Global sports architects HOK have collaborated with four international rugby players to discuss what is needed in the rugby stadiums of the future. John Rhodes, a director of the practice’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment division, met with Jamie Roberts of Wales, Tim Visser of Scotland, James Horwill of Australia and Danny Care of England to learn from their experiences as players and fans. HOK has released the conversation and

Over 75 million people in 44 cities across Europe could one day be connected by a high-speed Hyperloop network spanning 5,000 kilometres – with nine prospective routes being considered by for the continent. Executives from Hyperloop One – one of the companies attempting to make Canadian-American entrepreneur Elon Musk’s ambition for superfast travel a reality – have met dignitaries and policymakers at its Vision for Europe summit in Amsterdam to

New drone footage has today (8 June) been released showing huge cast stone panels being hung on the curving walls of Kengo Kuma’s V&A Dundee; Scotland's first design museum. In total 2,466 pieces – each weighing between 1.5 and 2.5 tonnes – are being individually fixed into place, secured by two specially designed brackets secured to the building’s reinforced concrete walls. The video shows an engineer inspecting panels fixed to

Global spa management company Resense will manage a 1,540sq m (16,576sq ft) Kempinski Wave Spa, which is designed to envelop guests in natural elements through fresh colours and organic textures. Set to open in October 2017, the 310-bedroom Kempinski Muscat will be nestled within the community of Al Mouj, and encompass six kilometers of coastline. McNally Design International is using earthy woods, weather-worn stone and glass, smooth copper, trickling waters

The countdown has begun in earnest for the 2017 international architecture exposition in Astana, Kazakhstan. On 10 June, visitors will be able to explore the city’s futuristic new Expo City, which includes 28 buildings themed around the concept of ‘Future Energy’. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) masterplanned the site and have designed several of the buildings. The 174 ha site features exhibition and cultural pavilions (118,620sq m); service

A timber-clad sauna and bathhouse built on stilts has opened to the public in the town of Karlshamn on the southern coast of Sweden. The 200sq m (2,152sq ft) Kallbadhus – Swedish for “the cold bath house” – is located along a wooden beach promenade and sits at a height of three metres above sea level. Designed by Gothenburg-based architects White Arkitekten, the SEK8m (US$925,000, £716,000, €821,000) bath house is

Work has been completed on the rebuilding of Battersea Power Station’s iconic chimneys; the architectural centrepiece of the ongoing 42 acre regeneration of southwest London. The two pairs of original chimneys – built in the 1930s and the 1950s respectively – are very familiar in popular culture, having made appearances in Doctor Who, 1984, Sherlock and Children of Men among other films and television shows. They also featured on the

The masterplan for the AU$28.5m (US$21.4m, €19m, £16.5m) redevelopment of the home of Australian artist Arthur Boyd has been unveiled by Bundanon Trust – the charity managing the property – with the plans expected to more than double visitation to the attraction. Created by Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA), who won a competition in November from a shortlist of six Australian firms, the masterplan details a new gallery, visitors centre and

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has broken ground on a new building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, designed by Steven Holl Architects. The 165,000sq ft (15,300sq m) Nancy and Rich Kinder Building is the centrepiece of the museum’s wider US$450m (€400m, £348m) expansion, and will house 54,000sq ft (5,000sq m) of gallery space for exhibitions showcasing its collection. The building will be clad in a translucent-glass exterior, which

Ground has broken on the new Tainan Public Library in Taiwan, designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo. The 37,000sq m (398,200sq ft) building – which will feature a transparent stepped facade and below-grade courtyards – will have a 290-seat auditorium, a large conference hall, reading rooms, study spaces, a children’s play area, a café, a conference hall and public meeting spaces. The entrance hall will rise three levels up to show

Thailand-based hospitality company Dusit International has signed a management agreement with property investor Omstone Asia Capital Nepal to operate its first property in Nepal. The Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort & Spa – which will house 44 bedrooms and 20 exclusive villas – is scheduled to open in 2020. While the exact wellness facilities are yet to be confirmed, a spokesperson confirmed the property will have a Devarana-branded spa, providing personalised

Danish landscape architects SLA have won a design competition to develop a national park near the city of Roskilde into a 1,500 ha cultural landscape called The New Hedeland. The design concept is centred around the idea of bringing leisure and culture into the outdoors – creating an experience destination that will be a hotbed of voluntary work and human creativity. Flat fields will be transformed into mountains, new trails

Work has been completed on MVRDV’s latest eye-catching mixed-use building; an irregular tower block in the heart of Poznan, Poland. Baltyk is a 16-storey linear structure with a concrete, entirely glass-fronted façade and clearly exposed aggregate grain. The unusual form means it changes its shape depending on the side it is approached from. The majority of the 25,000sq m (270,000sq ft) building is dedicated to office space, but there is

