Architecture and design news
Louvre Hotel Group plans bamboo resort complex for Indonesia's Funtasy Island eco-park
by Kim Megson | 08 Feb 2016
French hospitality company Louvre Hotels Group is preparing to open hundreds of luxury accommodations at the heart of “the world’s largest eco-theme park” – the US$240m (€216.2m, £166.8m) Funtasy Island development in Indonesia’s Riau Islands. Louvre’s luxury hotel complex will include 341 five-star villas under the Royal Tulip brand and a 183-room Golden Tulip hotel with a 260-seat restaurant. Constructed primarily from wood and bamboo, the buildings will be linked
Zaha Hadid: Architects must produce work that improves wellbeing
by Kim Megson | 05 Feb 2016
Speaking during her RIBA Royal Gold Medal lecture in London, British architect Zaha Hadid claimed that unlike artists, architects have a duty to the community's wellbeing and should not dwell on “contemplation, expression or provocation” in their work. “For me there was never any doubt that architecture must contribute to society’s progress and ultimately to our individual and collective wellbeing,” she said. “It performs and facilitates everyday life.” Hadid added
Architecture competition launched to create new cultural gateway for Australia's City of Ryde
by Kim Megson | 08 Feb 2016
A design competition has been launched to transform a civic hub in northern Sydney into a new gateway for culture and commerce. The competition to revitalise the City of Ryde has invited “the world’s most talented and creative architects” to submit “new, unexpected and iconic solutions to engage the community” and unlock the potential of the site – located on a prominent ridgeline with views of the surrounding Blue Mountains.
Electrifying! Drone racing - the latest sport – now fundraising on Kickstarter
by Kim Megson | 05 Feb 2016
A Kickstarter campaign has been launched to fund a drone racing centre for the US city of Portland. Entrepreneur Toby Johnson is trying to raise US$10,000 (€8,900, £6,800) by late March to develop a design for a facility that “may one day host the Drone Racing World Cup.” First person view (FPV) drone racing is a relatively new sport where competitors fly miniature, camera-mounted multi-rotor drones as if they were
Los Angeles Rams reveal first full look at sweeping Inglewood stadium roof
by Kim Megson | 08 Feb 2016
New renderings have emerged of the recently commissioned stadium of National Football League (NFL) franchise the Los Angeles Rams, which features a vast swooping roof designed by architects HKS. In January 2016 the team – formerly known as the St Louis Rams – was granted NFL permission to relocate from Missouri to LA, where it played before 1995. The Rams will begin playing at their new US$1.86bn (£1.3bn, €1.69bn) stadium
Life Time Fitness collaborates with David Rockwell and Thomas Balsley for luxury New York fitness club
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2016
Health and fitness operator Life Time will open its first New York fitness club in Q1 2016 within Manhattan’s largest residential tower. The club will take up a 70,000sq ft (6,500sq m) area inside the 71-storey Sky building, which is set to be completed in the next few months. The structure was designed by Goldstein Hill & West with interiors created by David Rockwell's studio, the Rockwell Group. The Life
Haworth Tompkins take over from Gehry for Brighton & Hove leisure complex
by Kim Megson | 05 Feb 2016
The winners of the 2014 Stirling Prize, Haworth Tompkins, have replaced Frank Gehry on a multi-million pound project to create a moderns sports and leisure complex in Brighton & Hove, UK. Plans to renovate the city’s King Alfred site – a leisure centre “which no longer meets modern expectations and is expensive to operate and maintain” – were first mooted in 2005 when development company Karis proposed a £300m (US$436.1m,
Obama promotes liveable cities and green transport with White House budget proposal
by Kim Megson | 05 Feb 2016
US President Barack Obama will promote the advancement of liveable cities next week with a White House budget proposal raising money for green transportation projects. According to reports, the mooted proposal would raise funding for environmental infrastructure initiatives by making US oil firms pay a tax of US$10 (€8.90, £6.85) on every barrel of oil they produce. Obama will reportedly make the case for $300bn (€286.1bn, £208.3bn) worth of investments
Reimagined Helsinki City Museum sets May opening date
by Tom Anstey | 05 Feb 2016
Helsinki City Museum in Finland has announced an opening date of May 2016, following an €11m (US$12.3m, £8.4m) 18-month refurbishment of its premises, the most extensive transformation in the museum’s 105-year history. Moving from its current home within Helsinki’s historical district to a new location in Senate Square, the museum will be made up of a group of five historical buildings surrounding three inner courtyards, opening up spaces never previously
Lost Viking shield inspires competition-winning design for landmark Danish exhibition centre
