The Victorian government in Australia has given the go ahead for a AUS$300m mixed-use tower designed for Melbourne by Zaha Hadid Architects and Plus Architecture. The decision whether or not to approve the 54-storey building – which has been designed as a series of four tapered vase-inspired volumes – was deferred to Victoria’s planning minister by Melbourne’s planning advisory committee due to the size of the scheme. The proposal was

The new mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has suspended work on Thomas Heatherwick’s controversial Garden Bridge project over concerns that more public money will be required to complete the £175m (US$225.6m, €204.4m) project. Khan officially supports the plans to build the 367m long plant-filled bridge, but only if no more than the agreed £60m (US$77.3m, €70m) in public funding is made available to build it. According to the Architects’ Journal

The W Goa is set to make its debut in September, with a 1,250sq m (13,454sq ft) Spa by Clarins. Designed by architects Eco-ID with interiors from Design Wilkes, the W Goa is set on the Indian coast with a private beach and features 160 bedrooms with design elements that evoke eclectic local traditions. The spa has a sophisticated, luxurious ambience, and will include six single treatment rooms and two

The first museum in the world to be dedicated entirely to roses has opened in Beijing, with a design packed with motifs and references to the flower. The distinctive Rose Museum, designed by NEXT Architects, is a solid volume covered by a detached silk-like skin of stainless steel with a pattern of cut-out Chinese roses. This 300m (984ft) long, 17m (56ft) high façade extends outwards from the main museum building,

Plans are at an advanced stage to create a new bourbon-themed leisure district in Lexington, Kentucky on the site of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Every year, spirit lovers from across the US make the journey to the state to savour bourbons produced by different boutique distilleries. The recent completion of a deal to bring back a James E.Pepper bourbon distillery to Lexington – a city the brand last called home

Here are some of the most popular stories that appeared on CLAD this week Monday Zaha Hadid Architects and Glenn Howells Architects were named as the final two contenders in the competition to design an eco-friendly stadium for Forest Green Rovers FC. Read here. Danish architecture firm Kvorning Design & Communication will design a Secrets of the Sea exhibition at the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, centred around a whirlpool. Read here.

Diners across the world will soon be able to eat 3D printed food using 3D printed utensils in a pop-up restaurant filled with 3D printed furniture. Food Ink is a new restaurant concept created by a collective of architects, artists, chefs, designers, engineers and inventors. The first pop-up recently launched in Venlo, Holland, and one will debut outside a brewery in Shoreditch, London from 25-27 July. A nine-course dinner will

A fourth public consultation is underway to determine the masterplan design of west London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Common; the UK’s largest regeneration project. Used car dealer Cargiant plans to build a canal-side new town on its 46 acres of land in Old Oak Park, which will unlock opportunities created by the area’s future transport links with Crossrail, HS2 and the Great Western Rail Line. Cargiant and development partner

Pine Cliffs Hotel, in the Algarve, Portugal, has completed an “all-encompassing,” US$57m (€51m, £44) 18-month renovation, adding a new contemporary Pine Cliffs Ocean Suites. The resort has also joined Starwood’s Luxury Collection as part of a multi-million dollar investment to restore the brand’s most iconic hotels around the world. “The spectacular transformation of the iconic Pine Cliffs is testament to the collaborative and longstanding relationship we enjoy with United Investments

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has named US Green Building Council CEO and founding chair Rick Fedrizzi as CEO and chair of its board of directors. IWBI administers the WELL Building Standard, an evidence-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring the performance of building features that impact health and wellbeing. “As we continue to grow and expand the adoption of both the WELL Building Standard and the WELL Accredited

JW Marriott has reopened London’s Grosvenor House after an extensive revamp by interior design studio The Gallery HBA aimed at making the hotel’s public areas “a destination in their own right.” Grosvenor House is known for its flamboyant design features and its rich heritage – it has hosted concerts by the Beatles, high-profile boxing matches and during World War II was a regular stopover for US generals Dwight D. Eisenhower

Marina One, the lush garden-themed Singapore tower scheme designed by Ingenhoven Architects, has topped out in the city-state’s Central Business District. Dubbed “the Green Heart," the high-rise, mixed-use complex will resemble a green mountain in the middle of one of the world's most densely populated cities. Shrubs, trees, and flowers will appear on every floor of the four towers that form Marina One. Two large urban parks will flank the

The Geffrye Museum of the Home in London will be comprehensively revamped in a bid to improve the experience of visitors to its Grade I listed buildings and gardens. Wright & Wright Architects have designed a £15m (US$19.5m, €17.6m) scheme – called Unlocking the Geffrye – to significantly open up the museum’s 18th century almhouse buildings, improving circulation and access and revealing previously hidden spaces to the public. This, along

