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

Japan is leading the way in the establishment of child-friendly cities with young people being given a say in the design of their urban environments. UNICEF launched its Child Friendly City (CFC) initiative in 1996 as a way of implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at local levels. Cities in which children are able to live happily and safely, express their opinions, influence decision making and

American celebrity chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio is to launch a new restaurant in The Beekman – a luxury hotel set to open within an iconic New York high rise in June 2016. Swedish interior designer Martin Brudnizki – who recently completed work on the lavish Sexy Fish restaurant in London – has designed both the 290-bedroom hotel and Colicchio’s restaurant, which will be called Fowler and Wells after a

Design Museum Dharavi - a portable museum in one of the world’s largest slums – has opened in Mumbai, India with exhibitions on terracotta pottery and cricket. Spanish artist Jorge Mañes Rubio and art critic Amanda Pinatih have launched the project for an initial two month run to host workshops, exhibitions and cultural events showcasing the skills of local artists and designers in Dharavi – home to more than 1m

This week, two architecture studios have announced concepts for structures over a mile high. The first scheme, called The Mile, is from international design and innovation office Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA), who have proposed the world’s highest vertical park and observation deck. Developed together with German engineering firm Schlaich Bergermann & Partner (SBP) and British digital design studio Atmos, The Mile would be the tallest man-made structure ever created –

The first images and renderings have been released of the completed interiors and final exteriors of Bjarke Ingels W57 ‘Courtscraper’ in New York’s Manhattan borough, ahead of its opening to residents next month. While photographs of the the building’s distorted pyramid form and multi-textual facade have been shared widely since construction began, this is the first time developer The Durst Organization has revealed what the structure will look like from

The new Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT), designed by British architecture firm AL_A, is entering the final phases of construction along Lisbon’s waterfront. Designed as a new landmark for the city and Portugal, the museum will cross the disciplines of art, architecture and technology with a cultural programme masterminded by Pedro Gadanho, the former curator of architecture and design exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New

FIFA’s World Football Museum will launch this weekend in Zurich as a "playful, emotional voyage of discovery for world football,” the project's managing director has told CLAD. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Stefan Jost said that there is a "positive buzz and a lot of anticipation" around the project, which is part of a larger CHF150m (US$151.1m, €137.7m, £108.6m) development which also includes luxury apartments, a restaurant, a sports bar,

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has confirmed that its proposed new stadium has received approval from the mayor of London Boris Johnson. The decision is a significant step forward in the development of the planned 61,000-capacity stadium – designed by global sports architects Populous – which will replace the English Premier League side’s existing White Hart Lane ground in north London. "This marks yet another major milestone for this vital and

Citizens in Toronto, Canada have taken to the city’s wind-swept beaches to enjoy the 2016 Winter Stations art festival, which features seven creative architectural installations built around existing lifeguard stations. A special competition was held last year to choose the winning designs for the festival, with the only stipulation being that the structures had to be in some way interactive and able to inspire Torontonians to brace the chilly winter

Lanzarote’s Museo Atlantico, Europe’s first underwater art museum, is preparing to open 12 metres below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Divers, snorkelers and visitors in glass-bottomed boats will be able to view crowds of motionless human figures sculpted by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor and carefully fixed to the ocean bed. Schools of fish weave through motionless figures, fixed in time, taking selfies, using tablets and phones and striding

Sereno Hotels is opening a second property on the shores of Lake Como at Villa Pliniana, a 16th century Italian palazzo set on 18 waterfront acres. This marks Sereno Hotels’ third location, and second on Lake Como after the recently-announced Il Sereno, Lago di Como, located less than 1,000 yards from Villa Pliniana and set to open in July 2016. The company also owns Le Sereno in St. Barths. The

China has become well-known for its unconventional architecture and design projects – from trouser-shaped skyscrapers to vase-inspired museums and replicas of Western landmarks such as the White House and the Louvre Pyramid. Projects like these look to be a thing of the past, however, thanks to a new government directive which has banned ‘bizarre’ architecture. The order, released by the country’s State Council, says any new design that is not

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter have completed a new home for the Romsdal Folk Museum in Molde, Norway which looks like a pine-clad castle from the pages of a Scandinavian fairytale. The 3,500sq m (36,600sq ft) museum building – which exhibits an extensive collection of Norwegian cultural artefacts and hosts concerts, workshops and lectures – has been officially opened by Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg. Molde is known for its ethereal pine

The first images have been revealed of the Serpentine Gallery’s 2016 pavilion programme, featuring four summer houses by international architects and a centrepiece created by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). BIG’s hotly-anticipated pavilion – the studio’s first UK structure – has been described as an “unzipped wall”. The structure – formed by a series of box-like fibreglass frames stacked in a brick-wall pattern – will host a Harrods-run cafe and events

It won’t be long before living, working and spending our leisure time on floating cities is a normal part of life, according to Koen Olthuis, founder of Waterstudio. “In the next 10 to 15 years, more and more architecture will start to explore the possibilities of floating developments,” Olthuis said, speaking exclusively to CLAD. “It will grow from something that’s a fringe architecture to something that’s mainstream.” Olthuis, a longtime

Warsaw architecture studio Mateusz Tanski & Associates have won a design competition in Poland to build a stadium, sports and culture complex nestled in a quarry in the city of Jaworzno. The design is inspired by the rich geological landscape of the region. The complex will be formed of a 1,000-capacity athletics stadium designed to resemble a rock and six free-standing buildings evoking scattered boulders. The shape of the structures

The director of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, Alejandro Aravena, has revealed that challenges facing the built environment will be the focus of this year’s festival. Aravena, who is the winner of this year's Pritzker Prize, has pledged to curate a show that demonstrates “there is not only a need, but also room for action” in improving the environments where people live, work, interact and relax. “There are several battles

Five landscape design teams and architects have been named the winners of the prestigious 2016 International Garden Festival. The successful studios – who hail from Canada, the United States, France and Switzerland – will display their verdant creations at the Redford Gardens in Quebec, Canada, along with 22 other gardens designed by more than 80 landscape architects, architects and designers. Over 203 entries from 31 countries were submitted to the

Renderings have been released for a private Los Angeles arts club on Sunset Boulevard reportedly being developed by Gwyneth Paltrow. According to several media outlets in Hollywood, the Oscar-winning actor and lifestyle coach is backing the project with her business partner Gary Landesberg. The facility, which is being developed on the site of erotic boutique Hustler, will be an extension of The Arts Club in London – where Paltrow is