The Prosper Independent School District (IDS) just north of Dallas has unveiled plans for a US$48m (€41.5m, £37m) 12,000 capacity stadium and attached natatorium, set to open in 2019. According to the project's architect, Huckabee, the stadium will feature split level seating for the home-side; a two-storey press box; press, scouting and community rooms; and restaurant facilities. The turf is suitable for both competitive American football and soccer, with paved

Luxury hotel operator The Ritz-Carlton has opened a location in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. Owned by Verny Capital Group, the 157-bedroom Ritz-Carlton Astana is located within the Talan Towers, designed by US architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as a natural extension of the square around the nearby Bayterek Tower – a monument and symbol of modern Astana. A wide range of wellness facilities, including a spa and 320sq

Architecture and urban designers Studio Gang have revealed a “transformational” concept for the future of Memphis’ waterfront, which would see new leisure amenities introduced across six miles and five distinct zones along the Mississippi river. A cultural pavilion, a live music stage, an adventure playground, several trails and an elevated walkway across the city’s native wetlands are all proposed for the site over the short, medium, and long-term. Investment ideas

Architecture and urban designers Studio Gang have revealed a “transformational” concept for the future of Memphis’ waterfront, which would see new leisure amenities introduced across six miles and five distinct zones along the Mississippi river. A cultural pavilion, a live music stage, an adventure playground, several trails and an elevated walkway across the city’s native wetlands are all proposed for the site over the short, medium, and long-term. Investment ideas

A trio of leisure projects have made the shortlist for the prestigious 2017 Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building, which was announced today (20 July). The British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre in London by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Hastings Pier by dRMM Architects, and the Command of the Oceans museum in Kent by Baynes and Mitchell Architects are among the six projects in the running

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has opened a spa, designed by French interior architect Joseph Dirand, at its historic South Florida retreat, The Surf Club. Located within the 77-bedroom resort, the 15,000 sq ft (1,400sq m) spa is Dirand's first in the United States. The spa houses eight treatment rooms – including two treatment cabanas – a steamroom, sauna and a mixed traditional hammam, as well as a relaxation room

The INSIDE World Festival of Interiors has announced a shortlist of 78 projects that are in the running to be named World Interior of the Year 2017. Projects from across the world have been submitted across nine categories, including civic spaces, bars and restaurants, shops, hotels and health and education. The winners in each category – chosen by international judging panels – and an ultimate overall winner, will be revealed

Chester Zoo will redevelop 100 acres (405,000sq m) of its existing site into grassland and forest areas as part of a £100m (US$130.4m, €113m) development masterplan. The grasslands area will be located in the western part of the zoo and will be characterised by large, open savannah landscape populated by a mix of free-roaming species in the same areas. To the eastern side of the zoo the forest zone will

The founder of Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania has unveiled detailed plans to build a neighbouring 172 room, 5-star hotel suspended over the River Derwent. David Walsh has commissioned Fender Katsalidis Architects, who designed Mona’s understated Berriedale home, to draw up the design for the project, called HOMO (HOtel at MOna). In addition to guest rooms, it will also include a conference centre, a 1,075

Architects, developers and local governments must work collectively to ensure that the demand for taller and taller buildings in cities does not constrain sunlight access. That is the view of architect and urban planner Paul Kulig, principal of Perkins + Will in Toronto; a city whose leaders are cracking down on shadowing as sunlight becomes an increasingly precious commodity. “Sun and sunlight have always been critical to the way we

Ireland’s most popular visitor attraction is seeking to draw even more visitors after the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin announced €16m (US$18.5m, £14.2m) expansion plans centred around doubling the size of its Gravity Bar. The culmination of the Guinness visitor experience, the plans will see the creation of a new 360 degree space, which will directly link to the original Gravity Bar – Dublin's highest – forming an expansive area for

The historic Tower Wing of Singapore's Shangri-La Hotel has re-opened following a significant renovation, revealing a refreshed lobby, brand new rooms and suites, three restaurant concepts and a revitalised club lounge. In total, 503 guestrooms and suites have been completely refreshed by Japanese interior design firm Bond, who were tasked with retaining the “heartware” of the Shangri-La brand while bringing in modern conveniences, natural materials and a soothing colour palette

Hospitality giant Hilton has unveiled a new in-room concept, Five Feet to Fitness, which brings more than 11 different fitness equipment and accessory options into the hotel room and creates an upselling option for hotel operators. Ryan Crabbe, senior director of global wellness for Hilton says the room is a “personal wellbeing stage”. “We like to describe it as a guestroom dedicated to movement and mindfulness,” he told CLAD. “It

A scheme by architecture firm Nex for a green-topped cafe overlooking the London running track where Roger Bannister trained for his famous four-minute mile has won the Unbuilt Hotels & Hospitality category at the 2017 New London Architecture Awards. The competition celebrates the best new and proposed projects that enhance London’s leisure offer for tourists, business people and Londoners in the capital. The Cadogan Café will be located in the

