Architecture and design news
Masterplan unveiled for billion-dollar Brisbane cultural district
by Kim Megson | 21 Jun 2016
International architecture and design practice The NRA Collaborative have outlined their masterplan for a sweeping new entertainment district in Brisbane, Australia. The proposed precinct, called Brisbane Live, would create an area around the city’s Roma Street featuring entertainment venues, commercial buildings, hotels, residences, restaurants, a retail zone and 12 hectares of parkland. At the heart of the design is a 17,000-seat arena able to host a multitude of events from
Hard Rock returns to its roots with plans for London hotel
by Jane Kitchen | 21 Jun 2016
Hard Rock International, in collaboration with glh Hotels, has unveiled plans for the Hard Rock Hotel London, to be located at Marble Arch on Hyde Park at the crossroads of Oxford Street and Park Lane. The 900-room hotel is a conversion of the existing Cumberland Hotel, and is scheduled for completion in 2018. It will include the brand’s Rock Spa, which features a concept based around signature music-infused spa treatments,
'A higher standard of architectural design': Construction begins on Kazakhstan's sustainable Expo City
by Kim Megson | 21 Jun 2016
Construction has begun on Astana Expo City in Kazakhstan; the site of the world’s next international architecture exposition. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) have designed the city's masterplan and 28 buildings around the 2017 Expo theme ‘Future Energy’. The ambitious project seeks to showcase alternative forms of energy and transport to fly the flag for green and sustainable practices. The design team’s goal is to minimise the site’s
Hotel at heart of Watergate scandal reopens after Ron Arad's US$125m re-design
by Kim Megson | 20 Jun 2016
The Watergate Hotel – the scene of the burglary which brought down Richard Nixon’s administration – has been given an extensive refit and re-design by Ron Arad Associates. The Washington D.C. hotel – which is listed as a national monument – was originally built by the Italian architect Luigi Moretti in the early 1960s as part of a mixed-use complex featuring offices, apartments and commercial facilities. The hotel made headlines
Walk on water across Italy's Lake Iseo thanks to Christo's Floating Piers creation
by Kim Megson | 20 Jun 2016
A pair of artists have given visitors to Italy’s Lake Iseo the opportunity to walk on water. The duo, known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, have created a temporary 3km-long installation called Floating Piers, which stretches from the commune of Sulzano in the province of Brescia to the island of San Paolo. Created using 100,000sq m of shimmering yellow fabric – carried just above the water by a modular floating dock
Conrad makes Philippine debut with hotel perched on top of lifestyle mall
by Jane Kitchen | 20 Jun 2016
Conrad Hotels has made its debut in the Philippines with the opening of Conrad Manila today, in the heart of the 42-acre Bay City development. Perched on top of a high-end shopping, dining and lifestyle mall, the Conrad Manila features 347 bedrooms as well as a spa with six treatment rooms with soaking tubs, a private sauna and steam facilities. It also includes a fitness centre and a third-level, coral-shaped
Work starts on Washington's Spy Museum, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
by Tom Anstey | 20 Jun 2016
Work has started on the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners-designed International Spy Museum, which is making a a US$162m (€143.2m, £102.1m) move to property developer JBG Companies’ L’Enfant Plaza. The deal was announced on 15 June after 18 months of negotiations, with the 140,000sq ft (13,000sq m) space in Washington D.C. funded through US$65m (€57.4m, £41m) coming from the museum’s owners and the remainder sourced through public fundraising and corporate
New Tokyo spa and health club merges tradition and luxury
by Kim Megson | 20 Jun 2016
Western and Japanese concepts of spatial definition and materiality merge in a newly opened spa and health club in Tokyo, designed by COE Architecture International. Aqua Sports & Spa, which was completed this month for fitness operator Seta Sports Connection, is a six-storey, 6,000sq m (65,000sq ft) building in Setagaya-Ku ward. It replaces a 1980s facility, and has been designed to promote personal sports training, Japanese bathing and social activities
Week's top news: Bill Clinton, Tate Modern and David Adjaye's latest museum design
by Kim Megson | 18 Jun 2016
Sustainability was a recurring topic in the news this week. Former US presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter met in Atlanta to discuss sustainable cities and green energy policies, the American Society of Interior Designers sealed a new agreement to integrate health and wellness into the projects of its members and the UN unveiled a new tool to measure the impact urbanisation has on quality of life. It was also
Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Modern extension opens in London
by Kim Megson | 17 Jun 2016
Today (17 June), the British public can finally see for themselves the long-gestating expansion to London’s Tate Modern art museum, masterminded by Herzog & de Meuron. The architects transformed the derelict Bankside Power Station on the River Thames into the museum in 2000 to house the UK’s collection of international modern and contemporary art. The Tate was expected to receive two million visitors each year, but was soon welcoming closer
Zaha Hadid's vision for Kurt Schwitters exhibition tribute realised in Zurich gallery
by Kim Megson | 17 Jun 2016
