Restaurants of the future could look a lot lighter because of Dutch architects MVRDV’s latest creation: a fully transparent glass kitchen. The installation, called Infinity Kitchen, was created as part of a satellite event for the Venice Architecture Biennale commissioned by Weng Ling of the Beijing Centre for the Arts (BCA). The Infinity Kitchen is a proposal for the next stage of kitchen design. It features completely transparent surfaces, shelves,

Norman Foster has unveiled a full scale prototype for a new droneport to be used to deliver medical supplies and other essential equipment across Africa, and said that the vaulted brick structure could have multiple uses, including for leisure developers. Launching the project at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Foster described the structure as a "high tech mud building". The Droneport, which is the first project to be presented by the

Richard Rogers has warned that the “the erosion of public space by the private market is a really serious problem in cities.” In an interview with CLAD at the launch of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, where his firm RSHP have an exhibition, Rogers urged architects, developers and the public to “defend our public spaces.” “Leisure space, public space, is at the very root of democracy, and architecture is about

Zaha Hadid Architects have been appointed to design a landmark cultural quarter overlooking the seafront in Bournemouth, England. Initial proposals for the site, which is currently home to a car park, include a multi-use performance space, a hotel, restaurants and new public realm linking the cultural quarter to the beaches, town centre and forthcoming Winter Gardens scheme via a new Grand Garden Walk. The project will cost a reported £25m

Bjarke Ingels will participate in a public forum in Paris on 30 May to present the latest incarnation of his vision for EuropaCity – one of the largest leisure developments on the continent. In a surprise announcement, Ingels’ studio BIG have invited Parisians to the session to learn about the project – which will create a new 80 acre urban centre between the city centre and Charles de Gaulle Airport.

New York’s Bronx Museum of the Arts has announced plans for a multi-million dollar architectural overhaul, resulting in more space for the institution’s public programmes and exhibitions. A public-private partnership between the museum and city of New York, the US$25m (€22.4m, £17m) project is being funded by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and overseen by the NYC Department of Design and Construction. Venezuelan-American architect Mónica Ponce de León and

Meliá Hotels International is opening a sustainable hotel in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. The Meliá Serengeti Lodge, scheduled to open in June 2017, will be located 700m below the peak of Nyamuma mountain, on the western border of the World Heritage Site at Lake Victoria. Guests to the hotel will have a panoramic view of a river valley that hosts some of the most remarkable scenes in nature: the annual

Danish company Kvorning Design & Communication are simultaneously developing projects across all of Norway’s World Heritage sites, creating bespoke exhibitions for each site celebrating the country’s history. Kvorning beat a number of Norwegian architecture firms in a design competition for the contract, which includes the DKR24m (US$3.65m, €3.25m, £2.55m) development of a visitor centre at each of Norway’s eight World Heritage sites. Included in this list is Struves Geodetic Arc,

Alejandro Aravena has officially launched the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale by firing a broadside at decision makers and architects who put profit ahead of the public good when creating our built environments. “Banality and mediocrity in architecture are as damaging as not responding to basic needs,” said the Pritzker laureate at this morning’s (26 May) press conference for the festival, which he is curating. “Corporate architects [and developers] are the

Texas Rangers – the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise – has moved a step closer to building a new US$1bn (£680.1m, €894.2m) stadium after the council agreed a financing package for the development. Arlington City Council unanimously approved a master agreement in which the funds for the stadium would be split between the team and public finance. A public vote will now be held in November to ask residents if

25 years on from its inception, work is nearing completion on Newmarket’s £14m (US$20.4m, €18.2m) National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art, which sees the Palace building and stables transformed to create a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to the sport of horseracing. Celebrating more than 350 years of sporting history, Mather & Co are behind the plans, which gained Heritage Lottery funding in 2012 to the tune of £4.25m (US$6.2m,

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced it will transform the landmark Metropolitan Building in Detroit into 110-bedroom Element Hotel. Element Detroit at the Metropolitan Building will open in July 2018. It will be owned and developed by Metropolitan Hotel Partners; a joint venture between Detroit developers Means Group and Roxbury Group. The 14-storey Metropolitan Building is a neo-gothic icon designed by local firm Weston and Ellington in 1925. Located

The “first 3D-printed office in the world” has been unveiled in Dubai, marking a milestone in the development of 3D technology and paving the way for architects to build across different typologies in less time and for less cost. According to its developers, the building is the first of its kind prepared for actual use. Key services, such as electricity, water, telecommunications and air-conditioning have all been integrated into the

