The Grade II listed, 17th century Grantley Hall hotel and wellness retreat will reopen today (6 July) near Ripon, UK. The property has undergone extensive renovation work over a three-and-a-half year period, with design by owner Valeria Sykes and now has a high-end gym, spa and a range of restaurants. The overarching vision is for the hotel to become one of Europe's top gym, spa, and wellness facilities. The property

Fitness giant Les Mills has launched three new studio spaces at its iconic Auckland City Gym in New Zealand. The new spaces were designed by New Zealand architects Monk Mackenzie and interior designer Rufus Knight, working in partnership with design studio Alt Group. According to Les Mills Jnr, who led the development of the new studios and workouts, a key objective was to partner with New Zealand’s best designers to

Health club design can play a crucial role in improving member retention – partly by making exercisers "forget" about pain and feelings of discomfort during training. Speaking to HCM, US-based gym owner and designer David Barton describes design as a crucial element of a successful health club. “Ultimately, we’re selling something people don’t like," Barton explains. "There are lots of ways to get people in on day one, but how

The Langley, A Luxury Collection Hotel in Buckinghamshire, England has opened its doors, following an extensive six-year renovation project. The hotel has been restored and designed in partnership with Dennis Irvine Studio. Built between 1756 and 1760, the main Langley Park House is a grand Palladian mansion situated within iconic Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown-designed gardens. The building has been refurbished to allow historic original features to shine, reflecting the natural setting

Hannah Lanel has opened The Fore – a new model of boutique gym offering two instructors per class – in London's King’s Cross, an increasingly residential area of the city. Lanel was responsible for The Fore's distinctive interior design. She told CLAD, that the sleek decor – which features fittings by Tom Dixon – was inspired by her own home. The Fore is part of a growing trend towards combining

US-based boutique fitness operator Solidcore has revealed plans for five new clubs for New York City. Adding to its existing NYC flagship studio in Chelsea, the new locations will be situated in SoHo, NoMad (North of Madison Square Park), Williamsburg, Hell's Kitchen and NoLIta (North of Little Italy). The openings are part of Solidcore's commitment to open 100 studios in US markets by the end of 2020. It currently has

Equinox has revealed it will begin offering co-working space in its high-end health clubs. The company has signed a partnership with premium flexible workspace provider Industrious, which marks the launch of an entirely new category for Equinox. Industrious has an in-house design team, led by architect Eivind Karlsen as head of design. Operating under the co-brand, Industrious at Equinox, the first location will be at the 72-storey skyscraper 35 Hudson

George Foreman III – son of the heavyweight prizefighter – and Boston-based practice Studio Troika have designed the EverybodyFights boxing gym in Philadelphia. Situated in the city's Rittenhouse neighbourhood, the 12,000 sq ft (1,114 sq m) space comprises a full-size boxing ring, multiple classrooms, and an open gym area with free weights and cardio equipment. Other features include a steamroom, a yoga room, a sports shop, and custom graffiti created

American interior design practice Arrowstreet have created BKBX, a 771 sq m "adventure lifestyle ecosystem" in Boston, US. Geared towards athletes who regularly embark on high-intensity excursions, the new facility features a bouldering wall, an "adventure bar", and an integrated fitness programme devised by Dr Paul Juris, formerly the executive director of the Cybex Research Institute. The gym – Arrowstreet's fourth project with Brooklyn Boulders – also boasts an innovative

Architectural icon, Peter Cook, and his business partner, Gavin Robotham, co-founders of Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau (CRAB), have revealed they're working on an innovative fitness, sport and leisure project in Mumbai. Speaking in the latest issue of CLADmag, Cook said the new facility could represent the future of mixed-activity clubs. "The core of the building's central area runs through two floors and is surrounded on both by a series of

Lifestyle company Equinox has announced that its first short-stay hospitality venture – the long-gestating Equinox Hotel at 35 Hudson Yards – will throw open its doors in June. The innovative project, which has been making waves since it was first announced in 2016, will feature an array of health-centric offerings, such as rooms with amenities devised to increase sleep wellness, and private fitness sessions led by professional trainers and nutritionists.

The latest venture from German wellness operator, Lanserhof, is scheduled to open in May at the Arts Club in London. Designed by Dusseldorf-based firm Ingenhoven Architects, the six-storey gym – situated opposite the club on Dover Market Street in Mayfair – will be the first facility of its kind to offer club members an MRI scan as part of its tailored training programme. Members will also have access to additional

As a new year approaches, CLAD brings you our list of some of the most anticipated leisure buildings expected in 2019, from museums and restaurants to spas, theatres, and resorts. Arctic Bath Designed by Scandinavian architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi – Arctic Bath is set to open in the High North town of Harads, Sweden, 50km south of the Arctic Circle. The free-floating retreat, which will be situated on

Luxury fitness and lifestyle operator Equinox has opened "E Madison Avenue" – a private fitness club designed by Studio Munge. Located in Manhattan's Upper East Side, the member's only space, which was crafted to evoke what Studio Munge have called the "distinction" of the area’s townhouses and museums, features a Pilates studio, spa, kitchen, and lounge. In a statement, the design firm said that the facility's "interiors embody a residential