World-renowned chefs the Roux family will create fine dining experiences for spectators at Tottenham Hotspur’s new-look White Hart Lane stadium when it opens next year. While football fans in Britain are accustomed to enjoying a pie and a pint of beer during a game, Tottenham wants to offer a rather more high-end alternative for those with deep pockets and an appetite for the finer things in life. For 12 matches

A small boutique wellness retreat has opened on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy. The Speranzina Relais and Restaurant is privately owned and operated by the Giordano family and is located at the end of the Sirmione peninsula. Designed as an “über-luxury” retreat, the property has just three guest bedrooms – two of which are fitted with private spa areas. The 101sq m (1,000sq ft) Royal Suite Maria Luisa

Footballer Lionel Messi has inspired a new theme park in China, which will have over 20 multimedia attractions dedicated to the FC Barcelona star. A consortium of developers, including China’s Phoenix Group and Spanish conglomerate Mediapro, are backing the Messi Experience Park in Nanjing – described as “a unique global experience” that will allow visitors “to immerse themselves in all things Messi”. The park will utilise virtual and augmented reality

International architecture firm Snøhetta have unveiled new details of the riverwalk they are creating for North America’s second largest waterfall. For over a century, the 42ft high Willamette Falls has been cut off from public access by industrial infrastructure built along the water’s edge. Now, new public spaces are planned to offer observation points that do justice to the height and drama of the site. The design, which has taken

Google has today (1 June) submitted an application for planning permission to Camden Council for its proposed King’s Cross HQ and revealed brand new images showcasing the design of the scheme by Heatherwick Studio and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Leisure lies at the heart of the dramatic ‘landscraper’ proposal, which features a vast rooftop garden across multiple storeys; a sports hall; a 200m-long running track for employees; a promenade looking

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has completed the first phase of its major renovation programme, and unveiled its final plans for a multi-year expansion designed by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, alongside Gensler. The renovation of the museum’s east section, which began in February 2016, is now finished. Galleries and public spaces have been enhanced on three floors with the reconfiguration of 15,000sq ft of space

International architecture studio OMA are designing a major mixed-use building in Boston, which will be seemingly sliced in two by cascading exterior terraces. Massachusetts property firm WS Development is overseeing the project in Boston Seaport; one of the fastest-growing leisure districts in the US. The project, called 88 Seaport Boulevard, will include nearly 425,000sq ft (39,500sq m) of office space, 60,000sq ft (5,570sq m) of retail and 5,000sq ft (465sq

Los Angeles FC, the Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise co-owned by Hollywood actor Will Ferrell, has unveiled plans to spend US$30m (£23.5m, €26.8m) on a new training facility. The facility will be built on the campus of California State University, and will be the third most expensive in MLS history following the US$60m (£46.9m, €53.6m) investments made my Atlanta United and Real Salt Lake in their respective training centres. Designed

Architecture competition organiser Bee Breeders have revealed the winners of its latest challenge: a task to design a meditation and wellness camp in one of Latvia’s most remote regions. The Stone Barn Meditation Camp competition sought to create a refuge for individuals amid “the pristine natural beauty” of Vidzeme, eastern Latvia – which is surrounded by forests, lakes and grasslands. Entries were received from across the work. Ultimately, Ukrainian practice

Work is underway on a vast new riverside sports park in Cork, Ireland, which will surround the city’s regenerated Páirc Uí Chaoimh Gaelic games stadium. Demolition has begun to clear space for phase one of Marina Park – a €20m development created around the stadium and the adjoining agricultural Munster Showgrounds. The phase one masterplan published by the city council is focused on the area to the west of the

Developer Allied London and architecture studio Levitt Bernstein have submitted design proposals to reinvigorate Manchester’s abandoned London Road Fire Station as a new leisure destination for the city. The Grade II* listed Edwardian Baroque style building had fallen into disrepair when it was bought by Allied London in 2015. Now the company wishes to refurbish and expanded the site to house a boutique hotel, bars, restaurants, workspace and apartments. The

Danish practice AART Architects have won an international design competition to create Denmark’s Rowing Stadium; a new venue for both the public and elite athletes that will be situated on Bagsværd Lake, outside of Copenhagen. The concept behind the studio’s winning design – which will be surrounded by water and forest on all sides – is that the “classical disciplines of rowing intersect with other forms of leisure.” “It is

Architects, designers, engineers, planners and manufacturers gathered in London earlier this month to participate in a roundtable discussion on how timber can and should be used to meet the construction challenges they face. The talks focused on how wooden materials can ease Britain’s housing crisis – it is projected that London alone requires 60,000 new houses a year, double the current rate, to meet demand – but the discussion also

Port Lympne Wild Animal and Safari Reserve debuted its new Tiger Lodge on 27 May – a first of its kind accommodation in the UK, built inside the zoo’s tiger enclosure. Featuring large picture windows, guests will be able to get face-to-face with Port Lympne’s tigers from the comfort of their own accommodation. On the other side of the lodges, a balcony offers views across the reserve and further, with