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

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Seoul's garden in the sky to a new museum exhibition dedicated Denmark's most infamous jailbreak. Monday • Architect Mike Davies has told CLADglobal about the “terrific fight” he, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano had with the French architectural establishment to realise their “radical” vision for Paris' Pompidou Centre. Read here. • German architecture studio Buero Wagner have

Northern Ireland’s popular Titanic Belfast attraction has submitted plans to expand its facility, with the operator casting its eye towards the hospitality side of its business. The plans, submitted to Belfast City Council propose the extension, integration and alteration of titanic pavilions, with a single storey extension of pavilions three and four. The plans also include a change of use, from retail to additional conferencing facilities, as well as a

Philanthropist and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated US$75m (€66.8m, £58.3m) to The Shed – an under construction cultural institution in New York’s burgeoning Hudson Yards district. Bloomberg made an initial donation of US$15m (€13.3m, £11.7m) in 2012, contributing a further US$60m (€53.5m, £46.6m) towards the project this week. His donation brings total funds raised up to US$421m (€375m, £327.4m) as part of a US$500m (€445.5m, £388.8m)

Hotel giant Marriott International has partnered with one of the largest shopping mall operators in the United Arab Emirates to develop a cinema-themed leisure development within the forthcoming Aloft Dubai City Centre Deira complex. Superheroes, spies, Hollywood and Bollywood will all be celebrated in the Deira’s hotel, which will feature a floor of 25 standard rooms and four suites all dedicated to the world of film. There will be film

The first competition-winning cabins that form Epic Retreats – Wales’ first pop-up boutique hotel – have been revealed. Several architectural teams were chosen through a competitive tender to design the purpose-built glamping units, which are themed on “the mythology, tradition and beauty of Wales.” Launched to coincide with Wales’s ‘Year of Legends,’ Epic Retreats is designed to immerse visitors in the country’s heritage and natural beauty. The cabins will be

The Bass – a contemporary art museum on Miami Beach – has been given a reopening date of 8 October following a US$12m (€10.7m, £9.3m) renovation headed by project architects David Gauld and Arata Isozaki. First opened in 1964 inside the Russell Pancoast-designed former Miami Beach Public Library and Art Center, the then Bass Museum of Art has been in operation ever since, with the institution focusing on exhibitions of

Swedish studio Ulf Mejergren Architects (UMA) have proposed transforming a one kilometre stretch of “mundane waterfront” in Stockholm into a public infinity pool that appears to blend with the Baltic Sea. The unique attraction would run from the northern part of Södermalm district – which overlooks the inlet where most of the city is located – all the way to eastern point of the island. It would be built just

Disney has celebrated the launch of its new Avatar land at Animal Kingdom with the operator marking the occasion by hosting a ‘Dedication of Pandora’ at the Orlando theme park. Based on the world of the 2009 Avatar movie, the striking ‘Pandora – The World of Avatar’ covers roughly 12 acres (48,500sq m) and feature multiple rides and attractions, entertainment, audio-animatronics, 3-D holograms as well as retail, food and beverage

The hotly-anticipated Marciano Art Foundation – a new art museum created by wHY Architecture and Design – opens tomorrow (25 May) in Los Angeles’ Windsor Square; within one of the city’s most unusual buildings. The 100,000sq ft (93,000sq m) arts space is housed inside the secretive former Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, designed by Californian painter and architect Millard Sheets in 1961. wHY’s founding partner, Kulapat Yantrasast, was tasked reinterpreting the

Horsen’s 162-year-old Prison Museum in Denmark has debuted a new permanent exhibition chronicling the escape of former prisoner Carl August Lorentzen. The exhibition, called Lorentzen’s Tunnel, tells the story of Lorentzen, a burglar who after 11 months of work had dug an 18-metre-long (60 foot) tunnel that led him to freedom on Christmas Eve 1949, leaving a note in his cell saying “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. While

