Interior designer Inge Moore and her studio, The Gallery HBA, have redesigned an island safari lodge in Botswana, creating a luxury getaway inspired by the diverse wildlife of the Okavango Delta. The old Belmond Eagle Island Lodge was completely dismantled and many of the materials reused to create a contemporary space sensitive to both the ecology and aesthetics of the delta. Twelve 62sq m (667sq ft) tented guestrooms – their

Danish practice Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects have broken ground on an art gallery and clubhouse in southern China, built in the centre of a lake. The building, located in the mountainous district of Gao Yao to the west of China’s third-largest city, Guangzhou, will be a 3,160sq m pavilion for a new development of villas at the base of the mountain. The studio collaborated with a Feng Shui master to

Italian luxury fashion house Fendi has opened seven private designer suites above its flagship store in the heart of Rome. The luxury hotel and boutique shop are both located in Palazzo Fendi, a five-storey 17th-century residence overlooking Via dei Condotti and the city’s famous Spanish Steps. Each suite covers over 1,000sq ft (92.9sq m) and features original Karl Lagerfeld photographs and fur made by the brand’s own artisans. The design,

Studio Gang founder Jeanne Gang has been named Architect of the Year at the Women in Architecture awards, with Gabriela Etchegaray winning the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture. The judges heralded the duo for demonstrating “excellence in design and a commitment to working both sustainably and democratically with local communities.” While the judges particularly praised the architects for their social and commercial work, both have also designed a number

Norwegian architects Snøhetta have today (4 March) launched a solar-powered light installation in Singapore to promote energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The structure – called Lampshade – is a simple bamboo volume covered with photovoltaic (solar power) cells. It is is filled with intense light during the evenings using solar energy collected during the day. The installation is being displayed at i Light Marina Bay, Asia’s leading sustainable light art

The Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain, a resort in America's Paradise Valley, is in the final stages of developing its Spa House, a 3,500sq ft (312sq m), four-bedroom private mountain home dedicated to wellness. Set to open in April 2016, the Spa House – designed by Arizona-based interior design firm Testani Design Troupe and architecture firm MoD A+P – features three king bedrooms and one guestroom with two double beds. The

The 50-storey Shangri-La Hotel, Doha has opened in the Qatari capital, with 272 bedrooms as well as the brand’s signature CHI The Spa. The hotel includes an aquamarine lagoon-shaped pool set on a 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) deck surrounded by 70 leafy trees, as well as a health club with 24-hour fitness centre, sauna and steamrooms. Designed by H.O.K. Architects, the Shangri-La Hotel, Doha also includes 42 serviced apartments and

It’s been another busy week in the world of leisure architecture, design, investment and development, and CLAD has reported on some exciting trends and discoveries which will have big implications for the industry. We covered an important new study into graphene, which found that by using biomimicry this nanometre thin material could be applied in buildings as ‘smart wallpaper’ to generate electricity from waste light or heat, potentially revolutionising how

Jean Nouvel’s long-running bid to renovate and expand Geneva’s Museum of Art and History has received what appears to be a fatal blow after his plans were narrowly rejected in a public vote. Despite receiving planning approval and funding, the 131m CHF (US$129m, €120m, £93.4m) project to refresh Marc Camoletti’s 1910 neoclassical landmark faced a local referendum after criticism from campaigners. According to Swiss reports, 54 per cent of voters

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater is expanding its footprint on the city’s iconic Navy Pier, with US$35m (€32.2m, £24.9m) being used to develop a flexible third stage capable of being adapted based on the performance. With audience capacity ranging from 150 to 850 in an enclosed space beneath the domed Skyline Stage area, the theatre, known as The Yard at Shakespeare, will have the capability to project images onto the underside

Aman’s first Japanese hot springs resort, Amanemu, has opened in the idyllic setting of Ise Shima National Park on the shores of Ago Bay. Providing a rural complement to Aman Tokyo, and continuing Aman’s journey within Japan, Amanemu has adopted a classic Japanese aesthetic in the ryokan tradition with each of the 24 suites and four two-bedroom villas featuring their own onsen. Designed to be a relaxed, peaceful and contemplative

A German artist and a Zurich hotel specialising in creating “special experiences” have collaborated to send guests on a voyage to outer space. Michael Najjar and the Kameha Grand Zurich Hotel have opened an exclusive Space Suite on the hotel’s fifth floor, with the highly-detailed interiors designed to make those who stay feel as though they are embarking on an intergalactic journey. The two-person room features a floating zero gravity

A spokesperson from Grimshaw Architects has confirmed to Attractions Management that the practice has won an architecture competition to develop a horse theme park in Yeongcheon, South Korea. The firm’s winning scheme, called The Park EverYoung, has been developed in collaboration with South Korean firms NOW Architects, Group Han Associates, Dohwa Engineering and DE Partners. A rendering published online by the The Korea Racing Authority (KRA) shows the 148 hectare

