Chinese architecture practice OPEN have unveiled renderings of the Chapel of Sound – a cavernous amphitheatre currently under construction north of Beijing, outside the city of Chengde. The 790 sq m, roofless structure – shaped to resemble the curvilinear appearance of mollusc shells and human ears – will function as a concert venue and community space. The Chapel will also feature as a kind of temple to nature, providing panoramic

Scandinavian architecture practice Henning Larsen have been tapped to expand the Opéra Bastille – the largest opera house in Paris. The renovated structure will feature an extended foyer, an 800-seat concert hall, workshop facilities, and a public garden path with links to the Viaduc des Arts and the rue de Lyons. First proposed in 2017 in response to a competition announced by France's Ministry of Culture and Communication, the new

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London has released details of its redevelopment plans, which entail a new entrance, new public galleries in the building’s East Wing and a new learning space. Jamie Fobert Architects (JFA) have designed the plans with help from architectural conservation specialists Purcell. Three windows in the current facade turned into doorways, taking pressure off the existing main entrance and allowing for disabled and non-disabled access

New York-based architecture practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) have released the first concept designs for the long-anticipated London Centre for Music. Set to become the newest addition to London's Culture Mile – an array of institutes and landmarks situated around St. Paul's Cathedral – the Centre for Music will feature a 2000-person capacity, surround-seating concert hall designed by Nagata Acoustics; a multi-tiered foyer with extensive public galleries and event

Transdisciplinary designer and musician Kanye West has donated US$10m (€8.7m, £7.7m) to help fund the still unfinished Roden Crater – an atmospheric complex situated within a 400,000-year-old volcano in Arizona. Designed by American artist James Turrell in the 1970s, the subterranean space, which – some have said – can induce altered states of consciousness, features a series of passageways, chambers, and amphitheatres. Along with Turrell's iconic Skyspaces, Roden Crater has

Funding for the planned World Trade Center performing arts complex in New York has taken another major step forward, with the award of a multi-million dollar grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant of US$89m (€78.11m, £70.11) to the Ronald O.Perelman Center for the Performing Arts takes funding raised to 82 per cent of its total construction costs. Major

Dutch architecture practice UNStudio have unveiled renderings for the Lyric Theatre Complex – an expansive cultural venue currently being constructed in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District. The mammoth complex, which will occupy roughly 41,000 sq m of the city’s waterfront, will include a 1,450-seat Lyric Theatre inspired by European "Baroque-era" extravagance; a 600-seat Medium Theatre for smaller-scale productions; and a 270-seat Studio Theatre for intimate performances. The arts facility

A concert hall designed by architecture firm Studio Seilern is slated to debut next year in Andermatt, Switzerland. Erstwhile a wartime bunker, the 1,412 sq m auditorium – once complete – will be able to accommodate major orchestral ensembles and seat up to 700 guests. The hall is being built in the centre of the Andermatt resort village, a wellness destination which boasts attractions like the Chedi Andermatt, a retreat

Steven Chilton Architects (SCA) have unveiled the first set of renderings for their mesmerising Puzzle Ball Theatre in Guangzhou, China. The 2,000-seat conceptual structure, which – if constructed – would serve as a venue for performances by Belgian drama company Dragone, is inspired by Chinese puzzle balls. These objects, which often appeared in Victorian-era cabinets of curiosities, are made from a single block of ivory and feature intricate tracery and

MO Museum, a new modern art museum, has opened in Vilnius, Lithuania showcasing the 4,000-strong private collection of local philanthropists Viktoras and Danguole Butkus. Viktoras Butkus sold his biotechnology firm, Fermentas, to Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2010, which gave the couple "the financial platform to bring the concept to life", he said. Describing their vision as being to create a "museum without walls", the couple has been advised by Lithuanian

Finnish studio PES-Architects have won a competition to design what’s been described as a "future-oriented" urban "archipelago" in Turku, Finland. Dubbed "Luoto" (skerry), the estimated €500m (US$571m, £435m) project will see the coastal city gain a 170,000 sq m experience centre, which will include a multipurpose sports arena, hotel, chapel, residences, and office space, as well a number of entertainment and retail facilities. The new destination, which PES says will

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has unveiled plans to create two interconnected sites at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – a brand-new museum at Stratford Waterfront, and a new collection and research centre at Here East. Describing the move as "revolutionising how its collection of art is accessed and explored", the project has been named V&A East. The V&A's main site is located in Kensington, London and is the

German architectural firm Henn Architekten has been tapped to head up the redesign of the Gasteig, Europe’s largest cultural centre. Henn will spearhead the attraction's expansion, which will see the 30-year-old building gain a rooftop restaurant, multiple learning areas, and a 'cultural stage' atrium, which will feature as a multifunctional gathering and events space and accommodate up to 1,000 guests. The company nabbed the commission after beating out Stuttgart studios

