Barack and Michelle Obama have chosen the architectural team of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Partners (TWBTA) and Interactive Design Architects (IDEA) to design the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The Obama Foundation – started by the Obamas in 2014 to “inspire the next generation of young leaders across the world" – issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to seven architectural firms in December. The shortlist, which was whittled

The Ritz Paris hotel has reopened for business after receiving extensive renovation works bankrolled by billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed. Since 2012, a thousand workers and craftsmen have been working on the revamp of the historic building; the biggest to take place since its opening in 1898. Architect and designer Thierry W. Despont has overseen the redesign of 142 rooms and suites – named after famous guests such as Marcel

Finnish architects Avanto Architects have designed a public sauna that doubles as an outdoor auditorium for marine sports in Helsinki. The sauna, named Löyly, is located on the waterfront in Hernesaari, once an industrial area of the city. Wooden slats clad the multi-faceted, pyramid-like structure, allowing visitors to climb up the roof to a viewpoint at the top of the building, or sit and look out to sea. A ground

The government of Hong Kong is seeking non-binding Expressions of Interest for a planned sports park in Kai Tak. Construction companies and joint ventures, investors, sports operators, facility managers and stadium architects are invited to make their interest in the project clear before 8 July 2016. The Kai Tak Sports Park is described by the government as “the most important investment in sports infrastructure in recent decades”. The site –

Just weeks after opening its first theme park in mainland China, it has emerged that Disney is already planning another according to the Chongqing city government, which said it is bidding to host a future Disney park. The local authority in southwest China said that Disney had been planning to build a second park even before it started construction on the recently-opened Shanghai Disneyland. “Currently, we are actively preparing for

The boutique five-star Milaidhoo Island Maldives is set to open this November on a small 300m by 180m island set in the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Baa Atoll region of the Maldives. Designed by local architect Mohamed Shafeeq, the resort will have a “barefoot informality” and include 30 over-water villas along with 20 beach villas, all with large private freshwater swimming pools. The resort’s spa will

NFL quarterback Andrew Luck is playing a part in creating a US$35m (€31.5m, £26m) hands-on indoor/outdoor sports exhibit for The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts star, who majored in architectural design, has been working with the museum and Ratio Architects to create the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience, which he called a “sports utopia” that every child would want when it opens in Q2 2018. “For me,

A 360-room luxury hotel designed by Herzog & de Meuron for Hilton Worldwide in Washington is now under construction. The Conrad Washington D.C.will feature within 10-acre mixed-use development CityCenterDC, which is being created in the heart of the US capital. HKS Architects are collaborating on the hotel project, as are interior design firm Rottet Studio. Turner Construction Company is the project’s general contractor. Few design details have been released, but

Eight architecture studios have reached the final stage of the international competition to create a new exhibition hall for the Museo del Prado in Madrid; Spain’s national art museum. The new gallery, which will showcase artworks that explore Spanish history, will be housed in the Hall of Realms. The building once formed part of the Royal Buen Retiro Palace and was formerly used as an Army Museum, before it was

Alisports – the sports arm of global trade platform Alibaba – has inked a strategic partnership with Populous as it attempts to build and operate “tens of thousands” of sports venues in China. Populous has worked in China since 2000, designing sports developments such as the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre and Zhuhai’s International Tennis Centre. That work will almost certainly increase as China – and Alisports chief executive Zhang Dazhong

Oman’s Al-Khonji Real Estate & Development Company (AQAR) has been granted the right to build a new billion dollar leisure district featuring hotels, homes and a theme park. The Special Economic Zone Authority in the central town of Duqm have given the project the green light in a bid to encourage Omani investors to invest in the sultanate and diversify its tourism offerings. The site will cover an area of

Pop Artist Sean Danconia has collaborated with interior designer Henry Chebaane to create a new hospitality brand called SupaPop Space. The newly formed venture will provide a platform for the duo to create, produce, develop and license characters and art into experiential concepts, hospitality spaces and retail products. Danconia has worked as an artist and animator for Disney, Hello Kitty and Warner Brothers, among others, and his own work combines

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have created an inflatable beer pavilion for the Roskilde Music Festival which is part sculpture, part bouncy castle. The structure – called FOAM and is sponsored by beer brand Tuborg – is a giant “bubble-like cloud” which is illuminated by purple LED lights at night and can be inflated in seven minutes. BIG were tasked with creating a 120sq m (1,300sq ft) mobile pavilion which could

The chair of the Global Wellness Institute’s Wellness Communities Initiative has urged architects and developers to embrace placemaking to ensure people live healthy and happy lives. Mia Kyricos told CLAD that owners and operators of wellness-driven businesses “have an amazing opportunity to be a part of a new frontier” considering people’s needs every day of their life, and not just when they're on holiday. “Like it or not, wellness is

