Architecture and design news:
attractions & entertainment
Exhibit on the museum experience opens in New York
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 15 Mar 2013
A new interdisciplinary exhibition at New York's Museum of Design examines new design approaches in the post-millennial museum. After the Museum: The Home Front 2013 opened on 12 March and aims to get audiences reconsidering traditional notions of the structure and roles of museums through installations, digital initiatives, lectures and publications. Co-curator and manager of public programmes at the museum, Jake Yuzka, said: "Over the last on hundred years, both
Dudley Council approves £10.1m revamp of Castle Hill
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 15 Mar 2013
Dudley Council has approved plans for three attractions at Castle Hill submitted for planning permission in January. The £10.1m plans for the Dudley Zoological Gardens, the Black Country Living Museum and the Dudley Canal Trust include a shared arrival point for visitors, a new entrance for each attraction and 600 new parking spaces and an upgraded car park. The plans, which had been shared with the public in February, received
Birmingham lands funding to display Staffordshire Hoard
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 15 Mar 2013
The Heritage Lottery Fund has this week awarded £704,500 for the permanent display of the largest and most valuable Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. The 3,500-piece Staffordshire Hoard, which includes 7th-century gold and silver metalwork, has been on temporary display since September 2009 – two months after its discovery in a field near Lichfield. The proposed gallery will showcase approximately 300 items and interpret the
Scottish abbey plans £2m visitor centre
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 14 Mar 2013
Paisley Abbey has submitted plans to Refrewshire Council for the £2m reconstruction of its fourth cloister, to house a visitor centre, café, gift shop and function space. Architects Simpson & Brown have submitted the plans, received 28 February, and state the extension will complement the existing 12th-century abbey without copying what was there. It is hoped the two-floor expansion- to be constructed of heavy masonry on the ground floor and
New historical resource centre to open in East Sussex
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 13 Mar 2013
A major partnership between East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Sussex will see around 350,000 items moved from the Royal Pavilion & Museums to new historical resource centre The Keep, beginning next month. Based in Falmer the facility will house the area's archives and historical records including: maps and plans; written records; photographs and films; prints and drawings; oral histories; digital and electronic
Australia's Art Gallery of New South Wales to double in size
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 12 Mar 2013
Australia's Art Gallery of New South Wales has revealed it plans to double in size and transform itself into an art museum for the "Asian century", in time for the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2021. An international architectural competition will produce a design for the new building, which will expand northwards towards the harbour. Other improvements - part of a strategic master plan for the attraction - include
Alton Towers reveals details of new £18m roller coaster
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 11 Mar 2013
Alton Towers Resort has worked with researchers at New Scientist to ensure its news £18m roller coaster The Smiler delivers park visitors maximum thrills. The ride, which will reach speeds of 85km/hr along 1,170m of track, will feature "twisted psychological effects to mess with riders' minds" including blinding lights and optical illusions to maximise the fear factor. Alton Towers aims to make visitors to feel "spaced out, or mashed up"
US civil and human rights museum secures funding
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 08 Mar 2013
Financing to fund the first phase of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, US, has been secured, with construction to start this month. The US$125m (96m euro, £84m) project, which will detail the African-American civil rights movement and ongoing human rights issues, had been slow to secure funds due to the economic downturn. However, on 7 March PNC Bank and Invest Atlanta announced US$24m (18m
First images of Shanghai Disneyland revealed
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 08 Mar 2013
Disney has unveiled the first image of Shanghai Disneyland Resort, at its annual meeting of shareholders this month. Set to open in 2015, the resort will include 225-acre theme park Shanghai Disneyland, two themed hotels and 16,000sq m (495,000sq ft) of retail, dining and entertainment, recreational facilities and a lake. The Enchanted Storybook Castle will be the centrepiece of the theme park and will be surrounded by themed lands. Walt
George Lucas reveals plans for popular art museum
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 07 Mar 2013
Filmmaker George Lucas has revealed his vision for a populist art museum to be built in San Francisco overlooking the Bay Area, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. His proposal is one of 16 received by the Presidio Trust, which is overseeing the rejuvenation of the former commissary site at Crissy Field, with others proposals including an observatory, an environmental museum and a museum dedicated to the US response to
