The Manila Arena in the Philippines is currently under construction, and upon completion, will claim the title of largest indoor arena in the world. Designed by architecture firm, Populous Melbourne, the 50,000-seat arena has been commissioned by Iglesia Ni Cristo (The Church of Christ) and aims to be unveiled in time for the church's centennial celebration in 2014. The projected cost is US$175m (£113m, €133m). Populous said the project presented

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has donated US$12m (£7.6m) to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is currently under construction in Washington D.C. Half of the building's US$500m (£319m) price tag is being funded by the government, while the remaining half is being raised by the museum. Winfrey's donation is the largest received to date and in recognition, the museum's 350-seat theatre will be named the

George Lucas, the creator of cinematic movie greats such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, is a step closer to opening a cultural arts museum in his hometown of San Francisco. Lucas is one of three finalists vying to secure a site in the Presidio National Park, which was formerly a military base. In his submission to the Presidio Trust, Lucas says the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum will be a

The St Louis Art Museum, in the US State of Missouri, has closed its doors until 29 June when it will reopen with a new East Building extension. The building, designed by David Chipperfield Architects with technical assistance from St Louis-based HOK, will increase the museum's gallery and public space by 30 per cent and will house 21 new galleries. The inaugural exhibitions in the East Building will feature 230

Design plans for the new multi-million pound King Richard III visitor centre in the heart of Leicester's Old Town has been revealed. The former Leicester Grammar School building at St Martin's Place will be transformed to house a new exhibition, entitled 'Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery' which will guide visitors through the story of the king's life, brutal death at Bosworth Field in 1485, and the story of his

Albert Einstein's life and work, as well as his connections to Judaism and Zionism, are to be honoured by a museum in Jerusalem. The museum will be located at The Hebrew University on Mount Scopus, a site which has drawn some controversy as it lies outside Israel's pre-1967 borders. A design concept, by Foster + Partners, in collaboration with local Israeli firm, Baer, Shiftman-Nathan Architects, has been commissioned by the

After more than a decade of planning and preparation, the new Mediterranean civilisations museum (Mucem) is preparing open its doors to the public. The €191m (£163.3m, US$249.7m) project will be the worlds first museum to be dedicated to Mediterranean civilisations and culture. With an expected 300,000 visitors a year, Mucem will be the first standalone French national museum ever to be located outside of Paris. Developed in partnership with the

Plans are in the works to bring a Guggenheim museum to Wales as early as 2019 in a bid to replicate the success that came from opening one in Bilbao, Spain. In 2012 the Guggenheim in Bilbao helped generate €294.6m (£252.2m, US$380.2m) in GDP for the country. The predicted opening date of 2019 or 2020 would coincide with the current timetable for the electrification of the south Wales rail line.

Attractions operator Ripley Entertainment is set to open a CA$130m (£83.7m, US$126.8m, 98.5m euro) aquarium in Toronto, Canada this summer. When completed, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada will home 15,000 inhabitants in its 12,500sq m (135,000sq ft) facility and is expected to have a projected annual economic impact of more than CA$35m (£22.5m) for the Toronto area. The traditional layout walk through aquarium will include a 96-metre long (315ft) walkway in

Beijing-based MAD Architects have unveiled the completed China Wood Sculpture Museum located in Harbin, China. The 200m (656ft) long building is sheathed in metal and surrounded by a densely populated Chinese-style neighbourhood and residential complexes. It was constructed with the aim of adding cultural and surreal essence to the surrounding urban context. The museum takes the form of a twisted strip of steel, punctuated with curved windows. MAD describes the

London's Hackney Council has rejected a planning application for an £18.9m redevelopment project at the Geffrye Museum. The museum, which examines the changing face of middle class homes in England over the past 400 years, appointed David Chipperfield Architects to increase its capacity, which it says is stretched to the limit. The plans included a two-storey extension, new gallery, library, collections and archive stores, conference suite, restaurant, and a new

A new development featuring Europe's tallest hotel is underway on a man-made island that will be connected through a glideway and overseas walkway with the city of Barcelona, Spain. The Barcelona Island project has entered the next phase following an agreement between investment company Apogee Investors and Mobilona LLC to manage the financing. With the initial investment projected at €1.5bn (US$2bn, £1.3bn), Mobilona plans to construct the first of its

Popular UK attraction The London Dungeon, operated by Merlin Entertainments, has reopened at a new location on the city's South Bank following a £20m investment. Adjacent to two other Merlin Entertainments attractions - the London Eye and Sea Life London Aquarium - it boasts 18 shows, using actors within detailed sets, and two thrill rides. Features include a "medieval" lift, Guy Fawkes conspirators show, a maze set in Jack the