Work has began on an expansion project which will more than double the size of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) in California. Designed by Selldorf Architects, the expansion will include the renovation of the existing 35,000-sq ft (3,252sq m) original complex, which was initially designed by renowned California architect Irving Gill. The museum’s entrance will also be reorientated, which has caused some controversy in architectural circles. The

The Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Centre for Conservation at Museum Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) in Texas has reopened as part of the second phase of the institution's US$450m (€395.5m, £351.5m) redevelopment, designed by Lake|Flato Architects. The new centre sits across the road from MFAH’s curatorial offices and includes 23,796sq ft (2,211sq m) of conservation studios and support space and will now allow the museum to bring together various art conversation

A team led by Canadian brothers and entrepreneurs Etienne and Frédéric Morin-Bordeleau have unveiled plans to create a multifunctional arts and events space from eight MR-63 subway cars. The new three-storey structure, which has garnered the support of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), will feature a cafe, microbrewery, restaurant, auditorium, and various gallery and exhibition spaces. According to the project team, the venue is expected to "enrich the

The Arts District in El Paso, Texas is to welcome a new addition in the form of the El Paso Children’s Museum, which will sit between the El Paso Museum of History and the El Paso Museum of Art. Norway-based architectural practice Snøhetta have been selected to design the new museum, which will aim to engage children and families from El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, the American southwest, and the nearby

Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC) has released details of three new attractions planned for the iconic London building, which is currently under renovation. The additions will include a large events venue, a 109 metre-high glass elevator which travels up one of the famous chimneys and a 250-person capacity immersive space in a former control room. All three spaces will open as part of the second phase of the building's

The Mecanoo-designed National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts, hailed as the "largest performing arts centre in the world" has opened in Taiwan. Impressively, the massive steel structure – which takes visual cues from Banyan trees and the sinuous hulls of ships – is home to a 1,981-seat concert hall, a 2,236-seat opera house, 1,210-seat playhouse, and a 434-seat recital hall. The arts hub, which is located in the vicinity of

A dramatic mountain-top arts centre has been built in the Yanshan mountains in China. The Hilltop Gallery – also known as the Phoenix Valley Summit Art Centre – was designed by the Chinese architecture studio, deep Architects (DA). The undulating structure follows the topography of the mountainside and has been built in concrete, bamboo, and terracotta. The 2,600 sq m building has a ballroom, theatre, open cooking area, lounge and

Steven Chilton Architects (SCA) have revealed their design for the Wuxi Show Theatre in Wuxi, China. The firm, which has been shortlisted for this year’s World Architecture Festival Future Project Award, were inspired by the largest bamboo forest in China: the Sea of Bamboo Park in Yixing. The 2,000-person capacity theatre uses tightly packed white columns and a canopy made from gold anodised aluminium louvers to simulate the appearance of

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been selected to reimagine the Sverdlovsk Philharmonic Building in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The firm contended against 47 contestants from around the globe in a competition organised by the Sverdlovsk Region’s Ministry of Construction. Located in the midst of the Ural mountains, the proposed sonic wave-inspired concert hall–which, not surprisingly, has already drawn comparisons to a spaceship–will comprise a 1,600-seat auditorium as well as a 400-seat chamber

Frida Escobedo, the youngest person yet to design a temporary Pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery in London, has recently sold her creation to international spa and wellness company, Therme Group. According to Architects' Journal, Therme Group, which is perhaps most famous for operating Therme Bucharest–the largest thermal leisure facility ever developed in Europe on a greenfield site–made overtures to and later reached a deal with Escobedo’s Mexico-based firm in order

American billionaires Mitchell and Emily Wei Rales are to reopen the Glenstone Museum, showcasing their extensive collection of post-war art, in Maryland, US next month following renovations and an expansion. The museum, located on the grounds of a former hunt club near Washington DC in Potomac, has undergone a serious overhaul. The attraction now boasts additional exhibition space, two cafés, a bookstore and a total of 230 acres of landscaped

The 2016 Serpentine Pavilion installation, designed by renowned architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), has now opened in Toronto having been rebuilt in the Canadian city. Originally designed for Kensington Gardens in London for the Serpentine Pavilion event – an annual architectural installation in the English capital commissioned by the Serpentine Galleries – the structure has been created out of 1,802 fibreglass 'blocks' that create a wall at the top,

Photographs of Scotland’s first design museum, the V&A Dundee, have been released ahead of its 15 September opening. The building was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who commented: “The big idea for V&A Dundee was bringing together nature and architecture, to create a new living room for the city. I’m truly in love with the Scottish landscape and nature.” “I was inspired by the rugged cliffs of the north

London-based private members’ haunt the Arts Club is set to open a third location in West Hollywood, California, US. The new branch of the historic club – founded in London in 1863 by luminaries such as novelists Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope and artist Frederic Leighton – will sit in a 132,000sq ft mixed-use complex designed by Gensler. Backed by Hollywood actress and wellness champion Gwyneth Paltrow, facilities will include private dining