A new attraction has opened up high on the Rock of Gibraltar, with Star Wars actor Mark Hamill on-hand to launch the aptly-named Skywalk to the public. Sitting 340m (103m) above sea level, the new attraction offers 360-degree views of the British overseas territory, with views spanning three countries and two continents. The new attraction links up with the existing Upper Rock Nature Reserve, Windsor Suspension Bridge and the Apes’

New York-based hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany has revealed details of the newly-renovated spa at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental is due to open in May this year and was overseen by Tihany and his design studio. The new spa is designed to create a luxurious and peaceful atmosphere to aid relaxation, and provide guests with ‘a haven of tranquility’. It unites traditional Chinese elements

London architects Sergison Bates have won the international competition to convert the Citroën Yser Garage in Brussels – once Europe’s largest car factory – into a new branch of the Pompidou Centre art museum. The firm, along with Zurich studio EM2N and Brussels practice Aarchitecten, have been selected ahead of the likes of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Christ & Gantenbein and OMA for the high-profile commission – the largest new

A new museum exploring the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel has opened its doors to the general public in Bristol. Called Being Brunel, the £7.2m (US$10.1m, €8.2m) museum explore the life of the man who is known as one of the greatest minds in the history of engineering, hailed as the “genius who built Britain”. The new attraction, designed by local firm Alec French Architects, is made up of six

Underscoring the important connection between design and wellness, Antonio Citterio, the architect behind the design of Technogym Village – the 2018 Global Wellness Summit venue – will be a keynote at this year’s conference in Cesena, Italy, set to take place 6-8 October. Citterio is co-founder of the multi-disciplinary design practice of Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, which works in architectural, interior and urban design. The firm’s projects include residential and

Architect Steven Holl has blamed “a crisis of ignorance in high places” for a lack of progress in adopting environmental building practices, reserving particular ire for US president Donald Trump, who he predicted will be impeached. In a sweeping interview with CLADglobal, Holl argued that politicians through to developers, architects and contractors must do more to “get free from our dependence on non-renewable fuels” throughout the design and construction process.

Design firm HBA London has completed the interiors of The Orient Jerusalem by Isrotel Exclusive Collection – a hotel that doubles as “a timeless love song to the city.” Situated at the entrance to Jerusalem’s historically rich German Colony district, The Orient is formed of two 19th Century Templar houses, which have been restored and reinvented as a collection of 39 luxury guestrooms. These are joined by a new, modern

The US’s largest aquarium has revealed details about its major expansion plan, with a new saltwater gallery home to a variety of different sharks at its heart. The Georgia Aquarium first announced the plans in February, naming PGAV Destinations as lead architect on the project, which will cover 41,000sq ft (3,809sq m) and is slated to open in 2020. In a new release, aquarium president and CEO, Joesph Handy, said

Remote holiday specialists Off the Map Travel have created another of their mobile semi-transparent glamping cabins, designed to be towed into the remote wilderness of the Arctic Circle so that guests can experience the Northern Lights from the comfort of their beds. Three rooms, each set on skis, have been made available for booking until mid-April 2018. They are situated in the Aurora Wilderness Camp, six kilometres east of Kilpisjärvi,

A planning application for a new Welcome Pavilion to be built at Liverpool's Albert Dock has been submitted to the city council. Designed by K2 Architects, the structure represents the first phase of a masterplan to upgrade the dockland attraction – home to the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in the country – to the evolving needs of visitors, who travel to the landmark for its mixture of

After the debut of Chablé Resort & Spa Yucatan in 2016, Hamak Hotels has announced it will operate a second Chablé Resort on Maroma Beach, Mexico. Scheduled to open in Q3 2018, Chablé Maroma will include an expansive 17,000sq ft (1,579sq m) spa created by Bonnie Baker, co-founder of Satteva Spa & Wellness Concepts. Baker also worked on the Chablé Yucatan’s spa, alongside Amy McDonald of Under a Tree Spa

Radical Innovation, an annual competition that calls for the “best and brightest” concept ideas in hospitality design, is seeking entries for its 2018 edition. Professionals and students alike are encouraged to submit creative proposals via the Radical Innovation Award website by April 30 to be in with the chance of winning a US$10,000 (€8,100, £7,100) prize and the chance to make their vision a reality. Last year fiver concepts were

Surrealist hospitality designer Henry Chebaane has completed his latest project: a hotel room concept that puts his expectedly unexpected twist on British popular culture. The project, called Hip Pop Britannia, has been launched this week in three “rockstar rooms” at The Megaro, a colourful boutique hotel next to London’s King’s Cross station that is best-known for featuring the city’s largest graffiti mural over its 19th-century facade. Chebaane’s rooms feature recurring

A dramatic drone video released by international design studio Ennead Architects has offered a glimpse at their planetarium for the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum taking shape in the Chinese city. The footage provides a sweeping overview of the 38,000sq m (409,000sq ft) structure as it rises from the ground in the city’s Lingang district. Construction began on the project in November 2016, and completion is scheduled by 2020.

