainment” – includes 6.2m sq ft (576,000sq m) of leisure, retail and dining space located on a greenfield site at the intersection of the

An iconic brutalist building on Israel’s Mediterranean coast has been transformed into a vast arts complex featuring a hotel, galleries, concert halls, restaurant, spa and wellness centre. The 1960s structure – formerly known as the Mivtachim Sanitarium – is formed by a series of modular, concrete units located on Mount Carmel Ridge in the village of Zichron Ya’akov. It was was created by the late Israeli architect Ya’akov Rechter, who

On the back of successful events in Sydney, Berlin and Lyon, London will welcome a new international light festival when Lumiere kicks off this evening (14 January). Taking place until 17 January, Lumiere London will showcase renowned artists from across the world, with the event expected to draw thousands of visitors to the UK capital. Installations for the event have been spread across the city in 30 prime locations, including

The Museum of London has officially started its search for an architect to design its proposed new home inside a vacant Victorian market. Design competition organiser Malcolm Reading Consultants has been appointed to lead the search. A two-stage contest will begin in February 2016. A panel will be selected to create a shortlist and the winning architect will be announced by the end of Q2 2016. The museum and the

The glass viewing pod for a vertical cable car billed as “the world’s tallest moving observation attraction” was completed yesterday (13 January) on the UK’s Brighton beach. The 162m (531ft) tall British Airways i360, conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects – creators of the London Eye – has now entered the final construction phase before opening in late Q2 2016. The final piece of glass has now been fixed

A German architecture firm, an Austrian artist and a Sharjah-based development company in the UAE have joined forces to open a butterfly-themed landscape park. Al Noor Island, located in Sharjah’s Khalid Lagoon, has been developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) to “redefine the very meaning of an Arab city”. The culture and leisure park – which was officially opened by Sharjah's ruler, Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed

British architecture firm Flanagan Lawrence have won a design competition to renovate a 1970s Polish theatre with their vision for an “acoustically optimised outdoor performance space.” The studio have proposed the installation of a curving roof canopy of inflatable panels, which will envelop the stage and auditorium of the 2,500-capacity outdoor Summer Theatre in the city of Szczecin’s Kasprowicza Park. “The real inspiration from our point of view was to

A Canadian beer brand has assembled a custom-built ice rink on the rooftop of a 32-storey building in downtown Toronto. Molson Canadian – a subsidiary of the Molson Coors Brewing Company – has created the unique venue to celebrate ice hockey; Canada’s national winter sport. As part of the brand’s longstanding #anythingforhockey media campaign and competition, hockey fans were asked in December to share stories, images and videos over social

In an exclusive interview with CLAD, one of the architects behind the hotly-anticipated Shanghai Planetarium has revealed new details about the project’s futuristic design. When it is completed in 2018, the 38,000sq m (409,000sq ft) development – a part of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum in the city’s new Linglang district – will explore the mysteries of space, celebrate the history of Chinese astronomy and reflect the future ambitions

The high-profile development of Panama’s Amador Causeway has taken another step forward, with construction underway on a sweeping 32 acre leisure complex designed like a bird. The Harpy Eagle – the country’s national symbol – is the inspiration for the wing-like structure of the Panama Center for Events and Performing Arts, which will contain a 240,000sq ft (22,000sq m) interior banqueting hall reflecting the rainforest canopies that are the bird’s

The developers of a Californian museum dedicated to Armenian American culture have selected a local architecture firm to oversee the project. Alajajian Marcoosi Architects have unveiled their concept for the 1.7 acre complex in the city of Glendale, which will include an outdoor plaza and peace garden. The proposals show the museum – envisioned as a cultural campus to educate the public on the Armenian American story and cultural diversity

After years of waiting, the people of Torun, Poland finally have a high-quality cultural venue in their city, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. First announced in 2008, work has finally been completed on the CKK Jordanki concert hall – designed by Spanish architects Fernando Menis Arquitectos – and the venue is hosting its first shows following a high-profile inauguration ceremony broadcast live on television. The building – located

Turkish studio EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture have created a striking new home for some of Turkey's most important art works: a renovated warehouse which has been stripped of its floors and walls. The studio’s design team have stripped an abandoned dockland building so that only the concrete structure remains. This stark 24,000 sq m (258,000sq ft) structural grid will support large overhanging red containers, within which 15,000 art works dating as

An abandoned, bomb-damaged dockland warehouse in the Dutch city Den Helder has been transformed into a concert hall, art centre and restaurant by architects Van Dongen-Koschuch. The Kampanje, located in the city’s old Willemsoord naval yard, had sat empty for more than 70 years since being partially destroyed during the Second World War. Now it has been carefully restored and renovated by the studio to create a new cultural landmark

A glowing pink cube in the heart of Moscow is providing passers by an immersive spot to take stock and look out at the city. The P-Cube, designed by Spanish-Icelandic artist Marcos Zotes and his studio UNSTABLE, is a temporary installation commissioned by the city’s Polytechnic Museum to stand in VDNKh Park. The skin of the 9m (29ft) high structure is clad in a semi-transparent layer of fabric covered with

Some of the world’s best-known interior and furniture designers will embrace their creative side when displaying their latest creations at this year’s IMM Cologne; one of Europe’s largest trade fairs for furnishing, living and lifestyle products. Kaleidoscopic furniture, a birdcage-shaped table, and a swinging chair suspended above a circus ring will be among the more unusual displays at the event, which will take place from 18-24 January in the German

The protracted development of Budapest’s museum quarter has taken a surprise twist, with organisers launching a second design competition for the new Museum of Ethnography building. Last year, French studio Vallet de Martinis DIID Architects won a competition to design a new home for the museum – which has a collection of more than 200,000 ethnographic artefacts and 400,000 historical documents. However, a government decision to relocate the planned building

Architecture competition organisers Arch Out Loud has launched an ideas contest for a new aquarium and public waterfront park in New York. The group has called on architecture teams to propose an "iconic new destination" – located along the East River within the borough of Queens – capable of revitalising the area and attracting tourists. “Many New York sites with access to the waterfront are being absorbed by private developers,

David Chipperfield Architects have revealed their masterplan for a public beer garden, boutique hotel and a host of other leisure facilities on the site of a Berlin brewery destroyed during the Second World War. The former Bötzow Brewery, located near Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, will be transformed by the studio’s German office into a 24,000sq m (258,300sq ft) public destination within the city. It will boast a new brewery, restaurants, shops, a

The founder of Australia’s (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, has unveiled a host of planned leisure projects for the institution; including a 160-room art hotel, a casino and a collaboration with famous artist James Turrell. In a blog post titled Stuff We are Planning to Do, posted on the museum’s website, MONA founder David Walsh revealed several ambitious projects involving individuals from the worlds of art, architecture and design – including