Dundee-based architects Nicoll Russell Studios (NRS) has been awarded a £1m contract to design a new visitor centre, which is part of the £41m Helix Project near Falkirk, Scotland. The design firm has been chosen following a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland-managed competition and tender process to create a "functional, yet visionary" facility. NRS will also design an internal public space to be located within a 30m (98ft)-high Kelpie

German ride manufacturer HUSS Park Attractions has begun construction work on a £3.5m observation tower in Weymouth, Dorset, UK. When completed later this year, the 53m (174ft)-tall tower will be operated by Merlin Entertainments and will provide panoramic, 360-degree views over the English channel and surrounding countryside. The structure will be built on the town's Festival Pier and will feature a rotating gondola of 12m in diameter, capable of accommodating

The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) in Ohio, US, has announced that its new building in the Uptown district of University Circle will open on 8 October. London, UK-based Farshid Moussavi Architecture are behind the design of the new facility, which aims to provide a catalyst for "creativity and growth" in the surrounding neighbourhood. The 34,000sq ft (3,159sq m) building is 44 per cent larger than MOCA's current rented

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction work on Miami Science Museum's (MSM) new US$275m (£175.3m, EUR209.9m) home in Florida, US. The 250,000sq ft (23,226sq m) Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is due to open in 2015 and has been designed by international architectural firm, Grimshaw Architects. A major 600,000 gallon (2.3 million l) aquarium; a full-dome 3D planetarium; and hands-on exhibits are

International spa company ESPA has announced the first of its planned cultural partnerships for 2012 with the sponsorship of the annual Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Hyde Park, London, UK. The pavilion is a temporary structure commissioned annually by the Serpentine Gallery to provide a showcase for contemporary architectural practice. This year, the gallery has been designed in partnership by Chinese artist and architect Ai Weiwei and Swiss architects Herzog &

Cork County Council (CCC) is planning to establish a "cluster" of activities and attractions as part of its vision for Spike Island, a former military and penal site in southern Ireland. A masterplan design team led by Scott Tallon Walker Architects has been appointed to draw up proposals for the site, which includes landscape strategist Mitchell and Associates. The initial phase of developing the island will be to increase the

Chester Zoo has unveiled plans to bring the islands of Sumatra, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines to Cheshire, UK, as part of a £30m scheme showcasing its conservation work. The Islands project is to enable visitors to explore the themed and immersive landscapes by boat or on foot, with features including educational exhibits, play areas and eateries. Species including the Indonesian Rhinoceros Hornbill and the Sumatran Orang-utan will be

A design team has been selected for the renovation and expansion of the Kimball Art Center in Utah, US, which is home to Sundance House during the annual Sundance Film Festival. Denmark-based BIG and US-based Architectural Nexus will lead the team that also includes Dunn Associates, VBFA, Envision Engineering and Big D on the proposed scheme. Work is due to commence on the project in mid-2013, with the project to

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, is planning a comprehensive revamp of the four-block-long plaza alongside its iconic Fifth Avenue facade in downtown Manhattan. New fountains are to be installed closer to the attraction's front steps to replace ones built in the 1970s as part of the scheme, with the plaza to feature tree-shaded alles. The renovation will be funded by museum trustee and philanthropist David H

Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has confirmed that funding is now in place for work to commence on the new Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre near Stirling this summer. On a visit to Stirling Castle, Salmond said building and landscaping work will commence in early summer, with the preservation of the site's historic monuments also due for this year. Edinburgh-based architects Reiach and Hall led the team behind designs for

Beecher Walker Architects and Layton Construction have been selected by the Living Planet Aquarium board of trustees to build a new home for the attraction in Draper City, Utah, US. The US$18m (£11.4m, EUR13.7m) aquarium building is to be located off Interstate 15 and establish a new home for the attraction, which first opened at The Gateway in 2004. A new 130,000sq ft (12,077sq m) facility will offer significantly more

Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) has revealed the opening dates for three museums that form part of the Saadiyat Cultural District in the United Arab Emirates. Located on the Saadiyat Island development in Abu Dhabi, the first attraction to launch is to be the Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2015. Zayed National Museum will follow a year later. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be the third new museum to be unveiled

The new US$35m (£22.5m, EUR27m) Sunnylands Center and Gardens, which forms part of The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in California, US, will open its doors on 1 March. Reich+Petch Design International has worked on the media, wayfinding and exhibits at the 17,000sq ft (1,579sq m) facility, which was designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners. Attractions include a glasses-free 3D tour of the Sunnylands residence and its development over the years,

Detailed plans have been revealed for the relocation of the Design Museum in London from its current location on the south bank of the Thames to the Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington. John Pawson has redesigned the interior of the Grade II*-listed Commonwealth building while Netherlands-based OMA has planned the surrounding residential development. The move will bring the museum into Kensington's cultural quarter, where it will join the V&A, Science

