With construction of Louvre Abu Dhabi entering its final stages, government officials have said a handover of the building will take place in the middle of 2016 – on schedule for an amended opening date at the end of that year. Work on the iconic structure’s roof was completed in October last year, along with all 9,200sq m (99,000sq ft) of the museum’s galleries, plus the concrete work for the

International design studio TEN Arquitectos have won the design competition for a multi-million dollar mixed-use luxury resort in the Cayman Islands, fronted by a 1,000ft-long (305m) secluded natural beach. Slated to open in Q3 2018, St James Point will be set on a tropical 16-acre property on Grand Cayman Island, and will be designed to both contrast and complement the exotic environment. Forest, parkland and ocean will surround the US$250m

The architects of the original Tokyo 2020 Olympic stadium have accused the Japanese government of putting the legacy of the Games in jeopardy and overlooking several designers after it unveiled two new plans for the arena. The Japan Sports Council has shortlisted two designs for the stadium - Design A and Design B. One of which will be selected as the blueprint for the 80,000-capacity structure. Although the council declined

Plans for a second zoo in Sydney, slated for 2017, will be led by best-practice sustainability objectives, according to the project’s lead architects. The proposal in the Western Sydney Parklands at Bungarribee, covers 165,000sq m (40.7 acres) and could house up to 500 animals. John Burgess, managing director of Sydney Zoo and founder of Sydney Aquarium, announced plans for the attraction in September, which is expected to draw around 745,000

New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is to celebrate Pritzker Prize-winning Toyo Ito with an exhibition exploring how the Japanese architect has inspired fellow designers following in his footsteps. The exhibition – A Japanese Constellation: Toyo Ito, SANAA, and Beyond – will run from 13 March to 4 July 2016. On display will be a retrospective of recent works by three generations of internationally acclaimed designers who have been

The abandoned east wing of London’s iconic Alexandra Palace entertainment venue is to be restored and reopened to the public for the first time in decades. Three million people visit the palace every year to explore its grounds, enjoy concerts and take part in sporting events. However, it has been many years since the public have been able to access the hidden Victorian theatre and television studio located to the

Following a two-year competition involving more than 100 leading architecture and design firms, Heatherwick Studio and Diamond Schmitt Architects have been selected to reimagine and renovate a concert hall for New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The duo have been tasked with transforming the centre’s largest hall – originally designed by Max Abramovitz and opened in 1962 – into a 21st-century symphonic concert venue “where the architecture is

Château St Pierre de Serjac – a wine estate in France’s Languedoc region – will reopen in February 2016 as an intimate hotel following a two-year, €25m (US$27.5m, £18m) renovation. The project is a collaboration between winemaker Laurent Bonfils and hoteliers Karl and Anita O’Hanlon, who also own the luxury property Chateau Les Carrasses in the area. Restored in 1886 by Baron Cyprien deCrozals and designed by pre-eminent architect Louis-Michel

The saga of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium has moved to another stage, with the Japanese Sports Council revealing two potential designs. The winner is expected to be announced this month. Both designs have construction budgets of ¥153bn (US$1.26bn, €1.14bn, £832m), putting them within the council's limit of ¥155bn (US$1.28bn, €1.16bn, £848m). Design A has a flat roof and shrubbery along its outer concourse, stands 50m tall (164ft) and is

Bjarke Ingels Group's hotly-anticipated New York ‘courtscraper’ is nearing completion, with dramatic new video footage – captured by a GoPro camera attached to a crane – showing the final panels being added to the structure’s cladding. Located on West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, the 80,000sq m (860,000sq ft) development, called W57, will have 709 apartments and 4,000sq m (45,000sq ft) of leisure, retail and commercial space. BIG’s design imagines

The latest striking creation from the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) opens to the public today (11 December) in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Designed as a series of pixelated steel and glass cubes that appear to float skywards, the Timmerhuis is a mixed-use complex housing shops, restaurants, cafes and Rotterdam’s city museum. The building is a merge between a 1950s municipal office block – which now forms the interior

Private equity management group Z Capital Partners has acquired the historic Waldhaus Flims Mountain Resort & Spa located in Flims, Switzerland. The undisclosed deal further enhances Z Capital’s health and wellness hotel platform, following its acquisition earlier this year of the Carillon Miami Beach. The company said it plans to maintain the property’s storied heritage while upgrading the resort to a five-star luxury hotel. Its strategy includes investing in the

Raymond James stadium in Tampa, Florida, US is set to undergo a US$100m (€91m, £66m) upgrading of its facilities. Tampa Sports Authority (TSA), which owns the 66,000-capacity venue, has reached an agreement with the stadium’s tenant, NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccanneers over a two-stage renovation plan. The first stage of the renovations are scheduled to be completed in time for the 2016-17 NFL season. The centerpiece of the first phase

