Danish architect Bjarke Ingels has revealed plans for encasing a large waste treatment plant with an artificial ski slope and creating a leisure destination in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ingels' practice, Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG), has been appointed to replace a 40-year-old waste treatment plant with a new one, and the 36-year-old architect has announced his desire to use the opportunity to rejuvenate the industrial quarter and to turn it into a

Westminster City Council (WCC) has approved plans for a temporary 15,000-seat arena on Horse Guards Parade, which will host London 2012 beach volleyball events. Two warm-up courts and six practice courts will be created as part of the 21m (68.9ft)-high venue, which will also feature four 30m (98.4ft)-high floodlights. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games has also been given the green light to start road

A planning application for a new £8.5m competition-standard swimming pool in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, have been submitted to the local authority. Facilities at the FaulknerBrowns Architects-designed venue will include an eight-lane, 25m pool with moveable floor; a teaching pool; and 'fun water' with jets and sprays. Oxford City Council is aiming to create a venue able to provide casual swimming facilities, while fulfilling the city's needs for a competition-standard pool.

Crystal Palace Football Club (CPFC) has announced plans to transform the National Sports Centre (NSC) as part of a new stadium development at Crystal Palace Park, London. The npower Championship club - in partnership with CB Richard Ellis and AFL Architects - is proposing to move back to its original home with a new 40,000-seat venue. A new indoor aquatic centre; a reconfigured indoor complex for the NSC; and a

De Montfort University (DMU) has been given the green light to proceed with plans for a multi-million pound leisure centre development in Leicester. Leicester City Council granted planning permission for the scheme on 18 January, having already agreed to sell land off Duns Lane to the institution in August 2009. The S&P Architects-designed complex will feature a 25m, six-lane swimming pool; a gym and studio; an eight-court sports hall; and

Transport operator First Group is to provide £100,000 towards the cost of Aberdeen's new aquatic centre. A 50m swimming pool will be at the centre of the FaulknerBrowns Architects-designed development, which will form the second phase of Aberdeen Sports Village. Aberdeen City Council approved the development in October, which will see the former Linksfield Academy demolished to make way for the new aquatic centre. Facilities will also include a 25m

Waverley Borough Council (WBC) has revealed that it has received a planning application for the construction of a new leisure centre in Godalming, Surrey. The proposed development is to be located on a site next to Godalming Lawn Tennis Club and will feature a 25m swimming pool and a learner pool. A 60-station fitness suite, a dance studio and a café are also incorporated into the design of the leisure

Maidstone United Football Club (MUFC) has launched a campaign to raise funds towards a new £1.6m stadium development at James Whatman Way. The Ryman League Premier Division club is planning to fund the project using capital from its new owners (£250,000) and the Football Foundation (£150,000). MUFC anticipates that it will source the remaining £1.2m from new investors buying shares in the club, with the closing date for the campaign

Work on the 5,000-seat Water Polo Arena at London's Olympic Park has now started after the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) named the contractors for the scheme. Silvertown-based ES Group will construct the main structure of the venue, while A&T/Barr and Wray of Glasgow will install the temporary swimming pools. Jackson Civil Engineering Group; Byrne Group; Alto Seating Systems; and Balfour Beatty Engineering Services are also working on the scheme. A

Plans for a new swimming pool in Bridgwater, Somerset, is set to move forward, with a report outlining the scheme's timetable due to before the local authority. Sedgemoor District Council's (SDC) executive will consider the report on 19 January, which sets out a timeframe for agreeing the design and construction of the facility. Enabling work has already commenced at the Chilton Trinity Technology College site as part of the Building

Wynne Construction has been selected by Conwy County Borough Council to build a new multi-purpose indoor facility at Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay. Work will begin on site next month following the North Wales-based group's appointment, with the construction process expected to take seven months to complete. A gym and high performance sports analysis facilities are proposed for the complex, which is to be the home of the Welsh Rugby Union's

Plans for the development of a new £4.7m youth centre in Luton, Bedfordshire, are to move forward after the government confirmed capital funding towards the scheme. TOKKO - designed by Max Rengifo of AStudio Architecture - will feature a climbing wall; performance spaces; a games and IT area; and multi-use studios. Training and counselling rooms; a rooftop zen garden; a beauty and fashion studio are also proposed, along with a

Newport Gwent Dragons has announced that work is to commence on the next stage of a multi-million pound renovation of the Rodney Parade stadium in Newport. Work is due to begin on a new East Stand at the rugby union venue, which is set to boast seating for more than 2,000 supporters and 13 corporate boxes. Improved bar, hospitality and catering facilities are also proposed as part of the latest

Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) unveiled the new-look Leatherhead Leisure Centre following the completion of a 20-month refurbishment. An open weekend will take place on 15-16 January to enable local residents to explore the facilities at the revamped venue, which was designed by A+G Architects. Volker Fitzpatrick carried out the improvements, which included the creation of a new 439sq m (4,725sq ft) fitness suite and aerobics studio. A soft play

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) has launched a formal expressions of interest process for operating the Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond-designed ArcelorMittal Orbit. Located between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre, the sculpture won the competition to create an accessible piece of art for the Olympic Park. It will be operated as a visitor attraction both during the 2012 Games and in legacy mode. The £22.8m, 114m-tall sculpture

Pick Everard has announced that it is working on the design of a new play area that will be among the facilities at the National Forest Cycle Centre, Leicestershire. The play area will accompany more than 8 miles (12.9km) of off-road cycling trails; a visitor centre and café; and a bike workshop. A miniature landscape with river, hills and trees feature as part of the design for the natural play

East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) has submitted its plans for a new 'green' leisure centre in Ely. The Roberts Limbrick-designed scheme would provide a new district-wide facility and is poised to include a six-lane, 25m swimming pool and a six-court sports hall. A small children's leisure water area; an additional fitness area; family changing facilities; and a car park are also included as part of the planning application. The new

North Somerset Council (NSC) is to hold a public exhibition to allow residents in Weston-super-Mare to comment on redevelopment plans for the Tropicana centre. Havard Tisdale and the Nightingale Group are the two developers currently in the running to lead the regeneration of the seafront site. NSC has confirmed that plans drawn up by both firms will be on show at the events, which are due to be held at

Waverley Borough Council (WBC) has unveiled plans for the development of a new leisure centre in Godalming, Surrey. ISG has been appointed to deliver the £6m facility, which has been designed by Pozzoni and will feature a 25m swimming pool and a learner pool. A gym; a dance studio; and a café are also proposed as part of the development, which will replace the town's existing facility. Energy efficient measures

The shortlist of private sector organisations hoping to acquire and manage the Olympic Village after the 2012 Games has been announced. The nine groups – most of them partnerships – which will be invited to submit detailed financial proposals to The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) are: • Delancey & Qatari Diar • Dorrington & Pinnacle Capital • Galliard Homes • Grainger plc & Moorfield Group • Hutchison Whampoa Limited •

Swan Leisure, a new Donnelly Turpin Architects-designed leisure centre in Rathmines, Dublin, has been officially unveiled by the local authority. John Paul Construction built the new complex on behalf of Dublin City Council, which forms part of the wider €36m (£30.5m) Rathmines Square development. Facilities include a 49-station gym equipped by Precor; a 25m x 12.5m swimming pool with moveable floor; a dance and fitness studio; and a meeting/spin studio.

Plans for the development of a new £3.5m swimming pool and spa at Ramsgate Sports Centre, Kent, have been given the green light by councillors. Thanet District Council (TDC) has approved the project, which will be carried out by the local authority in partnership with Alliance Leisure. A new building will be built next to the existing centre to house a six-lane, 25m deck level pool, a training pool and

Bournemouth Borough Council (BBC) has confirmed that contractor ASR will return to carry out improvements to an artificial surf reef unveiled last year. The multi-million pound reef - located 225m (738ft) off the coast at Boscombe, Dorset - came under fire in a report in May for producing the "wrong type of waves". An agreement between the council and ASR will now see the contractor return next spring to implement

Developers interested in building a new leisure facility at Cotlandswick, Hertfordshire, are to submit their final bids to the local authority by the end of this week. St Albans City and District Council (SACDC) aims to appoint a preferred contractor in March 2011, with plans submitted as early as May. Drivers Jonas Deloitte are leading the council's project management and design team for the scheme, along with the redevelopment of

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission in Minneapolis, US, has confirmed that snowfall caused the inflatable roof on the city's Metrodome to deflate. Birdair, the company which manufactured and installed the roof, has already carried out an inspection of the structure to determine how long repair work will take. American Football team Minnesota Vikings was forced to move its fixture with New York Giants to Ford Field, Detroit following the incident.

The first new-build 2012 Olympic venue to be completed - the Lee Valley White Water Centre near Waltham Cross, Herfordshire - has been officially opened. HRH The Princess Royal unveiled the canoeing and rafting facilities at the venue, which will host canoe slalom events during the London Games. Lee Valley Regional Park Authority will own and operate the centre before and after the Olympics, with the public able to use

Construction company Willmott Dixon has started preparatory work on the site of a new leisure centre for Rochdale, Greater Manchester. The main-build phase of the KKA-designed scheme is due to start in early 2011, with the ground to be prepared for the foundations over the coming weeks. Facilities will include an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool and learner pool with a moveable floor; a sports hall; thermal and fitness suites; and