Architecture and design news
September opening date finally set for Cairns Aquarium
by Ben Coxon | 21 Aug 2017
After suffering a number of delays, work on the AU$50m (US$39.6m, €33.7m, £30.7m) Cairns Aquarium is in the final stages, with 12 September being touted as the visitor attraction's official opening date. The three-storey, 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) development will be home to more than 5,000 animals endemic to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Queensland's far north. This will be Australia's first new public aquarium to be built in 17
Construction begins on London music venue linking culture and Crossrail
by Kim Megson | 18 Aug 2017
Construction is underway on two new live music venues and a leisure-filled “urban gallery” in central London, designed by British architects Orms. The St Giles Circus scheme, which is being overseen by real estate firm Consolidated Developments, will see two new buildings created and two other listed properties refurbished near the crossroads of Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road. The larger of the new
Avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama to open eponymous museum in Tokyo
by Alice Davis | 18 Aug 2017
Yayoi Kusama – the Japanese artist famed for her use of repetitive patterns and bold colours – has announced the opening of her own art museum, in Tokyo, Japan. The five-storey museum building, designed by architecture firm Kume Sekkei, has already been erected in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, but the purpose of the structure had been kept under wraps. Two of the storeys will be devoted to exhibiting Kusama’s
Thai studio create bold bamboo sports hall for Chiang Mai school
by Kim Megson | 17 Aug 2017
Thailand-based architecture and engineering practice Chiangmai Life Construction (CLC) have developed a net zero sports hall made entirely from bamboo, earth and stone. Panyaden International School in the city of Chiang Mai required a larger assembly space and an indoor sports facility protecting students from the elements in both the wet and dry seasons. CLC had previously designed the school’s other buildings, using rammed earth building methods and layered bamboo
Pezo von Ellrichshausen and Felice Varini design Hull public pavilion for UK City of Culture 2017
by Kim Megson | 17 Aug 2017
Swiss artist Felice Varini and the Chilean architecture practice Pezo von Ellrichshausen have been commissioned to design an ambitious temporary outdoor structure in the historic heart of Hull, UK. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Hull UK City of Culture 2017 have commissioned the duo as part of the Hull 2017 'Look Up' programme of public art installations intended to bring new life to public spaces across the
Equinox first tenant announced for redeveloped Culver City icon
by Kim Megson | 17 Aug 2017
American fitness operator Equinox has been announced as the first tenant at One Culver; a former movie studio HQ in California that is being comprehensively renovated by international architects Gensler. Culver City real estate firm Runyon Group today (17 August) confirmed that Equinox will open “an expansive space filled with cutting edge fitness equipment, world class personal training, and unparalleled amenities” in the revamped 1980s office block, well-known for its
Architect behind World Trade Center theatre complex promises development to be 'an extraordinary tool for the creation of new art'
by Kim Megson | 16 Aug 2017
The performing arts centre under construction at the heart of the World Trade Center campus in New York will be one of the most innovative of its kind ever built, the project’s lead architect has told CLADglobal. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Joshua Prince-Ramus said that the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center would become "a really extraordinary tool for the creation of new art,” adding that his firm Rex
Atelier Global triumph in design competition for Shenzhen's vast cultural 'Book City'
by Kim Megson | 16 Aug 2017
Architecture practice Atelier Global have won an international design competition to design Shenzhen Book City; a vast mixed-use leisure district in the Chinese metropolis. Anchoring the Long Hua arts district, the six-storey building will feature a library, bars and restaurants, shops and rooftop sports facilities. Cultural spaces on all four sides will integrate with the building and flow into a large area of public realm in the atrium. Landscaped terraces
Life for New York Wheel as developer closes in on new contractor
by Tom Anstey | 14 Aug 2017
Stalled plans to develop America’s largest observation wheel have been given a lifeline after New York Wheel's developer announced negotiations with a new contractor to take over the beleaguered project. Originally scheduled for early 2017, the 630ft (192m) high development was pushed back to mid- and then late 2017, with the US$580m (€503m, £442m) wheel then delayed until April 2018 thanks to a “complicated engineering process”. The project was then