The mayor of Seoul, Won-soon Park, has officially opened a 983 metre long botanical “floating walkway” along a transformed city highway. Designed by Dutch architects MVRDV, the Skygarden, known as Seoullo 7017, is a linear park featuring 24,000 plants, trees, shrubs and flowers from 200 local species – creating “a walkable plant library” for residents and visitors to the city. “Skygarden offers a living dictionary of plants which are part

Alila is set to open a new five-star eco-resort on the Cambodian island of Koh Russey later this year. The first Alila ‘Villas’ resort outside of Bali, Alila Villas Koh Russey will be a 15-minute boat ride from the Cambodian coast, and is surrounded by white-sand beaches and tropical forests. One- and two-bedroom villas each will have their own terrace, private pool and garden. Designed by Singaporean architect Chioh-Hui Coh

Architect Marc Fornes has created a platform for people to express themselves creatively and spontaneously, with a vibrant green pavilion in a Maryland park. Located in Merriweather Park, Columbia, The Chrysalis is formed of a collection of cascading meshed aluminium arches that vary in size and function. The largest arch frames 'Stage Alpha', dimensioned, equipped and structured for official events, including the performances of musicians. Adjacent is 'Stage Beta', a

Private equity management group Z Capital Partners has unveiled plans to renovate private and event spaces at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, with an aim to make it “the preeminent wellness hotel in the country.” Hong Kong-based hotel designer Peter Silling has been retained to develop the design concept, and will work to create “warm and welcoming” design features, highlighting a balanced, natural environment. Silling recently completed the CHF40m (US$40m,

Representatives of footballing icon David Beckham have unveiled the latest version of the stadium the former England captain wants to build as a home for his new franchise in Miami, Florida. Tim Leiweke, one of the investors behind Miami Beckham United, spoke to local politicians and residents at a Town Hall meeting last Wednesday (17 May) in Overtown, the neighbourhood where Beckham wants to locate the stadium. According to the

Construction work has begun on a new Sky Park in Bratislava, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), which is set to transform a derelict industrial area of the Slovakian capital. Located southeast of the city centre, the project includes a new 20,000sq m (215,200sq ft) public park and community of more than 700 apartments, together with 55,000sq m (592,000sq ft) of office and retail space connected to the city’s tram

German architecture studio Buero Wagner have won a high-profile commission to renovate Frankfurt’s historic concert hall and opera house. The Alte Oper – rebuilt four decades ago after the original 1880s structure was destroyed during the Second World War – is one of Germany’s leading cultural venues; with 450,000 people attending around 400 concerts a year. In order to create additional spaces for concertgoers to gather and socialise before and

One of the individuals integral to the completion of Paris’ landmark Pompidou Centre has told CLADglobal about the “terrific fight” Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and the rest of the design team had with the French architectural establishment to realise their “radical” vision for the controversial project. In an exclusive interview to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the building, Davies revealed that many local practices “resisted the notion of foreign architects

Italy’s government is giving away more than 100 historic buildings for free on the understanding that any prospective owners must turn their site into a heritage attraction. Hoping to breathe new life into disused public buildings, including castles, farmhouses and monasteries, the scheme was unveiled by the government-run Agenzia del Demanio (ADD) – Italy’s state property agency. "The goal is for private and public buildings which are no longer used

Weifang, China, is now home to an engineering marvel following the opening of the largest spokeless Ferris wheel in the world. Sitting over the Bailang River, the Bailang Bridge Ferris Wheel is located on the 1,771ft (540m) bridge that crosses the body of water in Shandong Province. Tianjin Craftsman Manufacture constructed the record-breaking wheel, which is the first to be built using a kite grid design, also described as a

London’s famous department store, Harrods, has opened a new wellness clinic on the fourth floor of its Knightsbridge store, with experts in the field of aesthetics, wellness and dermatology. The 10,500sq ft (975sq m) Wellness Clinic is in addition to the existing Urban Retreat spa at Harrods, and features 14 treatment rooms, two personal training studios designed for one-to-one training, a private consultation room, and a photography studio featuring a