The city of Vilnius in Lithuania is stepping up its push into the European ski market with the announcement it will build a new cultural/sports venue – the Vilnius Beacon – with design by Studio Libeskind. This is the first ski resort by the practice. The development is backed by the City of Vilnius, the State Trade Co and Start Vilnius Co, which took over responsibility for the location –

Work is underway on what is being billed as “the world’s largest eco-theme park” – a US$240m (E202.2m, £158.5m) development – called Funtasy Island – which will be located on Indonesia’s Riau Islands, near Singapore. Set to open in late 2015, eight key “eco-zones” are currently under construction in the 3sq km (1.2sq m) development, including a multi-sensory rainforest. There will also be land- and river-based safaris, snorkel and scuba

Four US universities are currently battling it out to host Barack Obama’s US$500m (€419.5m, £329m) presidential library – a repository for preserving and making available the papers, records, collections and other historical materials of every President of the United States since Herbert Hoover in 1929. The President and first lady will choose one location from either the University of Chicago, Columbia University in New York, the University of Illinois in

As part of the first ever Chicago Architecture Biennial, starting in October 2015, a lakefront architecture competition has been announced. This competition aims to bring attention to Lake Michigan’s bustling shoreline and offers participants a chance to create “an iconic work of architecture that will attract visitors and enliven the lakefront all year round.” As a celebrated public space in Chicago, the lakefront is currently features over twenty miles of

The Dalian Wanda group has launched its latest theme park project – a US$1bn (€839m, £659m) movie park in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Designed by Stufish Entertainment Architects and located at either end of Wuhan’s cultural district – an US$8bn (€6.7bn, £5.3bn) development project in the city – the indoor movie theme park comprises six attractions which combine 3D effects, live actors, props, stunts and special effects. The park

Subsequent to winning a competition to revamp Oldham Coliseum in 2013, Dutch practice Mecanoo has submitted plans to transform the building into a new heritage centre and theatre. Mecanoo, which has offices in nearby Manchester as well as overseas, had a busy year in 2014. Back in February, Francine Houben, Mecanoo’s creative director and founding partner was awarded Woman Architect of the Year 2014. Following this, one of the practices’

Following a two-year fundraising campaign, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) is closing in on its financial target to build a 235,000sq ft (21,800sq m) new wing. The US$610m (€513m, £401m) figure would fund the new wing – which would house works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and David Hockney – and secure the future of the museum for many years to come. The expanded

MOBO Architects has won a design competition to refurbish vertical and horizontal access structures of a UNESCO-protected fortress in Cartagena, Colombia. The London-based practice will revamp the 20,000sq m (215,000sq ft) area that surrounds the walled, colonial city with the aim of creating a pleasant walking tour through the city’s bastions and walls. The winning proposal offers a series of urban interventions that will unify the existing disparate structures and

Damian Rogers Architecture, in partnership with Arup, has unveiled a concept for a beach and surf park for Melbourne’s Central Pier, Australia. The development would be based on a floating wave pool, with filtered water from Victoria Harbour, and a sandy beachfront. Offering surfers a chance to catch waves between 1-1.8m (3-6ft) high, the heated wave pool would be one of several attractions in the 16,000sq m (172,222sq ft) development.

Plans to create a €400 million (£314m, $489m) metropolitan theme park on the outskirts of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, are being developed by a caucus of leading design firms. The project – Park 21 – would be a 1,000-hectare (3,000 acre) cultural, recreational urban parkland, with landscaped and leisure elements. Facilities such as shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions are central to the proposal, which would offer a ‘cluster concept’ where visitors

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) has reopened its American art wing following a US$7.9m (€6.4m, £5m) two-year redevelopment. The 15,000sq ft (1,400sq m) area has undergone a full renovation, which now sees artworks arranged chronologically with the aim of demonstrating how American artists were involved with art coming from overseas. The wing’s unveiling also coincides with the reopening of the building’s main entrance, the neoclassically-designed John Russell Pope entrance,

By 2020, a new super museum will be constructed in central Copenhagen, dubbed the Natural History Museum of Denmark. Blending together three of the city's existing institutions, the Natural History Museum, the Geological Museum and the Botanical Museum, the new facility is expected to be one of the largest of its kind in the world. Following a recent DKR550m (€73.933m, US$91m, £58.1m) grant from several private foundations, the University of

London mayor Boris Johnson has finally approved planning permission for Thomas Heatherwick’s controversial Garden Bridge. After planning was approved by both Lambeth Council and Westminster Council earlier this year, Johnson’s official approval of the project means that the construction of the £175m (US$294m, €216m) bridge can begin next year. In a statement, Johnson said: “The Garden Bridge will provide a fantastic new landmark for London whilst supporting regeneration and economic

A ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet will boast the largest waterpark at sea when it launches later this year, with the company unveiling a raft of leisure facilities on board. The investment comes as the cruise market continues to experience rapid growth and the broadening of its customer profile. The 4,200-passenger ship – Norwegian Escape – with interior design by SMC Design and Tillberg Design, will feature an Aqua

A large hourglass has been installed in Turin, Italy’s, Piazza San Carlo, counting down progress as the €50m (US$62.3m, £39.7m) redevelopment of the city’s Egyptian Museum reaches its final stages. Scheduled to fully reopen on 1 April 2015, Museo Egizio or the Egyptian Museum of Turin is one of the world’s oldest Egyptian museums. Founded in 1824, it ranks second only to its counterpart in Cairo. The museum is at

New York’s American Museum of Natural History is planning a major expansion with the addition of a US$325m (€261m, £207m), six storey building, intended to expand the institution’s role for scientific research and education. The proposed Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation would stand on what is currently open space within the confines of the museum’s land. Planned to be completed in time for the museum’s 150th anniversary

A host of leading architecture practices feature on the shortlist – revealed today (12 December) – for the competition to design a culture and education quarter at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. Stirling Prize Winner and recently announced Architect of the Year Haworth Tompkins features in one of the six star-studded teams vying for the project, with David Chipperfield Architects and Alison Brooks also in contention. Billed as the

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls yesterday afternoon (11 December) attended the breaking ground ceremony for the €700m (US$871m, £554m) Villages Nature, a joint venture between Euro Disney and Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group. “This tourist destination will develop the local economy and create jobs,” Valls told the audience, including Attractions Management at a ceremony held near the site, about 30km (19m) from Paris and 6km (3.7m) from Disneyland Paris. “Tourists

Landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations (JCFO) has been chosen to create a thirteen acre public park next to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, US. New York-based practice JCFO is best known for leading the design and development of the of the New York High Line in collaboration with Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Piet Oudolf as well as working on several other large scale park projects,

An international team, led by New York-based Steven Holl Architects, has been chosen to design the Mumbai City Museum North Wing. Steven Holl Architects has been chosen to almost double the size of the Mumbai City Museum, otherwise known as the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, from a shortlist of eight architectural heavy weights. Organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants, the competition drew more than 100 entrants. Malcolm Reading commented: “In Steven

Architecture firm Soare & Yokina Arhitecti Asociati (SYAA) has won a competition to design the new nature-themed science museum complex in Constanta, Romania. Bucharest-based SYAA will design the 80,000sq m (860,000sq ft) Muzeul Stiintei si al Naturii Constanta, which will be the largest such complex in the Black Sea region and is being funded by the Territorial Council of Constanta. The development follows a ‘green’ theme The main structure features

Fernando Romero, principal architect at Mexican design firm FR-EE, has unveiled designs for a new Latin American Art Museum (LAAM) to be built in Miami, Florida. Plans for the US$50m (€40.4m, £31.9m) LAAM were revealed during Art Basel and Design Miami at the start of December 2014. Split over four levels and covering 8,361sq m (90,000sq ft), the ground floor will be used to showcase emerging artists and provide a

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has green-lighted more than £21m in funding for a variety of heritage projects across the UK, including the renovation of a World War One social club, construction of Scotland’s first building conservation centre and the creation of an aerospace centre. Among the projects that have received funding, some of the most notable include: Bristol Aerospace Centre Bristol Aerospace Centre gained the largest slice of the

Work has started on South Korea’s first integrated resort – Paradise City in Incheon – which is scheduled open next to Incheon International Airport in the first half of 2017. A number of the industry’s leading architecture and design practices have been working on the US$1.7bn (€1.4bn, £1.1bn) casino, hotel, spa and theme park project, including WATG, GA Design International, Hirsch Bedner Associates, Hawkins Brown, Lifescapes International and Gansam Architects.

A shortlist of six finalists have been revealed for the design of the Helsinki Guggenheim Museum following the biggest architectural competition in history, which saw more than 1,700 firms submit plans. Subsequent to the competition opening in June 2014, 1,715 entries were made in a bid to design the 12,000 sq m (sq ft) museum on Helsinki’s waterfront. Now, the final six have been chosen to progress to the next

The Architect of the Year Awards were announced in London this week, with practice Haworth Tompkins picking up a hat-trick of prizes. Haworth Tompkins was awarded The Schuco Gold Award, as well as winning two other categories, ‘Refurbishment Architect of the year’ and ‘Public Building Architect of the year’. 2014 has clearly been an excellent twelve months for the London-based firm, which was also awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize back

Five cities – Dundee, Bilbao, Curitiba, Helsinki and Turin – have been designated UNESCO Cities of Design for their significant contributions to the international design industry. City of Design status, only previously awarded to 12 other cities, recognises significant input to the worldwide design industry and aims to foster the development of local creative industries. It also aims to build relationships between fellow Cities of Design, in areas such as