One of Europe’s most significant new cultural buildings will open to the public today (11 January), with a special concert for 1,000 lucky ticket winners. The Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron, is formed of a shimmering glass covered volume – consisting of 1,100 individual panes – sat atop the original brick structure of an industrial warehouse on the city’s harbour-side. The structure is home to

Museo Atlántico – Europe’s first underwater museum – has been inaugurated as British underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor’s creation of more than 300 works opens 12m (39ft) below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Located just off the coast of Lanzarote, Taylor’s sculptures are made from specialised marine cement that is 20 times more durable than normal construction cement and impervious to saltwater. Installed between February and December 2016, a

The windswept beaches of Toronto, Canada are set to once again host a seasonal design spectacle, with the eight winners of the third annual Winter Stations Design Competition revealed today (10 January). Entrants were tasked with designing “playful” temporary installations – based around the beaches’ lifeguard stations – that can draw people to brave the chilly outdoors and interact with the icy environment. The theme of the contest this time

The windswept beaches of Toronto, Canada are set to once again host a seasonal design spectacle, with the eight winners of the third annual Winter Stations Design Competition revealed today (10 January). Entrants were tasked with designing “playful” temporary installations – based around the beaches’ lifeguard stations – that can draw people to brave the chilly outdoors and interact with the icy environment. The theme of the contest this time

A new museum dedicated to the founding fathers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) opened in Dubai on Saturday (7 January). Located on the waterfront of the emirate, the wavy design of the Etihad (Union) Museum is inspired by the shape of a manuscript, with its seven tapering columns emulating the seven pens used to sign the 1971 Union agreement that created the UAE. The project design team, led by

Artist Nayan Kulkarni has installed a 75m-long (250ft) rotor blade in the centre of Hull – the first in a series of temporary installations marking its year as UK City of Culture. Commissioned in partnership with Siemens and with the support of Green Port Hull, “Blade” is part of Look Up – a year-long programme for Hull 2017 that will feature a number of artists creating works designed to look

The architecture firm behind Minnesota Vikings’ US$1.1bn (£905.9m, €1bn) US Bank Stadium has been appointed by Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Texas Rangers to design a new ballpark. HKS will develop a design for the venue to include a retractable roof for climate control. It will also have a capacity of 42,000, down from the 50,000 spectators Texas Rangers’ can accommodate at its current Globe Life stadium, with fans

Global luxury brand JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts has debuted its Marco Island Beach Resort in southwest Florida, USA, following a $320 million (€303m, £260m) renovation and conversion project. Two phases of a three-part makeover have been completed at the 726-room Balinese-styled resort, which features two championship golf courses, indoor and outdoor dining and a spa. In autumn this year, the hotel will open an adults-only tower offering a rooftop

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group have commissioned interior designer Joyce Wang to lead a multi-million-pound restoration of its European flagship, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Wang – who previously oversaw the recent renovation of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong – will create the overall design concept for the Edwardian hotel’s 181 rooms, suites and public areas. She has taken her inspiration from the building’s park-side location, the glamorous

The Muscat National Development Company (ASAAS) is planning to develop a mixed-use waterfront project in Oman with multiple attractions as the country’s government continues on its plans to invest in its tourism sector. Situated in Barka, the cluster of attractions will include the theme park, in addition to a waterpark, wildlife park, equestrian centre and an Interactive science and technology edutainment centre. In addition to new attractions, the 1.5 million

Molecules 10,000 times narrower than the width of a human hair could hold the key to building towering wooden skyscrapers in the future, new research has found. A father and son team at the Universities of Warwick and Cambridge in England have unlocked the mystery of how key sugars in cells bind to form strong, indigestible materials – a finding they believe could lead to the creation of super-strong skyscraper-supporting

The iconic Swiss hotel Waldhaus Flims Alpine Grand Hotel & Spa has reopened after a four-month renovation, which has seen both bedrooms and suites redeveloped, along with a new 2,800sq m (30,139sq ft) spa. The new spa is part of a CHF40m (US$40m, €36m, £28m) revamp by Hong Kong-based interior design firm Peter Silling & Associates, which aims to maintain the property’s Belle Epoque heritage while enhancing the resort to

A big tent festooned with neckerchiefs will be the centrepiece of a new museum dedicated to the international Scouting movement. Architecture studio Tate Harmer have won a competition to design the £6m (US$7.3m, €7m) project, which will be located at Gilwell Park in Chingford, east London – the “spiritual home” of the UK branch of the Scouting Association, and the place where first Scout leaders were trained in 1919. The