Citysurfing, a company that makes eco-friendly floating structures, has partnered with the Elegancia Hotel Group to create a hotel and bar located on the River Seine in Paris. Moored at the foot of the Austerlitz railway station, the OFF hotel and bar features 54 rooms, four suites, a bar, a plunge pool and a marina on a floating structure. The hotel is built using architectural floating technology developed by Citysurfing

Wellness real estate firm Delos is expanding its Stay Well hotel room portfolio into a handful of Marriott International hotels. The company has completed the installation of Stay Well rooms at six Marriott properties in the US, including Charlotte Marriott City Center, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Richmond Marriott Short Pump, Residence Inn Orlando Lake Nona, Courtyard Orlando Lake Nona and Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. “The growing demand for healthy

Rome's Archaeological Heritage Department has completed the first phase of a major restoration of the historic Colosseum, aimed at returning the landmark to its former glory and possibly turning it into a regular entertainment venue. With funding support from Italian fashion brand Tod’s Group, the first phase of restoration has included the surface cleaning of the northern and southern façades, removing dirt and gunge created mainly by vehicle pollution, which

The hard shells of coconuts could hold the key to designing buildings able to withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters, researchers from the University of Freiburg have claimed. Coconut palms can grow as high as 30m, and when the ripe fruits fall to the ground their walls must protect them from splitting open. To protect the internal seed, coconuts have a structure of three layers which allow them to withstand

A biblical theme park in the US state of Kentucky opens tomorrow (7 July), with a full-size recreation of Noah’s Ark at its heart. The Ark Encounter explores the famous Bible tale of the great flood and Noah’s quest to build an ark to save his family and two of every animal on the planet. The boat is 510ft (155.5m) long, 85ft (26m) wide and 51ft (15.3m) high – converted

The 77-villa St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is set to open in September, complete with a 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) Iridium Spa that includes one of the biggest salt water hydrotherapy pools in the Maldives. Designed by Singapore-based WOW Architects, the St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort was short-listed for the World Architecture Festival Awards last year. The hydrotherapy pool, named The Blue Hole pool, will accommodate up to 12 guests,

James Corner’s huge ice-themed installation for the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. has opened to the public. The immersive work, called ICEBERGS, occupies an area of 12,540sq ft (1,100sq m) in the museum’s Great Hall. It allows visitors to feel as though they are walking through an underwater world of ice fields. A host of newly-released images reveal the varied elements introduced by Corner and his studio Field Operations.

A unique museum dedicated to a single bronze statue of Apoxyomenos has opened its doors on the Croatian island of Lošinj. The CK25m (US$4m, €3.6m, £3m) Museum of Apoxyomenos, funded by the City of Mali Losinj and the Croatian Ministry of Culture, has been designed by architects Idis Turato and Saša Randic. Centred around Apoxyomenos – a bronze statue of a young athlete, discovered in 1996 in the area at

The ‘Creating Atmospheres’ pavilion at the upcoming pool, spa and sauna trade fair Interbad, set to take place 27 - 30 September in Stuttgart, Germany, aims to show how to create the ‘right’ environment for all the senses. The pavilion will include architecture, green areas, lighting and acoustics, and is developed in co-operation with the Association of German Interior Designers (BDIA), the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects and the interior design

South Africa’s Verde Hotels group has won a contract to develop the transformation of an old building in Zanzibar, Tanzania into the archipelago’s “greenest” hotel. Real estate firm Bakhresa Group is developing the property, formerly known as Mtoni Marine Hotel, and wants it to become pioneering as both a luxury five-star destination and a flagship for sustainable development. Verde Hotels is best known for opening an airport hotel in Cape

Following the sudden death of its founder earlier in the year, plans are moving forward to create an £80m (US$105m, €94.2m) dinosaur attraction inside a former quarry in Dorset, UK. Dubbed Jurassica, the project suffered a major blow when CEO Michael Hanlon died from a heart attack in February, aged just 51. The project’s board however, which has the backing of the likes of businessman Sir Tim Smit and naturalist

According to media reports in Bahrain, the country’s government is planning to build its biggest integrated sports stadium, with capacity for 50,000 spectators. The facility, to be located in Sakhir, Southern Governorate, would have an international standard football pitch and facilities to accommodate basketball, handball, bowling, badminton and table tennis. A shopping complex, sports training school, Olympic-size swimming pool and cinema are also planned, according to the Gulf Daily News.

Projects to build a museum in a historic Polish city square and to recover an orchard in Spain have been named the joint winners of the European Prize for Urban Public Space 2016. The annual award celebrates the creation, recovery and improvement of public spaces “as clear indicators of the democratic health of our cities”. This year, 276 candidatures from 33 countries were submitted to the prize, and the winners

Construction has begun on Foster + Partner's billion dollar transformation of one of Stockholm’s oldest locks into a dynamic urban quarter. The project, called New Slussen, was won by the studio following an international competition. Their masterplan is to convert the city’s Slussen – the sluice that separates the sea from the freshwater of Lake Mälaren – into an attractive new public realm. The project is one of the largest