Bill Hellmuth has officially taken over as the new CEO of global architecture practice HOK as part of a planned succession process which also sees his predecessor Patrick MacLeamy become the company’s chair. Hellmuth’s promotion, which completes a reshuffle first announced in January this year, marks the first time since 1990 that the firm has been led by a design principal. In a statement, the studio said the promotion “signals

Atlanta United FC – the football franchise joining Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2017 – has revealed plans for a new US$60m (£41.7m, €52.8m) training facility which emphasises youth development. Designed by local architects TVS Design, the centre will be home to the club’s youth academy, first team players and staff. The 33-acre site will include a 30,000sq ft (2,787sq m) headquarters and six playing fields. Darren Eales, president of

Hotel and resort giant Starwood has agreed a deal to open a 125-room hotel and 220 St. Regis-branded residences in Serbia’s tallest mixed-use tower. The Kula Belgrade – a 550ft tall and twisting glass skyscraper designed by the Chicago office of architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Global – is scheduled to open in 2019, when it will form the centerpiece of a major new waterfront development in the capital

United Soccer League (USL) franchise Sacramento Republic FC has lifted the lid on designs for its proposed new stadium, which it is aiming to make the “most intense and intimidating” in the league. The released renderings revealed artistic impressions of the stadium’s supporter section which will be built to try and foster a “sense of community and exclusivity” for fan groups including the Tower Bridge Battalion. Steep stands will be

The Association for the Promotion and Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (APEAL) has revealed the shortlist for an architectural design competition to build a new “modern and contemporary” art museum in the heart of Beirut, Lebanon. The contest was open to architects of Lebanese origin from around the globe, and 66 submissions from 16 countries were received. These were whittled down to a final shortlist of 13, who are

The city council of St. Petersburg in Florida, US, has officially approved both the funding and design for a US$20m pier designed as the centrepiece of a new 34 acre waterfront leisure district. The St. Petersburg Pier – designed by ASD/SKY, Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers and Ken Smith Workshop – will extend into Tampa Bay, providing multi-level observation platforms, cycling routes, restaurants, a 4,000-capacity events space, a cafe

Conrad Hotels has made its debut in India with the opening of Conrad Pune, which features a 5,000sq ft (465sq m) Conrad Spa. Owned by Palm Grove Beach Hotels, a subsidiary of K. Raheja Construction Group, and managed by Hilton Worldwide, the 310-bedroom Conrad Pune features interior design by Hong Kong-based AB Concept. Expansive public spaces feature 40ft (12m) high ceilings, cascading water features, a collection of hand-picked artwork, bold

Destination Hotels is opening a 25,000sq ft (2,323sq m) indoor/outdoor spa sanctuary in June 2016 at its La Cantera Hill Country Resort, located on 550 acres just outside of San Antonio, Texas. Part of a multi-million-dollar transformation of the 498-guestroom resort, Loma de Vida Spa & Wellness will offer holistic, meditative and restorative treatments that blend indigenous Texas elements with European influences. Loma de Vida – or ‘Hill of Life’

The structural engineers behind a forthcoming transparent sky pool which will span two London apartment blocks have outlined the huge technical challenges of the project. Eckersley O’Callaghan are building the pool for development firm Ballymore Group in the Nine Elms development close to Battersea Power Station. The 25m (82ft) pool – designed in collaboration with Arup Associates and aquarium designer Reynolds – will be 5m (16ft) wide and will enable

Zaha Hadid Architects have declared they will continue their work “with curiosity, integrity, passion and determination” following the death of the studio’s pioneering founder, Zaha Hadid. In a statement released today (18 April), the London-based firm said: “Zaha is in the DNA of Zaha Hadid Architects. She continues to drive and inspire us every day, and we work on as Zaha taught us.” The practice added: “Zaha Hadid Architects and

Detroit Zoo has debuted its new US$30m (€26.5m, £21.1m) penguin habitat, with the state-of-the-art enclosure offering a face-to-face encounter with the antarctic birds. Home to 69 penguins – gentoos, macaronis, king and rockhoppers – the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, designed by the architectural team of Albert Kahn Associates and Jones & Jones Architects, features an underwater gallery and two acrylic tunnels for visitors to see the birds fly through the

British architecture studio FaulknerBrowns have unveiled the second phase of their major riverside regeneration project in Durham, northern England, which aims to create a new “regional and national destination” in the historic city. A planning application has today (18 April) been submitted for the redevelopment of Milburngate House, a passport office, into a 2 hectare mixed-use development with extensive public realm along the River Wear. The £150m (US$199m, €176m) project

Acclaimed artist Cornelia Parker has taken inspiration from the paintings of Edward Hopper and the ominous Bates mansion from Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho to create a large-scale roof garden commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. For the fourth year running, the Met has organised a site-specific rooftop exhibit mixing architecture, art and design. The Roof Garden Commission: Cornelia Parker, Transitional Object (PsychoBarn), which opens to the

