A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction work on a new home for the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, US. The attraction has confirmed that it has already raised US$508m (£308m) towards the total US$720m (£436.5m) cost of the Renzo Piano-designed scheme. Forming part of a public-private regeneration of Manhattan, the new 200,000sq ft (18,581sq m) museum building is to be constructed

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney, Australia, has announced that it is to reopen in March 2012, following a AU$53m (£34.2m, EUR39.2m, US$56.5m) overhaul. Work started on the redevelopment project last August, with architect Sam Marshall and the New South Wales Government Architect behind the design of the new-look attraction. An additional 4,500sq m (43,438sq ft) of space will be created as part of the project and will

Plans for Ark Encounter, a US$150m (£92.1m, EUR106m) Creationist-themed amusement park in Kentucky, US, have secured a tax boost from the state's tourism authority. Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority have approved plans to grant the project up to US$43m (£26.4m, EUR30.4m) worth of sales tax incentives towards its creation. The decision was taken after analysis produced by Hunden Strategic Partners (HSP) found that the development met the criteria set out

Hepworth Wakefield - one of the largest purpose-built art attractions to open in the UK for around 50 years - has welcomed its first public visitors in West Yorkshire. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the £35m gallery is run by an independent trust and aims to commemorate the work of local-born sculptor Barbara Hepworth. The 5,000sq m (53,819sq ft) attraction also houses the city's permanent collection of 6,000 art works

Rubicon Group Holding (RGH), a Jordan-based diversified entertainment organization, has announced that it has been appointed to design and produce The Red Sea Astrarium (TRSA), a 184-acre themed entertainment resort located in Aqaba, Jordan. The US$1bn (714m euro, £640m) resort will be anchored by a Star Trek theme park, which will be developed by Paramount Recreation. According to a statement from RGH, the Star Trek attraction will deliver a variety

A number of leisure schemes have been included among the 97 UK and European projects to be named as winners of the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards. The RIBA Awards are designed to recognise "architectural excellence" and comprised 89 properties in the UK and a further eight across the European Union. Among the 2011 winners is the new £112.8m home for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon,

A new multi-million euro cultural attraction - Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) - has opened its doors to the public in Antwerp, Belgium, following a four-year construction process. Netherlands-based Neutelings Riedijk Architects was appointed by Antwerp City Council to design the new museum in 2000, with B-architecten chosen to lead the interior design. Covering a total surface area of 6,600sq m (71,042sq ft), the museum also features pavilions and a

LPA has been selected by the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum/ExplorOcean design and construction committee to draw up plans for a new waterfront facility in Newport Beach, California, US. The architectural practice has been appointed to design the Core Building Shell and Site phase, including the concept; planning and design; and schematic design. Meanwhile, The Hettema Group has also been chosen to provide concept design; exhibition themes; and unifying project elements

California, US-based Hettema Group has been appointed by Japan-based Sanrio to draw up a masterplan and concept designs for a new Hello Kitty Park in Anji, China. Due to open in 2014, the planned new amusement park is the result of a licensing agreement between Sanrio and Zhejiang New Insight Leisure Tourism Development Co. The deal will enable the use of the Sanrio-owned characters and intellectual property as part of

London mayor Boris Johnson has announced that up to £60m has been secured towards the creation of a new 1km (0.6-mile) floating promenade along the north bank of the Thames. International architecture practice Gensler have drawn up designs for the London River Park scheme, which is to be financed by Venus Group of Singapore. A Memorandum of Understanding has now been signed between Gensler and the mayor in a deal

Netherlands-based architects MVRDV have been appointed to design the new China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM), which is to be developed in Hangzhou. The group was selected following an international design contest for the EUR92m (£81.6m) scheme, with the attraction to comprise eight speech balloon-shaped structures. Covering a total area of 13.7 hectares (33.9 acres), the complex will also include a series of parks on islands; a public plaza; and

Chester Zoo has shelved its plans for a new £90m Heart of Africa biodome attraction, saying that the project will now form a 'latter part' of the zoo's £225m Natural Vision scheme. A spokesperson told Attractions Management the biodome had been postponed due to government cuts and that another part of the Natural Vision would take priority and open as the first phase of the ambitious redevelopment. She said: "The

Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida in St Cloud, US, has revealed that it will launch a new eco-tourism experience that will allow visitors to cycle through treetops. The new Cypress SkyCycle is due to open in July and involves a one-hour journey through the 4,700-acre (1,902-hectare) Forever Florida Wildlife Conservation Area. Suspended from a network of high-tension steel cables, specially-designed SkyCycles will allow visitors to travel over pine flatwoods and

The new US$30m (20m euro, £18m) wing of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, US has been opened to the public. The 30,000sq ft (2,800sq m) expansion includes 15,000sq ft of archival storage, an additional classroom, a staging area for exhibits and curatorial work, and a new temporary exhibit gallery. Boston-based architect Einhorn Yaffee Prescott and Quincy-based construction firm Lee Kennedy Company were chosen by

