The Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) has announced that Saadiyat Beach Golf Course in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is on track to open in autumn 2009. The 18-hole course, designed by golf champion Gary Player to be 'eco-sensitive', could be the first attraction to open as part of the 15-year, A Dhs.100 billion (£15bn, US$ 27bn) Saadiyat Island development. Translated to mean Island of Happiness, the project is

Arts Council England is extending its consultation on the future of Architecture Week to help decide "the most effective way of engaging the public with art and architecture". In a statement the arts body said that it will carry out wider consultation throughout the built environment sector, including the Architecture Foundation, IGNITE and local authorities. The consultation follows a review commissioned by the council and its Architecture Week partners, the

Norway-based firm Various Architects (VA) has designed a collapsible venue that will tour worldwide next year with an Arts Alliance Productions performance called ID - Identity of the Soul. The 3,900sq m (42,000sq ft) Mobile Performance Venue (MPV) ranges from 11m (36ft) to 17m (56ft) in height, and holds a standing audience of 3,500. The foyer contains front-of-house functions such as ticketing, security, cloak room, refreshments and toilets. A mezzanine

Tate Modern and architects Herzog & de Meuron have revealed their revised plans for the £215m development of the museum. The original design – which resembled a stack of bricks – has been scrapped, making way for a new three-dimensional trapezoid-shaped structure. The 11-storey building will be 65m (213ft) tall and will add 21,500sq m (230,400sq ft) to the Tate Modern's existing 35,000sq m (377,000sq ft). Three oil tanks from the

Aylesbury Vale District Council has appointed Willmott Dixon to construct the £35m Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. The new theatre, designed by architects RHWL, is due to open in 2010 and will replace Aylesbury Civic Centre. Facilities will include a 1,200-seat main auditorium which converts into a 1,800-capacity hall and a 220-seat suite for smaller events Funded by the district council, the theatre will be operated by a commercial operator, to be

Merlin Entertainments Group is to unveil a US$55m (£27.6m, AUD$56.4m, 37.4m euro) Madame Tussauds wax museum in Hollywood, USA, next spring. The three-storey, 40,000sq ft property has been designed by Michael Rotondi of JAG/RoTo Architects and will be the ninth museum in the Madame Tussauds worldwide portfolio. It will be located on Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive and is the first time a new-build property has been specifically created for

The Art House, a £3m centre for visual artists in Wakefield, Yorkshire, will be formally opened by culture secretary Andy Burnham on Monday 7 July. The centre's aim is to support the artists from across the UK by offering them studios, technical support, workspaces and accommodation for short-term residencies. Liz Whitehouse, Director of The Art House, says: “It has taken 14 years of dedicated hard work to make this centre

Israeli shipping magnate Sammy Ofer has donated £3.3m towards the restoration of the London, UK-based tea clipper Cutty Sark, devastated in a fire in May 2007. It is the second major donation made this year by Ofer. In April, Ofer gave £20m to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich for the creation of a major new wing. Cutty Sark, considered one of London's iconic visitor attractions, was undergoing a £35m

Public voting for the National Lottery Awards, an annual search to find the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects, is now open until 4 July. The awards are split into seven categories – arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sports and charity – and each category features 10 projects. The three projects that receive the most votes, either online or by telephone, will progress through to the final round of voting, which will

Construction on phase one of a proposed £7.2m restoration of the King’s Theatre in Glasgow could get under way later this year. Work on the Grade A-listed 1904 building, which will include seating refurbishment, is dependant upon an agreed plan with Historic Scotland, which is currently in discussions with the theatre. The renovations should begin once these talks are complete, a spokesperson for the theatre said. Glasgow City Council, which

The Lightbox art gallery and museum in Woking has won the £100,000 Art Fund Prize. The Lightbox – the end result of a 15-year campaign by a group of locals to obtain a galley for the Surrey town – was designed by Marks Barfield Architects, who designed the London Eye. Chair of the judges, Sue MacGregor, said: “It was a difficult final choice for the judges, but in the end

The 2008 World’s Fair is to begin in Saragossa, Spain, later this month. Called Expo Zaragoza, the Spanish spelling of the city, the 93-day event will have the topic of 'Water and Sustainable Development' and is being coordinated by the Bureau of International Expositions. Featuring buildings designed by Zaha Hadid (the Bridge Pavilion, which is expected to be turned into a museum after the event) and Enrique de Teresa (the