The first US project undertaken by Mad Architects, Los Angeles’s Gardenhouse, has topped out and is expected to complete by the end of 2018, according to the architect. The project, which has been wrapped in one of the largest outdoor living walls in the US, is aiming to bring “the natural flora found in the adjacent foothills of Los Angeles into the city of Beverly Hills”. The design rises out

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

A new hotel designed by Margot Krasojevic will look to improve both China’s and the hotel industry’s outlooks on energy usage by harnessing tidal energy and reimagining what a hotel’s ethos on power is for both user and operator. “I have designed an alternative sustainable holiday experience. Studies have been published showing people are willing to forego excessive energy consumption experiences in order to support sustainable leisure breaks,” Krasojevic told

W Hotels Worldwide has announced the 2020 opening of W Nashville in Tennessee, US, which will incorporate the city’s rich musical heritage into its design and ethos. Architecture and design firm Rockwell Group has been commissioned to carry out the project, with a brief to incorporate the “rich culture and musical legacy of Nashville into every aspect of the property.” As well as a live venue, the hotel lobby will

A new railway station development in Hamburg, Germany, has been commissioned, with a view to the hub being more than just another stop on the tracks but indeed an architectural representation of the green credentials of the city around it. Hamburg-Altona station will house a rooftop green space and two towers on that roofscape, as well as cafés, restaurants, shops, fitness facilities, bicycle parking, waiting areas and entrance lobbies at

Portsmouth City Council has approved plans for an inclusive and sustainable sports facility at University of Portsmouth. Designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects, the complex will include a 25m, eight-lane swimming pool, an eight-court sports hall, a health club with a 175-station gym and multifunctional studios, climbing and bouldering facilities, two flexible squash courts and a ski simulator. The building will also set new standards for sustainability for a sports building and

A new attraction set to house more than 100,000 Bob Dylan artefacts will open in Oklahoma in 2021, with architects Olson Kundig to design the exhibition space. There is already a Bob Dylan Archive situated in the University of Tulsa’s Helmerich Center for American Research at Gilcrease Museum. However, the archive, which includes never-before-seen memorabilia featuring unrecorded song lyrics is not open to the public but is instead only open

The iconic Sunset Tower hotel – considered the one of the best examples of Art Deco design in Los Angeles – will emerge from a multi-million-dollar renovation this August that will include a new 7,000sq ft fitness centre and spa. Led by owner Jeff Klein, who has owned the property since 2004, the hotel is located on Sunset Boulevard and first opened its doors in 1931. Designed in 1929 by

Domes Miramare – a resort in Corfu originally built for the Onassis family in the late 1960s – has emerged from a renovation, and will operate under Marriott’s Luxury Collection brand from 1 August. The beachfront retreat is one of a trio of Domes Resorts in Greece, and currently features a boutique spa, with plans for a larger one in the future. The current spa includes three treatment rooms –

A 65-storey Four Seasons hotel has opened in Kuala Lumpur, with a spa inspired by Malaysian healing traditions included. Designed by Wilson Associates, the spa features eight treatment rooms, including two couples suites. Signature treatments include the Four Seasons Rotan Manau Aroma Massage and the Urutan Malaysian Massage. A 145sq m (1,561sq ft) fitness centre overlooking Kuala Lumpur’s skyline complements the spa, along with a 200sq m (2,153sq ft) infinity

Italian architect and designer Matteo Thun believes "nature is stronger than architecture" and that designers should embrace botanical architecture in their works. Speaking in an exclusive interview with CLADglobal, Thun said that a botanical approach to architecture helps to limit disruption to the ecosystem, while also working alongside it. "I often let nature take over my buildings” he said. “Botanical architecture is about being respectful to nature and leaving it

“No one is taking the issue of climate change seriously enough," US landscape architect Martha Schwartz has said, in an exclusive interview with CLADmag. “It's the single most serious issue we're facing. Scientists say we're past the point of no return. Some bad things will have to happen before there is a change – there will be mass extinctions.” Martha Schwartz's 'unusual and provocative' work includes Grand Canal Square in

An international design competition to determine who will design the first Garden City of the 21st century has been whittled down to five, with Ebbsfleet to become the largest of 10 "Healthy New Towns" being developed in the UK. The competition was launched by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and the NHS in March to find the best creative and inspiring ideas, which will be used to shape the landscape of

