Holding company Meraas has revealed plans to develop a tropical forest bio-dome in Dubai featuring more than 3,000 plants and animals inside an enclosed eco-system – a first for the Middle East. Located in Dubai’s City Walk, Green Planet will extend four storeys and include the largest indoor man-made and life-sustaining tree in the world at 25m (82ft)-high, according to Meraas. In addition to a canopy of tropical vegetation, the

A former fortress and concentration camp on an island in Montenegro is set to be turned into a luxury resort and spa after a controversial planning proposal was accepted by the government. Local news reports state that the five-star development – located on Lastavica Island, better known as Mamula, in the Adriatic Sea – will include a hotel complete with a marina, wine bar, restaurant, VIP terrace, open air dance

In a surprise move, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is exhibiting his first original works in France at a luxury department store in Paris. The show, named Er Xi, Air de Jeux (Child’s Play), features more than 100 bamboo and silk kites and 3D structures depicting mythological creatures from Chinese legend. The exhibition at Le Bon Marché – which will run to 20 February 2016 and is promoting a store

Rio 2016 organisers have unveiled the 16,000-capacity basketball venue for the Games which forms part of the city’s US$195m (£136.3m, €179.3m) AECOM-designed Olympic Training Centre (OTC). Carioca Arena 1, the largest venue in the Barra Olympic Park, will also hold the wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby during the Paralympics, as well as tests for the powerlifting and wrestling later this month. The stadium consists of 5,000 permanent and 11,000 contemporary

France’s National Commission for Public Debate will host a series of open discussions about the development of Bjarke Ingels’ Europa City masterplan; one of the largest ongoing leisure developments on the continent. From 15 March to 30 June, Europa City’s developers and the commission will conduct a “real-time exchange and reflection” with residents of the Parisian suburbs close to the development site. Professionals from the world of culture, tourism and

The developers creating an elevated park on a disused bridge in Washington D.C are to begin feasibility testing and community outreach programmes early this year as the project enters the pre-construction phase. Architects Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and landscape designers OLIN have designed the park to sit on the city’s 11th Street Bridge, which links Capitol Hill and the Anacostia neighbourhood and is currently being replaced. When finished, the

Plans to build a futuristic integrated wind turbine, hotel and tourist attraction in Rotterdam have taken a step forward after 11 companies from the worlds of construction, sustainable design, research, innovation and energy reached an agreement to develop the project. The Dutch Windwheel is envisioned as a 174m (571ft) structure comprised of two giant rings leaning against each other. The outer ring would house 40 pods on moving rails, providing

London studio Mossessian Architecture have won an invited competition to design a museum of the Islamic faith in Mecca (known locally as Makkah), Saudi Arabia. The firm have partnered with French exhibition architects Studio Adeline Rispal to work on the project in Islam’s most sacred city. The museum – located 7km from the city’s Grand Holy Mosque – will explore the history and practice of Islam and the life of

The 2016 grand opening of North America’s longest-running ice hotel took place last night (15 January) in Quebec, Canada. A fireworks display and concert marked the official unveiling of this year’s Hôtel de Glace, which has opened every winter in the city since 2001. The hotel was originally inspired by Sweden’s famous Icehotel – which recently re-launched for its 26th year and is now launching an extension that does not

The architect developing Japan’s National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has publicly refuted claims his studio have copied from an earlier design submitted by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). According to the Japan Times newspaper, Kengo Kuma spoke at a news conference on 15 January in Tokyo to deny that significant similarities exist between the two designs for the stadium. “I believe if you take a look at Zaha

The iconic Rosewood Little Dix Bay resort in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, will close for 18 months beginning in May in order to undergo a complete renovation – the most substantial upgrade since it was founded by Laurance S. Rockefeller more than 50 years ago. New York City-based Meyers Davis Studio will lead the renovation and oversee the overall design concept for the resort. The Sense spa will remain

International developer Triple Five has moved a step closer to realising its vision of creating North America’s largest mega-mall after submitting a planning document to Miami-Dade County. The hugely ambitious American Dream Miami scheme – described by Triple Five as “as an evolution in retail and entertainment” – includes 6.2m sq ft (576,000sq m) of leisure, retail and dining space located on a greenfield site at the intersection of the

An iconic brutalist building on Israel’s Mediterranean coast has been transformed into a vast arts complex featuring a hotel, galleries, concert halls, restaurant, spa and wellness centre. The 1960s structure – formerly known as the Mivtachim Sanitarium – is formed by a series of modular, concrete units located on Mount Carmel Ridge in the village of Zichron Ya’akov. It was was created by the late Israeli architect Ya’akov Rechter, who

