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

The W group's Amsterdam hotel has been extended with the renovation of the historic Bank building, which houses a 300sq m (3,229sq ft) Away Spa set in the former vault. Originally designed by F.W.M. Poggenbeek in 1908, the building was one of the first concrete constructions in The Netherlands. Spa consultant 4SeasonsSpa worked with designers Baranowitz + Kronenberg and consultants Raison d'Etre to create the spa, which is housed behind

Some of the biggest names in architecture and construction are in the running to masterplan the UK’s largest regeneration programme at Old Oak Common in west London. Seven shortlisted teams have been issued with invitation to tender for the project, with Arup, Grimshaw, AECOM, Allies & Morrison and Hawkins Brown among the team leaders in contention. Over 70 architecture, design, engineering, communication and landscaping firms have contributed to the competing

US architecture studio SHoP have announced they will create one of the world’s largest 3D public structures for the Design Miami festival in November. The arching piece, called Flotsam & Jetsom, will create a 1,780sq ft space at the gateway to Miami’s exhibition halls. It is being created by the architects as a response to their triumph in the 2016 Design Miami Visionary Award. In a statement, they said: “This

Dutch architects MVRDV have won an international competition to design a sports and cultural complex in Shenzhen, China, which will be navigated via a weaving elevated walkway. The Nanshan district government has tasked the studio, and local firm Zhubo Architecture Design, with creating “a social and well­being focal point” for the community in the country’s fastest-growing urban region. Located in a residential area which stretches between two mountain parks, the

Hospitality firm Artistry Hotels Partners has partnered with Urban Architecture Studio and design firm WATG to launch an independent boutique hotel brand that “will deliver distinctively luxurious, artful and imaginative experiences” throughout the US. In a statement, the company said it wants to create “art through architecture” by creating distinctive, vibrant and multi-sensory hotel experiences. Each hotel will be designed to be individual and reflective of the personality of its

Evian Spa will expand its presence in the Asian market with a new spa on the 86th floor of Lotte Hotel Group’s Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea. Lotte Group, South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate, is building the 555m-high (1,821ft) tower, which will be Seoul’s first super-tall skyscraper and the sixth-tallest building in the world. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, the 123-storey tower will include department stores, cultural facilities,

A funding campaign to build a self-sustaining cricket ground of international standard in Rwanda is gathering momentum. Cricket is Rwanda’s fastest growing sport and has been used as a tool in recent years to bring people together in the country, which was torn apart by genocide in 1994. Despite the burgeoning interest, there are a lack of cricketing facilities in the country, and so the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation (RCSF)