Danish architects EFFEKT will convert an abandoned windmill factory in the city of Viborg into a vibrant culture house for street sports, street culture and street art. The studio have won a design competition for the project, which will be the second of their buildings to carry the ‘Streetmekka’ name. Last year they completed GAME Streetmekka in Esbjerg – an urban sports hub in a converted rail depot. In Viborg

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium to an interview with the architect behind the Building of the Year. Monday • The British Film Institute (BFI) has confirmed Thailand’s PACE Development Corporation is its preferred bidder to fund its planned International Centre for Film, TV and the Moving Image on London’s South Bank. Read here. • Developers around the world

Copenhagen architects EFFEKT have today (20 January) won planning permission to build a 45m (147.6ft) spiralling observation tower in a preserved Danish forest. Located in Gisselfeld Klosters Skove, one hour south of the capital, the structure will be part of Camp Adventure, an existing sports facility with tree top climbing paths and aerial zip lines. The tower will link to the rest of the attraction via a connected walkway leading

The architect masterminding a new home for English football team Tottenham Hotspur – billed by the Premier League club as “the most unique sports and entertainment destination in Europe” – has lifted the lid on how the stadium will create an important hub for the local community. Speaking to CLAD during a tour of the construction site, Christopher Lee, managing director of stadium architects Populous, said the key driver of

Architecture studio Grimshaw have revealed more details and images of their Sustainability Pavilion for the Dubai 2020 Expo. The project’s design features were unveiled on 17 January at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2017, with representatives from the firm pledging the pavilion “will be a celebration of ecology, sustainable technologies and design.” Grimshaw’s contribution to the Expo will be one of the centrepieces of the international architecture festival when it opens

Spa and fitness consultancy firm WTS International (WTS) has announced its collaboration with development company Trillist to create a new lifestyle brand called The Art of Living, focused on boosting people’s wellness through design. The brand will make its debut this year at YOO on the Park, a design-led luxury apartment complex in in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, US. According to WTS, the Art of Living will stimulate the

The foundation stone has been laid for the “world’s biggest cricket stadium” in the city of Ahmedabad, India. The unnamed ground and its surrounding landscape will reportedly cover an area of 63 acres in the Montera locality, with the city’s previous cricketing venue – the 49,000-capacity Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium – razed to make way. Sports architects Populous are overseeing the project. The firm previously designed Melbourne Cricket Ground –

The Mandai nature and wildlife park planned for an area near Singapore Zoo has kicked off the development phase with a “ground-seeding ceremony” and revealed fresh details about the project. Developer Mandai Park Holdings (MPH) says the S$1bn (US$703m, €657m, £570m) project will include a bird park, a rainforest park, an indoor attraction and eco-accommodation. Aside from these attractions, there will be plenty of public park and landscaped spaces with

The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the first Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant outside of the Americas will open in the first quarter of 2017, featuring “a house within a hotel” for private groups. Amsterdam is the location for the hotel, with architects Kentie en Partners and design firm Michaelis Boyd Associates appointed to renovate and refurbish three original Renaissance-era buildings located close to the city’s central station. When finished,

In a move that illustrates the explosive growth of wellness tourism, Hyatt Hotels has acquired wellness resort provider Miraval Group for US$215m (€201m, £175m) from an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners. The deal includes Miraval’s flagship property in Tucson, Arizona, as well as the Miraval Life in Balance Spa brand; Hyatt will also continue Miraval’s plans to redevelop the recently acquired 220-acre Travaasa Resort in Austin, Texas and pursue the

In a move that illustrates the explosive growth of wellness tourism, Hyatt Hotels has acquired wellness resort provider Miraval Group for US$215m (€201m, £175m) from an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners. The deal includes Miraval’s flagship property in Tucson, Arizona, as well as the Miraval Life in Balance Spa brand; Hyatt will also continue Miraval’s plans to redevelop the recently acquired 220-acre Travaasa Resort in Austin, Texas and pursue the

Work is progressing on a US$7.2m (€6.8m, £6m) upgrade to Jamaica’s Appleton Estate Rum Tour, with Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) taking charge of completely redeveloping the historic brand’s visitor experience. Scheduled for completion in October 2017, work will include the renovation of the existing sugar estate and distillery that has been handcrafting rums since 1749, with the addition of modern rum tasting rooms, an expansive retail store, and a new

International architecture studio OMA have continued their longstanding fascination with libraries as physical public spaces in an increasingly digital world with the opening of the Bibliothèque Alexis de Tocqueville in Caen, France. The new public library for the Normandy commune opened to the public on January 13. Located at the intersection of the city's historic core and an area of redevelopment, the 12,500sq m multimedia building is an important new

