Architects Höweler + Yoon have proposed an interactive ‘Living Lab’ for the Dubai 2020 Expo, which would creatively explore human empathy. The Empathy Pavilion, designed like a giant elevated cave, would house a 300-person capacity exhibition gallery on the ground floor, several workshop spaces on the second floor and a black box theatre on the top floor. The architects have partnered with the MIT Media Lab’s Opera of the Future

The largest and highest observation wheel in the world is taking shape on Dubai’s Bluewaters Island, with the structure’s hub and spindle safely placed on top of its 126m (413ft) high legs. Two of the world’s largest cranes have assembled the key components of the wheel, which will be called Ain Dubai. The current weight of the structure is 1,805 tonnes – equivalent to four Airbus A380 aircraft. The hub

The next generation of buildings could be created by wall-crawling robots. That’s the view of robotics researcher Maria Yablonina, a graduate of the University of Stuttgart who has unveiled a way of using robot builders to create complex structures quickly, cheaply and efficiently. Yablonina’s project, Mobile Robotic Fabrication System for Filament Structures, has been developed with the university's Institute for Computational Design (ICD). Semi-autonomous wall climbing robots are programmed to

Here are some of the most popular stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Elon Musk’s proposed solar roof to three new football stadium designs. Monday • A “smart” self-shading window has been developed that can switch from transparent to opaque in a matter of seconds. Read here. • Two alternative designs have been proposed for Sir Peter Jackson’s Wellington Movie Museum. Read here. • GOCO Hospitality is developing

Hollywood star Robert De Niro will build his planned luxury hotel in London’s Covent Garden after the deputy leader of the local council hailed the design as “one of the finest schemes we have considered in years”. Permission for the The Wellington Hotel has been granted, enabling the star of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to increase his burgeoning hospitality portfolio. Architects Kohn Pedersen Fox have designed the 83-room hotel,

Transport officials in New York are considering expanding the city’s historic Brooklyn Bridge due to the congestion caused by swathes of pedestrians, tourists, vendors and cyclists. Global engineering consultancy AECOM have been commissioned to begin a seven-month engineering study assessing how much weight the 133-year old bridge can carry and considering options for expansion. Mooted suggestions include widening the promenade. The bridge contains a crossing for cars at a lower

Miami’s Faena Forum is nearing completion, with architects OMA revealing new construction images of the culturally-inspired real-estate initiative. The 50,000sq ft (4,600sq m) project, which is central to the development of Miami Beach, is made up of a connected cylindrical and cubic structure. The first of these offers flexible spaces for dance, theatre, arts and debate space. The second will house a hotel and condominiums. A central assembly hall on

More than a decade on from its conception, the National Museum of Oman has opened its doors to the public, showcasing the cultural heritage of the sultanate from prehistoric times to the modern day. The 13,700sq m (148,000sq ft) development in Muscat includes 4,000sq m (43,000sq ft) of space allocated for 14 exhibition halls, each covering different part of the history of Oman, with an additional 376sq m (4,000sq ft)

British designer Thomas Heatherwick has launched an impassioned defence of his Garden Bridge project in London, arguing that the project has been used as a political football by “people with an agenda” and those “who love to sneer.” The scheme – a 367m (1,200ft) planted River Thames crossing linking South Bank and Temple – has attracted controversy and negative headlines over the allegedly opaque procurement process and the public funding

A forthcoming Fairmont hotel in Austin, Texas will be filled with trees, plants and landscape design features to form an extension to a neighbouring park. San Francisco studio Warren Sheets Design have designed the interiors of the 37-storey hotel, which will include two 24ft (7m) high Heritage Oak trees and a geometric topiary garden. The close proximity of the Fairmont Austin to the city’s Palm Park inspired designer Warren Sheets

Northern Irish architects have been given the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Bjarke Ingels and design an architectural pavilion that “uplifts the soul and impacts on wellbeing.” Inspired by the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Hyde Park – which has been created this year by Ingels and his studio BIG – the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) have launched a design competition for a temporary public structure

The architects charged with revamping FC Barcelona's iconic Camp Nou stadium have given CLAD an exclusive snapshot of their competition-winning design for the project. Japanese practice Nikken Sekkei and Catalan firm Joan Pascual – Ramon Ausio Arquitectes are masterminding the design of the new ground, which will have a semi-transparent roof, an increased capacity of around 105,000 and three skyrings surrounding the perimeter. “FC Barcelona is a club for the

Famed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama will be the subject of a touring exhibition, with the 87-year-old artist's “infinity mirror” installations set to travel the US in 2017 through 2018. Debuting on 23 February 2017 at the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors will then travel to a number of notable museums across the US including the Seattle Art Museum, the Broad in Los Angeles, Toronto’s

