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

After nearly two years of legal disputes, George Lucas has finally pulled the plug on plans for his Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago, with the director now thought to be eyeing San Francisco or Los Angeles for his legacy project. Blaming delays over a lawsuit from a parks group opposed to development along the city’s waterfront, Lucas said in a statement that he would be taking the museum to

A nerve-testing glass slide located 1,000ft above the ground has opened near the top of Los Angeles’ Bank Tower. The 45ft (13.7m) long Skyslide links the 70th and 69th floors of the building. Just 1.25 inches thick, riders feel like they are descending through thin air. The slide is the creation of architects Gensler and forms part of the new OUE Skyspace LA attraction – California’s tallest open-air 360-degree observation

Our biggest news stories came right at the end of this week, with UK’s decision to leave the European Union. Many of Britain's best-known architects – including David Chipperfield and David Adjaye – had campaigned for the country to remain in the EU in the days preceding the national referendum on the issue, but their pleas were rejected by 52 per cent of those who voted. The result has sent

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), designed by Renzo Piano, has opened in the Greek capital city Athens with a four day festival of cultural events. The building – one of CLAD’s most anticipated of 2016 – is a multi-functional and environmentally sustainable education, arts, and recreation complex which houses the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera in separate wings. The building features a sloping grass

France’s rugby federation has reached an agreement with contractor Ibelys to begin building a new 82,000-capacity home for the sport in Paris. The planned stadium, designed by Populous, will form the heart of a new leisure district planned for the French capital. In addition to hosting all French national team home matches, the multi-purpose stadium will also accommodate conventions, shows and other sporting events. The capacity can be extended to

UPDATE: The high-profile expansion of Quebec’s first publicly-established museum by Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has opened to the public today (24 June). The new semi-transparent Pierre Lassonde pavilion – named after the Canadian philanthropist whose donations have helped fund the expansion – has increased exhibition space in the 83-year old Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) by 90 per cent. The museum showcases and preserves Québécois

Architects from across the UK have reacted with shock after waking up to the news that the country will leave the European Union (EU) following a referendum on its membership. Over 72 per cent of the electorate cast their votes yesterday (23 June) and the final result showed 51.9 per cent to in favour of Brexit. While the Leave campaign have begun wild celebrations, British Prime Minister David Cameron, a

International design studio Architects of Invention have released a concept proposal for a resort and spa created by biomimicry. Located on Mahe Island in the Seychelles, the Coral Hotel would feature several restaurants, apartments, a club-house with a pool, a private marina and a spa complex housed within a structure that resembles a sea creature or coral formation. “This is a new type of a biomimetic architecture that seeks solutions

Design and development studio AE Superlab have proposed a new attraction and landmark for New York, as the city seeks an icon to crown its forthcoming Empire Station Complex. The Halo is a 1,200ft (366m) high semi-transparent, lightweight superstructure featuring panoramic viewpoints and 11 tower rides, which will carry thrill seekers to the top before either carrying them gently back down or plummeting at speed. Empire Station is a US$3bn

Minor Hotels will debut the Anantara Kalutara Resort on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast this October, featuring an extensive two-storey spa. Designed by the late Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, Anantara Kalutara is surrounded by tropical gardens and coconut palms, and features a simplistic elegance. The resort is set between the Indian Ocean and Kalu River, and boasts coastal, river and lagoon frontage. The 141 bedrooms, suites and pool villas will

Danish architectural firm Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter have unveiled designs for an arctic visitor attraction designed to draw visitors to Greenland. The proposed Icefjord Centre in Ilulissat – a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland – will help develop Greenland’s tourism and will demonstrate the history and culture of the ice fjord, as well as highlighting the dramatic melting of the UNESCO-protected Greenland ice sheet. Scheduled to open in

MVRDV are nearing completion on a reflective “hollowed-out” library in Tianjin, China. The 34,200sq m (368,000sq ft) building – which has just topped out – is built around a mirrored spherical auditorium which, coupled with the main atrium, forms a giant eye that looks out at passers-by. Designed with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute (TUPDI), the Tianjin Binhai Library is being constructed as part of a larger plan

Russia’s State Hermitage Museum is to open a satellite site on the Barcelona waterfront in 2019. Designed by architect Íñigo Amézola, the US$43m (€38m, £29.2m) outpost, to be constructed in the Port of Barcelona, will cover 15,500sq m (166,000sq m) and will have seven galleries split over five storeys, as well as a large entrance hall, restaurant, cafeteria and auditorium. Renderings of the building show a cube structure sat within

A host of architects and designers from the UK and around the world have rallied behind the campaign to keep Britain in the European Union ahead of a landmark referendum today (23 June) which will decide the country’s future in the politico-economic union. David Chipperfield, Rem Koolhaas, Richard Rogers, David Adjaye, Ron Arad and Thomas Heatherwick are among the individuals who have openly called for voters heading to the polls

Miami-based AIC Hotel Group – whose properties include Miami Beach’s iconic Eden Rock Hotel and Nobu Hotel, as well as several Hard Rock properties – has launched a new adults-only, all-inclusive brand, Unico Hotels, with the first location set to debut in Riviera Maya on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The brand is designed to reflect each property’s locale and native culture, and the nomenclature will play on the latitude and longitude

Universal has offered a first-look at its “next-generation” Volcano Bay, promising to redefine the waterpark experience with everything from the queue line to the park’s immersive theming. Volcano Bay, which suffered a minor setback this month following a fire at the construction site, will open by 1 June 2017, according to officials.

The new home of American National Football League (NFL) franchise the Minnesota Vikings has been completed six weeks ahead of schedule in Minneapolis. Contractor Mortenson Construction has symbolically handed over the keys to the U.S. Bank Stadium to the Vikings and the building’s owner, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA). Designed by HKS Architects, the 70,000-capacity stadium cost US$1.1bn (€974m, £749m) to build. The 1.75m sq ft (162,600sq m) structure