An exhibition game of American Football will take place the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Canada, as constructors seek to test the venue’s performance and facilities ahead of its grand opening in 2017. The University of Regina Rams – which will call the stadium home – will host the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the fixture on 1 October 2016, the first serious test of the multi-purpose arena following its

Chinese corporation Anbang Insurance Group is reportedly preparing to extensively overhaul New York’s world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in order to convert two-thirds of its guest rooms into private condos. According to several US news sources, the hotel will close in Q1 2017 and could remain shut for as long as three years. The decision to create luxurious new private residences would be likely to boost short-term returns for Anbang, which

Scottish Premiership football club Aberdeen FC has moved to secure planning permission to build its proposed new stadium and surrounding development. The club has submitted its Proposal of Application Notice – which also includes a new community and sports campus, as well as a football academy – to Aberdeen City Council, Kingswell Community Council, Westhill and Elrick Community Council and Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Community Council. A 12-week consultation process

The W Amsterdam, which opened last October, is set to debut a new Away Spa in August, set inside an old bank vault. The spa was conceived by 4SeasonsSpa and designed by architects Baranowitz + Kronenberg, and includes a cold pool, whirlpool, sauna, steamroom and wet area, including a 25m (82 ft) outdoor whirlpool with views of the Royal Palace and historic city. The spa is set inside several historic

The Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia has unveiled a year-long, multi-million dollar renewal project to comprehensively update the hotel and add a restaurant, bar and public leisure spaces. Architects and interior designers Wimberly Interiors have co-designed the hotel upgrades – including new guest rooms and a refreshed lobby – with Coscia Moos Architecture and LW Designs. Meanwhile, restaurateur Richard Sandoval has advised on the design of the 206-seat Nuevo Latino Aqimero restaurant.

A new boutique hotel on the Italian island of Pantelleria is opening next month and will later house a natural, open-air spa facility. Sikelia is a luxury retreat created from an ancient dammuso – the original stone houses built on the volcanic island. The 20-suite hotel, is located 100km (62 miles) southwest of Sicily on the island known as the ‘black pearl’ of the Mediterranean. The hotel has been created

AEG – the organisation behind Los Angeles’ Staples Center – is planning a US$1.4bn (£1bn, €1.3bn) development in San Diego which includes an 18,000-capacity sports and entertainment arena. The Embarcadero District is one of six proposals being considered by the San Diego Unified Port District to replace the city’s Seaport Village. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the proposed development would include three hotels with a combined 1,700 rooms, 325,000sq

A new museum exploring the journey of Swedish furniture retailer IKEA opens this Thursday (30 June) on the site of the company’s first store in the town of Älmhult. The IKEA Museum is housed within a 7,000sq m (75,300sq ft) building designed by Swedish architect Claes Knutson in the late 1950s. The building closed in 2012 and has been revamped by WilkinsonEyre and Uulas Arkitekter who restored the exteriors largely

Pestanan Hotel Group has launched new signature spas for its Pousada Mosteiro do Crato and Pousada Convento de Arraiolos properties. Twenty years after its opening, Portuguese architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça has revisited the original Mosteiro do Crato and designed a spa feature a Turkish bath, whirlpool, sauna and treatment rooms. Built within a century-old convent, the Pousada Convento de Arraiolos now boasts an indoor pool with views overlooking

Wellness destination Canyon Ranch is set to open its first location outside the US on 1 July in Kaplankaya, Turkey, near Bodrum. The first international location for the brand marks a significant step in Canyon Ranch’s nearly 40-year history in the wellness space, and involves bringing some of the best programming from the iconic Tucson location to the Turkish Riviera, as the company aims to reach a whole new European

HOK – the architects chosen to design FC Barcelona’s new Palau Blaugrana arena – have swooped in to hire former Populous associate principal Algen Williams. Williams has joined the Kansas City-based studio as leader of sports, recreation and entertainment where he will oversee the Barcelona design and have a role in other projects, including the Rogers Place hockey arena in Edmonton, Canada and the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium. During his

The City of Kaunas in Lithuania has launched an anonymous one-stage design contest for the planned National Science and Innovation Centre of Lithuania, known as Science Island. The competition, developed with Malcolm Reading Consultants, encompasses the design of the €25m (US$27.5m, £20.8m) centre and an urban integration plan for with its proposed home on Nemunas Island – located close to the city’s historic Centras district and cultural institutions including the

Construction is nearing completion of the new Grandstand Stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, New York, ahead of the US Open in late August. Architects Rossetti have designed the 125,000sq ft (11,600sq m) facility, which will have 8,000 seats, 2,000 more than the old version. The lower bowl is recessed into the earth to create a strong match-day atmosphere and to boost player-fan interaction. The new stadium's exterior features a translucent