Biome planned for Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 06 Mar 2013
Australia’s Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens are to get a new “Biome” structure to showcase plants and insects from the Australasian and Indomalaya regions. According to the Sydney Morning Herald work on the AU$20m (US$21m, 16m euro, £14m) structure, designed by architectural firm Hassell, will begin this year and will be completed in 2015. It is expected to attract 70,000 visitors to the park annually. New South Wales environment minister Robyn
Media Space opening delayed until September
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 05 Mar 2013
A restructure at the National Media Museum (NMeM) has contributed to the delay in the planned June opening of a new £4m Media Space at the Science Museum in London, which will now open on 21 September. The two museums – both part of the Science Museum Group – have collaborated on the new project, which will provide a gallery to showcase the National Photography Collection. According to the Museums
Redevelopment completed at 'home of bungy jumping' attraction
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 05 Mar 2013
Three zip lines are among the new features at Kawarau Bungy Centre in Queenstown, New Zealand, which officially reopened 1 March. The attraction, which first opened 24 years ago and was the first commercial bungy site, also includes a new café, bar, photo and video system in its redesign. The centre will also be able to transform into an event space for up to 800 guests in the evenings. The
George Washington presidential library to open in US
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 01 Mar 2013
Virginia's planned presidential library for George Washington has achieved its US$100m (76.9m euro, £66.5m) capital campaign goal ahead of schedule with a gift from one of the United States' foremost philanthropists. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Assocation revealed on what would have been Washington's 281st birthday that David M. Rubenstein had donated US$10m (7.7m euro, £6.7m) to the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. The association
Harvard Art Museums undergoes major transformation project
by Aoife Dowling | 26 Feb 2013
Harvard Art Museums, comprising the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, is currently undergoing a renovation and expansion project and will reopen in Q3 2014. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the project will bring the three museums under one roof for the first time. The new facility will feature expanded permanent collection galleries along with galleries programmed in consultation with students and faculty and flexible
Dudley Council shares vision for Castle Hill
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 26 Feb 2013
Dudley Council has shared its plans for the three attractions at Castle Hill with the public, following its submission of planning permission in January for the major redevelopment. The £10.1m proposal for the Dudley Zoological Gardens, the Black Country Living Museum and the Dudley Canal Trust include a shared arrival point for visitors, a new entrance for each attraction and 600 new parking spaces and an upgraded car park. During
Sou Fujimoto to design Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 21 Feb 2013
Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto has been appointed to design the temporary Serpentine Gallery Pavilion for 2013, which will open in London's Kensington Gardens in June. Fujimoto's design vision for the 350sq m space is a latticed structure with a semi-transparent appearance that will see it blend with the landscape and the gallery's colonnaded east wing. For the first time design firm AECOM will provide technical and engineering services for pavilion.
Work beings on US$100m art museum and film centre at California university
by Aoife Dowling | 19 Feb 2013
Work has begun on the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA), which will open in 2016. More than US$95m (£61.4m, 71m euro) of the US$100m (£64.6m, 75m euro) campaign for the new facility was raised by private donations. Designed by New York City-based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), the centre will feature "bold new architectural form," that will focus on “beauty and accessibility.” The
Former Loudoun Castle theme park to be redeveloped as golf resort
by Tom Walker | 19 Feb 2013
Plans have been unveiled to turn the former Loudoun Castle theme park site in East Ayrshire, Scotland, into an environmentally-friendly, £300m golf resort. Project management company Vicon UK has joined forces with investor FML to launch the ambitious masterplan, which proposes a world class championship standard 18-hole golf course, club house and educational golf academy as well as a new whisky distillery, homes, retail and a food and drink 'centre
Final funding secured for Mary Rose Museum
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 18 Feb 2013
Public donations of £35,000 raised in just over a week mark the end of a £35m appeal to fund a new home for Tudor warship the Mary Rose in Portsmouth. The museum was scheduled to open in autumn 2012 but a final fit out of interiors was to take longer than expected, and the attraction is now expected to open late spring. In addition to the restored ship, the boat-shaped