Como Hotels & Resorts has recently opened Como The Treasury – its fifth city property – in Perth, Australia. The hotel occupies a group of late Victorian stone and brick buildings – known locally as the ‘State Buildings’ – that have played an important role in the city’s history for the past 140 years, serving variously as a post office, land titles office and treasury, and also once home to

Australia’s Northern Territory Government has unveiled plans by Darwin-based DKJ projects.architecture to create a new visual art gallery in the centre of Darwin. Led by DKJ in partnership with Fender Katsalidis Mirams, the A$18.5m (US$13.5m, €12.3m, £8.9m) plans feature the redevelopment of the existing Harry Chan building, which will become a gallery for the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). “Our view about museums and galleries is

International architecture and engineering practice Arup have published a report declaring city planners around the world must do more to create green urban environments that promote the health and wellbeing of residents. The studio has produced a set of guidelines outlining how planners, architects and designers can tackle issues such as climate change, extreme weather events, drought, air pollution and loss of wildlife, particularly in the public realm. The report,

Plans to build a new five-star Peninsula hotel overlooking the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London have been given the green light. Construction will now begin in Q2 2017 on the 190-room Peninsula London – located in the district of Belgravia – which will be the first UK property for the luxury Hong Kong hotel brand. Westminster City Council have approved the design from British studio Hopkins Architects, who envision

Paris-based AccorHotels will buy FRHI – the owner of Raffles, Fairmont and Swissotel – for approximately US$2.9bn (€2.6bn, £1.9bn) in cash and shares. Accor operates Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel and ibis brands, among others, and has around 3,800 properties – nearly 500 of which are luxury and upscale. “This is an outstanding opportunity to add three prestigious brands – Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel – to our portfolio, and a great step

The new branch of Taiwan’s National Palace Museum – one of the most-visited museums in the world – is nearing completion and set to open at the end of December. The National Palace Museum (NPM) Southern Branch, which has been designed by Taiwanese architect Kris Yao of Artech, will focus on Asian art and culture. The new museum is located in the southern county of Chiayi, reflecting wider ongoing efforts

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched a new award for the best building in the world. The RIBA International Prize will be open to any building in any country, irrespective of its function or budget. RIBA President Jane Duncan said: “The winning building will demonstrate visionary, innovative thinking and excellence of execution, while making a distinct contribution to its users and to its physical context.” The new

Plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the City of London have been unveiled by Eric Parry Architects, who say it will feature the UK’s highest free public viewing gallery. At a height of 309.6m (1,000ft), Parry’s commercial tower, named 1 Undershaft, will be as tall as its Renzo Piano-designed neighbour The Shard – currently the tallest building in western Europe. It will be located in the heart of the

The 20,000-capacity AEG-MGM indoor arena in Las Vegas, US is set to open to the public on 6 April 2016. Currently being built in the heart of the city, the US$375m (€247m, £342m) venue will become the region's largest indoor sports and entertainment venue and has been earmarked as the possible future home of teams in the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. Designed by sports architects Populous –

Themed entertainment specialists Zeitgeist Design + Production (ZD+P) have promised Indonesia’s first world-class theme park, using a combination of a dramatic natural setting and cutting-edge technology to create a “Narnia-like” immersive experience never before seen in the region. The US$500m (€464.5m, £331.5m) theme park and resort development just outside the Indonesian capital of Jakarta was announced by the Media Nusantara Citra Group (MNC) in November. “It’s a beautiful site,” said

International innovators and architects NBBJ have revealed their latest unusual design concept: a series of natural ice rinks on London’s River Thames. The firm releases three outside-the-box concept designs every year to inform its commissioned physical projects. The idea is to resurrect a city tradition dating back to the 17th century called the Frost Fair, which would see Londoners take to the frozen waters of the Thames in winter to

Film maker Sir Peter Jackson will invest millions of dollars into a blockbuster movie museum and convention centre in his home town of Wellington, New Zealand. The NZ$134m (US$88.7m, €81.7m, £59.1m), three-storey development, which will cover more than 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) of prime waterfront land, will be built in the heart of Wellington’s central business district, pending city council approval. Also backed by Weta Workshop co-founder, Sir Richard Taylor

Zaha Hadid Architects have designed a shell-shaped dining pavilion which mixes advanced technology and principles found in nature to create an eating space that doubles as a neofuturistic piece of art. The work, named Volu, was designed by Zaha Hadid and company director Patrik Schumacher for display at the 2015 Design Miami festival in the US state of Florida. The piece was commissioned by real estate developer Robbie Antonio for

Luxury hotel brand Oetker Collection is expanding into the Americas with the launch of two hotels – one in Sao Paulo and one in New York – within the next three years. The New York location is slated to open in Q2 2018 in the former Sony Tower, originally designed by American architect Philip Johnson. The building is an iconic New York landmark, known for its ornamental ‘Chippendale’ roofline and