Wellness resort operator Miraval Group today announced it has acquired the 220-acre Travaasa Austin Resort in the Hill Country of Texas, which it will redevelop and expand into a 120-bedroom destination wellness resort, its first in Texas and the American South. The purchase, from a wholly owned subsidiary of Amstar Group LLC, closed today following the approval of Miraval’s development plans. The project is expected to be completed by January

From a running track where you can race against your own avatar, to a swimming pool designed following the principle of feng shui, 2016 has been a diverse and thought-provoking year the design of health clubs, swimming pools and fitness facilities. Here, we continue our CLAD review of the year by re-visiting some of the most interesting of these buildings that have opened in the last twelve months. CLAD Review

As we continue our CLAD review of 2016, our attention turns to the world of sports design. It has been another groundbreaking year for the sector, and we have highlighted just some of the innovative and architecturally-significant sporting facilities that have opened this year around the world. Sustainability is a key trend, with temporary architecture, re-use projects and LEED-standard designs included in the list. CLAD's Review of 2016: The best

Architectural firm Snøhetta have expanded the Lillehammer Art Museum and Cinema in Norway, creating a cantilevering stainless steel cube to adjoin its own 1994 extension, creating new spaces within the cultural building. The expansion’s main visual feature is the striking rooftop box designed by the late Bård Breivik, which is enveloped in a skin of crinkled and polished stainless steel. Created around the idea of “art hovering above a transparent

2016 has been a breakthrough year for leisure architecture, with buildings celebrated by some of the world's most prestigious architecture awards, including the World Architecture Festival Building of the Year, the Stirling Prize, the Aga Khan Awards and the inaugural RIBA International Prize. A host of incredible leisure buildings have been completed this year, including remarkable projects from the likes of Herzog and de Meuron, David Adjaye, Bjarke Ingels, Santiago

Sportswear giant Adidas has revealed its plans to transform its German headquarters into a huge leisure campus, including four star-shaped public spaces promoting exercise and outdoor activity. Dutch studio LOLA Landscape Architects have designed the outdoor component of the World of Sports campus in the town of Herzogenaurach, which will provide a canvas for employees to test Adidas products for activities ranging from football and running to skateboarding and cycling.

The National Museum of Singapore has debuted a unique digital exhibit turning 69 drawings into a single giant animated interactive illustration. Using sensors set up in the newly-refurbished Glass Rotunda, the installation by Japanese art collective teamLab allows visitors to interact with the flora and fauna. Titled Story of the Forest, the digital piece, which is 15m (49ft) in height and 170m (558ft) long, is based on the museum’s watercolour

Luxury lifestyle hotel brand 1 Hotels has announced it will add a New York property to its portfolio in February 2017. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, designed by local architecture studio Incorporated, is located at Pier 1 on Brooklyn Bridge Park, just south of the iconic river crossing. Designed following LEED guidelines to reflect the brand’s commitment to “environmentally responsible hospitality,” the 10-storey property features extensive use of reclaimed materials, including

Israeli-Franco studio Gottesman-Szmelcman Architecture have unveiled a new physical space for the Gordon Gallery, one of Israel's leading art institutions, in the ruins of an old warehouse. The firm have transformed an industrial site on the fringes of Tel Aviv into a temporary “stage for the unexpected”, which enhances visitors’ senses through use of light and shade. The neighbourhood has been recently re-zoned as a high density, mixed-use area, opening

China Oceanwide and Kerzner International Holdings have announced plans to develop a multi-million dollar mixed-use resort development in Hawaii, with the expansive 642-acre project the latest in Kerzner’s global expansion of its Atlantis brand. Located in Ko Olina, the mega-development will be the first Atlantis-branded resort in the US, following on from the landmark The Palm in Dubai and the upcoming Sanya Hainan in China, which opens in 2017. Overlooking

New video footage has been released showing construction underway on the Sea World Culture and Arts Centre in Shenzhen, China, which has been designed by Pritzker-winning architect Fumihiko Maki. An official opening date of October 2017 has also been set for the project, which will house the Design Society – a design museum created in collaboration with the UK’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). The video footage shows that the

Cox Architecture, the studio behind the Jakarta International Velodrome, has been appointed to design a 25,000-capacity stadium for the North Queensland Cowboys rugby league team. The project has been unveiled by the Townsville and Queensland Government, and will have a AS$250m (£146.1m, US$180.8m, €174.1m) budget. It has been slated to be ready in time for the 2020 National Rugby League (NRL) season. According to the architects, the stadium has been

Landscape architect Lily Jencks has designed “the world’s first biophilic gym” for fitness concept Biofit. Described as “an organic gym concept for big city life,” the pop-up health club will open in west London from 9 January to 3 February 2017. With a brief to “bring the outside world indoors”, Jencks has created an environment where gym-goers can work out amid natural vegetation, colours, materials, shapes, scents and sounds. Biofit