The British Museum has revealed it is progressing on schedule for the opening of its new £135m exhibition space, due to open in March 2014. Construction on the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre (WCEC) began in autumn 2011 in the north-west corner of the museum's central London estate. The redevelopment project is one of the largest in the museum's 260-year history and will include a new public exhibition gallery, state-of-the-art

London's Science Museum has revealed details regarding its communications gallery Information Age, due to open in September 2014. The £15.6m space will include interactive displays and reveal personal stories about how human life has been transformed by communication innovations over the past 200 years. Covering a space of 2,500sq m - the largest exhibition space in the museum - the gallery will be divided into six zones focused on transformative

San Francisco's Exploratorium science museum officially unveiled its US$300m (228m euro, £197m) expansion at Pier 15 on the city's waterfront on 17 April. The museum now has 330,000sq ft (30,658sq m) of floor space - trebling the footprint it had at its former home at the Palace of Fine Arts. It will display more than 600 exhibits. Established in 1969, the museum is dedicated to science, art and human perception,

London-based architects Carmody Groarke have submitted a planning application to the Lake District National Park to redevelop the Windermere Steamboat Museum into a heritage attraction. The £13.4m museum development will include exhibition space, a wet dock to display heritage boats and a conservation workshop open to the public. Highlights of the collection will include: steam launches of the 1890s and 1900s; SL Dolly (1850) - the oldest mechanically powered boat

Science Oxford has submitted a planning application for its proposed £38m attraction The Magnet - the UK's first integrated science discovery and innovation centre. The development has been designed by Foster + Partners to be built next to Castle Mound. Its centrepiece attraction would be a world-class planetarium but it would also include displays, events and lectures promoting all forms of science. The innovation centre would provide accommodation and support

New York's One World Trade Center has offered a sneak preview of the panoramic views of the city visitors will see when its observation deck opens in 2015. The skyscraper in Lower Manhattan will be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere when it reaches its final height of 1,776ft. The Hettema Group, in partnership with Legends, have been selected to design and produce the observation deck experience, which will occupy

The Duke of Edinburgh has officially opened the Indonesian-inspired Tiger Territory at London Zoo, which will be home to endangered Sumatran tigers Jae Jae and Melati. The £3.6m project has seen the tigers' home expand five fold to 27,000sq ft (2,500sq m) and has been designed by the conservationists and the zoo's tiger keepers. It includes towering trees and a custom-built swimming pool and is the zoo's biggest investment since

The Vatican will host a pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year - the first time in its 84-year history as an independent state. The Holy See is one of 10 new participant countries exhibiting at the international avant-garde art exhibition, with others including Tuvalu, Bahrain, the Ivory Coast and Paraguay. The Vatican exhibit will be held in the Arsenale pavilion - a former barracks that is currently being revamped.

Ocean Park Hong Kong will likely move ahead with plans to build an all-weather water park at Tai Shue Wan earlier than anticipated, due to a government loan of HK$2.3bn (US$296m, 229m euro, £196m). Announced in the financial secretary's February budget speech, the purpose of the loan is to spur on the project and stimulate Hong Kong's tourism economy - one of the mainstays of its economy. The loan is

A £2.5m project to transform the visitor experience at Norfolk’s 900-year-old Wymondham Abbey is now able to go ahead due to Heritage Lottery Funding worth £1.5m. Improvements to the Grade I listed site include: two new extensions – including one within a ruined chapel; the removal of inappropriate architectural additions; a recreated medieval herb garden; and public access to county wildlife site Abbey Meadows. A full time learning and events

Construction is now underway on an £11.5m project to create a dramatic new entrance at Glasgow's Theatre Royal and provide more public space at the venue. Earlier this year the Café Royal wing of the theatre was demolished and foundations have now been laid for the oval-shaped entrance, which will include bars, a box office, cloakrooms, toilet facilities and hospitality suites. Lifts will also be installed for the first time

The US National Gallery of Art will construct two new art wings and an outdoor sculpture terrace after securing US$30 (23.2m euro, £19.83m) in private donations. The additional 12,260sq ft (1,139sq m) of exhibition space will be constructed within the current footprint of the East Building on Washington's National Mall. Philanthropists who donated to the cause include: gallery president Victoria P. Sant and her husband Roger W. Sant; Mitchell Rales,

Preston Park Museum and Grounds has hosted an animated 3D film projected on its façade to celebrate its official re-launch following a £7m revamp. Hundreds turned up to view the night time animation, entitled Lustre, which centred around the hall and its hidden secrets. The restored museum now has a complete redisplay of its collections, an interactive Victorian street and a traditional walled kitchen garden and orchard. The Heritage Lottery

Danish design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has been announced as the winning team to lead the first phase of the Smithsonian Campus Master Plan, in a US$2.4m (1.85m euro, £1.59m) contract. At 700,000sq ft (65,032sq m) the campus in Washington D.C., US is the world's largest museum and research complex and includes 19 museums, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. BIG has already revealed it hopes to