London's Garden Bridge project formally scrapped
by Kim Megson | 14 Aug 2017
The Garden Bridge Trust, the charity established to build and run the proposed Garden Bridge in central London, has today (14 August) announced that it will be finally winding up the project. The decision, which brings an end to one of the city’s most protracted development sagas, has been made with the Trust unable to find alternative funding for the scheme, following the decision by London mayor Sadiq Khan in
Sadiq Khan sets out vision for green London as mayor plans to make capital first National Park City
by Tom Anstey | 14 Aug 2017
London mayor Sadiq Khan wants the UK capital to become the world’s first “National Park City”, laying out £9m (US$11.6m, €9.9m) plans to boost the number of trees and green infrastructure within the city. Called the Greener City Fund, the mayor has said he will use planning regulations to protect the Green Belt and incorporate into new developments more green roofs, green walls, rain gardens and wildlife habitats. The fund
Le Grand Bellevue unveils new spa housing ‘labyrinth of wellness’
by Tom Walker | 14 Aug 2017
The independently-owned Le Grand Bellevue luxury hotel in Gstaad, Switzerland, has reopened its spa following a comprehensive redevelopment. Described as a “labyrinth of wellness”, the upgraded Le Grand Spa now houses a total of 17 different wellness and spa experience zones. Facilities include 11 treatment rooms, a Himalayan salt grotto, herbal sauna, laconium, hay sauna, an ice fountain, infrared sauna, and a Finnish sauna. There is also a speciali Alpine
AART Architects win design competition for Old Bergen Museum in historic wooden city
by Kim Megson | 14 Aug 2017
Danish studio AART Architects have won an international design competition to create a new visitor centre for one of Norway's largest open-air museums. In the 1800's, Bergen was the largest wooden city in Europe, with timber houses forming the setting for vibrant streets and squares. This historic urban environment is celebrated at the Gamle Bergen Museum (the Old Bergen Museum), which organised the competition to identify a design for its
'A full expression of Zen': Architect Sun Tianwen inspired by Japanese seasons for vivid Setsugekka restaurant
by Kim Megson | 14 Aug 2017
The colours of the changing seasons in Japan have inspired architect Sun Tianwen to design an eye-catchingly luminous restaurant in the city of Changchun, China. The concept for the 1,300sq m (14,000sq ft) restaurant, called Setsugekka, derives from the ancient Japanese art and design tradition of the same name, which celebrates the motifs of snow, moon and flowers and the passage of time throughout the year. Sun’s restaurant, therefore, features
Henderson Park enters UK hotel market with £500m deal for Hilton hotels
by Tom Walker | 11 Aug 2017
European real estate investment platform Henderson Park has acquired two Hilton-operated hotels in London and Birmingham – signalling the group’s entry to the rapidly-growing UK hotel market. The deal, believed to be worth around £500m (US$646m, €545m), will see Henderson Park take control of two of the UK’s largest hotels. The Hilton London Metropole is the capital’s second largest hotel by room count and one of Hilton’s flagship hotels, housing
Exclusive: Perkins + Will's LA design director on the architecture software revolution
by Kim Megson | 11 Aug 2017
The Los Angeles office of global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has appointed a new design director to “lead the LA practice into the digital age.” Yan Krymsky will oversee the creative direction of the LA studio and lead the design of its major projects, including a master plan to convert the 125-acre Piggyback Yard rail facility by the Los Angeles River into a public space. He assumes the role
Alberto Campo Baeza completes minimalist Madrid sports hall bathed in light
by Kim Megson | 10 Aug 2017
Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza has completed a semi-transparent sports hall for a university in Madrid. Designed for the campus of the Francisco de Vitoria University in the Pozuelo municipality, the white steel and concrete facility is formed of two well-defined boxes, connected by a low-rise building whose roof becomes an inter-connecting patio. Sports halls, multi-purpose event spaces, a gymnasium, a swimming pool and physiotherapy rooms all feature, with the
Social media videos capture construction on hotly-anticipated Heatherwick Studio projects
by Kim Megson | 10 Aug 2017
Two of the most anticipated leisure projects in the pipeline of British design firm Heatherwick Studio have been showcased through new videos on social media. The first, filmed by videographer John Sturrock, shows construction advancing on the Coal Yards at King’s Cross in London. Two disused Victorian coal drop buildings at the railway station are being transformed into 100,000sq m (1m sq ft) of culture and leisure space.
