Norway is promoting cycling across the country by investing in ‘bicycle hotels’ – storage facilities by railway stations that double as new public spaces. Oslo studio Various Architects have designed the a prototype Lillestrøm, which is frequently voted Norway's best cycling city. Commissioned by real estate firm ROM Eiendom and The Norwegian National Railways, the Lillestrøm Bicycle Hotel consists of a glass box in which to store bikes and a

Parisian gym-goers could soon be powering scenic boat trips along the River Seine on a fitness vessel that harnesses energy from passengers’ workouts. The Paris Navigating Gym is the latest innovation from architects and researchers Carlo Ratti Associati. They have partnered with non-profit design group Terreform ONE, urban regeneration institute URBEM and fitness firm Technogym to develop the project. The boat – which has been designed in response to a

Inge Moore has called on hospitality designers to incorporate fun, interactivity and individuality into spa and gym design. The acclaimed interior designer – who is in the process of launching bespoke hospitality design studio MUSE after leaving Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) – told CLAD that spa and fitness spaces have been “totally neglected” in the past, but are now coming to be seen as essential parts of the hotel experience.

US-based health club chain Equinox has revealed plans to open two new properties in London. The premium operator, which opened its first UK club in the capital’s upmarket Kensington area in 2012, said the two new clubs are part of plans for a “continued expansion throughout London in the coming years”. The first of the new clubs, located at 12 St. James’s Street in central London, is set to open

Footballing trio Rio Ferdinand, Mark Noble and Bobby Zamora have launched an innovative urban regeneration model designed to use sport and leisure to bring new life to communities. The Legacy Foundation was formed to build new developments in the UK with high-quality social, affordable, rented and privately-owned homes. Community and sporting facilities are central to the project and are the main hook to raise aspirations, wellbeing and quality of life

The Landmark London, one of the UK capital’s most famous Victorian-era hotels, is undergoing an extensive renovation overseen by design studio Alex Kravetz. Over the next two years, the hotel’s 291 guest rooms and Spa and Health Club will be given a facelift as the hotel fights to compete in the city’s increasingly competitive luxury hospitality market. In a bid to minimise disturbance, a small selection of guest rooms will

The Sanad Capital investment group is planning an AU$400m (US$302m, €271m, £245.6m) “active lifestyle” destination in Queensland, Australia. Sanad – the Australian offshoot of Dubai-based investment firm Najibi Group – is financing the “never-before seen in Australia” project, which will feature extreme water facilities and an Olympic-standard training centre. The mixed-use project will also have a 4-star hotel, conference and exhibition centre, restaurants and retail elements. The development is expected

Dutch architects MVRDV have won an international competition to design a sports and cultural complex in Shenzhen, China, which will be navigated via a weaving elevated walkway. The Nanshan district government has tasked the studio, and local firm Zhubo Architecture Design, with creating “a social and well­being focal point” for the community in the country’s fastest-growing urban region. Located in a residential area which stretches between two mountain parks, the

Dutch construction firm Bright Buildings is creating a transparent swimming facility with a retractable roof and walls that will produce "an attractive transition from indoor to outdoor activities.” The company, which specialises in building “daylight structures”, is building the new 1,000sq m (10,000sq ft) health and swimming complex for Dutch holiday park Eiland van Maurik. The park’s operators want to encourage more guests to use its pool facility, and to

A £5m (US$6.5m, €5.8m) proposal to reopen Turkish baths in Newcastle, UK, has moved a step closer with the council approving planning permission. Charity Fusion Lifestyle is behind the project, which will see the baths and pool re-established in the north-east city by 2018. The venue will be kitted out with new health and wellbeing facilities, a spa and bistro cafe. Work is expected to begin in early 2017 to

The design studio at Bartle Bogle Hegarty Singapore and global sportswear giant Nike have joined forces to open a “reimagined running track” in the centre of Manila where sprinters can race against themselves. The Unlimited Stadium was a shaped as a huge sole print of Nike's newest footwear release, the Lunar Epic. The 200m track was lined with an LED screen, and up to 30 runners at a time were

Culture, health and movement are the focus at MVRDV’s new community centre in Copenhagen, which encourages adults and children alike to enjoy a better quality of life through physical activity. Slides, fireman's poles, labyrinths, nets and climbing walls provide a means of navigating around the Ku.Be House of Culture and Movement, which is being opened today by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. The project, designed in collaboration with ADEPT, is

A pop-up preview of James Corner Field Operations’ Miami Underline will open on Tuesday (23 August) to showcase how the landscape architects plan to transform the land beneath the city’s MetroRail into a 10 mile linear park. The pop-up will take place at the Underline’s ‘Brickell Backyard’ fitness area, located at the north end of the Miami River, at 10.30am EDT. Event-goers – who are being encouraged to come to

The winner has been announced in a hotly-contested competition to design a new leisure centre and area of public realm for Finsbury, north London. Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects were selected from a five strong shortlist and will now develop their vision for the site, which will replace the existing 1970s Finsbury Leisure Centre building with a new sports and health hub. New council homes will also be provided as part