French studio Stephane Malka Architecture will introduce a flower-filled green space to one of Paris’ most urbanised districts after winning a competition to masterplan a €5m (US$5.4m, £3.8m) landscaped garden. The 1,500sq m (16,100sq ft) project, called OXyGen, will bring a colourful flower garden, open terraces and a number of new restaurants to Vignes in La Défense; the French capital’s business hub. “Inspired by the tradition of the romantic gardens

In recent times, CLAD has reported on a glass-bottomed swimming pool suspended between two towers and a glass bridge crossing a canyon. Now, a forthcoming Los Angeles attraction is taking things one step further, with an outdoor glass slide located 1,000ft above the ground. The 45ft Skyslide will link the 70th and 69th floors of the Bank Tower; the tallest building on the west coast of the US. Thrillseekers who

Luxury hotel interior design studio MKV Design have completed two new hotels in Baku, Azerbaijan, which celebrate the city’s industrial past and its ongoing transformation into a modern, international metropolis. The hotels, called the Intourist and the Boulevard, are both part of Marriott's Autograph Collection brand and are operated by Absheron Hotel Group. The Intourist – designed by hotel architects ReardonSmith as a successor to a now-defunct 1930’s Baku hotel

The James Beard Foundation – which celebrates America's culinary heritage – has launched a ‘Design Icon Restaurant Award’, with the inaugural winner announced today (2 March) as the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York. The special award has been established to recognise restaurants in the US “that serve as national standard bearers of outstanding design and design innovation.” In order to qualify, a restaurant’s design must have remained unchanged for

Dubai developer Eco Resort Group and London studio Baharash Architecture have unveiled plans for “the world’s greenest resort” in an Abu Dhabi oasis. The Oasis Eco Resort, which is scheduled to open in the emirate’s Liwa region in 2020, will be powered by 157,000sq ft (14,500sq m) of solar panels and operate a wildlife conservation area. The design is built around the oasis’ spring, and water will be extracted from

The Wanda Group is to announce a multi-billion dollar investment into the currently under-development Europa City on the outskirts of Paris. The €3.1bn (US$3.5bn, £2.4bn) project – one of the largest ongoing leisure developments on the planet – is reportedly gaining investment from Wanda, China’s largest private property developer, and its owner Wang Jianlin. According to Variety, sources close to Wanda have said the company would confirm its role in

Diners in Holland will soon be able to enjoy a four-course meal in a panoramic domed rail carriage as they are whisked around the country by train. The Panorama Rail restaurant is located across three 1960s carriages, one of which features the glass domed roof. Twice a week, guests will be transported across the country by a 65-year old locomotive in a three-hour round trip that passes through Rotterdam, The

FC Barcelona has unveiled new images and a video for the New Palau Blaugrana – a multi-sports and concert arena created by US sports architects HOK and Spanish practice TAC Arquitectes. The highly flexible complex will comprise three areas that can operate independently: a 10,000-seat arena, an auxiliary court for 2,000 spectators, an ice rink with room for 800 spectators and a campus for the club’s football academy, FCB Escola.

Josef Hargrave, an associate with Arup’s global Foresight + Research + Innovation team, has predicted that the cities of the future will “identify, understand, manage and solve social, environmental and economic shifts and shocks”. Hargrave outlined his vision at Conscious Cities, a conference organised today (1 March) in London to explore the relationship between neuroscience and architecture. He imagined a future where sensors embedded throughout cities will be able to

Swiss architecture studio Evolution Design have unveiled their latest completed project: a village sports centre whose interiors are almost completely covered in vibrant primary colours. The walls and floor of the the Neumatt Centre’s main sports hall are bright green; the changing rooms are painted in rainbow-like shades of blue, yellow, red and orange; and large windows reflect the blue of the sky. “If you want to encourage people to

Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Minnesota United has unveiled renderings for its proposed Populous-designed stadium. The design of the 20,000-capacity stadium includes a 360-degree canopy to protect fans and players from poor weather and reduce light and noise spilling into the surrounding neighbourhood. Three hospitality clubs, a field heating system, high-density wifi and a 1,600sq ft (148.6sq m) retail store will be built within the US$150m (£107.1m, €137.9m) arena. It

Gender inequality remains a significant issue in the architecture industry, according to a new survey of female architects working around the world. The fifth annual Women in Architecture survey, published by the Architecture Review, shows that of 1,152 respondents, 67 per cent felt the building industry does not fully accept their authority because they are female and 72 per cent said they had experienced sexual discrimination, harassment or victimisation during

British scientists have discovered how graphene – the nanometre-thin material with remarkable electrical conductivity and mechanical strength – could be applied in buildings as ‘smart wallpaper’ to generate electricity from waste light or heat. Inspired by the light-sensitive eyes of moths, scientists at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute have used biomimicry to create ultra-thin graphene sheets that can effectively capture light for the first time. The team found

Santiago Calatrava’s centrepiece of the sprawling new transit facility at the World Trade Center complex in New York will open on Thursday (March 3). The World Trade Center Transportation Hub, also knows as the Oculus, represents the most integrated network of underground pedestrian connections to mass transit lines in the city, and doubles as a light-filled public gathering space and retail zone. The building has taken 12 years to build