A passion project of the late Zaha Hadid has been unveiled to the world, with her exhibition design for a major retrospective of artist Kurt Schwitters opening in Zurich this week. Schwitters was well known for his poetry, music and Dadaist-flavoured art. His most famous work is an installation called Merzbau – described by critics as “a living, inhabited, ever-expanding collage” – which spread over eight rooms in his Hanover
Gensler win interior design contract for San Francisco’s new NBA arena
by Matthew Campelli | 17 Jun 2016
Architecture studio Gensler have won the contract to design the interior of San Francisco’s Chase Center, which will be the new home of basketball franchise the Golden State Warriors. Gensler will work with MANICA Architecture – who are designing the exterior of the building – to work on all the public interior space, including concourses, clubs, suites, offices, locker rooms the team store and retail space. The architects have pedigree
Well & Being spa with evidence-based healthy living concept opens at Las Vegas’s Red Rock Resort
by Jane Kitchen | 17 Jun 2016
Luxury resort and casino Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas has unveiled a newly renovated spa and wellness facility. Managed by Trilogy Spa Holdings, a boutique spa operator, The Spa at Red Rock by Well & Being features customised wellness experiences, including an updated menu of cutting-edge fitness classes, nutrition, integrative medicine, mind-body therapies and advanced skincare. This is the third Well & Being spa for Trilogy – with spas
Wolfgang Buttress' Hive pavilion creates buzz in London's Kew Gardens
by Kim Megson | 16 Jun 2016
Wolfgang Buttress’ multi-sensory celebration of bees will open to the public this Saturday (18 June) in London’s Kew Gardens. The Hive is a pavilion inspired by scientific research into the health of bees and their role in pollinating crops essential to human survival. The 17m (55.7ft) high, 40 tonne aluminium structure takes visitors on an experiential journey through the life of a bee colony, from an outside meadow into the
Adjaye Associates win competition to design €30m Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art
by Kim Megson | 16 Jun 2016
The architecture studio of David Adjaye have won the international competition to design a new contemporary art museum for the centre of Riga, Latvia. The Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation today (16 June) announced that Adjaye Associates’ vision for the museum – which imagines a highly-animated tilting roof geometry – has been selected ahead of six rival submissions, including from Caruso St John Architects and Henning Larssen Architects. Adjaye
Louvre Abu Dhabi hits major milestone as temporary sea walls come down
by Tom Anstey | 16 Jun 2016
The under-development Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi took a major step forward this week when the temporary sea wall surrounding the structure came down, flooding the area around the building. Contractor Arabtec Holdings has removed the 14m (46ft) temporary hydraulic cutoff walls used during the main construction phase, with the sea water now enveloping the museum, giving it the appearance of floating on water. "This delicate process is the result
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas could be home of new NHL franchise
by Matthew Campelli | 16 Jun 2016
Las Vegas’ US$375m (£264.7m, €333.1m) multi-purpose T-Mobile Arena, which opened in April, looks set to become the home of the latest National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. Reports in the US suggest the NHL has chosen the Nevada city over launching a franchise in Quebec, although the league’s board of governors will hold a formal vote on 22 June. The Populous-designed arena – described by its creators as "a diamond in
Studio Gang design North America's first dolphin sanctuary
by Tom Anstey | 14 Jun 2016
Baltimore’s National Aquarium has unveiled plans for North America’s first ever seaside dolphin sanctuary, which has been designed by architects Studio Gang. The aquarium has formed a team of experts who will be tasked to find a site which ensures the health and welfare of the dolphins, following a criteria which includes an outdoor location with natural seawater and a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The aquarium is aiming to transition
Paris 2024 unveils aquatics centre plans
by Matthew Campelli | 16 Jun 2016
The organisers of Paris’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games have unveiled plans to build a 15,000-capacity aquatics centre if the city’s application is successful. Located in the Saint-Denis region of Paris, the centre will house two 50m (165ft) swimming pools and two diving pools. Once the Games are over the capacity will be scaled down to 2,500. The aquatics centre will be the only facility that will need to
UN tool will map 'science of cities' to analyse impact of urbanisation on sustainable development
by Kim Megson | 14 Jun 2016
High profile figures ranging from Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former US presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have urged for further research and investment into making our cities more sustainable in recent weeks. Now the UN has increased its own commitment to this drive by introducing a new scientific tool that measures the rate of global urbanisation, its characteristics and the potential effect of urban sprawl on the quality
London mayor Sadiq Khan vows to 'embed culture' into city's planning system
by Kim Megson | 15 Jun 2016
New London mayor Sadiq Khan has claimed culture will be as important as housing, transport and the environment in his administration. Speaking at the press opening of the new Tate Modern in the UK capital, Khan vowed to increase the number of cultural facilities and public spaces by “embedding culture in London’s planning system.” “For too long culture has been merely a nice-to-have,” he argued. “We’ve got to change that.”