Anantara is adding a third property to its portfolio of luxury resorts in Vietnam, a villa retreat scheduled to open in late November 2018. Located in a secluded bay in south central Vietnam, Anantara Quy Nhon Villas will comprise 26 one- and two-bedroom ocean-facing villas set amid 7.2 hectares of landscaped tropical gardens. Perched on the hillside overlooking a serene bay, the resort’s Anantara Spa will include nature-inspired treatment suites

Minnesota’s new Bell Museum is set to reopen its doors to the public following a landmark US$79.2m (€68.2m, £60.4m) renovation. The Bell, previously known as the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History, has been Minnesota’s official nature museum since 1872. According to the museum's science director, George Weiblen the Bell was aiming to transform how people experience museums. "Museums used to put nature in a box but instead this

The first three lodges in the Six Senses Bhutan collection will open in November, with the remaining two set to debut in early 2019. Set in the western and central valleys of Bhutan, each lodge has its own character, environment and experiences. Each lodge will feature a one-bedroom suite as the lead in room type, as well as villas ranging from one to three bedrooms. Architecturally, Six Senses is blending

German architecture firm Buro Ole Scheeren today announced their latest project in Vancouver, Canada – their second venture into the city following the 2015 commission 1500 West Georgia. The project, named Barclay Village, will be a mixture of residences with public amenities, communal spaces and a network of green areas that extend to the building’s top floors. It will be located in Vancouver’s West End at the midpoint between Davie

The storied history of Champagne – one of the world’s great wine regions – will take on another dimension this summer with the launch of the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa in the French countryside. The hotel will make its debut as the destination’s first contemporary luxury hotel, which embraces the lush bounty of the wineries and the surrounding Unesco World Heritage Site. Guests will have exclusive access to private

Greek architects K Studios have overseen the redevelopment of a 1930s hotel, which has been transformed into a "neo-modernist masterpiece" in the city of Athens. Working in collaboration with Konstantinos, Anastasia and Alexandra Sgoumpopoulou – three siblings whose careers have crossed the paths of merchant shipping, art, and fashion – the new Perianth Hotel by K Studios pays homage to the Athenian modern movement. Set to open later this month,

Lighting design specialists Speirs + Major have unveiled their latest project – the Hide restaurant in Mayfair, London. The brainchild of Michelin star chef Ollie Dabbous, Hide overlooks Mayfair's Green Park and operates with an ethos to act as a haven from the bustle of the British capital. Speirs + Major are an independent, London-based, design practice that uses light and dark to enhance the experience of the built environment.

The centenary of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) is being celebrated in London, with the transformation of the capital's RAF Museum, which reopens to the public tomorrow (30 June). Nex-Architecture were commissioned for the £26m, 20-month redevelopment, which transforms the site's Hangar 1 building with new immersive galleries focusing on the people of the RAF. With the reconfiguration, visitors are given a clearer route through the exhibition spaces and past

The New York Aquarium is celebrating the launch of its US$158m (€135.6m, £120.2m) shark-themed expansion, with the new addition opening on Coney Island's iconic boardwalk tomorrow (30 June). Covering 57,500sq ft (5,300sq m) and set over three floors, Ocean Wonders: Sharks! features nine galleries, which aim to drive awareness of the importance of sharks to the health of the world’s oceans; educate visitors about the severe threats sharks face; and

Architecture studio Conran and Partners have designed an immersive Anatolian restaurant in London’s Mayfair. Rüya, which has opened this month, is described as “the first of its kind in Europe”. Run by restaurateur Umut Özkanca and the Dogus Restaurant Entertainment and Management Group, it is a showcase for the cuisine of Anatolia – the region in Turkey that forms the westernmost protrusion of Asia. Housed in The Grosvenor House Hotel,

A U2 attraction in the heart of Dublin could become one of Ireland's most visited tourist sites, with plans unveiled for an exhibition centre dedicated to the band on the capital's waterfront. To be developed on Hannover Quay – the current site of the band's existing recording studio – the new three storey complex will display a selection of never-before-seen U2 memorabilia collected over the four decades of the group's

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York State has announced the next stage of its expansion ambitions by unveiling the design for a bold, freestanding new building. International architects OMA have created the plans for the 29,000sq ft (2,700sq m) North Building extension, which will house parts of the museum’s world-renowned art collection and important visitor amenities. The building is envisioned to have a wraparound promenade that visually and

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

The Phoenician Resort in Arizona, US, has unveiled a new three-storey spa as part of a massive, multi-year resort renovation – the largest ever undertaken since the resort opened nearly thirty years ago. The new spa was created in partnership with consultants Spa Strategy, whose scope included business analysis for growth as well as design. “Arizona is one of the most competitive spa markets in North America and Scottsdale has