Turkish studio EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture have created a striking new home for some of Turkey's most important art works: a renovated warehouse which has been stripped of its floors and walls. The studio’s design team have stripped an abandoned dockland building so that only the concrete structure remains. This stark 24,000 sq m (258,000sq ft) structural grid will support large overhanging red containers, within which 15,000 art works dating as

Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has unveiled his vision for a future where the citizens of the world live underwater in vast self-sufficient ‘oceanscrapers’ made from recycled waste. The futuristic concept – named Aequorea after a bioluminescent jellyfish capable of emitting light – imagines communities living in twisting 250-floor structures that drop to depths of 1,000m (3,300ft). Each of these underwater villages would accommodate 20,000 people and would feature houses, hotels,

An abandoned, bomb-damaged dockland warehouse in the Dutch city Den Helder has been transformed into a concert hall, art centre and restaurant by architects Van Dongen-Koschuch. The Kampanje, located in the city’s old Willemsoord naval yard, had sat empty for more than 70 years since being partially destroyed during the Second World War. Now it has been carefully restored and renovated by the studio to create a new cultural landmark

French architecture studio Dominique Coulon & Associates have added colour to their new building for the Conservatoire of Music, Dance and Dramatic Arts in Belfort, France by covering the outer walls with Jackson Pollock-inspired splatters of paint. The 3,895sq m (41,900sq ft) building – which houses two auditoriums, a theatre, a large dance room, a media library, over 30 classrooms and several studios tailored to specific instruments – has been

A glowing pink cube in the heart of Moscow is providing passers by an immersive spot to take stock and look out at the city. The P-Cube, designed by Spanish-Icelandic artist Marcos Zotes and his studio UNSTABLE, is a temporary installation commissioned by the city’s Polytechnic Museum to stand in VDNKh Park. The skin of the 9m (29ft) high structure is clad in a semi-transparent layer of fabric covered with

A glowing pink cube in the heart of Moscow is providing passers by an immersive spot to take stock and look out at the city. The P-Cube, designed by Spanish-Icelandic artist Marcos Zotes and his studio UNSTABLE, is a temporary installation commissioned by the city’s Polytechnic Museum to stand in VDNKh Park. The skin of the 9m (29ft) high structure is clad in a semi-transparent layer of fabric covered with

Some of the world’s best-known interior and furniture designers will embrace their creative side when displaying their latest creations at this year’s IMM Cologne; one of Europe’s largest trade fairs for furnishing, living and lifestyle products. Kaleidoscopic furniture, a birdcage-shaped table, and a swinging chair suspended above a circus ring will be among the more unusual displays at the event, which will take place from 18-24 January in the German

The protracted development of Budapest’s museum quarter has taken a surprise twist, with organisers launching a second design competition for the new Museum of Ethnography building. Last year, French studio Vallet de Martinis DIID Architects won a competition to design a new home for the museum – which has a collection of more than 200,000 ethnographic artefacts and 400,000 historical documents. However, a government decision to relocate the planned building

The city of San Diego has put forward plans for a US$1.1bn (£749.6m, €1bn) “Super Bowl-ready” stadium in a bid to keep the National Football League (NFL) franchise the Chargers in the city. Billed as a “sports entertainment complex” in the Mission Valley district of San Diego, the Populous-designed stadium would have a seating capacity of 67,500, extended to 73,000 for Super Bowl and special events. The 1.8m sq ft

Architecture competition organisers Arch Out Loud has launched an ideas contest for a new aquarium and public waterfront park in New York. The group has called on architecture teams to propose an "iconic new destination" – located along the East River within the borough of Queens – capable of revitalising the area and attracting tourists. “Many New York sites with access to the waterfront are being absorbed by private developers,

The year ahead promises much excitement in the world of leisure architecture and design. New designs will be unveiled, ongoing projects will take shape and we will have our first look at completed buildings from the likes of Snøhetta, Thomas Heatherwick, Renzo Piano, Bjarke Ingels Group and David Adjaye. To celebrate the New Year, we have compiled a list of 12 projects scheduled for completion in 2016 that we are

Two Dutch architecture studios and a Russian firm have won an international design competition to transform St Petersburg’s Vasilyevsky Island into a new leisure destination and commercial centre. Rotterdam studios KCAP Architects & Planners and Orange Architects and local design company A-Len will collaborate on a 15 hectare urban plan for the island's western tip, which will act as an entrance point to the city from the water. Golden Russian

David Chipperfield Architects have revealed their masterplan for a public beer garden, boutique hotel and a host of other leisure facilities on the site of a Berlin brewery destroyed during the Second World War. The former Bötzow Brewery, located near Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, will be transformed by the studio’s German office into a 24,000sq m (258,300sq ft) public destination within the city. It will boast a new brewery, restaurants, shops, a

Italian architects Matteo Thun and Luca Colombo have designed a verdant new village in Parma, Italy to house the new headquarters and visitor facilities of hair and skincare brand Davines Group. Spread over 11,000sq m (118,400sq ft), Davines Village will feature a skin bar where people can try the brand’s Comfort Zone range of products, education zones for hairdressers to train, and the company’s development laboratories, all set around a

