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

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

Chinese architecture and design firm Golucci International have completed a Shanghai hot pot restaurant inspired by Asia’s spa heritage. Si-Pu Nabe, located in the Tianshan neighbourhood, has been designed as an intimate space where diners can choose either to reflect in isolation or socialise in a relaxed atmosphere. To provide a platform for contemplation, the restaurant has no public areas and instead consists of 27 private dining rooms of various

A major new spa designed by Blainey North has opened in Crown Towers Perth, Australia. Crown Spa boasts 13 opulent, aqua-hued treatment rooms, vitality pools tiled in gold and platinum, spa tables designed by Gharieni, marble showers and curtained relaxation zones. Reminiscent of traditional Roman bath houses, North drew inspiration from the refraction of light underwater when looking up towards the sun, to create an oasis and provide a relaxing

Situated overlooking the Hudson River and with sweeping views of Manhattan, urban spa resort and hotel SoJo Spa Club will welcome its first guests this month. Billed as an "eight-storey slice of heaven on the Hudson," the 240,000sq ft (22,297sq m) riverside retreat includes 60,000sq ft (5,574sq m) of wellness space spread over three floors. The spa itself features 17 treatment rooms across 7,000sq ft (650sq m): two couple’s rooms,

New York’s American Museum of Natural History has unveiled new details for its US$340m (€319m, £277m) Gilder Center – a massive development intended to expand the institution’s role for scientific research and education. Adding a 21st century facelift to the 150-year-old museum, the development is being designed by Studio Gang Architects under the leadership of Jeanne Gang, with exhibit design by Ralph Appelbaum Associates and a new design for a

Factory, the flagship arts building for the north of England designed by Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), has been granted planning approval by Manchester City Council. Construction will begin in Q1 2017 on the large-scale venue, which has been designed to reflect the “extraordinary creative vision and breadth of Manchester’s cultural life”. Ellen van Loon and OMA founder Rem Koolhaas are leading the project. The £110m (US$137.2m, €129.6m)

Premier League football club Chelsea has seen its application to build a new £500m (US$614.6m, €585.3m) stadium approved by the local council. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have give the green light to the structure, which will be built on the site of the club’s current Stamford Bridge ground. Herzog & de Meuron – the architect behind the innovative Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, which was used for Euro