Cheshire-based consulting firm Mather and Co has been appointed to draw up designs for the new National Horseracing Museum at the Palace House Site in Newmarket, Suffolk. The announcement follows a competitive tender process and has seen the group work with the attraction to develop comprehensive interpretation, design and visualisation plans. Proposals will now be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding support towards the project, which will transform

Miami Science Museum (MSM) has received US$10m (£6.5m, EUR7.8m) challenge grant from the Knight Foundation towards its new building in downtown Miami, US. The funding will be used to help promote science education but will have be matched with an additional US$20m (£12.9m, EUR15.6m) in a bid to encourage further community backing. It is hoped that the Knight Foundation's contribution will engage local residents in exploring science, technology and the

The Mind Museum, the Philippines' first "world-class" science-based attraction which is being developed in Taguig, is scheduled to open its doors to the public in March 2012. Ed Calma of Lor Calma and Partners has designed the new building, with its futuristic and organic appearance inspired by cell growth and molecular structures. When complete, the total covered floorspace of the Mind Museum will span nearly 7,600sq m (81,806sq ft), with

Stanford University's board of trustees has approved plans for a US$30.5m (€23m, £20m) arts museum which will house the university's Anderson Collection. New York-based Ennead Architects have been appointed to design the 30,000sq ft building, which will be one of two new arts buildings at the institution. It will house dedicated museum spaces and a public lobby, as well as offices, a conference room, a library/study area and space for

London-based exhibition and museum designer Casson Mann has announced that it has been tasked with drawing up plans for a new flagship gallery at the National Maritime Museum (NMM), London. The group will work on one of two new permanent galleries that are planned for the attraction - Navy, Nation and Nelson 1688-1815. Exploring the history of the Royal Navy and its role during 18th century Britain, Casson Mann will

Ukrainian vice prime minister and minister of infrastructure Borys Kolesnikov has unveiled plans to develop a new "tourist city" near Yevpatoria over the next three-and-a-half years. Addressing delegates at the recent Inside Ukraine conference, Kolesnikov said the project is part of a national programme to transform the Crimean peninsula into a visitor destination. It is expected the development will be built from scratch and will offer hotel accommodation and opportunities

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) in California, US, has revealed detailed designs for its proposed expansion project, the scope of which has now been increased. The attraction has revealed that it has raised its fundraising goal by 15 per cent to US$555m (£354m, EUR411m) to help create more spaces for education, exhibitions and collections. Building on concept designs unveiled in May, new detailed proposals comprise ground-level galleries and

Casson Mann has revealed that it is working in partnership with Paris-based architects X-Tu on the development of a new international cultural wine centre for Bordeaux, France. The facility, which forms part of a strategy to promote the city as the world's wine capital, is due to open in 2014 and will explore the stories behind wine and its place within culture. It is hoped the Centre for Wine Culture

National Galleries Scotland (NGS) has reopened the Scottish National Portrait Gallery after completing work on an extensive £17.6m refurbishment of Edinburgh attraction. The gallery was initially designed by architect Sir Robert Rowand Anderson and was one of the first purpose-built portrait galleries in the world when it opened in 1889. Work has now been carried out by BAM Construction in a two-year scheme to provide new education facilities, including a

Casson Mann has been selected as exhibition designers for the Natural History Museum's new Treasures gallery, which forms part of a wider redevelopment at the London attraction. The gallery will be located at the top of the North Staircase and will open in 2012 in the first phase of the Central Hall scheme, displaying some of the museum's "greatest treasures". Casson Mann will be tasked with creating a space that

Oxford's Ashmolean Museum is to open six new galleries for its Ancient Egypt and Nubia collections tomorrow (26 November), following £5m development project. Designed by Rick Mather Architects, the new facilities have been built by the Oxford-based contractor, Beard, and will present the attraction's collections under six broad themes. The themes are: Egypt at its Origins; Dynastic Egypt and Nubia; Life after Death in Ancient Egypt; the Armarna 'Revolution; Egypt

Chelsea Football Club (CFC) is looking into the possibility of developing a new stadium at London's Battersea Power Station site, which has remained unused since the early 1980s. It follows the recent news that CFC had failed in a bid to acquire the freehold land on which its existing Stamford Bridge venue is located from Chelsea Pitch Owners. The Premier League club has made no decision on whether to leave

Plans have been revealed for a renovation of the 120,000sq ft (11,148sq m) west exhibition wing at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington DC, US. The attraction's centre core and east wing will remain open during the transformation, with proposals including the creation of new galleries, an education centre and interior plazas. Performance spaces and upgraded infrastructure are also planned as part of the overhaul, in addition