One of Singapore's few remaining 19th century luxury hotels, Raffles, will undergo a “careful and sensitive” restoration programme next year. The hotel’s owner, Katara Hospitality, has announced that the Singapore office of architecture firm AEDAS will lead the project alongside interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud. The renovation will take place over three phases beginning in January 2017. The first will see the Raffles Hotel Arcade undergo restoration works while other areas

World famous fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is moving into the world of hospitality design by launching his own hotel, restaurant and nightclub chain. Fashion company The Karl Lagerfeld Group has signed a deal with hotel operator Brandmark Collective BV to establish Karl Lagerfeld Hotels; a new brand that will open properties in “key cities and resort destinations” around the world. The German designer is well-known for his love of living

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier has spoken about the importance of good quality public space in cities, arguing that there should be incentives at government level for developers to incorporate public space into their projects. Speaking exclusively to CLAD, the Getty Center architect said: “The problem is that developers really have no incentive to create public space. It's rare that a developer is going to give up space on their

Architecture practice Perkins + Will is leading development for Detroit’s recently announced US$50m (€45.6m, £40.6m) Motown Museum – a 50,000sq ft (4,650sq m) tourist destination dedicated to the music genre. The museum announced on Monday (17 October) a capital campaign to add 40,000sq ft (3,700sq m) to the existing 10,000sq ft (929sq m) space. Planned improvements include new interactive exhibits, a theatre, recording studios and an enlarged museum store. When

Olympic stadiums and facilities should be protected with their own cultural heritage listing, a leading member of the International Association for Sport and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) has argued. Speaking at the Olympic Museum’s new stadium design exhibition in Lausanne, Dr Miranda Kiuri, who is also an architect and researcher at the University of Liege, called on UNESCO to introduce a new listing category for stadiums that have a strong cultural,

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India, has inaugurated a new museum dedicated to socialist political leader Jayaprakash Narayan. Shri Akhilesh Yadav declared the JN Interpretation Centre, also known as the Museum of Socialism, open on 11 October – 114 years on from the birth of Narayan, who fought for independence and social reform in India. Designed by architecture studios Archohm and Design Factory India, and constructed by the Lucknow

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) has announced that the call for entries for its 2017 Restaurant Design Awards is officially open. Architects, interior designers and restaurateurs have until 27 January, 2017 to submit their North American restaurants – which must have been opened since January 2014 – for consideration via an online portal on the JBF website. The restaurant design awards will be presented in three categories: 75 seats and

Ma Yansong and MAD Architects have unveiled their design for a brand new China Philharmonic Hall in Beijing. Located in the bustling business district of Sanlitun next to the multipurpose Beijing Workers Stadium, the building will take the form of a curving 11,600sq m (125,000sq ft) structure covered by a translucent curtain facade. Lush trees and lotus ponds will be installed around the south side of the site in order

Following an extensive renovation, the acclaimed Freemark Abbey winery in California’s Napa Valley has reopened to reveal a total transformation of its century-old stone building, which now houses a high-end restaurant and visitor centre. San Francisco firms SB Architects and BraytonHughes Design Studio led the design of the project, which pays homage to Freemark Abbey’s past while introducing several complementary contemporary features. The original stonework dating from 1886 is highlighted

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor has told CLAD that his proposed redevelopment of the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA) will create a “sacred, sublime kind of experience.” In an exclusive interview during a recent trip to London, Zumthor explained his vision for the project. “The museum is not organised in timelines, periods or geographical regions,” he said. “It's organised like a forest with clearings inside, where we have free

Lebanese French Architect Hala Wardé will design a modern, contemporary art museum in the heart of Beirut, Lebanon. An international jury featuring Richard Rogers, Rem Koolhaas, Julia Peyton-Jones and chaired by Pritzker Prize chair Lord Peter Palumbo selected Wardé’s firm HW architecture from a shortlist of 13 design teams to create a home for BeMA: Beirut Museum of Art. The new museum will be centrally located in the heart of

Lesna in Poland, is set to welcome a “first-of-its-kind” immersive learning experience and conference next month, dubbed by its creators “The College of Extraordinary Experiences”. Taking place between 10 and 13 November, the event brings together some of the most high-profile experience designers in the world to share with delegates how to stage engaging, memorable and extraordinary experiences, using the grand setting of Lesna’s Czocha Castle as the backdrop. “The

This weekend some of the Big Apple’s most architecturally and culturally significant sites will be opened to visitors for the annual Open House New York Weekend, which celebrates the city’s architecture and urban design. Enhanced levels of access will be granted at more than 250 different sites across the five boroughs – from historic to contemporary and from residential to industrial – for ‘tours, talks, and exploration”. A major focus

Design firm Snøhetta will create a strategy to redevelop the 16-acre riverfront campus of The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, it has been announced today (14 October). Multiple firms, including local studios, will join Snøhetta’s design team to create a long-term masterplan for the site. OMSI is seeking how to best develop its property to enhance its economic and environmental benefit, while highlighting the museum’s role

