Aspen Art Museum (AAM) in Colorado, US, has held an official groundbreaking ceremony to help mark the start of the work on a new 30,000sq ft (2,787sq m) home for the attraction. The US$50m (£30.4m, EUR34.6m) building has been designed by Shigeru Ban Architects and will be located at the corner of South Spring Street and East Hyman Avenue in Aspen. Construction work is due to commence during the first

A park celebrating the life of Jimi Hendrix is being developed in Seattle, US next to the city's Northwest African American Museum. Portland-based architects Murase Associates has been chosen to design the US$2m park, which is scheduled to open in 2012, marking the 70th birthday of Hendrix. Butterflies, guitars and spiral flowers are among the key elements of the design and the park will be decorated in lyrical stepping, stones,

Exhibition designer Sarner has installed a new Gun Turret Experience at HMS Belfast where visitors can revive the battle of the North Cape at 1943. In small groups of 15-20, visitors can step into the Gun Turret and recreate its atmosphere and conditions using lights, imagery, sound, smoke effects, movements and smells. The space recreates the sensations of war at sea and offers visitors a new way to understand the

Chelsea Football Club (CFC) has opened a new 670sq m (7,212sq ft) museum at the club's Stamford Bridge stadium in London, which has been designed by Mather and Co. The purpose-built space located behind the Matthew Harding Stand explores more than 100 years of the Premier League club's history and houses a number of interactive exhibits. Attractions include the adidas Shooting Gallery, which will see guests receive a video tutorial

The Story Museum in Oxford has chosen architects Purcell Miller Tritton (PMT) to lead a design team for a major £3.5m redevelopment project being proposed for the attraction. Due for completion in 2014 to celebrate the city's status as UNESCO World Book Capital, the selection of PMT follows a competitive tender process which attracted 64 submissions. The company held off competition from two others - Hawkins Brown and Pringle Richards

Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has revealed that the new Ancient Egypt and Nubia (present day Sudan) galleries are to open on 26 November, following a £5m development project. Lord Sainsbury's Linbury Trust, the Selz Foundation and other trusts have funded the work, which aims to build on the success of a new extension opened at the museum in 2009. Rick Mather Architects have led the redesign and display of four

Proposals for a new multi-million pound cultural visitor destination - Visions of China - in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, have been unveiled by the partnership leading the scheme. It follows a decision by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) to name China Vision Ltd and MCD Developments as its preferred developer for the Pithouse West site. The £100m+ project is being headed by China Vision chair Dr Lee Kaihung and joint CEOs

Oriel Mostyn Gallery - designed by Ellis Williams Architects - has received the Gold Medal for Architecture at the Wrexham and District 2011 National Eisteddfod of Wales. The contemporary art attraction in Llandudno, North Wales, underwent an extensive revamp that led to the addition of two new galleries at the Grade II-listed property. The Gold Medal for Architecture is sponsored by the Design Commission for Wales and is run in

Glasgow Science Centre has confirmed that the 127m (417ft)-tall Glasgow Tower - one of the tallest freestanding buildings in Scotland - has been shut due to 'technical issues'. The attraction first opened in 2001 and is capable of rotating 360 degrees into the prevailing wind. It was designed by Richard Horden Associates and boasts a viewing cabin at the top. In a statement, a Glasgow Science Centre spokesperson said: "The

Edinburgh's new-look National Museum of Scotland has officially reopened to the public today (29 July), following the completion of a major £47.4m refurbishment programme. National Museums Scotland (NMS) has launched 16 new galleries at the attraction, which explore sciences, humanities and world cultures and comprise more than 8,000 objects. The majority (80 per cent) of the artefacts on display for the first time in generations across 13,000sq m (139,931sq ft)

London's O2 Arena has been given the green light to proceed with proposals for a rooftop walkway across the landmark venue, which will create a major new attraction for the capital. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the temporary walkway is to be suspended from the O2 Arena's yellow masts and will be able to accommodate 90 people at a time. Visitors will walk to a central viewing platform

Aqua Fantasy Waterpark - part of the Aqua Fantasy Hotel and Spa near Izmir, Turkey - has announced the launch of its latest ride, which has been designed especially for the attraction. Istanbul-based Polin has designed, manufactured and installed the new 14.7m (48.2ft)-high experience, which comprises a double-tube slide with twin uphill sections. The addition of the new experience comes a year after two other thrill rides - Family Rafting

California, US-based Moschanko Investment Group (MIG 2000) is behind plans for a new destination resort theme park to be developed in Russia - Magic World Russia. MIG 2000 revealed that Gary Goddard Entertainment Design; ProFun Management Group; and (it) Brand Studios are among some of the groups that will be working on the project. Covering more than 600 acres (243 hectares), the development is to incorporate a number of theme