The Shores Resort & Spa, located in Daytona Beach, Florida, has been acquired by US real estate investment company Uhon. Uhon has plans to upgrade the resort hotel to match the local history of Daytona and to improve the hotel for long term ownership (pointing to a buy and build strategy). Renovation plans are still in early stages and thus full details of what will be on offer are currently

The first safe-standing section within a Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium is being built in the new home of Orlando City SC. According to the franchise, the stand will take inspiration from the ‘Yellow Wall’ in Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion which creates a loud and intimidating atmosphere. The steep stand will form part of the club’s new US$100m (£80.6m, €95.8m) stadium, which is being designed by Populous. Originally designed as a

Italian architects Schiattarella Associati have won an international competition to refurbish the 50,000 capacity King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The studio have been commissioned to design the project by the country’s General Sport Authority (GSA), which said it was impressed by their decision to create an artificial hill at the base of the multi-purpose stadium, creating a formal joint with the surrounding landscaping. This sloping surface forms a

Hotel giant JW Marriott has opened its first hotel in Singapore across several buildings brought to life by designer Philippe Starck and architects Foster + Partners. The high-profile creative team have designed two new hotel blocks and restored three heritage buildings to create the 634-room Singapore South Beach hotel, which is located in close proximity to the city-state’s Marina Bay entertainment and business districts. Contemporary architecture, restored heritage and a

Elevating new buildings above existing transport infrastructure is an increasingly viable way of unlocking commercial value from previously undevelopable properties, a leading engineering consultant has told CLAD. Ian Washbrook, associate at Entuitive, believes that innovative new technologies and engineering solutions can ensure downtown areas continue to develop even as available sites become more scarce. The firm’s Canadian office, which Washbrook leads, is currently building Calgary’s New Central Library above the

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Kengo Kuma’s Tokyo National Stadium, which is now under construction, to Ian Schrager’s first Chinese hotel. Monday • German aviation company Lufthansa-Technik has designed a new VIP aircraft interior concept with a wellness and relaxation theme and on-board spa. Read here. • The first design images of a new contemporary art museum in Moscow, located within a

Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will reject the chance to host volleyball in an existing facility and build a new venue despite it adding to the spiralling cost of the Games. The development of the Ariake Arena was part of the original plans put forward to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but the rising cost of hosting the event resulted in the organisers considering a facility in nearby Yokohama.

Hotel operator Minor Hotels is to open a new hotel under its Anantara brand in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in which “spa and wellness will be a major focus”. An extensive selection of wellness journeys will be available as part of Anantara’s ‘Balance’ programme including detox, de-stress, weight management, anti-aging and rejuvenation. Also on offer will be therapies such as ayurveda, hammam and reflexology. Guests can tuck into wellness cuisine and

The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi in Malaysia, due to open in July 2017, has released details of its spa to CLAD. On top of a range of conventional treatments and features, the spa’s standout offering will be its five floating cocoon-shaped spa pavilions, shaped to resemble Malay Bubus, which are intricately woven fish traps that have been used for centuries by local fishermen. The pavilions will float above the Andaman Sea and

Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts has opened its first Vietnamese resort – a luxury development in Hoi An, on the country’s central coast. The Four Seasons Resort at the Nam Hai, Hoi An is home to a 14,018sq m spa, with eight lake villas complete with overwater relaxation pavilions with their own crystal singing bowls. The Heart of the Earth Spa’s treatment suite has an entire octave set of alchemy

Design studios Motionspot and Ryder Architecture have been crowned winners of the Celia Thomas Prize, which promotes hotel design that is accessible for disabled people. The international accolade, which was presented at the RIBA Bespoke Access Awards in London, received submissions from as far afield as Germany, Russia, Hong Kong and Canada. The winning concept, called AllGo, is a universal approach to hotel room design that ensures all rooms are

A plan to develop a new Populous-designed rugby stadium in Paris has been scrapped by the French Rugby Federation (FFR) following the election of its new president. Former national team coach Bernard Laporte was elected earlier this month. In one of his first moves as president, Laporte has opted to end the project despite its advanced stage. Instead of building the 82,000-capacity stadium, Laporte told the FFR Executive Committee that

AndArchitect’s ambitious “flexible” stadium for Luton Town FC is closer to coming to fruition after the club purchased the land to facilitate the development. The League Two football club’s property arm – 2020 Developments – signed an agreement with British Land PLC to acquire the plot in the Power Court area of Luton. Plans to build a retail and hospitality development on the land have been mooted, with profits made

The home stadium of US National Basketball Association NBA) franchise the Cleveland Cavaliers is being lined up to be transformed by SHoP Architects at a cost of US$140m (€131m, £110m), it has been announced. The Quicken Loans Arena opened in 1994, but is now the second oldest arena in the NBA not to have had a major upgrade. The proposed renovation would address important structural and operational deficiencies in the