The Landmark London, one of the UK capital’s most famous Victorian-era hotels, is undergoing an extensive renovation overseen by design studio Alex Kravetz. Over the next two years, the hotel’s 291 guest rooms and Spa and Health Club will be given a facelift as the hotel fights to compete in the city’s increasingly competitive luxury hospitality market. In a bid to minimise disturbance, a small selection of guest rooms will

The flagship Scottish Design Galleries within the Kengo Kuma’s new Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum of Design in Dundee will be designed by ZMMA, an international studio specialising in museums and arts projects. The galleries will exhibit V&A collections and loans from other collections in Scotland and abroad that tell the story of the country's design achievements over the last 300 years – from intricate 18th century metalwork to catwalk

Malaysian conglomerate YTL Hotels, which owns the newly opened Gainsborough Bath Spa – the only hotel in the UK with direct access to natural thermal waters – is expanding its luxury portfolio with the acquisition of three properties in Edinburgh, Berkshire and London. Dato Mark Yeoh, executive director of YTL Hotels, said the company will be undertaking “exciting enhancements” at each property. “Our core philosophy of not just building properties,

The design and engineering of Olympic stadiums is the focus of a temporary exhibition opening today (13 October) at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Stadiums: Past and Future explores the facilities cities have built to host the Games – from the Olympia in Ancient Greece through to modern architectural icons such as Frei Otto’s Munich Olympic Stadium and Herzog and de Meuron’s Bird’s Nest in Beijing. Curated by Geraint

Malta’s first science centre, a €26m (US$28.7m, £23.5m) investment named Esplora, is fast approaching its official opening date of 28 October. The interactive science centre is located in a former naval hospital in Kalkara. Located in town's Grand Harbour, the new attraction overlooks the historic capital city of Valletta. Esplora, which is supported by the Malta Council for Science and Technology and received €12m (US$13.2m, £10.8m) in funding from the

Ground has been broken on the Santiago Calatrava-designed Dubai skyscraper, set to be the world's tallest when it opens in 2020. The groundbreaking ceremony, which took place this week in Dubai’s Creek Harbour development, marks the start of construction for a building that will top the city’s own Burj Khalifa, giving it the record of world’s tallest tower. Emaar Properties and Dubai Holdings are behind the US$1bn (€910m, £823m) plans,

International spa and wellness consultancy Blu Spas is working on a project to develop a resort in Paradise Valley in Montana, close to Yellowstone National Park. The site is being developed at the Yellowstone Hot Springs, near the national park’s northern access, and is in the same location where the LaDuke Hot Springs and Corwin Hot Springs were popular resort and bathing destinations more than a century ago. Designers, engineers

A cavernous, curving new opera house inspired by the human body has been officially opened in Taiwan. Taichung Metropolitan Opera House, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito, took a decade to complete. The main structure is formed of several curved walls connected with inlaid floors. This tubular configuration, which does not require support beams, creates a fluid journey through the building. Located on the second floor of the complex

Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas has revealed dramatic new images of his forthcoming theatre and exhibition hall in Tbilisi, Georgia. The project, located in the capital’s Rhike Park, is in the advanced stages of construction. Two abstract soft-shaped elements connect together as a singular funnel-shaped silver structure. The north of the building will contain the 566-capacity Musical Theatre Hall, while the south will house the Exhibition Hall. The former will evoke

Spanish football giant Real Madrid has agreed a deal with the local council to redevelop its Santiago Bernabeu stadium, and the surrounding area. The La Liga club’s president Florentino Perez made the announcement alongside mayor of Madrid Manuela Carmena, delegate of sustainable urban development Jose Manuel Calvo and council president of Madrid’s Chamartin district Mauricio Valiente. Last December, Calvo’s department blocked the €440m (£398.4m, US$486.8m) development proposal in “the interests

Landscape architecture studio TLS will design a 74 acre urban park in the centre of Suzhou, China after winning an international design competition for the high-profile project. The park will be designed around the existing Lion Mountain – named due to the lion-shaped geological formation at its peak – and a newly-created lake. The site is currently home to a run-down amusement park and small pond – described as “less

The Sanad Capital investment group is planning an AU$400m (US$302m, €271m, £245.6m) “active lifestyle” destination in Queensland, Australia. Sanad – the Australian offshoot of Dubai-based investment firm Najibi Group – is financing the “never-before seen in Australia” project, which will feature extreme water facilities and an Olympic-standard training centre. The mixed-use project will also have a 4-star hotel, conference and exhibition centre, restaurants and retail elements. The development is expected

Four design companies have been shortlisted from a field of 17 international and national firms in the race to create the AU$250m North Queensland Stadium in Townsville, Australia. BVN Architecture, Cox Architecture, Hassell and Populous will now vie for the project, with each studio asked to develop a concept design and masterplan for the project. “The four companies have all demonstrated a proven track record in major sports stadiums,” said