Three DreamWorks theme parks to open in Russia
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 18 Feb 2013
Animation studio DreamWorks – behind films such as Madagascar, Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon – has revealed it has entered a partnership to open three family theme parks across Russia by 2015. At 35m tall – the height of a 13-storey building – the entertainment attractions will be the largest indoor theme parks in Europe and will open in St Petersburg, Moscow and Yekaterinburg. Russian property developer REGIONS
Queens Museum of Art undergoes US$68m expansion
by Aoife Dowling | 15 Feb 2013
The Queens Museum of Art (QMA) is undergoing a multi-million dollar expansion that will see its exhibition space double to 105,000sq ft (9,755sq m). Designed by architect firm Grimshaw, the new spaces will include additional gallery spaces, artist studios, education classrooms, a cafe, special events spaces, and administrative spaces. The expansion, which is due to open October 2013, is supported by the Office of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the
US$500m African American history museum to open in 2015
by Aoife Dowling | 13 Feb 2013
The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, US, which has been 10 years in the making, will be unveiled in 2015. Located beside the Washington Monument on Washington's National Mall, the five-acre site will be devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history and culture. It was established as a Smithsonian museum by an Act of Congress in 2003. It is the only
PortAventura invests 11.6m euro in Costa Caribe waterpark
by Aoife Dowling | 12 Feb 2013
PortAventura theme park in Spain is to relaunch its Caribbean-themed aquatic park following a 11.6m euro (£10m, UD$15.6m) extension project, which features the tallest toboggan in Europe. The Costa Caribe Aquatic Park project has seen the addition of 14,000 sq m (150,695 sq ft) of new facilities, giving the park a total surface of 50,000sq m (538,196sq ft). Located in Salou near Barcelona, the park is slated to open in
Armour and Cavalry museum to open in Georgia, US
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 12 Feb 2013
An American museum to house the country’s largest collection of armour and Cavalry objects has undergone a feasibility assessment and is now continuing its fundraising efforts. The $65m (48.28m euro, £41.52m) National Armor and Cavalry Museum is set to open in Fort Benning, Georgia, US, on a 30-acre site and will complement the existing National Infantry Museum. The first phase of building for the 100,000sq ft (9,290sq m) facility is
Surrey secures funding for new Aircraft Factory
by Aoife Dowling | 08 Feb 2013
Surrey's Brooklands Museum is planning to reconfigure the museum's hangar as The Brooklands Aircraft Factory after securing a first-round pass for a £4.85m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The Brooklands Aircraft Factory & Race Track Revival Project aims to relocate, restore and reinterpret the Weybridge museum's grade II-listed Wellington Hangar. The project includes plans to restore the hangar on a new site adjacent to its current one, allowing
King Richard III exhibition opens in Leicester
by Tom Walker | 08 Feb 2013
A new temporary exhibition, charting the fascinating story behind the discovery of the remains of king Richard III, has opened in Leicester today (8 February). Richard III: Leicester's Search for a King has been created by exhibition designers Mather & Co and has gone on show at Leicester's medieval Guildhall building. Mather & Co only had four weeks to design, construct and install the exhibition, as well as incorporate brand
Lincoln Castle to get £20m revamp
by Aoife Dowling | 04 Feb 2013
Lincoln Castle is to undergo a multi-million pound redevelopment to "bring the castle to life," which includes opening the Victorian male prison for the first time in years. Both prison buildings will be refurbished and the project will see the creation of a new vault to showcase Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest. The castle walls will also be repaired and a complete wall walk will be created,
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Waterworld opens to public
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 31 Jan 2013
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island has opened its latest attraction, US$245m (180m euro, £155m) waterpark Yas Waterworld, to the public on 20 January – four days earlier than its planned official opening. Spread across 15 hectares (37 acres), the waterpark features 43 rides, slides and attractions and is expected to attract 700,000 visitors this year. UK-based Atkins was the lead designer for the project, with 30-40 engineers and were briefed to
Bristol mayor backs proposed aerospace attraction
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 30 Jan 2013
Bristol mayor George Ferguson has announced his support for a proposed aerospace attraction at the Filton airfield that would showcase aircraft, helicopters, aero-engines and missiles, and also provide a home for Concorde 216. In a letter to Iain Gray, chair of the Bristol Aero Collection Trust, Ferguson said he saw the Bristol Aerospace Centre as a "key legacy project". "The Bristol Aeroplane Company was one of the first and most
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