by Kim Megson | 04 Feb 2016
When Copenhagen studio PLH Arkitekter decided to enter a design competition for an experience and knowledge centre at a historic Danish Viking site, they had a particularly creative idea: to build it in the image of a Viking shield. The studio’s design for the centre in Trelleborg – a Viking ring castle that is one of Scandinavia’s most important Viking monuments – subsequently won the competition, and will now be
David Chipperfield and Sou Fujimoto among the winners in design competition to 'prefigure the Paris of tomorrow'
by Kim Megson | 04 Feb 2016
A major international architecture competition for the urban regeneration of Paris has concluded, with 22 design teams selected to develop their innovative visions for the future of the French capital. The project, called reinventer.paris, launched in November 2014 with an invitation for architects, designers, investors, companies, collectives and artists to “prefigure what the Paris of tomorrow might be” for “an urban experiment on an unparalleled scale.” Over 800 proposals were
Sir Terry Farrell proposes six new bridges for London's River Thames
by Kim Megson | 04 Feb 2016
Sir Terry Farrell's architecture practice have released new images of six proposed low-level river crossings in London to stimulate development, unlock housing capacity and inspire new leisure schemes in the capital. The bridges would all be located between Surrey Quays and Thamesmead to the east of Tower Bridge, a stretch of the river which currently only has one crossing. In December, London mayor Boris Johnson called for 13 new bridges
YOD studio design stylish pine forest spa as a relaxing getaway in Ukraine
by Kim Megson | 04 Feb 2016
Architecture studio YOD have renovated and modernised a Soviet-era building in a Ukrainian pine forest to create a nature-inspired spa and leisure complex. The facility is an extension to the newly-built Relax Park Verholy Hotel, located in the Poltava region, which the Kiev-based studio designed last year. The new complex features a spa and sauna, an indoor swimming pool, a cafe, a fitness centre and 17 additional hotel rooms –
Opening date announced for National Museum of African American History and Culture
by Kim Megson | 04 Feb 2016
The Smithsonian has announced the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be opened by US President Barack Obama on 24 September 2016. The opening ceremony will be the focus of a week-long celebration, which will include a three-day festival showcasing popular music, literature, dance and film.
It's official! We open on 9/24/2016. Learn more about us here: https://t.co/kSSQR82sfO #SaveTheDate #BuildNMAAHC pic.twitter.com/seTkzsXqC1 — Smithsonian NMAAHC
EXCLUSIVE: RPW Design chief Ariane Steinbeck calls for more personality in hotel and spa design
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2016
The new managing director of hospitality interior design practice RPW Design has encouraged designers and hospitality operators to infuse their projects with more distinct personalities. Ariane Steinbeck, who joined the London firm in December, told CLAD that despite the abundance of new hotel and spa offerings being developed, true diversity is hard to find. “Consumers face a difficult choice between all the different brands that aim to serve a specific
Rock music, architecture and design collide in MVRDV's mixed-use masterplan for Ragnarock
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2016
The transformation of a former industrial site in Danish city Roskilde into a new home for rock and roll will be complete by April this year, CLAD has learned. The Danish Rock Museum, the headquarters of the annual Roskilde Rock Festival and the Roskilde Festival Folk Music School will soon all be housed in one new complex, called Ragnarock. The facilities will be located inside renovated factory buildings with new
Robot-built pavilion will take centre stage as V&A explores the future of engineering
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2016
Visitors to the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London this May will be able to explore a garden pavilion inspired by nature and fabricated by robots in front of their eyes. The Elytra Filament Pavilion – created by experimental architects Achim Menges and Moritz Dörstelmann in collaboration with engineers Jan Knippers and Thomas Auer – will launch a special Engineering Season at the museum. The installation will explore the
Design revealed for $US40bn Forest City on Malaysian islands
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2016
International architecture practice Sasaki Associates have unveiled an ambitious masterplan for the largest mixed-use development in Southeast Asia: an island-based metropolis in Malaysia called Forest City. The studio – whose previous work includes waterfront parks and river walkways in Chicago and Los Angeles – have envisioned “a compact and walkable metropolis with a variety of civic, cultural and recreational amenities set in a lush, tropical landscape with unparalleled ocean views.”