Indian architecture firm Studio Ardete have pledged to “break the stereotypes surrounding the design of fitness spaces” in the country after unveiling a gym which embraces quirkiness and idiosyncratic design. According to the architects, the Pro Fitness Gymnasium, located in the small city Kurukshetra, was “born from the idea that a health club can be both individualistic and practical”. The 5,000sq ft (464sq m) site – the largest of its

Luxury fitness chain Equinox will theme its first hotel/health club hybrids around movement, nutrition and regeneration in an appeal to regular travellers who want to keep fit. In an exclusive interview, the company’s vice-president Aaron Richter told CLAD that Equinox Hotels – which will open its first branch in New York’s Hudson Yards in 2018 – will implement the core philosophies of its well established fitness clubs to “the art

The Welsh Government is funding a masterplan for a multi-million pound wellness village in South Wales. The Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village is just one of a number of projects being delivered through ARCH (A Regional Collaboration for Health), a partnership between three local university health boards. Located on the Carmarthenshire coast, the Llanelli Wellness Village will include a wellness hotel, sports and wellbeing centre, wellness spa, primary care

A social club founded by Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood for London’s high society has been redesigned by the HKS Hospitality Group as a family-friendly centre focused around health and wellness. Wood’s Harringdon Club – once a popular haunt for celebrities, young royals and fashionistas – was purchased by Sicilian hospitality entrepreneur Luca Del Bono, who has transformed the interiors of the listed Georgian-era music hall into the Mediterranean-themed South Kensington

Philippe Starck has revealed a new leisure concept centred around wellness and healthy living. 'Villa M' is a restaurant, hotel and training space exclusive to medical professionals, caregivers, patients, students and innovators working in the world of health and fitness. The building is being developed by health insurance company Groupe Pasteur Mutualité in the centre of Paris. The French designer’s concept is to allow visitors to learn about and medical

Interior designer Reinhard Strasser has created a new Alpine retreat in the Austrian mountains, featuring a high-altitude hypoxic chamber which can be used by professional athletes. The hotel, called Blumen Haus Lech, will launch in the village of Lech in December 2016. It is being funded by British businessman Andrew Flowers, who wants to “raise the bar for boutique hotels in Austria” and offer a luxury stopover for skiers in

Bootcamp fitness studio operator TRIB3 has launched a new design concept which will bring mobile gyms to local parks, schools and open spaces across the UK and overseas. The compact gyms are built within a shipping-style container. At the touch of a button, a hydraulic system opens up the gym within ten minutes, revealing a mini studio with treadmills and workout mats. The concept was created by TRIB3 and designed

The main contractor has been appointed for the construction of Urban Sports Park (USP) – a multi-level indoor skating complex in Folkestone, UK designed by Guy Holloway Architects. The developer of the project, Shepway Sports Trust, has commissioned Westridge Construction to carry out the main work on the building, which received approval from the district council in February. Preparations will take place soon for construction to begin, with a target

Architecture and property development practice Swisatec have announced new additions to their planned 40-hectare leisure village in Cape Town. A seven-storey mixed-use lifestyle centre and a five-star hotel are among the facilities the studio has revealed will feature prominently at Blue Rock Village – billed as Africa’s “most environmentally friendly estate”. The former, called the Santa Luzia Lifestyle Centre, will be designed to host interactive events such as local produce

Dubai investment firm Najibi Group has unveiled plans for a AU$400m (US$300.7m, €270.4m, £226.3m) “active lifestyle” destination in Queensland, Australia. Najibi recently launched its new Australian investment and development offshoot Sanad Capital, which has been created to serve as a springboard for a diverse range of projects on the Sunshine Coast. The firm’s first project will be a community lifestyle and tourism hub “never-before seen in Australia”, according to Sanad.

The government of Hong Kong is seeking non-binding Expressions of Interest for a planned sports park in Kai Tak. Construction companies and joint ventures, investors, sports operators, facility managers and stadium architects are invited to make their interest in the project clear before 8 July 2016. The Kai Tak Sports Park is described by the government as “the most important investment in sports infrastructure in recent decades”. The site –

Western and Japanese concepts of spatial definition and materiality merge in a newly opened spa and health club in Tokyo, designed by COE Architecture International. Aqua Sports & Spa, which was completed this month for fitness operator Seta Sports Connection, is a six-storey, 6,000sq m (65,000sq ft) building in Setagaya-Ku ward. It replaces a 1980s facility, and has been designed to promote personal sports training, Japanese bathing and social activities

French architects Agence Search have won a competition to design a sustainable, green-roofed aquatic centre on the west coast of France. The studio have been granted a budget of €8.7m (US$9.7m, £6.7m) by the local government of Chateaulin and Porza communes to create a currently unnamed 8,000sq m (81,000sq ft) complex bringing “leisure, education, relaxation and wellness to the community”. The centre will be located in a forested plot near