Four design teams have been shortlisted for a project to reimagine the Eiffel Tower's visitor experience. Groups led by AL_A, Gustafson, Porter + Bowman, Agence Ter and Koz Architectes are in the running for the large-scale project, which covers a 540,000sq m area either side of the River Seine. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has voiced the city’s ambition to make every visit to the landmark more enjoyable and accessible by

International architects Snøhetta have designed a new planetarium and a visitor centre for Norway’s largest astronomical facility by studying the night sky for design inspiration. Nestled in the dense forest of Harestua, 45km north of Oslo, Solobservatoriet is the largest solar observatory North of the Alps. Its original observatory was built by the University of Oslo for the total solar eclipse of 1954, and a satellite tracking station was established

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, has announced plans for a new museum of antiquities, which will be designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The Beirut Historical Museum will be constructed in the capital’s downtown area, running from Martyrs Square to the waterfront. Funded in part by the state of Kuwait, it will house archaeological artefacts from a host of civilisations, from the Bronze Age onwards. Exhibits will include

The Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) has opened its doors to the public following a transformation of the historic cruise liner into a tourist destination and hotel by the government of Dubai. The world-famous vessel, which was decommissioned in 2008, is now docked permanently at Mina Rashid in Dubai. Reimagined as a floating 13-deck attraction, it is welcoming visitors on board for the soft opening of some of its dining, accommodation

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has released the first design images for a new Seoul Cinematheque – a complex celebrating the visual arts to be built in Chungmuro, the heart of South Korea’s domestic film industry. Opening in February 2021, the venue will show non-commercial, independent, artistic, and classic films across four theatres, including one on the rooftop, with capacities ranging from 150 to 300. The project will be built on

International architects OMA have completed their latest addition to fashion house Prada’s arts complex in southern Milan, on the site of a former gin distillery. Torre is a nine-level, 60m (197ft) high tower with a facade that alternates between glass and white concrete surfaces. Devoted to “the development of a new typology for the exhibition of art” at Fondazione Prada, the structure’s different levels each have different spatial parameters, due

Montreal’s contemporary art museum has unveiled the design for its new home, after selecting the winning proposal from a hard-fought architecture competition. Quebec studios Saucier+Perrotte Architectes and GLCRM & Associés Architectes unanimously swayed the judges with a vision described as “luminous and relevant”. The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (MAC), located in the city’s Quartier des spectacles, is one of Canada’s most important national museums, dedicated exclusively to the promotion

Bjarke Ingels Group are designing a hotel next to their forthcoming Audemars Piguet watchmaking museum in the village of Le Brassus, Switzerland. As with that subtly spiralling attraction – which is due to open in 2019 – the new project, Hotel des Horlogers, will be integrated into the topography of the landscape. Five zigzagging room slabs will expand into a gently sloping exterior path, leading directly to the museum and

Architecture and planning practice FXCollaborative have been selected by the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) to transform a historic New York church into the attraction’s new home. The 1903 building, located on 96th Street in Manhattan, was originally designed by architects Carrère & Hastings to house the First Church of Christ, Scientist. The site has now been acquired by the museum, which wants to adapt it into “an ever-evolving place

A blueprint designed to create a sustainable tourism model for, and to protect, the world heritage of Edinburgh has been revealed, with the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland uniting to develop the five-year masterplan. Edinburgh is made up of two distinct areas – the Old Town and the New Town. The former is dominated by a medieval fortress, while the latter has been developed

BRC Imagination Arts is undertaking the renovation of a museum dedicated to the life of circus showman PT Barnum. Based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the original 1893 museum suffered damages after being hit by a series of fires, tornadoes and hurricanes over the years. The new-look attraction will use state-of-the-art technology and special effects, original artefacts, cinema and visitor immersion in exhibits and installations that inspire guests and educate them about

The new home for Brazil’s 50-year-old Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) is entering the final stages of its development, with the Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed (DS+R) building taking shape on Rio’s beachfront. Opened in 1965, MIS offers a vast archive of photographs, film, documents and sound recordings reflecting the cultural history of Rio. In 2009, DS+F were selected from a number of world-class architects, beating the likes of Daniel

Visitors to Chicago’s historic Navy Pier will soon be able to enjoy a new streamlined experience for its children’s museum, which is currently undergoing an extensive design overhaul. Reimagined by local firm Krueck+Sexton Architects (K+S), the Chicago Children’s Museum redevelopment plan calls for a cleaner, less cluttered appearance, with refreshed exhibition spaces and a significantly more streamlined visitor experience, relocating all access to the main floor of the museum. “The