Indian architecture practice Design Forum International have designed a 380m long elevated walkway in Kolkata to regenerate one of the city’s busiest neighbourhoods and bring leisure to the skies. The Skywalk has been proposed by the city government to separate pedestrians and road traffic around Dakshineshwar Temple, one of the city’s most visited places of worship. As well as improving ease of movement and safety by creating a new link

Guests at a new resort in the Maldives will be able to sleep under the stars, with a retractable roof built into every master bedroom. The roofs at the Soneva Javi resort, which will have its soft opening in October, can be opened at the touch of a button. Described by Sovena as “an evolution of the water villa experience”, the retractable feature is one of several unorthodox additions the

Plans to open New York’s largest Ferris wheel have been delayed, with project leader and CEO Rich Marin, saying the 630ft (192m) high attraction will now open in April 2018. Originally scheduled for early next year before being pushed back to mid- and then late 2017, the US$580m (€514.8m, £447.1m) wheel has been delayed thanks to a “complicated engineering process”. "If someone says, 'You're a year behind,' It's hard for

One of the leading architects behind a new football stadium for Dutch club Feyenoord has told CLAD how the development will revitalise a neglected part of Rotterdam. David Gianotten, managing partner-architect for international studio Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), described how the firm’s design for the stadium reflects the fact that sport is an integral part of the city’s society and urban fabric. “There were two previous attempts to build

The winner has been announced in a hotly-contested competition to design a new leisure centre and area of public realm for Finsbury, north London. Pollard Thomas Edwards Architects were selected from a five strong shortlist and will now develop their vision for the site, which will replace the existing 1970s Finsbury Leisure Centre building with a new sports and health hub. New council homes will also be provided as part

Billionaire inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk has teased his latest innovation: a customisable roof with integrated solar panels. Two of the billionaire’s companies – electric motor company Tesla and green energy provider SolarCity – are currently undergoing a merger, and the solar roof would be developed by the united firm. Speaking about this move on an earnings call for SolarCity, Musk elaborated on his plans for the release. "It's a

Middle Eastern developer Nakheel and Spanish hospitality giant RIU Hotels & Resorts have officially kickstarted development on an 800-room resort and waterpark at Dubai’s artificial Deira Islands. Planning advisory firm Dar Al Handasah have been appointed to oversee the design, engineering and construction of the AED900m (US$268m, €219m, £190.3m) project. Nakheel and RIU signed a joint venture agreement in Palma, Mallorca, in February this year to develop an affordable family

The Hettema Group (THG) recently introduced the first in a series of pop-up installations to Los Angeles’ Union Station, with various events to run at the station through the summer months. The interactive media installation, Union Station 360º, ran from 15 July to 24 July and was the first in a series of free art events and concerts aiming to transform the transit hub into a public destination. The experience

Thematic entertainment design and construction firm Sanderson Group have been named as masterplanners for a US$5bn (€4.47bn, £3.87bn) development in Bali, Indonesia, dubbed a “new wonder” by its founders. Margarana Dream City – which covers 2.5sq km (0.95sq m) – follows a theme of “innergy”, with a pyramid-like tower at the heart of the development “drawing the positive 'chi' into a green city”. The mixed-use development offers a variety of

New Zealand practice Studio Pacific Architecture have developed alternative designs for a planned film museum in Wellington backed by Lord of the Rings director Sir Peter Jackson. The Movie Museum and Wellington Convention Center, which will cover more than 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) of prime waterfront land in the city’s central business district, will house memorabilia from the sets of Jackson’s movies and the creations of the acclaimed Weta Workshop.

Architecture practice Perkins + Will have revealed new details about the stadium they’re building in Al Aweer, Dubai, which will be the largest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Mohammed bin Rashid Stadium was approved earlier this year by UAE prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, but detailed images and information about the project have only just been released. Currently in the planning and design phase, the

Spa and wellness consultancy and management company GOCO Hospitality is developing a GOCO Retreat on the dramatic German island of Rügen. Located on the Baltic Sea coast and known for its sandy beaches, quiet lagoons and dramatic peninsulas, Rügen is Germany’s largest island. The GOCO Retreat Kaiserhof Rügen will be located on a hill in the southeastern part of the island, on a site originally owned by the Prussian statesman

The International Garden Festival has begun in Quebec’s Redford Gardens, with five award-winning garden installations open to the public for the first time. They are being displayed alongside 22 other creations designed for the festival by landscape architects in Canada and around the world. The prize-winning studios – who hail from Canada, the United States, France and Switzerland – won the right to build their gardens following an international competition

Here are some of the most popular stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from a food theme park to a floating bamboo spa. Monday • New renderings released of Peter Zumthor’s proposed redevelopment of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Read here. • Visitors to Eataly’s Italian food theme park will be able to grow their own food on-site. Read here. • Vo Trong Nghia has designed