Health and wellness-focused hospitality brand Fusion has teamed up with Alba Vietnam to operate two of the company’s hotels. The resorts – Alba Wellness Hue and Thanh Tan Hot Springs Hotel – are both situated in the foothills of the Truong Son Mountains on the site of a mineral-rich natural spring which has been called a "Holy Grail". Designed by architects Romain Duval, Anh Vu, and Minh Pham, Alba Hue

Emirati real estate developer Viva City Developments has announced that it will supervise the creation of a record-breaking sports complex in Dubai. Dubbed "The Sports Society", the 3-storey structure will occupy 3,717 sq m of space and a feature number of leisure attractions, such as an ice-skating rink, trampoline park, martial arts dojo, bowling alley, and cricket simulator, as well as multiple climbing walls and retail shops. Other amenities in

Handel Architects have released images of their latest project on the New Jersey Shore: the Asbury Ocean Club. Developed by iStar, the new mixed-development property, which will be located in the popular Asbury Park beachfront district, will rise 16 storeys and include a 54-room hotel as well as 130 residences. The estimated US$300m (€262m, £233m) complex – which will feature the interior design expertise of studios Anda Andrei and Bonetti/Kozerski

The University of Warwick has released an in-depth fly-through video of its soon-to-be-completed sports and wellness hub in Coventry, UK. Set to become one of the largest recreational and fitness facilities in Britain, the David Morley-designed complex will span 16,684 sq ft (1,550 sq m) and feature a 12-court sports hall and 230-station gym, as well as pools, indoor climbing walls, fitness suites, studio spaces, and outdoor sports pitches. The

The Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel (EAC) – the first sports-centric venue of its kind in the UK – has opened at Loughborough University. Designed by David Morley Architects and developed in partnership with UK Sport, Sport England, the English Institute of Sport, and Imago Venues, the 44-room, fitness-focused hotel also includes 20 'high-altitude rooms'. These unique chambers simulate the low oxygen atmospheric conditions of transalpine mountains and accelerate the

Finnish studio PES-Architects have won a competition to design what’s been described as a "future-oriented" urban "archipelago" in Turku, Finland. Dubbed "Luoto" (skerry), the estimated €500m (US$571m, £435m) project will see the coastal city gain a 170,000 sq m experience centre, which will include a multipurpose sports arena, hotel, chapel, residences, and office space, as well a number of entertainment and retail facilities. The new destination, which PES says will

Work could soon begin on what has been described as one of the first developments of its kind in the world. The £200m Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village, planned for the Carmarthenshire coast, is set to include a wellness hotel, sports and wellbeing centre, wellness spa and primary care centre. An outline planning application for the project will be assessed by mid-November, with preparatory works on site at Delta

The current trend of incorporating wellness into design shows no signs of stopping as renderings and animations from the latest Sir Richard Branson project, Virgin Voyages (a rebrand of the former Virgin Cruises), show a heavy wellness focus in its public areas. Featuring a running track, boxing ring, yoga deck, wellness pool and hydrotherapy pool, the ambitious cruise ship project is looking to change the way people think about sea

Finnish architects OOPEAA have won a competition to design and create floating sea pools for public use in coastal cities and towns around the world, with the first to be rolled out in Oulu in the north of Finland. Following a pilot project in Helsinki in 2016, city development and investment group Töölö Urban ran the competition in April 2018 to commission a firm to design the Allas Sea Pools.

The Biltmore Hotel, located at Coral Gables, near Miami, has announced that it has commissioned two architects to redesign all of its accommodations and corridors, as well as one more architect to oversee the restoration of its 18-hole golf course. D’Shakil Designs and Studio 5 Design + Architecture will undertake the work to redesign the hotel, with a brief to create a “fresh take on the hotel’s history of old-world

Officials in Manchester have revealed plans to create a city-wide cycling and walking network made up of more than 1,000 miles of routes – including 75 miles of Dutch-style segregated bike lanes. The ‘Beelines’ network – named after Manchester’s civic symbol of the worker bee – will be the largest joined-up system of walking and cycling routes in the UK. Developed in partnership by the 10 Greater Manchester local authorities

National Football League (NFL) franchise the Dallas Cowboys has partnered with architects Perkins + Will, healthcare provider Baylor Scott & White Health and a local school district to launch a facility dedicated to community health and wellbeing. The 300,000sq ft (28,000sq m) Sports Therapy & Research complex – which opened yesterday (20 June) on the Cowboys-themed campus The Star in Frisco, Texas – is an educational opportunity for visitors as

To celebrate the start of the World Cup in Russia, sports giant Nike has partnered with KOSMOS Architects to create an outdoor football court in Moscow inspired by the traditional Russian ‘korobka’ – courtyard cages for street matches. The 4,700sq m (50,600sq ft) Nike BOX Msk in Gorky Park can be used for a variety of sports and pursuits – from basketball to gym training, running and yoga – but