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) have claimed the Japan Sports Council are withholding payment for the studio’s design for the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo unless the architects give up the copyright to the designs and sign a confidentiality clause. The revelations – confirmed to CLAD by the architects – mark the latest escalation in an increasingly bitter fallout between ZHA and the JSC over the decision to drop the architects

On the back of successful events in Sydney, Berlin and Lyon, London will welcome a new international light festival when Lumiere kicks off this evening (14 January). Taking place until 17 January, Lumiere London will showcase renowned artists from across the world, with the event expected to draw thousands of visitors to the UK capital. Installations for the event have been spread across the city in 30 prime locations, including

The Viceroy Hotel Group will open a “mischievous, provocative and rebellious” hotel in San Francisco which is designed to celebrate the city’s tradition of counter culture. Hotel Zeppelin will be located in a renovated hotel building near the city’s Union Square when it opens in Q1 2016. Seattle studio Dawson Design Associates have been appointed to design the interiors, which Viceroy said will “foster innovation, collaboration and an inspirational experience

The US has taken first place in the updated World Design Rankings, which rates countries based on the number of awards won by their citizens in international arts, architecture and design competitions. The rankings aim to promote global design culture through advocating good design and highlighting the design potential of countries worldwide. The list is based on the aggregated scores of participants from 2010 to the present day. At the

The Museum of London has officially started its search for an architect to design its proposed new home inside a vacant Victorian market. Design competition organiser Malcolm Reading Consultants has been appointed to lead the search. A two-stage contest will begin in February 2016. A panel will be selected to create a shortlist and the winning architect will be announced by the end of Q2 2016. The museum and the

The glass viewing pod for a vertical cable car billed as “the world’s tallest moving observation attraction” was completed yesterday (13 January) on the UK’s Brighton beach. The 162m (531ft) tall British Airways i360, conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects – creators of the London Eye – has now entered the final construction phase before opening in late Q2 2016. The final piece of glass has now been fixed

Alejandro Aravena of Chile has been selected as the 2016 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. The Pritzker Prize – widely regarded as architecture's highest accolade – honours a living architect or architects “whose built work demonstrates a combination of talent, vision, and commitment, and who has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment.” Since 2001, Aravena has been executive director of the Santiago-based studio Elemental. The firm,

In an exclusive interview with CLAD, New York-based designer Clodagh has revealed her inspiration for the design of the Six Senses Douro Valley resort, which recently opened in Portugal. The resort and spa – the first to be operated by Six Senses in Europe – is located in a 22-acre, 19th century vineyard set within a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Speaking in the latest issue of CLADmag, Clodagh said the

Spanish artist Jorge Mañes Rubio has revealed he is creating a portable design museum for one of the world’s largest slums. The idea for the project – being developed in collaboration with urban research and action collective (URBZ) and art critic Amanda Pinatih – came after Rubio visited the Mumbai district Dharavi, and was inspired by the nomadic workers and craftsmen who live and work there. The area – featured

Dramatic drone footage of the ongoing construction of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been released. The short film shows workers installing the structure's first 70ft (21m) high steel truss, which will support the unique retractable roof of the HOK-designed stadium.

A German architecture firm, an Austrian artist and a Sharjah-based development company in the UAE have joined forces to open a butterfly-themed landscape park. Al Noor Island, located in Sharjah’s Khalid Lagoon, has been developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) to “redefine the very meaning of an Arab city”. The culture and leisure park – which was officially opened by Sharjah's ruler, Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed

British architecture firm Flanagan Lawrence have won a design competition to renovate a 1970s Polish theatre with their vision for an “acoustically optimised outdoor performance space.” The studio have proposed the installation of a curving roof canopy of inflatable panels, which will envelop the stage and auditorium of the 2,500-capacity outdoor Summer Theatre in the city of Szczecin’s Kasprowicza Park. “The real inspiration from our point of view was to

The city government of the Taiwanese city of Tainan will unveil a design partner for a NT$1.7bn (£34.5m, US$50m, €46m) baseball development at the end of the month. A tender process for the 25,000-capacity arena opened last October, with the deadline set for 15 January. The architect chosen to work on the project will then be announced on 28 January. International standard baseball facilities, an electronic scoreboard and a total

National Football League (NFL) franchise the St Louis Rams has been granted relocation to Los Angeles after a decisive vote by the league’s board. The Rams will return to the city for the start of the 2016 season, with its new US$1.86bn (£1.3bn, €1.69bn) stadium in Inglewood due to open in 2019. The 80,000-capacity ground, located at Hollywood Park, will form part of a new mixed-use development designed by architects