A 117-bedroom Nikki Beach Resort and Spa will open in Dubai in spring 2016. Developed in partnership with Meraas Holding, this will be the third property in the Nikki Beach Hotel and Resorts portfolio. The Dubai property will be located on the waterfront of Pearl Jumeira and will also include 15 villas and 61 lifestyle residences, with units ranging from one to four bedrooms. The resort will feature private pools,

A glass-bottomed swimming pool connecting two matching skyscrapers has been named the winner of an ideas competition called Sky Pool Paris. The design, named Skyframe, is the work of French architect Tommaso Bernabò Silorata. It proposes two 54-storey towers with a large central void between them, bridged at the top by the pool. Swimmers would have a head-spinning view all the way to the bottom of the void, where a

Hard Rock International has revealed its plans to build a 372-room music-themed hotel in Berlin adjacent to Checkpoint Charlie and displaying a section of the Berlin Wall. According to project partner the Trockland Development Group, the hotel will form part of a 2.5 acre multi-use project commemorating the history and symbolism of the checkpoint; which was the best known crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War.

The founder of Australia’s (MONA) in Hobart, Tasmania, has unveiled a host of planned leisure projects for the institution; including a 160-room art hotel, a casino and a collaboration with famous artist James Turrell. In a blog post titled Stuff We are Planning to Do, posted on the museum’s website, MONA founder David Walsh revealed several ambitious projects involving individuals from the worlds of art, architecture and design – including

A typically unique Zaha Hadid tower could be built in Melbourne after Australian developer Landream submitted a planning application for the mixed-use project. The 57-storey tower, which would be located at 582-606 Collins Street, has been designed as a series of four stacked vase-inspired volumes, with a sculptural, mesh-like façade. The elements are intended to reinterpret the area’s architectural heritage with the futuristic flourish Zaha Hadid Architects are famous for.

Italian architect Antonio Citterio has reunited with luxury jewellery and fashion brand Bulgari to design a “one-of-a-kind” five-star resort on a private island off the coast of Dubai. The seahorse-shaped Bulgari Resort Dubai will comprise of 101 rooms and suites, 20 hotel villas and a full range of modern hotel facilities on Jumeira Bay Island. As with Bulgari’s four previous branded properties, all elements of the masterplan have been designed

Heatherwick Studio has designed a vast mountain-inspired mixed-use development to be located next to Shanghai’s arts district. The British firm – led by designer Thomas Heatherwick – is creating a verdant 300,000sq m (3.2 sq ft) complex of buildings, with approximately 1,000 structural columns supporting plants and trees. “The design has been conceived not as a building but as a piece of topography, taking the form of two tree-covered mountains,”

Commune Hotels & Resorts will open a heritage hotel in India in 2016. The Alila Fort Bishangarh, will open in Q4, following the restoration of a 230-year-old Rajasthan Fort. Positioned on a granite hill in the Arvalli Mountain Range, with spectacular 360-degree views, the fort is thought to be the only one of its kind to be converted into a hotel. The building is an example of the Jaipur Gharana

Work has begun on the Los Angeles development being earmarked for the relocation of American football franchise the St Louis Rams, just days after the local council put together a deal to keep the team in Missouri. According to the Los Angeles Times, the National Football League (NFL) team’s billionaire owner Stan Kroenke is pressing ahead with the plans to build a US$1.86bn (£1.3bn, €1.69bn) mixed-use development – which includes

A group of Canadian designers have collaborated on a huge illuminated playground in Montreal where members of the public can ride 30 glowing, musical see-saws. Located in the city’s downtown, each see-saw is fitted with LEDs and speakers and emits waves of light and sound which change in intensity depending on movement. The subsequent music and visuals merge together to create an ever-changing composition. The dreamlike effect is enhanced by

South Australian winemaker d’Arenberg is hoping to create a new national landmark by building a twisting new visitor centre mimicking a Rubik’s Cube. Nic Salivati from ADS Architects has designed the five-storey d’Arenberg Cube, which is currently under construction in McLaren Vale, a wine region in the Fleurieu Peninsula. The centre – which will contain a wine tasting room, several bars, a restaurant and a viewing gallery when it opens

Parisian fashion brand Pigalle and architecture firm Ill-Studio have collaborated to create a vivid multicoloured basketball court squeezed between two apartment buildings in the French capital’s 9th arrondissement. Pigalle founder and basketball aficionado Stéphane Ashpool had previously renovated the Rue Duperré court – where he himself plays and offers coaching to local youths – in 2009 with the help of sports brand Nike and basketball icon LeBron James. The colourful

Japanese architects Kengo Kuma have been selected to design the 80,000 capacity stadium which will be the centrepiece of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The design was selected by the Japanese government after it was put forward by the Japanese Sports Council as one of two shortlisted proposals last week. Kuma’s design will cost ¥149bn (£806m, US$1.2bn, €1.1bn) and is due to be completed by November 2019. It will be