France’s most iconic landmark is about to undergo a €300m (US$320m, £260m) renovation, with officials announcing a massive 15-year project that will preserve the attraction for many decades. The 128-year-old structure, originally designed by Gustave Eiffel as a temporary structure for the 1889 Universal Exhibition, now attracts more than 7 million visitors a year and is a symbol of the French capital. Works will include a full structural analysis, with

Norwegian architecture studio Snøhetta have designed a new addition to Sweden’s famous Treehotel, providing a unique perspective of the Northern Lights from a forest canopy. Hovering 10m (32.8ft) above the ground amongst the trees, the 7th Room is a traditional Nordic wooden cabin with a large netted terrace suspended above the forest floor. Designed to create a feeling of height and weightlessness, as well as stability, the unusual hotel room

Design studio Brut Deluxe has unveiled a unique light-filled labyrinth, with the immersive light installation part of the Luneng Sanya Bay Light and Art Festival in Hainan, China. Created using a formula of triangular geometry, the 2.5 metre-high (8.2ft) acrylic glass maze is coated with a dichroic film – a very accurate colour filter used to selectively pass light of a small range of colors while reflecting other colours. As

Organisers of the Los Angeles Olympic bid for 2024 cemented the sustainability credentials of the project, confirming that only existing, already planned, or temporary venues will be used should they be successful. LA 2024’s committee revealed the venues for archery, modern pentathlon and mountain biking, with all three taking place in planned of existing facilities. Archery will take place in the LA Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park, which

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders of Irish studio Grafton Architects, have been appointed as curators of the 16th Venice International Architecture Exhibition in 2018. The duo – who have just claimed the inaugural RIBA International Prize for the UTEC University campus in Lima, Peru – will expand on the social themes explored by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena at the 2016 Biennale, focusing on how architecture can be used as

New York design studio Snarkitecture have once again revived The Beach, their popular installation involving an indoor seaside experience and an ocean of plastic balls. Sydney is the latest destination to host the piece, which doubles as an artwork and an attraction and was first created in 2015 for the National Building Museum in Washington D.C – where it attracted 200,000 visitors in just two months. Taking cues from the

Robert Konieczny, the principal of Polish architecture studio KWK Promes, has described how he won the World Architecture Festival’s 2016 Building of the Year prize by creating a museum that doubles as a “city-forming” public space for the people of Szczecin, Poland. The National Museum and Dialogue Centre Przelomy – which explores the city’s history of Nazi occupation, resistance against post-war Soviet communist authority, and eventual transition to democracy –

The British Film Institute (BFI) has confirmed Thailand’s PACE Development Corporation is its preferred bidder to fund its planned International Centre for Film, TV and the Moving Image on London’s South Bank. A BFI representative told CLAD the organisation is “now in contract negotiations” with the developer, which impressed “following a procurement process for process to test the market for investors.” The institute wants to create a flagship national home

Developers around the world are increasingly looking to the skies, with more buildings over 200m (656ft) completed in 2016 than in any other year. In its review of the year, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has determined that 128 buildings of 200m height or greater were completed around the world – a marking the third year running the record has been broken. The figure represents a

The opening of the hotly-anticipated Bristol Arena will be delayed by two years after the relationship between the main contractor and the council broke down over cost. According to a statement made by Bristol City Council, the local authority and Bouygues UK decided to “part ways” as a “price cannot be reached”. Last April, it was revealed that the Populous-designed venue – which is going to be used for sport

Wonderland – Dubai’s first theme park which closed its doors in 2013 – will be resurrected after developers revealed plans for a AED1.8bn (US$490m, €460m, £402m) redevelopment of the abandoned attraction. To be executed in three phases, Ento Capital Management is in charge of the redevelopment, which is scheduled to start in Q1 2017, with work taking three years to complete. As part of the redevelopment masterplan by Forrec, the

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has delayed plans to redevelop its southwest wing by as long as seven years, as the famous institution aims to get its finances in order. Deficits have led the museum to cut US$31m (€29.1m, £25.4m) from its annual operating budget, something it has achieved with voluntary buyouts and layoffs, also increasing retail revenue in its stores. With the museum trying to balance its books

US Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Los Angeles FC have released new images of their forthcoming stadium, designed by architects and engineers Gensler. The images reveal new perspectives of the Banc of California Stadium, and particularly its semi-transparent curving roof, which will make the building an instantly recognisable landmark for driver’s passing on the adjacent freeway. Ground was broken on the US$250m (€234.8m, £204.5m) project in August 2016, and construction

Plans for a £1.3bn (US$1.6bn, €1.5bn) tidal lagoon in Welsh city Swansea have been backed by a government-commissioned independent review, with a number of conclusions suggesting further development across the UK if the project is a success. The innovative renewable energy scheme, which will be the world’s first tidal lagoon to generate clean electricity, has a large leisure component – including an oyster hatchery attraction and watersport centre designed by