With its mass appeal and ability to unite people worldwide, sport offers a powerful platform for demonstrating and communicating the importance of sustainability. That’s the view of Chris DeVolder, sustainable design leader at architecture firm HOK. In a column penned for the latest issue of CLADmag, DeVolder reflected on the changing nature of sports-oriented design, particularly with city centre sports developments returning to favour. “By establishing new paradigms for environmentally

David Chipperfield Architects have presented the schematic design for the new Nobel Center in Stockholm to the public, weeks after the controversial project received the green light from the city council. While the architects have maintained their initial concept for the building – which will house the Nobel Foundation headquarters and a museum for the organisation – the design has been developed in order to “strengthen its public character” The

Pritzker Prize winning architect and theorist Rem Koolhaas has called for more communication between architects; criticising those who are unwilling to listen to those from different cultures and with different value systems. According to US publication Fast Company, the OMA founder made the statement during a session held on the final day of the American Institute of Architects Convention in Philadelphia. "Architecture has a serious problem today in that people

The iconic Swiss hotel Waldhaus Flims is undergoing a CHF40m (US$40m, €36m, £28m) renovation aimed to maintain the property’s storied heritage while enhancing the resort to a luxury alpine hotel and spa. The 150-bedroom hotel was acquired by Z Capital Partners – the same company that also recently acquired wellness hotel Carillon Miami Beach – in December, marking the group’s first international expansion. The renovation is being undertaken by Hong

Lausanne in Switzerland has unveiled plans to combine the city’s three major art and design museums into a single cultural hub, with all three institutions getting new homes as part of the landmark development. Known as Plateforme10, the three museums will sit on 22,000sq m (237,000sq ft) of repurposed industrial land next to the city’s main train station. Laid out as “an open terrace, an esplanade revealing the scope of

Australian developer Sterling Global has submitted plans for a Jean Nouvel-designed mixed-use tower in Melbourne, which will have different designs on all four sides. If approved, the AUS$700m (US$501m, €448m, £345) project will be constructed on the city’s La Trobe Street to house restaurants, bars, penthouses, apartments and a luxury hotel and skybar. The design of the 242m (794ft) tower stands out for its four distinct sides. Three form a

The extension of a luxury London hotel by Richard Rogers is nearing completion. The renowned architect, and his practice Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, have designed a fresh architectural appearance to the front façade of the Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, adding “a touch of contemporary theatre” to the 1970s building. The hotel’s entrance is being extended outwards and fitted with glass, steel and carbon fibre beams to create what the

Health and wellness hotel specialist Henri Chenot is opening a five-star retreat in Azerbaijan near Gabala lake, marking the brand’s first venture outside the Italian border. Based on the holistic detox and revitalisation Chenot methods, the Chenot Palace Health Wellness Hotel Gabala will be both a medical spa and a medical clinic dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing and natural appearance of guests. It is set to open in November

Construction has begun on Aykon City; a four-tower mega-project in Dubai which will bring new leisure space to the city’s skies. Designed by Handel Architects for developer DAMAC, the towers will house hotels, offices and residences. They will be supported by a podium featuring leisure amenities for the public – including a beach club with swimming pools and green spaces, a children’s playground, an Aykon Spa, restaurants, high-end shops, cafes,

The first images of the long-awaited extension to the Tate Modern art gallery in London have been released ahead of its official public opening on 17 June 2016. The Tate Modern was created in 2000 by Herzog and de Meuron, who transformed the derelict Bankside Power Station on the River Thames into a home for the UK’s collection of international modern and contemporary art. The architects reunited eight years ago

German architecture studio von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (GMP) have won an international competition to design an Urban Concert Hall in the Chinese city of Chengdu. The firm’s vision for the project was chosen by city officials ahead of competing entries from Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid Architects, Nikken Sekkei and Aedas. They will now set to work completing a final design for the building, which will have opera and concert

The completed first phase of redevelopment at Chicago’s Navy Pier will be officially unveiled on 27 May, kicking off a year-long programme of celebrations. Landscape architecture and design firm James Corner Field Operations have been revamping the pier since winning an international design competition for the US$278m (€255.9m, £197.6m) project in 2012. Phase one includes new arts and cultural programming, restaurants and landscape design across nine acres. It has been

DGT Architects have been awarded the Grand Prize 2016 by the French Architects Overseas Organisation (AFEX) for their work on Estonia's new national museum. The studio will collect the award on 26 May in Venice to coincide with the opening of the city’s 15th architecture biennale. DGT won an international competition to design the new home for the Estonian National Museum in Tartu by challenging the competition brief. Instead of

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Architects Foundation have partnered with architecture firm HOK to research how better design practices can improve public health. Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding, the trio will identify and develop opportunities to translate research on healthy architecture into practice. HOK will leverage its global network of architects and clients to accumulate existing research and identify how to move this knowledge