TADAO ANDO: The architect reveals his vision for François Pinault's Paris art museum
by Kim Megson | 15 Jun 2016
Tadao Ando has told CLAD about his design for a new contemporary art museum in Paris which will house the vast collection of billionaire businessman François Pinault. Pinault’s plans to transform the French capital’s historic Bourse de la Commerce into the museum were unveiled in April this year. Ando was selected to work on the project following a previous collaboration with Pinault to renovate Venice’s 17th century Punta della Dogana
Cox Architecture design pre-manufactured velodrome for 2018 Asia Games
by Kim Megson | 15 Jun 2016
Cox Architecture will create a 3,000 capacity velodrome in Jakarta for the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. According to reports in Australia, where the studio have their headquarters, the project will cost AUS$51m (US$38m, €33.6m, £26.5m) and is set to be completed by June 2018. Engineering firm Motts MacDonald, Indonesian architects BKM and construction company Wika are all said to be involved. In order to ensure the quick construction time,
Smithsonian and V&A partner for London Olympicopolis site
by Tom Anstey | 15 Jun 2016
The Smithsonian Institute is teaming up with the V&A Museum to create a collaborative permanent exhibition space at London’s Olympicopolis site. The plans, which date back to January 2015, originally called for a stand-alone Smithsonian to act as an anchor for the site upon its opening in 2020/2021. The amended plans now come at significantly less cost to the Smithsonian, with the V&A partnership giving the institution a permanent presence
American interior design leader partners with WELL Building Institute to promote health and wellness
by Kim Megson | 15 Jun 2016
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) have today (14 June) announced a partnership to accelerate the integration of health and wellness in the built environment. In a bid to engage the interior design community in the drive, ASID will educate its 25,000 members in the US and Canada on the principles, practices and applications of the internationally-recognised WELL Building Standard accreditation. The
Vladimir Putin approves US$4bn theme park development near Moscow
by Tom Anstey | 15 Jun 2016
The Goddard Group and Moschanko Investment Group have been given the go-ahead by Russian President Vladimir Putin to develop and build a US$4bn (€3.6bn, £2.8bn) theme park near Moscow. Called “The Magical World of Russia”, the new project has been touted as a major destination and resort theme park that will “reflect Russian and other international cultures”. The development gained the endorsement of President Putin at a recent meeting involving
Philippe Starck emphasises need for playfulness with new Singapore hotel design
by Kim Megson | 14 Jun 2016
M Social Singapore, the first property of a new lifestyle hotel brand from Millennium Hotels & Resorts, opens on Wednesday (13 June) with interior designs by Philippe Starck. The hotel is located on the Singapore River overlooking the vibrant Robertson Quay enclave, as part of a wider integrated development of luxury apartments and new public spaces. M Social will feature 293 guestrooms spread over ten floors, a restaurant and bar,
Freshwater lagoon, wellness centre and waterpark to feature at Jimmy Buffett's latest Margaritaville resort
by Kim Megson | 14 Jun 2016
The first renderings of the next Margaritaville destination resort – which will open in Orlando, Florida by the end of 2017 – have been released, shining a light on US singer Jimmy Buffett's ambitious plans for the US$750m (€664m, £526m) leisure scheme. Construction recently began on the 320-acre property, called Margaritaville Resort Orlando, which features interior designs from The McBride Company and is being developed by Encore Capital Management in
FAB Park: OMA and landscape architects MLA win competition to design Los Angeles' latest civic green space
by Kim Megson | 13 Jun 2016
A design team led by landscape architect Mia Lehrer + Associates (MLA), and featuring Rem Koolhaas’ OMA, has been selected by the City of Los Angeles to design “one of the most important civic spaces in the city’s vibrant downtown core”. Located on First and Broadway and known as FAB Park, the project incorporates themes of food, art and land to celebrate LA’s diversity. The City’s Department of Recreation and
Winning architect announced in competition for Visitor Hub at England's First World War Centenary Wood
by Kim Megson | 13 Jun 2016
Mark Wray Architects have won an open design competition to design a visitor hub for an ancient forest site in Surrey, England. The firm’s design for the project – which will be located in 640 acre Langley Vale Wood – was described by judges from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Britain’s Woodland Trust as an “imaginative and beautiful scheme that demonstrates well how mankind and nature can
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