Visitors to China’s capital can experience the Beijing National Stadium from a dramatic new perspective following the the opening of a corridor along the structure’s roof. According to the China Daily newspaper, visitors can now ascend to the very top of the landmark ground, which was designed by architecture studio Herzog and de Meuron and artist Ai Weiwei for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. A 200m (656ft) section originally built

The rise of modernism and motorism has created “technocratic, soulless cities which make cars and developers happy, but have no concern for people living in and using them,” according to Danish architect and urban designer Jan Gehl. In an exclusive interview with CLAD, Gehl and Helle Søholt, a founding partner at Gehl Architects, explained how city planners must be more “pro-people” when making important decisions on urban infrastructure and public

The rise of modernism and motorism has created “technocratic, soulless cities which make cars and developers happy, but have no concern for people living in and using them,” according to Danish architect and urban designer Jan Gehl. In an exclusive interview with CLAD, Gehl and Helle Søholt, a founding partner at Gehl Architects, explained how city planners must be more “pro-people” when making important decisions on urban infrastructure and public

David Rockwell has designed Starwood’s first Luxury Collection hotel in Tokyo – an “ethereal dream-like environment” that has now opened in the historic heart of the Japanese capital. The designer’s vision for The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho was inspired by “the sprawling sky and kaleidoscopic colours of the surrounding city,” which the hotel overlooks from its position across the top seven floors of the new 36-storey Tokyo Garden Terrace tower

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Bjarke Ingels' Greenland stadium plans to the latest on David Chipperfield's Nobel Center in Stockholm. Monday • Creating buildings that inspire love is about more than just arranging and inventing forms, argues Peter Zumthor in an exclusive interview with CLAD. Read here. • W Hotels Worldwide has announced it is planning to open a property in Melbourne's

Swiss luxury hotel operator Kempinski will open a five-star hotel located within the historic Manzana de Gomez building in Cuba in Q2 of this year. The 246-bedroom hotel is located within a UNESCO World Heritage Site and will be known as the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana. Markus Semer, chair of the management board and CEO of Kempinski Hotels, said that the hotel’s location within a famous historic building

Plans to build a landmark new home for the Nobel Center in Stockholm’s historic inner city have taken a major step forward, with the county administrative board approving a detailed local plan for the project and rejecting appeals against it. The project, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, has been narrowly supported by the city council in the past. However, it has faced continued opposition and legal challenges from local campaigners

One of the largest indoor waterparks in the world is coming to Copenhagen after Høje-Taastup Municipality revealed plans for a 360,000sq m (3.9m sq ft) mega-leisure development in the Danish city. Dubbed “Nordic Water Universe”, the development – which is four times the size of Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens – will be split into two parts, the first comprising a 11,700sq m (126,000sq ft) waterpark and amusement area, and the second

Companies can inspire productivity, profit and improved health and wellbeing among their staff by introducing biophilic amenities such as green fitness centres into their workplaces. That is the view of Despina Katsikakis, a leading workplace design consultant, who claims that the cost of such changes is “negligible when compared the benefits it brings for the organisation, its staff and the economy.” She made the comments during a panel discussion recently

A 1,300sq m (13,993sq ft) spa has opened on the sixth floor of the new Hamburg Elbphilharmonie concert hall, a shimmering, glass-covered building designed by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron. The elb spa features six treatment rooms on the upper floors of the Westin Hamburg, and has views of the spot where the port and city meet on the River Elbe. German skincare brand Babor has created exclusive

The studio of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels have agreed to design a new indoor football stadium for Greenland, according to media reports in the island territory. Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR) have reported that BIG will create “a new gathering point” for the capital city Nuuk by creating a modern stadium on a disused plot of land, with several large windows providing views of the harbour, surrounding fjords and the bay.

The contentious redevelopment of Roland Garros, the home of French tennis, will go ahead after the Administrative Court of Paris threw out a legal challenge brought by critics of the project. The ruling brings an end to a tumultuous saga, which has seen the Council of State and Paris Crown Court rule in favour of the project going ahead, only for a different court – the Tribunal de Grande Instance

Queens Park Rangers FC is exploring the possibility of building a 30,000-capacity stadium on the site of the Linford Christie Athletics Stadium after being thwarted in its attempt to develop at Old Oak Common. According to multiple reports, the Championship football club wants to demolish the athletics venue and build a stadium on the site alongside a new adjacent athletics facility. The Linford Christie Stadium – currently used by the

The government of Qatar is spending as much as US$500m (€467m, £399m) a week on infrastructure ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to the emirate’s finance minister. Ali Sharif El-Emadi told journalists on Tuesday that the weekly investment “will carry on for the next three to four years to achieve our goal and objective of really getting the country ready for 2022.” While nine stadiums are being built