Studio Alberto Apostoli will design the spa of the new Grado Thermae in Italy, a thermal centre in an area with a long history of marine baths dating back to the early 19th century. The masterplan of the redevelopment is being overseen by architecture firm Archest, and it is hoped that the new thermal centre will boost tourism in the area. The first baths were built in Grado in 1932,

Italy-based spa consultants Wellness & Spa Solutions have helped to transform the spa at the Aleph Rome Hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, from an opulent 1930s bank building into an Arabian-style spa. The Aleph Spa is located in the basement and includes a thermal whirlpool, Finnish sauna, emotional showers, a heated indoor pool, massage cabins and an elegantly gilded hammam with marble mosaics. A contemporary gym with

Oscar-winning actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio is investing in a planned eco-certified hotel in Herzliya, Israel, according to several media reports in the country. The hotel, located in the Herzliya Marina, will be designed by David Rockwell and will include 180 suites spread across two six-storey buildings, with a swimming pool in between. The project is being overseen by Hagag Real Estate Development, with DiCaprio named as a partner

Dutch architect Ben van Berkel and his design firm UNStudio have launched a tech startup to “improve the health and wellbeing of people in buildings worldwide.” UNSense will explore and develop new integrated tech solutions specifically designed for cities, buildings and indoor environments. It will be run as an independent sister company, headquartered in Amsterdam FreedomLab Campus. Explaining the concept, van Berkel said: “We are living in the age of

Architecture firm FaulknerBrowns have completed a dynamic €50m (US$61m, £44.4m) sports campus in The Hague’s historic Zuiderpark. Open to amateur and elite athletes and community users, the 34,000sq m (366,000sq ft) facility includes a gymnastics hall, beach sports venue, 3,500 capacity arena and a multi-purpose sports hall, as well as a variety of sports science and education spaces, including a public library. Outside, there are a series of multi-use pitches,

US architect Steven Holl has won an international design competition for the new Angers Collectors Museum and hotel, inspired by the medieval Apocalypse Tapestry displayed in the French city. Collaborating with Parisian real estate firm Compagnie de Phalsbourg, Holl’s design for the museum is inspired by the historic Chateau d’Angers – built by King Louis IX in the 13th century – with the architect planning to create a new cultural

French designer Philippe Starck has joined forces with hospitality giant The Hilton Group to create a surreal, 14-storey hotel in Metz, France. The property will be operated by Hilton's Curio Collection under a new brand, called Maison Heler. Envisioned as a monolithic and monochromatic tower, topped by an 18th-century style Alsace traditional house, Starck has described his plan to create “a habitable, surreal and poetic work of art that will

The Lux Grand Gaube in Mauritius has reopened after a US$32m renovation by London-based designer Kelly Hoppen and Mauritius designer Jean-Francois Adam, who have reimagined the resort in a “simple-yet-refined” style. With over a hectare of land dedicated to wellness, the resort’s spa includes African-style huts and is designed to connect guests to nature. A new hydrotherapy pool, aromatic steamroom and sauna have been added, along with an Artis Technogym

The official groundbreaking has taken place for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art – Star Wars creator George Lucas’ long-awaited cultural venture in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park. The 300,000sq ft (27,800sq m) museum will celebrate the art of visual storytelling – from comic art, paintings and illustrations to photography, filmmaking and drawings – with collection galleries, exhibition spaces and two theatres displaying original works of art, digital technologies and daily

The latest design proposals for David Chipperfield’s 1,000-capacity concert hall in Edinburgh – the city’s first in 100 years – have been publicly revealed for the first time. The venue, situated behind the historic Dundas House at 36 St Andrew Square, will be the permanent home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) – with a “world class” auditorium and recital and recording space “to rival the best in Europe.” In

The Athens Olympic Park could get a new lease of life, if plans by Greek businessman Dimitris Giannakopoulos are given the green light. Giannokopoulos, a pharmaceutical entrepreneur who currently owns the Panathinaikos basketball club, has tabled a bid to buy the Panathinaikos football club – which is currently owned by Panathinaiki Alliance, a fan group which took over the club in 2012. What makes the deal significant is that, according

Richard Meier has taken a six-month leave of absence from the architecture firm he founded, after allegations of sexual harassment were made against him by five women, including four former employees, in the New York Times. In response to the newspaper’s detailed accounts, a statement was posted on the website of Richard Meier & Partners, in which the Pritzker-winning architect said: “I am deeply troubled and embarrassed by the accounts

The public perception of architects is skewed by a media that portrays a one-dimensional view of the profession, the architect Alison Brooks has said. In an exclusive interview with CLAD, Brooks argued that the media should talk less about the image of a building and “more about how a project is so much bigger than what you see at the end." “It’s a hard story to tell, the complexity around