Bulgari to launch Beijing hotel with two-storey spa
by Tom Walker | 10 Aug 2017
Ultra luxury hotel operator Bulgari Hotels and Resorts will open its fourth property in Beijing next month, which will house a large spa. The 119-bedroom Bulgari Hotel Beijing – due to open on 27 September – will be located within the mixed-use Genesis complex in the heart of Beijing’s Embassy District. Designed by the architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners, Bulgari Hotel Beijing is being marketed as an “urban
Serie A club buys stadium and plans extensive revamp
by Matthew Campelli | 09 Aug 2017
Italian Serie A football team Atalanta has purchased its home stadium from the local authority and revealed its intention of redeveloping the antiquated venue. A contract between the football club and the Municipality of Bergamo has been agreed for the for the sum of €8.6m (£7.8m, US$10.1m), plus a further €2.3m (£2.1m, US$2.7m) or improvement works that were carried out in 2015. Further work will be done in the shape
World's longest suspension bridge launches in Swiss Alps
by Kim Megson | 09 Aug 2017
The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge has opened in the Swiss Alps, offering brave trekkers a shortcut across one of the region’s most dramatic valleys. The 494m long Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, which is 86m above the ground at its highest point, stretches between the towns of Grächen and Zermatt along the Europaweg foot trail, with the peaks of the Matterhorn in the distance. Swiss engineers Lauber Seilbahnen and Swissrope
Centre Pompidou strikes deal to open branch in David Chipperfield's forthcoming Shanghai art museum
by Kim Megson | 09 Aug 2017
The Centre Pompidou will establish a branch within Shanghai’s forthcoming West Bund Art Museum, designed by British architect David Chipperfield. The state-owned West Bund Group, which is developing the city’s Xuhui Waterfront, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Centre Pompidou to initiate a renewable cultural cooperation project between France and China from 2019-2024. More than 20 exhibitions and events will take place at the Centre Pompidou Shanghai (West
Thom Mayne blasts 'generic and unmemorable' hotel design trends
by Kim Megson | 08 Aug 2017
The Pritzker winning architect Thom Mayne has criticised the majority of hotel designs as “generic and unmemorable” in an interview with CLADglobal. Mayne, the founder and creative director of US practice Morphosis, argued that architects and designers working in the hotel sector are too often failing to create a space that wows the guests who will occupy it. “I’m a person who lives in hotels and I have done for
'Mega leisure': Zanzibar investment boom continues with US$1bn tropical community
by Kim Megson | 08 Aug 2017
Zanzibar’s accelerating development boom has taken yet another step forward, with the announcement of a new resort billed by its backers as “the largest premium hospitality investment and resort in East Africa” and featuring its own dedicated private airport. The Zanzibar Amber Resort has been conceived by real estate firm Pennyroyal Gibraltar Ltd. Development and South Africa’s Pam Golding Property group as a “luxury tropical community”, traversing 411 hectares developed
Okura to open third spa hotel in Taiwan as part of Asian expansion
by Tom Walker | 08 Aug 2017
Japan-based Okura Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to open its third spa hotel on the island of Taiwan. The company has signed a deal to operate the Okura Prestige Taichung, set to open in 2021, through its subsidiary Okura Nikko Hotel Management. Situated in the heart of Taichung, the 250-bedroom hotel will include a luxury spa, indoor swimming pool and health club – as well as a range of
Is Google's leisure-filled £1bn London HQ set for approval?
by Kim Megson | 07 Aug 2017
Google’s proposed £1bn London HQ at King’s Cross, designed by the studios of Bjarke Ingels and Thomas Heatherwick, looks set to be recommended for approval by the local council. According to Construction News, the tech giant’s proposal has convinced planning officers at Camden Council ahead of a formal committee decision next week. Leisure lies at the heart of the dramatic ‘landscraper’ proposal, revealed in June. It features a vast rooftop
Vast video screen dominates Russian stadium's ode to Roman ampitheatres
by Kim Megson | 06 Aug 2017
Thunderous sound effects, dramatic strobe lighting and enormous and exuberant video projections are welcoming players to the field at the new stadium of Russian football club FC Krasnodar, which has installed a 4,700sq m media screen along the top tier of the bowl. International architects Gerkan, Marg & Partners (gmp) and Russian design firm Maxim Rymar Architectural Studio designed the 33,979 capacity ground, which is raised on a plinth slightly
Competition win: Architects wHY will design cultural pavilion by Edinburgh Castle
by Kim Megson | 02 Aug 2017
An international design team led by US architects wHY have won the international competition to design the £25m Ross Pavilion and West Princes Street Gardens project in Edinburgh. The Ross Development Trust together with the City of Edinburgh Council are replacing a bandstand on the site, which has fallen into disrepair, with a new visitor centre, café and flexible platform for cultural programming. The surrounding landscape is also being improved.
Alila to make North American debut in Big Sur
by Jane Kitchen | 31 Jul 2017
Singapore-based Alila Hotels & Resorts will open its first North American resort property in California’s fabled Big Sur region in autumn 2017. Transformed from the Ventana Inn into 'Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort', the multi-million-dollar revitalisation is being led by San Francisco-based interiors firm BraytonHughes Design Studios and architecture firm Parks & Associates of Carmel, California. Included in the development will be 59 revamped guest rooms, suites and villas;
Treehouse restaurant made from beach materials opens at secluded Greek resort
by Kim Megson | 28 Jul 2017
Milanese studio CTRLZAK Art & Design have created a restaurant in the trees for a secluded Greek beach resort. The Treehouse, which can cater for ten diners per evening, was built using local materials sustainably sourced from Greece's Halkidiki beach region. The flooring has been rendered from pine wooden planks and naturally rusted iron was used for the railings and supporting structure. The restaurant is cocooned by a Inox fabric
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"Culture is the beating heart of this project"
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
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