Practices designing public squares should consider how they can enhance tolerance and provide platforms for peaceful democratic protest, according to landscape architect and theorist James Corner. Speaking exclusively to CLAD, Corner explained how well-conceived public city squares can be “conducive to more tolerance” at a time when “democracy is being challenged”. “They’re great spaces for people to be exposed to other people – people who are not like themselves,” he

FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must “take the lead” on stadium sustainability to make the hosting of events less prohibitive, according to the architect behind the Commonwealth Games 2022 masterplan. Talking to CLAD, Ruben Reddy said building huge stadiums for one-off events was a large burden on the taxpayer, particularly in developing countries where “priority lists are quite long”. He stressed that major sporting events should be “global

Chicago's mayor, Rahm Emanuel, has announced ambitious plans to transform the city’s famous Willis Tower into a civic destination offering “unique retail and entertainment experiences.” The building – an architectural icon and, at 1,450ft (442m), one of the world's tallest structures – was designed by architect Bruce Graham at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and opened in 1973 as the Sears Tower. It has not been renovated in the four decades

The International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) has planned an “unprecedented sharing of expertise, insight and discussion” on the design, development and operation of leisure centres and swimming pools this week. International architects, engineers, government officials and leisure centre operators will converge in Dublin from 9-10 February to discuss topics such as state of the art sports facility design, creating sustainability, future-proofing and encouraging inclusion. Facilities used as

Mandarin Oriental will open a new hotel and branded residences in Honolulu in 2020. The new Hawaiian hotel will be the anchor of Mana ‘olana Place, a 36-storey, mixed use tower with gardens and public plazas, which is being developed by Los Angeles-based Salem Partners. It will include a Spa at Mandarin Oriental that will offer holistic rejuvenation and relaxation, with eight treatment rooms. Further leisure options include a comprehensive

Boutique hotelier Ian Schrager has won the 2017 Pioneer Award for “his outstanding impact on the hospitality industry” and his longstanding support for design-led hotels. The prestigious accolade is awarded each year by the the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) to celebrate the recipient’s active involvement in the industry, their contribution to hospitality, and their “personal qualities.” In its award citation for Schrager, the association said: “For over five

Lord’s Cricket Ground has become the first purpose-built cricket stadium in Britain to run on 100 per cent renewable energy. As part of the sustainability strategy devised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) – the owner of Lord’s – the ground has met its 2020 emissions target already and reduced its electricity consumption by seven per cent since 2010. The ground’s new Warner Stand – which will be complete in April

French architecture studios Sockeel and Olgga have joined forces to revamp the stadium of football club ULS Dunkerque into a beautiful and accessible facility for the community in the historic beach town. The duo have won a design competition for the “demolition and reconstruction” project, which will see the aging Stade Marcel-Tribut re-designed and expanded by 2,000 seats to hold 5,000 spectators. Work will begin in September 2017 when the

The Hammer Museum will increase its exhibition space by 60 per cent, announcing plans for a 40,000sq ft (3,700sq m) expansion and renovation of its existing Los Angeles home by 2020. LA-based architecture firm Michael Maltzan (MMA) will head up the project, which will feature two new major galleries, with one specifically for works on paper, emphasising the museum’s growing collection of photographs and drawings. The multi-year plan will enhance

Toronto's urban waterfront has been transformed with the temporary addition of five mysterious installations in the parks, bridges and squares along Queens Quay. The large works of public art, dubbed ‘Ice Breakers,’ have been added to animate the city’s public areas during the cold winter months. The initiative is a collaboration between community group Waterfront BIA and the annual Winter Stations competition – which creates installations in the lifeguard posts

US National Football League (NFL) franchise the Green Bay Packers has revealed it is nearing completion on the first phase of its very own sports-anchored leisure district. The club has selected sports architects Rossetti to masterplan the 34 acre Titletown District – located just west of its 81,400-capacity Lambeau Field stadium – with a design strategy focused on “the vibrancy of the public realm,” particularly on match days. Designed as

W Hotels Worldwide has announced it is planning to to open a property in Melbourne, Australia, in 2020 as part of an ambitious and controversial mixed-use scheme. The lifestyle hotel brand, now part of Marriott International, has partnered with real estate firms Daisho Development Melbourne and Cbus Property to open the W Melbourne within Collins Arch – the forthcoming mixed-use AU$1bn (US$765.5m, €713m, £613.5m) luxury development designed by SHoP Architects

Legendary South Florida retreat The Surf Club has been reimagined by Four Seasons and is slated to open early 2017. In the 1930s, the property was a favourite destination for world leaders, artists and Hollywood film stars, and now the iconic club has been brought back to life by architect Richard Meier and Paris-based architect and designer Joseph Dirand with 77 guest rooms, 119 private residences and a 15,000 square