Michael Maltzan Architecture plan to reinvigorate LA with 'Ribbon of Light' bridge
by Kim Megson | 02 Feb 2016
Los Angeles’ 1932 Sixth Street Viaduct has officially closed ahead of its forthcoming demolition, allowing work to begin on a replacement which will better connect the city’s eastern and western districts and create a new large-scale arts and leisure realm. US practice Michael Maltzan Architecture have designed the US$449m (€411.2m, £311.2m) “transformative infrastructure project”, which centres around a 3,500ft (1,000m) long, ten-arch ‘Ribbon of Light Bridge’ spanning the Los Angeles
Escobedo Solíz win prestigious MoMA young architects contest
by Kim Megson | 02 Feb 2016
The Museum of Modern Art in New York has announced Mexican design practice Escobedo Solíz Studio as the winner of its annual Young Architects Program (YAP). The design competition, now in its 17th year, challenges the winner to develop an innovative and sustainable design for a temporary outdoor installation providing shade, seating and water at MoMA’s sister institution, MoMA PS1, in Long Island City. Escobedo Solíz Studio’s winning project, Weaving
Science and Natural History museums enter preliminary discussions for west London sites
by Tom Anstey | 02 Feb 2016
Both London’s Science Museum and Natural History Museum have confirmed they are in preliminary discussions about opening satellite sites as part of the multi-billion pound Old Oak Common redevelopment in west London. The 30-year Old Oak development plan – conceived as the UK’s largest regeneration project with around 1.35sq km (0.52sq miles) of available space – will include a litany of new leisure projects including a possible new 40,000-capacity home
Richard Meier designs 'beautiful and humanist' South Korean hotel for Winter Olympics
by Kim Megson | 02 Feb 2016
Richard Meier & Partners have completed their first major hotel project – the new Seamarq Hotel in South Korea. Located in the city of Gangneun, where it faces the country’s East Sea, the hotel has been rebuilt as part of a regional regeneration scheme in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympics in nearby PyeongChang. The 52,830sq m (568,700sq ft) area contains two main structures – a hotel tower and a
HOK win architecture competition to design multi-sports arena for Barcelona FC
by Kim Megson | 01 Feb 2016
US sports architects HOK and Spanish practice TAC Arquitectes have won the tender to design a new multi-sports arena for Barcelona FC. The duo were chosen by the jury ahead of five other contenders, including MAKE, Dominique Perrault Architecture and Wilkinson Eyre. Among other sporting facilities, the New Palau Blaugrana will feature a basketball court, an ice rink and a new home for the club’s football academy, FCB Escola. The
David Rockwell designs 'playfully sophisticated' Hollywood property for Dream Hotels
by Kim Megson | 01 Feb 2016
David Rockwell’s design studio have revealed the first renderings of the “playfully sophisticated” Los Angeles hotel they are creating for boutique operator Dream Hotels. The 179-room Dream Hollywood Hotel, located on the city’s Selma Avenue, will open in Q2 2016. The building’s architecture and design – created by the Rockwell Group – celebrate the mid-century modern architecture of Hollywood and LA and are partly inspired by the work of Austrian-American
Black Gold project imagines cities of the future located in huge repurposed oil tankers
by Kim Megson | 01 Feb 2016
A Dutch architectural collective has proposed an iconic landmark for the Southern Gulf region: a city located inside a decommissioned oil tanker. The concept, called The Black Gold, imagines the storage tanks within the ship being adapted to house hotels, restaurants, museums, shops and apartments, while the base floor of the vessel could be used for big cultural event-based uses, such as concerts. The double steel walls would ensure a
Nike HQ expansion inspired by human movement and strength
by Kim Megson | 01 Feb 2016
Sports giant Nike has launched a 3.2m sq ft (297,000sq m) expansion of its world headquarters in Oregon to add sporting facilities, mixed-use space and new offices. The architecture of the expansion is inspired by human movement, speed, plus the strength and energy of competition. A large beacon serves as the centrepiece of the new campus, featuring a sculpture of Nike’s namesake, the winged Greek goddess of victory. Open green
MSC Cruises developing $US200m island reserve in the Bahamas
by Kim Megson | 01 Feb 2016
A former sand extraction station in the Bahamas is to be transformed into a luxury private island featuring bars, restaurants, sports facilities and an exclusive spa and wellness sanctuary. The Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve – located 65 miles (104.5 km) east of Miami, Florida – has been launched by MSC Cruises, who have partnered with ecologists and the government of the Bahamas to create a US$200m (€182.7m, £139m) “flourishing
Aquarium leads urban waterfront regeneration project in Baltimore
by Alice Davis | 01 Feb 2016
The National Aquarium in Baltimore has unveiled plans to reinvent the city’s waterfront, creating an urban wetland and pier-side conservation area for the local community. The reinvention of the area around the aquarium will create a free, accessible, environmental public space, developed in partnership with Baltimore city organisations. The central tenet of the project is to encourage community engagement with the environment, build a vision of a sustainable future and
New venues lined up if Budapest wins 2024 Olympics bid
by Matthew Campelli | 01 Feb 2016
A new 60,000-capacity stadium, a velodrome and a tennis complex will be built if Budapest wins its bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games. The City Council for the Hungarian capital has approved the list of venues, which include seven cluster and five stand-alone arenas within the city. Most of the Games events have been earmarked for the new athletics stadium – which will be scaled down to 15,000 seats
The Ivy Collection secures 'exceptional' location in One Tower Bridge London mixed-use development
by Kim Megson | 29 Jan 2016
Luxury restaurant brand the Ivy Collection is to open a new brasserie located next to London’s famous Tower Bridge. The new Ivy will become the first flagship restaurant of the One Tower Bridge development – a mixed-use scheme, masterplanned by architects Squire and Partners, featuring apartments and 80,000sq ft (7,400sq m) of leisure and cultural space. While architectural details have not yet been released, One Tower Bridge developer Berkeley Homes
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