Tulips, timber and triangles are at the heart of an elegant timber gateway created by architecture studio Mecanoo for Keukenhof – one of the world's largest flower gardens. The 79 acre park, located in the Dutch town Lisse, is popular among domestic and international tourists who travel to see Keukenhof’s impressive selection of flora and fauna. Approximately seven million flower bulbs are planted there annually and it is nicknamed ‘the

Australia’s first “Active Lifestyle” project is coming closer to reality, with the Sunshine Coast Council granting development approval for the first phase of the $400m (US$305m, €280.7m, £243m) Queensland venture. SANAD Capital – the Australian offshoot of Dubai-based investment firm Najibi Group – is developing the project, called ACTIVE, across a 25 hectare plot on Steve Irwin Way, which it purchased in January 2016. The council has now approved 14

US National Football League (NFL) franchise the Oakland Raiders are to relocate to Las Vegas, after other NFL owners voted yesterday (27 Match) to approve the controversial move to Nevada. The Raiders received 31 of 32 votes to approve the move, far above the minimum requirement of 24. It is now in a position to proceed with its ambitions to build a 65,000 capacity stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

Seven architecture studios have made it on to the final shortlist to design a new theatre in the heart of Edinburgh – the £25m Ross Pavilion and Gardens project. The studios in contention are: • Adjaye Associates (UK) • BIG Bjarke Ingels Group (Denmark) • Flanagan Lawrence (UK) • Page Park Architects (UK) • Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter (Norway) • wHY (USA) • William Matthews Associates (UK) and Sou Fujimoto Architects

The winner has been announced in an architecture competition to design a rural spa and guest house in Kurzeme, Western Latvia. The Blue Clay Country Spa contest, organised by organising company Bee Breeders, invited architects of all experience levels to present ideas for a spa and guesthouse in a remote natural forest, famed for its blue clay. They were tasked with envisioning “the economic, cultural, and architectural implications of inhabiting

The popularity of eSports competitions – in which opposing players compete at video games played online, often with thousands of digital spectators following the action – has grown at a huge rate in the last decade. Now sports architects Populous have revealed they are developing physical, purpose-built arenas in which the digital battles of the future can be hosted. Brian Mirakian, the director of the Populous’ Activate design agency in

Copenhagen Zoo has revealed it is working with BIG architects on a brand new panda enclosure that will be shaped like an enormous yin-yang symbol. The new exhibit will house two giant pandas that China has offered to loan to Denmark, and will be built on the footprint of the zoo’s former elephant enclosure, which is now empty and will be demolished. The pandas will be delivered from Chengdu at

The architecture studio of Kengo Kuma have revealed their design plans for a textured tourist centre on the banks of Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, China. The Yangcheng Lake Travel Distribution Center, which will double as a depot for the lake’s fleet of boats, is currently under construction and will be completed by the end of 2017. The 7,760sq m (83,500sq ft) structure will include two overlapping wing-like triangular roofs formed

Denmark's first newly built theatre in over a century has opened outside the capital Copenhagen as “a cultural dynamo for the entire region.” Designed by architecture studio Schmidt Hammer Lasson, the 4,200sq m (45,200sq ft) Vendsyssel Theatre in Hjørring includes a music hall, a black box auditorium, a rehearsal hall and a 430-seat ‘in-the-round’ theatre. The striking €23m (US25$m, £19.8m) complex is formed of a series of cubic blocks. They

A new 900sq m (9,688sq ft) Eagles Spa by Elemis is set to open near the birthplace of Aristotle, in time to celebrate the great philosopher’s 2,400th birthday. Located in Halkidiki, Greece, the spa is part of a larger expansion of the five-star Eagles Palace resort, which also includes the addition of Eagles Villas. The 42 villas, designed by architects 3sk Stylianidis, are nestled into a green hilltop and feature

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from a planned anime theme park to an ice rink frozen using solar power. Monday • The soon-to-be-built 60,000-capacity Perth Stadium could be the centre point for a Commonwealth Games bid after the Western Australian city threw its hat into the ring to host the 2022 edition. Read here. • A new scientific and cultural complex exploring the

New York architecture studio Oiio have unveiled an eccentric design concept to counter the city’s strict building height restrictions: a looping skyscraper called The Big Bend. Described by the studio as both “a modest architectural solution” to zoning limitations and as “the world’s tallest building,’ the thin structure – 4,000ft long if measured end to end – resembles an enormous upside down U-shape. Renderings of the project imagine it looming

A new boutique spa and beauty salon has opened in the De Waterkant district of Cape Town, South Africa, "bringing a contemporary edge to the city." Lume Beauty Atelier was created by local interior designers ARRCC and Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects (SAOTA), with a brief to offer visitors a luxury experience in upscale, high fashion surroundings. For the reception foyer, monochromatic tones were used to bring calmness to the

A new Four Seasons hotel designed by architects WATG has opened in China’s fourth largest metropolis. Rising above the city’s central business district, the Four Seasons Tianjin is housed in one of two new towers, both of which are supported by a podium for leisure amenities. The 52,000sq m (559,700sq ft) complex contains 90 residential units, 5,000sq m (53,800sq ft) of retail space and 259 hotel guest rooms in the