A former Six Flags theme park abandoned in 2005 after severe flooding stemming from Hurricane Katrina could be given a new lease of life after two groups of developers laid out proposals to revive the theme park. The abandoned site in New Orleans, Louisiana, nowadays frequented by vandals and trespassers, could get a revival as an amusement park, resort hotel, outlet mall or sports complex, according to the developers. A

Six Senses Zil Pasyon, located on the 652-acre Felicite Island in the Seychelles, is set to open in Q3 2016, and will incorporate into its design the small island’s dramatic granite boulders that fringe the shoreline. With 30 villas and 17 private residences, Six Senses Zil Pasyon will occupy just one-third of the picturesque island, with the rest of the island left in its natural state. The 7,000sq ft (650sq

Global planning and design firm PGAV Destinations have appointed four architectural designers to support the practice with its growing list of major leisure developments. Marchelle Gant, Jinyang Liu, Ian Min and Joe Windler join a team of more than 120 full-time architects, designers, artists, business strategists, interpreters and planners. The studio told CLAD they have the greatest number of senior project design team leaders in the industry, a strategy which

The founder of design studio Blue Sky Hospitality Henry Chebaane has told CLAD that interior designers should not be afraid of “outside the box” thinking if they are to create livelier and more authentic hotels, bars, restaurants and leisure spaces. Chebaane and his design firm, Blue Sky Hospitality, are known for their creative and unorthodox designs, and have just launched a typically quirky Asian restaurant called Kojawan on the top

Swiss-Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava will receive a lifetime achievement award at the 2016 LEAF International conference in London in October. Calatrava – who this week officially unveiled his design for what will be one of the world’s tallest towers in Dubai – is being recognised for his “unique vision and ability to transform cities through impactful design." LEAF, which stands for Leading European Architecture Forum, is an annual gathering of

The New South Wales (NSW) government has confirmed plans to undertake an ambitious AS$1.6bn (£870.4m, US$1.2bn, €1.1bn) stadium strategy in Sydney which will see three grounds altered or rebuilt. As part of the proposals, which were unveiled by NSW premier Mike Baird, the Populous-designed Olympic Stadium – now called the ANZ Stadium – will be downsized from a 83,500-capacity venue to a 70,000-seat stadium and reconfigured as a rectangle football

The first ever project of pioneering engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel – London’s underwater Thames Tunnel – has this week opened to the public as a new cultural attraction and concert hall. The 19th century tunnel – the first in the world built underwater – is now used as part of the city’s rail network. It was built in 1843 by a teenage Brunel with his father, Marc, to connect the

A floating park designed by Thomas Heatherwick for New York’s Hudson River has overcome a major hurdle after a judge in Manhattan dismissed a lawsuit seeking to halt the project. According to the New York Times, civic group City Club of New York filed the action, claiming the US$130m (€1115.4m, £91.8m) project was not transparent, had not been subjected to enough public scrutiny, and should face a new environmental review.

Proposals to build a £92m (US$130.4m, €115.8m) Populous-designed Bristol Arena have been given the green light by the city council. The 12,000-capacity multi-use arena is now set to be built on the site of the former diesel depot close to Temple Meads train station. Bristol City Council accepted the application – put forward by Bristol Temple Quarter – after requesting more information on transportation plans and infrastructure around the arena.

Kengo Kuma architects have unveiled their latest completed project: an angular wooden cultural centre near the Japanese Alps in snowy Nagano prefecture. The project was commissioned to coincide with a new high-speed railway line connecting the small city of Iiyama to the Hokuriku region on Japan’s main island. Both openings have been planned to revive the city's economic prospects. Kuma’s building is formed of three volumes: two events halls for

Atmantan, a 65,000sq ft (6,039sq m), 106-room dedicated wellness resort near Pune, India, opened its doors this week, offering a results-oriented approach to wellness with eight signature retreats. The property is nestled in the Sahyradri mountains overlooking Mulshi Lake, and is managed by Thailand-based wellness specialist Destination Spa Management, whose directors cut their teeth as the former senior leadership of wellness destination Chiva-Som. Set amid 40 acres of garden and

While the Smithsonian is stalling on plans to move to London’s Olympicopolis site, the British Museum is looking at the possibility of a satellite site at the upcoming cultural hub. For the Washington-based Smithsonian, which has 19 affiliates in the US, uncertainty over costs to open a new 3,750sq m (40,300sq ft) satellite facility within the new cultural quarter on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has delayed a final decision.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today (14 April) launched an international design competition promoting hotel design that is inclusive for disabled people. The “first of a kind” Bespoke Access Awards will celebrate designers who aim to improve access to hotels worldwide for disabled people, including those with learning difficulties, as well as all other guests. In a statement, RIBA said: “The Awards seek to challenge the perception

A controversial restoration of an ancient Spanish castle has been awarded an international architecture prize, despite being lambasted by a national heritage group as “lamentable”. Spanish studio Carquero Arquitectura’s modernist reinterpretation and renovation of Matrera Castle was the Popular Choice winner at the Architizer A+ Awards, which promotes and celebrates “meaningful architecture”. The 1,000 year-old stricture, which was falling into ruin, was propped up by a white cuboid structure, formed