Leisure amenities and mixed-use building are the future of private developments, according to one of the founding principals of New York studio SHoP Architects. Coren Sharples, whose practice have designed New York’s forthcoming American Copper Towers – a residential project boasting a three-storey skybridge, spa, fitness centre and public realm – told CLAD the addition of leisure spaces, often publicly accessible, to offices and private residences is “now actually seen

The plan to demolish Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge ground and replace it with a 60,000-capacity stadium has received a recommendation by planning officers. A 300-plus page document delivering the recommendation said the stadium would be a “high quality development, which would make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the local area”. Architects Herzog & de Meuron were credited with developing a “high quality piece of design” and

Before looking ahead at some of the most exciting projects and exhibitions of 2017 we thought we’d take a moment to reflect on some of the CLAD stories that particularly caught the imagination of our readers 2016. Our brief – to cover all aspects of leisure architecture, design, investment and development, from sport to spa, hospitality to museums and urban regeneration to health and fitness – were mirrored in the

Everton FC’s quest to build a modern new stadium is making “solid progress on many fronts”, supporters were told by the club’s executive board. During Everton’s annual general meeting (AGM), chief executive Robert Elstone revealed that design work, viability studies for transport and planning, and an “evidence-based” business plan had all been completed. Elstone said that while there were “significant remaining issues” to resolve, everyone was “optimistic about the new

Hotel giant Hilton has acquired New York’s historic Renwick Hotel and opened it as part of its Curio Collection. The property is a literary landmark once frequented by the likes of John Steinbeck, Thomas Mann and other American writers and intellectuals. The renovation and re-design by architecture and interior design firm Stonehill & Taylor evokes this cultural heritage and references the design flourishes of Manhattan in the 1920s, when the

Two Barcelona architecture studios will design “one of the leading art museums in the Nordic region” after winning an international competition to create a new home for the Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand, Norway. Mestres Wage Arquitectes and MX_SI Architectural Studio from Barcelona will transform a former 1930s wharf-side grain silo into an elegant complex anchoring the city’s new cultural quarter. The design – which was selected over 100 other anonymous

Fairhurst Design Group, the architect behind Salford’s MediaCityUK and Manchester United’s training ground, has been appointed to design Grimsby Town FC’s ambitious new stadium development. The Manchester-based studio has overseen the design of the 14,000-capacity stadium and surrounding development, which includes an ice rink, leisure facilities and housing. Extreme Leisure, the sports brand founded by entrepreneur Alistair Gosling, is partnering with the League Two football club on the £55m (US$67.6m,

UPDATE: British architect David Adjaye has been knighted by the Duke of Cambridge during an Investiture ceremony held today (12 May) at Buckingham Palace, London. Adjaye declared himself “truly honoured and humbled” after receiving the accolade in the 2017 New Year's Honours List for his services to architecture. Sir David – whose leisure projects include The Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, the Sugar Hill mixed-use complex in New York and

In a saga beginning to rival his Star Wars franchise for length and drama, George Lucas appears to have finally sealed the deal to develop his Museum of Narrative Art following almost two years of legal disputes. The well-known director is now set to select a location for the venue in either San Francisco or Los Angeles (both in California), after snubbing Chicago, Illinois. According to The San Francisco Chronicle,

The British government has unveiled details of ambitious plans to deliver more than 48,000 homes across England in 14 new garden villages and three new garden towns. The decision to green light the new settlements expands on the Conservative government’s garden village initiative, revealed by former British chancellor George Osborne last year. Seven garden towns had previously been announced, and the 24 communities will together provide 200,000 new homes. Each

German skincare brand Babor will be the exclusive brand for a new spa in a high-rise building that claims to house the largest number of billionaires under one roof. The Babor spa in Porsche Design Tower will feature three treatment rooms, including a hammam-style vichy shower, as well as a hair salon. “To create this vision, we reached out to Babor to assist in the planning and development of the

Entrepreneur David Lloyd is returning to the leisure industry with the launch of a new multi-activity concept - David Lloyd’s Adventure Parks. Lloyd is planning to open twelve venues by 2021, with business partners Holmes Investment Properties, as he aims to tap into the £4bn ($4.91bn; €4.69bn) UK entertainment and leisure sector. Each park is expected to cost, on average, £4-5m (US$4.9m-US$6.4m; €4.7m-€5.9m) to build. Eleven sites near cities and

Australian studio Techne Architecture + Interior Design have attempted to improve the reputation of pubs by transforming a Victorian era Melbourne textile factory into a welcoming “living room” for city dwellers with a multi-level garden at its heart. The four-storey Garden State Hotel, located in the Central Business District's cosmopolitan Flinders Lane, has been designed as a “warm, welcoming and intriguing” hospitality space with several restaurants and bars under one