Architecture and design news:
attractions & entertainment
'Explosive' gas pockets hinder LA’s US$300m Oscar Museum plans
by Tom Anstey | 05 Sep 2014
A US$300m (£183.3m, €231.7m) museum for the Oscars has come up against problems, with Los Angeles City Planning department expressing concern over potentially explosive gas pockets under the proposed site. The department has released a draft environmental impact report on the project, which highlights deposits of methane and hydrogen sulphide gas that could potentially harm construction workers and ultimately visitors. The planned Academy Museum of Motion Pictures – which will
Zaha Hadid to unveil installation at the V&A, London
by Katie Buckley | 05 Sep 2014
As part of the London Design Festival 2014 (LDF), Zaha Hadid Architects will unveil a temporary installation in the John Madejski Garden at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). The structure, named Crest, will be stretched across the pool in the V&A gardens from the 13 to 21 September, the duration of the LDF. Made of thin aluminium, the form will explore the relationship between different elements, such as the
Thomas Phifer and Partners to design Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art
by Katie Buckley | 04 Sep 2014
Thomas Phifer and Partners (TPP) has been chosen, from a shortlist of eleven architectural practices, to design Warsaw’s new Museum of Modern Art and TR Warszawa Theatre, Poland. The New York-based practice has beaten other architectural heavy weights to the win the commission, including Foster + Partners and UNstudio. The new museum will be located in Warsaw’s Defilad Square, at the foot of the Palace of Culture and Science. TPP
RAF Museum invites competition entries for revamp
by Alice Davis | 04 Sep 2014
A competition has been launched to find a landscape design team for the RAF Museum’s revamp. The attraction is undergoing a £23m renovation as it builds up to the centenary celebrations of the Royal Air Force in 2018. The winning team will help achieve the master plan designed by architecture firm Wilkinson Eyre in 2011. The four-phase renovation of the site in Hendon, London, is known as the Centenary Programme
Denmark's House of Culture to open in 2016
by Katie Buckley | 02 Sep 2014
Work has started on Copenhagen’s House of Culture and Movement (Ku.Be.) in Denmark, aimed at engaging the local population in a healthy and active lifestyle. Set to become a new major attraction in the Frederiksberg district, Ku.Be. will feature a range of facilities mixing the function of a community centre with exhibition and performance spaces, as well as a playground, park and health centre. Masterminded by ADEPT, a Danish architecture
Macedonia searches for national identity as capital undergoes controversial €500m cultural revamp
by Tom Anstey | 01 Sep 2014
Macedonia’s capital of Skopje is undergoing a major revamp, but some are calling the controversial makeover – intended to attract more tourists to the country – a “crime” against heritage and culture. Skopje, which became the capital of Macedonia in 1991 after the breakup of Yugoslavia, is trying to make a name for itself on the international stage, using eye-catching architecture to entice visitors from abroad. The €500m (US$656m, £395m)
OVA Studio prototype brings the oceans to life with 3D Swimarium
by Tom Anstey | 01 Sep 2014
A prototype design for an attraction, conceived by Hong Kong’s OVA Studio, could recreate the world’s oceans, using projected imagery on LED screens to bring the Bahamas, Maldives, Great Barrier Reef and more to a uniquely designed swimming pool. The pool would be housed inside a glass dome and both pool and dome would be lined with LED screens. These would display live feeds from underwater cameras positioned in oceans
Beefeater Gin launches visitor centre in London
by Katie Buckley | 01 Sep 2014
The well established British brand of London Dry Gin, Beefeater, has recently opened its new visitor centre and exhibition space in London. Following a competition held in 2008, Lee Boyd Architects and Four-by-Two design consultants made the winning bid to construct an extension that has tied two of the Beefeater sites’ original buildings together; creating a new point of entry and allowing visitors to move freely inside the distillery without
Bernard Tschumi Architects ‘Carnal Hall’ set to open in Switzerland
by Katie Buckley | 29 Aug 2014
The Le Rosey school in Switzerland is set to open its new concert hall and centre for art and culture – designed by Bernard Tschumi Architects (BTA) – on the 2 October 2014. After a long construction process, the new venue, constructed by BTA and Swiss-based Fehlmann Architects, will cover 8,000sq m (26,246sq ft) and boasts a number of features. A rectangular auditorium sits under the circular steel dome, with
Kingsmen Creatives wins US$25.2m KidZania Singapore contract
by Tom Anstey | 28 Aug 2014
Design and production group Kingsmen Creatives has landed a US$25.2m (€19m, £15.1m) contract to design and build the interiors for KidZania Singapore. Kingsmen, which worked on the recently opened KidsSTOP Science Centre also in Singapore, will handle construction and maintenance of fit-out works for the ‘edutainment’ centre set to open in 2015 at Sentosa Island’s Palawan beach. The Mexico-based KidZania brand encourages children aged four to 14 to learn about