The National Mining Museum Scotland has opened its Scottish government-funded conservation project, restoring some of Scotland's most fragile industrial heritage and saving the buildings for future generations. The work has consisted of preservation of the tippler floor, picking tables, elevator shed and brick-vaulted undercroft. The conservation has been carried out by a team of architects, structural engineers, project managers and builders. An exhibition is currently running in the museum to

Visitor attractions operator Merlin Entertainments Group has unveiled its new £7m Sea Life centre and marine sanctuary in Jesolo, Venice, Italy. UK-based architectural firm Kay Elliott are behind the design of the 2,030sq m (21,851sq ft), two-storey attraction, which accommodates more than 5,000 sea creatures. Sea Life Jesolo boasts a number of individual areas that allows visitors to explore a different river or ocean element, with many incorporating a Venitian

Trustees of the Baltimore Museum of Art in Maryland, US, have revealed that Ziger/Snead Architects are to work on a US$24m (£14.4m, EUR16.2m) renovation of the attraction. It follows an extensive year-long procurement process for the scheme, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014 ahead of the museum's 100th anniversary. The renovation of Baltimore Museum of Art is to create "dynamic" new spaces for art and visitors, including enhancements

Louisville Zoo in Kentucky, US, has announced the official opening of its new polar and grizzly bear habitat as part of the multi-phase Glacier Run project. The new exhibit has been modelled on the town of Churchill, Canada, and will be home to one polar bear and three grizzly bears. A seal and sea lion habitat was unveiled in June 2010. Design features include an old mining quarry flooded with

A new £3m 'live science' Discovery Centre has been officially opened by the University of Manchester (UM) at Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire. The development has included a new entrance building - the Planet Pavilion - and the Space Pavilion, which will be used for exhibitions and events. A new glass-walled café with views of the site's iconic Lovell telescope; an education space; and landscaped gardens have also formed part of

A new entrance facility has been unveiled at Camperdown Wildlife Park, Dundee, following a £1m investment designed to enhance the attraction's visitor experience. Dundee City Council architects are behind the design of the venue, which boasts a learning room equipped with an interactive whiteboard and a cinema-style projector. It is hoped that the purpose-built space will help Camperdown to continue its education and conservation programme, while a new retail area

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art senior curator Philip Long has been announced as the director of a new Victoria and Albert museum to be developed on Dundee's waterfront. Long, who also leads the National Galleries of Scotland's Artist Rooms project, will take on the responsibility for establishing the V&A at Dundee as an international centre for design. In addition to his role as senior curator at the Scottish National

Turner Contemporary, a new £17.4m gallery dedicated to the life of 19th century artist JMW Turner, has officially opened its doors to the public in Margate, Kent. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the attraction was opened by artist Tracey Emin, musician Jools Holland and local schoolchildren on 16 April. R Durtnell and Sons has delivered the building, which incorporates 750sq m (8,072sq ft) of gallery space across two floors. The

North Somerset Council (NSC) has approved planning permission for the development of new visitor facilities at the Grade I-listed Clevedon Pier. Clevedon Pier and Heritage Trust's (CPHT) scheme - designed by Bristol-based O'Leary Goss Architects - was given the go-ahead by NSC's north area committee. Under the trust's plans for the historic pier, a new visitor centre would house purpose-built education, exhibition and refreshment areas in a bid to enhance

David Chipperfield Architects' design for the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany, has been handed the 2011 European Union (EU) Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. The attraction reopened in 2009 for the first time in 70 years, following the completion of an extensive EUR212m (£187m) redevelopment project. Originally launched in 1855, the Neues Museum closed when World War Two broke out in 1939 and suffered extensive

A new sister site for Cornwall's Eden Project could be developed in China as part of efforts to expand the concept to overseas locations. According to the BBC, Eden Project director Tim Smith believes that work could commence on the Chinese version of the attraction within 18 months. In 2008, Smit told Attractions Management that discussions had started to take Eden overseas. It was also reported that Singapore is also

Bristol, UK-based property and architects company Saturn Projects Group has launched a dedicated exhibition design division targeting the attractions industry. Saturn Imagineering will be making its debut at the Dubai Entertainments, Amusement and Leisure Show (DEAL) this week. Simon Pickard, Saturn's managing director said the company will look to establish itself in the MENA region (Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean and Asia) is currently in the process of opening an office

Plans for a new visitor facility on the site of the Ogwen Warden Centre - between Bethesda and Capel Curig, North Wales - have been unveiled. Anglesey-based architects Dewis have drawn up designs for the new centre, which will sit at the "gateway" to Cwm Idwal in the northern part of Snowdonia National Park. The project is being fronted by the Cwm Idwal Partnership - including Snowdonia National Park Authority