Plans to develop America's largest Ferris Wheel are in jeopardy after the attraction's main contractor was removed from the project. Originally scheduled for early 2017, the development was pushed back to mid- and then late 2017, with the US$580m (€503m, £442m) wheel then delayed till April 2018 thanks to a “complicated engineering process”. The project is now completely on hold after developer NY Wheel ended its working arrangement with contractor

Dutch architects Mecanoo have completed an elegant pavilion for a hotel, restaurant and spa complex near Maastricht, the Netherlands. Château St. Gerlach is a historic estate situated close to the hills of the scenic Limburg countryside. It is formed of a number of old buildings and monuments, including the Château (1661), the St. Gerlachus Church (1727), the Farmstead (1759) and the Manor Farm (1668). Mecanoo were tasked with creating a

Emerging architecture practice Studio Saxe have completed a boutique hotel and yoga studio set into the tropical forest of Nosara, Costa Rica. Nomel and Mariya Libid, the owners of the Hotel Nalu-Nosara, wanted to create a resort for the visitors who travel to Nosara because of its reputation for health and wellness tourism and surfing. Studio Saxe were commissioned to design the hotel, which includes a yoga studio and multipurpose

Disney has announced a slew of new additions for its parks worldwide, including a Star Wars hotel, Marvel and Pixar attractions, and the very first ride for the company's iconic figurehead, Mickey Mouse. Star Wars Star Wars was a focal point of the presentation, with the newly-named lands “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” to open at Disneyland California and Disney World in Orlando in 2019. Following the unveiling of a scale

British architecture practice Studio RHE have merged an Italian restaurant and a modern co-working space under one roof in London’s Clerkenwell design district. Palatino is both the entrance space for newly opened co-working venue Fora Space, and a stand alone restaurant by Stevie Parle, chef and owner of the brands Dock Kitchen, Rotorino and Craft London. Entrance to both comes through an architectural black steel revolving door and into a

One of the largest urban regenerations in Europe is set to be anchored by a public garden where spring, summer, autumn and winter coexist together throughout the year. The concept, called ‘Garden of the Four Seasons’, comes from the studio of designers, researchers and innovators Carlo Ratti Associati, and is being developed by property firm CityLife for a 366,000sq m (4 million sq ft) district in the west of Milan.

Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) transformation of a former German WWII bunker into a cultural complex camouflaged among the protected dunes of Blåvand, western Denmark, has opened to the public. Conceived as “a sanctuary in the sand”, the 82,000sq m (882,600sq ft) museum, called Tirpitz, has been successfully completed three years after construction began. Upon arrival, visitors first see the bunker, which was one of hundreds of coastal defences and fortifications

Disney has offered its most in-depth look at its upcoming Star Wars Land yet, unveiling a scale model of the attraction ahead of the D23 fan expo taking place this weekend in Anaheim, California. Two years on from the last D23, when Bob Iger first revealed plans for two Star Wars attractions at Disney’s Florida and California theme parks, the operator unveiled the model, which has been made available for

Four Seasons Resorts and Hotels will undertake a US$35m (€31m, £27m) “re-imagination” of its Costa Rican resort and spa this year. The Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo will be redesigned in order to cater for a new target audience – identified by the resort operator as millennial-type “active families and couples, nature enthusiasts and bold adventure seekers”. Four Seasons operates the property on behalf of Miami-based Gencom,

A hotel, a wellness centre, a public viewing platform and 450 apartments will feature in Dutch studio MVRDV’s most recently unveiled project: a distinctive mixed-use building called The Sax overlooking Rotterdam’s famous Wilhelminapier port. The studio won the international design competition for the commission with their vision for a 51-storey structure formed of two interconnected towers, called Philadelphia & Havana, which merge to create a total surface area of 82,000sq

London’s Natural History Museum has completed a major revamp of its main hall, with its blue whale skeleton replacing the national institution’s much-loved Diplodocus replica – a sight which has welcomed visitors to the museum for more than 37 years. The museum made the move as it aims to refresh its image, wanting to be known for living science rather than its fossil collection, with a focus on “authenticity” and

Global masterplanning and architects practice Chapman Taylor has completed a four-month redevelopment project of the spa at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Headed by Chapman Taylor’s Bangkok office, the US$750,000 (€657,000, £582,100) redesign included the creation of new treatment rooms and improving the “flow” of the property. Jon Grant, director of Chapman Taylor Bangkok, said: “We rationalised the overall planning, which was disjointed, renovating the exterior entrance and

The Cornell Institute for Health Futures (CIHF) – an academic centre within New York’s Cornell University – has received a grant to support the creation of an undergraduate minor in Health, Hospitality and Design. The programme is reported to be the first university programme in the US to combine those three disciplines. The minor is part of a larger suite of multidisciplinary educational programmes CIHF develops and supports for healthcare,