Gehry-designed Louis Vuitton foundation opens in Paris this October
by Tom Anstey | 22 Aug 2014
Louis Vuitton’s museum project, designed by Frank Ghery of architecture firm Ghery Partners, is nearing completion almost eight years after plans for the €100m (US$132m, £80m) Paris-based attraction were first revealed. Set to open in October, the 126,000sq ft (11,705sq m) Louis Vuitton Foundation – designed to resemble “a cloud of glass” – includes 11 exhibition galleries dedicated to Vuitton’s private collection alongside a space for temporary exhibitions in addition
Giant turtle invades Sydney harbour as part of underwater art installation
by Tom Anstey | 19 Aug 2014
A giant inflatable turtle the size of a house has been installed in Australia's Sydney Harbour to mark the launch of an underwater art exhibition at the city’s aquarium. The 15m (49ft) long turtle is covered in a black and white coral reef pattern, with organisers looking to raise awareness of the Great Barrier Reef, which is deteriorating at a rapid rate thanks to a combination of pollution and seabed
Picasso Museum in Paris to relaunch on artist's birthday
by Alice Davis | 19 Aug 2014
Three years behind schedule, significantly over budget and with no lack of controversy, the Picasso Museum in Paris finally looks set to open. The French culture ministry announced the long-awaited unveiling would take place on 25 October, exactly 133 years since Pablo Picasso was born. Musée Picasso closed to the public in 2009 for the renovation of the 17th-century building and an ambitious expansion that would double the exhibition area.
House of Vans skate and culture hub goes underground in London
by Katie Buckley | 15 Aug 2014
Designed by Tim Greatrex, the new House of Vans Park entertainment hub has opened to the public after over a year of work. Located in the tunnels under London's Waterloo Station, the 30,000sq ft (9,144sq m) venue will showcase an art gallery, a VansLab artist incubator space, cinema, live music venue, café and bars, gifting suite, plus a skater built and designed concrete bowl, mini ramp and street course. Two
Rotterdam canal being converted into artificial river
by Tom Anstey | 15 Aug 2014
Plans have been announced to convert a section of canal in the heart of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, into a wave simulator to be home to surfing, kayaking, scuba diving and a host of other aquatic sports and activities. The artificial river RiF010 – being built by Waveloch at a cost of €3.3m (US$4.4m, £2.6m) will be able to generate a 1.5m (4.9ft) wave while creating naturally-purified water inside the canal
Architectural institute being set up in China's Forbidden City
by Tom Anstey | 15 Aug 2014
The Palace Museum – housed in Beijing’s, Forbidden City – is to set up an architectural institute equipped for research, training and restoration on China’s ancient architecture. The new unit will operate as a scientific base and will be devoted to multiple fields, with training including the inheritance and development of traditional architectural skills, the adoption of modern technologies in relation to ancient architecture and the training of professionals for
Emin, Ishigami add sparkle to Sydney public art plan
by Alice Davis | 15 Aug 2014
Sydney, Australia, is seeing returns on the commitment it’s made to public art in recent years, announcing details of three prestigious works to launch the City Centre Public Art Plan. The works will be produced by Japanese architect Junya Ishigami, British artist Tracey Emin and Australian artist Hany Armanious. The AU$9m ($8.4m, £5m, €6.3m) initiative tops off Sydney’s regeneration programme, central to which is the new light rail project and
Design competition launched for UK's £90m Bristol Arena
by Katie Buckley | 13 Aug 2014
The RIBA and Bristol City Council have announced the launch of a competition to find an architect for ‘Bristol Arena’; a new 12,000 capacity, multi-use indoor entertainment space in the south west UK city. The site, located on a former diesel depot next to Temple Meads railway station, is currently owned by The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and is set to become part of a wider development, called Arena
Exclusive: Forrec’s Gordon Grice tips Latin America for major attractions growth
by Jak Phillips | 11 Aug 2014
Latin America is poised to become a major market for the attractions industry in the coming decade, with recent football World Cup host Brazil a particularly promising market, according to Forrec senior creative Gordon Grice. During a wide-ranging briefing at Attractions Management headquarters, the industry veteran with over 25 years’ experience expressed excitement over the emerging market, which although still very young, has the potential to develop at pace. “Right
Tate Modern's extension project comes under scrutiny
by Alice Davis | 11 Aug 2014
With a budget of £215m ($361m, €270m), one might expect Tate Modern’s high-profile extension to be carried out to schedule and without incident. But a re-shuffle at the upper echelons of the project’s management, topped off with an admission that the budget will need to be revised, has raised questions from one of the UK’s Labour MPs. “There’s £50m ($84m, €63m) of taxpayers’ money in this project which is late