The developers of EuropaCity in Paris have provided a first glimpse at the eight key leisure buildings that will be constructed for the €3.1bn (US$3.8bn, £2.7bn) project. Following a competitive six-month competition process, several established and emerging architecture practices from France and further afield have been selected to work on the accommodation and attractions that will form the cultural heart of the vast scheme – which has been masterplanned by

After a long and difficult construction process, Miami’s Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science opened to the public last May. However, with only the first phase of the major attraction completed, more problems are arising, with construction firm Skanska filing a lawsuit against the museum. With the US$300m (€244.5m, £213.6m) building project facing so many financial shortfalls over the years, the contractor alleges it was not paid for work

A much-hyped movie museum in the home city of famed director Sir Peter Jackson could be in need of a reshoot, with the movie mogul calling for a temporary cut on the long-delayed project after locking horns with the city council. Located in a prime tourism spot, opposite the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the proposed Movie Museum development includes the visitor attraction occupying two floors of the

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland, one of the 25 Wonders of the World, has undergone a significant expansion with the opening of its first luxury opening, the Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland. A four-year endeavour, the Retreat is the result of a partnership between Blue Lagoon; Basalt Architects, the firm that designed the complex and made significant contributions to its interior design; and Design Group Italia, the agency that conceived

Experimental New York design studio Snarkitecture are returning to Washington D.C.’s National Building Museum, three years after their enormous ball pit became a huge attraction for the institution. The museum has announced the New York collective will create a sprawling Fun House in its Great Hall for the 2018 edition of its annual Summer Block Party, from 4 July to 3 September. The freestanding structure will recall and re-imagine the

London architects Sergison Bates have won the international competition to convert the Citroën Yser Garage in Brussels – once Europe’s largest car factory – into a new branch of the Pompidou Centre art museum. The firm, along with Zurich studio EM2N and Brussels practice Aarchitecten, have been selected ahead of the likes of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Christ & Gantenbein and OMA for the high-profile commission – the largest new

A new museum exploring the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel has opened its doors to the general public in Bristol. Called Being Brunel, the £7.2m (US$10.1m, €8.2m) museum explore the life of the man who is known as one of the greatest minds in the history of engineering, hailed as the “genius who built Britain”. The new attraction, designed by local firm Alec French Architects, is made up of six

A planning application for a new Welcome Pavilion to be built at Liverpool's Albert Dock has been submitted to the city council. Designed by K2 Architects, the structure represents the first phase of a masterplan to upgrade the dockland attraction – home to the largest group of Grade I listed buildings in the country – to the evolving needs of visitors, who travel to the landmark for its mixture of

A dramatic drone video released by international design studio Ennead Architects has offered a glimpse at their planetarium for the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum taking shape in the Chinese city. The footage provides a sweeping overview of the 38,000sq m (409,000sq ft) structure as it rises from the ground in the city’s Lingang district. Construction began on the project in November 2016, and completion is scheduled by 2020.

US architect Steven Holl has won an international design competition for the new Angers Collectors Museum and hotel, inspired by the medieval Apocalypse Tapestry displayed in the French city. Collaborating with Parisian real estate firm Compagnie de Phalsbourg, Holl’s design for the museum is inspired by the historic Chateau d’Angers – built by King Louis IX in the 13th century – with the architect planning to create a new cultural

The latest design proposals for David Chipperfield’s 1,000-capacity concert hall in Edinburgh – the city’s first in 100 years – have been publicly revealed for the first time. The venue, situated behind the historic Dundas House at 36 St Andrew Square, will be the permanent home of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) – with a “world class” auditorium and recital and recording space “to rival the best in Europe.” In

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued a license for the establishment of the country’s first ever Museum of History of Science and Technology in Islam. Issued by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), the license will see the museum established at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. The project, said a release, will be developed in collaboration with the Institute of Arab and

The Istanbul Modern, Turkey’s leading contemporary art gallery, has closed its doors on the banks of the Bosphorus, where a new home will be built on the same site. The museum – in the trendy harbourside area of Karaköy with its Ottoman architecture, modern shops and ancient mosque and baths – is to be demolished and a new building by Pritzker prize-winner Renzo Piano will take its place. Although Renzo

A museum designed as a ”timeless treasure chest” showcasing Israel’s natural history is ready to open on the Tel Aviv University Campus. Architecture firm Kimmel Eshkolot have designed the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, whose collections include five and a half million animals and plants telling the story of biodiversity in Israel and the Middle East during the past century. The building’s block-like form, attached to a large wooden-panelled shell