Osaka theme park Universal Studios Japan (USJ) has revealed that it is to open a new area - Universal Wonderland - in spring 2012, which will cater for guests of all ages. Based on the image of a small town, the new 30,000sq m (322,917sq ft) area is to comprise three zones that will feature Snoopy, Hello Kitty and Sesame Street characters. Hello Kitty Fashion Avenue has been created from

New aquariums are to be constructed in Brazil and across South America as the result of an agreement between Terramare and Australia-based Advanced Aquarium Technologies (AAT). Terramare has been operating within the aquarium industry for 15 years and has worked on the design, build and management of attractions, including the Ubatuba Aquarium. The company has also worked on a range of other schemes in Brazil, while AAT has worked on

The Hopkins-designed London 2012 Velodrome is one of the six schemes to be shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize 2011. Folkwang Museum in Essen, Germany (David Chipperfield Architects) and Stratford-upon-Avon's Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres (Bennetts Associates) are also shortlisted. Two London schemes are also in the running for the accolade - the Evelyn Grace Academy (Zaha Hadid Architects) and The Angel Building, (Allford Hall

National Museums Liverpool (NML) has launched the new £72m Museum of Liverpool - one of the largest new-build museum developments in the UK for more than a century. Designed by Denmark-based architects 3xN, the iconic new facility is also one of the first national museums in the world to focus on the history of a regional city. The Museum of Liverpool will be unveiled in phases, with the first now

Belfast's new £18m Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) remains on track to open its doors to the public "early next year", according to Northern Ireland arts minister Carál Ní Chuilín. Located in the city's Cathedral Quarter, the venue will replace the Old Museum Arts Centre and has received £10.76m from the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL). Facilities will comprise two black box performance spaces with seating capacity for 120

Four teams have been invited to submit proposals for the design and build of the new Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, Canada, following a Request for Qualifications stage. The Request for Proposals part of the project has now been launched by the Government of Alberta, which received an initial seven expressions of interest now whittled down to four. EllisDon Construction Services; Graham Design Builders; PCL Construction Management; and Ledcor Design

London-based artist Cecil Balmond has been selected to work with designer Charles Jencks on the creation of a new contemporary landmark to be located at Gretna, Scotland. The Star of Caledonia is the working title of Balmond's response to a design contest for "The Great Unknown" as part of The Gretna Landmark Project. Wide Open (South Scotland) will develop and produce the project for the Gretna Landmark Trust, which evolved

Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG) is a step closer to embarking on a £1.5m redevelopment of its four iconic Tecton structures after securing a first-round funding pass from the Heritage lottery Fund (HLF). HLF awarded DZG development funding of just over £123,000, giving the zoo up to two years to submit more detailed plans and apply for a full HLF grant of £970,000 towards the project. The attraction contains the world's

London's Design Museum has confirmed that it has received a £7.5m donation towards its new development project from the Conran Foundation - endowed by Sir Terence Conran. The cash gift has been pledged by the foundation, in addition to the value of the sale of the lease of the current museum building at Shad Thomas, which is valued at £10m. Under its development plans, the Design Museum is aiming to

Manchester-based architects Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams (BFAW) have been appointed to lead the redevelopment of the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury. Margate, Kent-based Houghton Kneale Design (HKD) have also been selected to form part of the project team and will be responsible for the exhibition and interpretation design. The appointments follow a successful first round bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), with work to be undertaken during

York-based cultural visitor attraction group, Continuum, is in discussions with the landlords of York House, Kings Square, York, as part of plans to create a new confectionary-themed visitor attraction in the city. Oakgate Group is currently applying to York City Council for 'change of use' planning permission for the premises for use as a visitor attraction and associated uses including retail and café. The 6,400sq ft space is spread across

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - Western Isles Council (CNES) is to hold a consultation event on 28 June to exhibit plans for a new heritage attraction at Lews Castle, Stornoway. CNES, together with its partners, is proposing to develop a new museum and archive at the historic property, which will also involve the restoration of the castle for hospitality use. Edinburgh-based Malcolm Fraser Architects has been appointed to lead a

Historic Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) have revealed the first designs of the proposed new Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre, which is due to open in 2014. Edinburgh-based architects Reiach and Hall are behind the proposals, which will be lodged with Stirling Council and are also on display at the Bannockburn Heritage Centre. Sinclair Knight Merz; Turner and Townsend; and KJ Tait feature as part of the

The Zaha Hadid-designed Museum of Transport in Glasgow - also called the Riverside Museum - will open its doors to the public next week (21 June). The £74m attraction will be operated on behalf of the property owner Glasgow City Council by charitable trust Glasgow Life, formerly called Culture and Sport Glasgow which was rebranded last year. The new museum building will house more than 3,000 exhibits across 150 displays