Birthplace of Country Music Museum tunes up for grand opening
by Tom Anstey | 08 Aug 2014
A new museum celebrating country music, built in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, has opened on the border between Tennessee and Virginia in the south of the US. Designed by Peyton Boyd Architects, the US$11m (€8.2m, £6.5m) Birthplace of Country Music Museum, which opens today (8 August) in Bristol, VA, has been in the pipeline for several years. The 24,000sq ft (2,229sq m) museum will feature several different
Birthplace of Country Music Museum tunes up for grand opening
by Tom Anstey | 08 Aug 2014
A new museum celebrating country music, built in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, has opened on the border between Tennessee and Virginia in the south of the US. Designed by Peyton Boyd Architects, the US$11m (€8.2m, £6.5m) Birthplace of Country Music Museum, which opens today (8 August) in Bristol, VA, has been in the pipeline for several years. The 24,000sq ft (2,229sq m) museum will feature several different
'Jenga' style skyscraper to be built in London
by Katie Buckley | 08 Aug 2014
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) has won planning permission for a 50-storey mixed-use skyscraper in London. Nicknamed the ‘Jenga’ tower, the 170m (558ft) structure will have higher storeys that are stacked on top of each other in a cantilevered fashion; giving the illusion of a game of Jenga. KPF’s tower will contain 450 flats, office space, retail space, a gym, cinema, plus winter garden and will have approximately 60,400sq m
Shigeru Ban's new Aspen Art Museum to open on 9 August
by Katie Buckley | 07 Aug 2014
The new home for the Aspen Art Museum (AAM) is now complete, and ready to open to the public on Saturday 9 August. Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Shigeru Ban, the 33,000sq ft (10,058sq m) museum and gallery is the new home for the Aspen Art Museum, which had outgrown its old place of residence. As Ban’s first permanent museum in America, the backdrop of the building is the
London's Goldsmiths University announces winning architect for new art gallery design
by Katie Buckley | 06 Aug 2014
From a shortlist of six architectural practices, Goldsmiths College, London, has announced that Assemble - a London based architecture collective - will be designing their new £1.8m ($3.1m, €2.2m) gallery in South East London. Housed in Grade II listed swimming baths, Assemble’s design for the gallery will incorporate the original black steel water tanks as part of the new exhibition space, while creating new gallery spaces tacked onto the outside
Pillar of Light spirals into London's skyline to commemorate WW1
by Katie Buckley | 05 Aug 2014
To commemorate the centenary of the First World War, a monumental pillar of light was shot into the air last night, eerily hung amongst London’s famous skyline. Together with the nation's Lights Out initiative, which saw households and businesses across the UK extinguishing all but one of their lights at 10pm last night (4th August), acclaimed artist Ryoji Ikeda’s latest installation lit up a corner of Westminster and spread 15km
Snowflake shaped designs revealed for European floating hotel
by Katie Buckley | 05 Aug 2014
Nestled in the fjords near Tromsø, Norway, plans have been unveiled for a rare floating hotel – in the shape of a giant snowflake. The floating ice crystal, known as the Krystall Hotel, will be rooted to the ground by an underwater concrete pillar. The aim of the structure is to be as self-sustaining as possible and have minimal impact on the environment, whilst offering an experience of 5-star luxury.
BIG to design freedom-focused safari experience for Givskud Zoo, Denmark
by Katie Buckley | 01 Aug 2014
Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) has been commissioned to design a new form of enclosure at Givskud Zoo, Denmark – Zootopia. Zootopia is based on the concept of man and nature becoming one; it is a hybrid of a traditional zoo and a safari, which will be split into four different sections, three of which will be themed around the continents of Africa, Asia and the Americas, with a central plaza
Significant part of Eastbourne Pier destroyed in fire
by Tom Anstey | 31 Jul 2014
A large part of Eastbourne Pier was reduced to a burned out shell yesterday (30 July) after a blazing inferno tore through the Grade II-listed structure, destroying a significant amount of the visitor attraction. More than 60 firefighters tackled the fire, which is believed to have broken out in the 144-year old pier’s arcade building. Crews from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from Eastbourne, Hastings and Newhaven were also
Bulgarian designer unveils innovative concept for diving complex
by Katie Buckley | 31 Jul 2014
Mocked up for his project called ‘The Art of Diving,' Bulgarian-based designer Kristian Terziev has designed a new diving centre-cum-public space to showcase diving to the world. The centre, which would be located in the Bulgarian coastal city of Tsarevo, is space to reflect on the themes of water sports whilst being in close proximity to the ocean. As a working diving centre, the project allows divers to benefit from
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