A technology-focused real estate development company that’s creating a new model for self-sustaining wellness communities has launched a pilot 'ReGen Village' in the Netherlands. Located in Almere, the development, designed by Danish architects EFFEKT, includes 300 homes that will grow their own food and generate their own power on-site. Other ReGen developments are also being considered in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany and Belgium. The idea for the communities is to

Everton FC has moved a step closer to realising its ambition to build a new stadium after agreeing a financial package with the local authority. The Premier League football club has agreed terms with Peel Holdings to acquire the site in Liverpool’s Bramley Moore Dock – a deal brokered by the city’s mayor, Joe Anderson. A report will be presented to the council on 31 March recommending an arrangement that

Plans have been announced to open an anime and manga theme park on an island in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, with the attraction to be based on popular titles Hi no Tori (Phoenix) and Crayon Shin-chan. Dubbed Nijigen No Mori – which translates to ‘Anime Forest’ – Pasona Group will operate the attraction in Awajishima Koen park on Awajishima island. Utilising the area’s natural beauty, along with the latest visual technologies,

Latvian practice Mailitis Architects have designed an amphitheatre with a unique wind tunnel for a band of levitating monks. The Shaolin Flying Monks Theatre has been built on Songshan Mountain in central China – a Unesco World Heritage that is home to the Shaolin Monastery, traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Kung-Fu martial arts. The monks who live on the mountain develop skills in many scenic

German fitness operator McFit has launched a new gym concept centred around design and music. The first John Reed Fitness Music Clubs launched in the cities of Bonn and Salzburg in late July 2016. To date, nine have been opened in Germany, Austria, Italy and Hungary, and McFit wants to have 30 studios open by the end of 2017. Each club has its own unique design, with furnishings and features

A British heritage charity has warned that council planning committees are too easily seduced by glitzy computer-generated images of buildings they’re tasked with approving or rejecting. According to the Telegraph newspaper, Marcus Binney of Save Britain's Heritage argued that such images rarely show the reality of how the building will appear and be used in reality. "[Developers] lavish large amounts of money on producing these images, and they're very persuasive,”

Architect Margot Krasojevic has designed an ice rink facility on a Russian lake that will use the power of the sun and geothermal energy to keep the surface frozen all year round. The ‘Liquid Skating Photovoltaic Ice Skating Rink’ will be located high in the mountains of the Kamchatka peninsula – a popular tourist hotspot due to its volcanic terrain, nature reserves and hot springs. Krasojevic’s client, China Film House,

Rwandan fashion entrepreneur Teta Isibo has been appointed by ecotourism operator Wilderness Safaris to bring “a vibrant Rwandan flair” to the interior design of its Bisate Lodge, which is due to open in one of the country’s remote mountain valleys on 1 June 2017. Isibo, who is also the founder Rwandan studio Inzuki Designs, is collaborating with Nick Plewman Architects, interior designer Caline Williams-Wynn, local textile experts and the country’s

London practice Serie Architects have revealed new images of their design for the Jameel Arts Centre (JAC) in Dubai and confirmed the facility will open next year. Located at the tip of Dubai’s Cultural Village, overlooking Dubai Creek, the 10,000sq m (107,000sq ft) non-profit centre will house art galleries, studios, an artist residence, a creative enterprise incubator, a sculpture garden, a roof terrace and a restaurant. It will present curated

Studio Libeskind have revealed new design details for their dramatic mixed-use tower on the banks of the River Neris in Vilnius, Lithuania; pledging to create “a sustainable 24/7 public space for the Baltic states.” The practice, headed by architect Daniel Libeskind, revealed that public realm will be created around the 18-storey, 200,000sq m (215,000sq ft) k18b tower, as well as being integrated into its internal spaces. The focal point of

A museum complex designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) partly on the site of a former German WWII bunker is nearing completion in Blåvand, western Denmark. The Museum Center Blåvand – which CLAD understands could open as early as June – integrates four independent institutions that are embedded in the dunes around the Tirpitz bunker, which was constructed by Nazi Germany during the war and survived the Allies’ bombing campaigns.

A new scientific and cultural complex exploring the world of polar bears, penguins, icebergs and expeditions has opened in Prémanon, eastern France. Described as “a new spot for knowledge and recreation” in the Jura mountains, Polar World is dedicated to telling stories of the Arctic and Antarctica. The attraction is composed of a museum, a skating rink, an auditorium, a pedagogical garden, a multipurpose exhibition room and a restaurant. Everything

Boutique hospitality group Sereno Hotels has announced the opening of Il Sereno Lago di Como – an “intimate, design-driven” hotel designed by Patricia Urquiola on the banks of Italy’s Lake Como. The picturesque location is a popular beauty spot, drawing tourists with its dramatic vistas of the southern Italian Alps and idyllic small towns, and George Clooney, Madonna and Donatella Versace have all snapped up properties on the lake. Il