A Spanish design studio has created a children’s playground with a mind-bending twist: it's set inside a kaleidoscope. The interiors of their hexagonal-shaped structure appear to constantly shift due to optical effects caused by reflections and movement. “Kaleidoscopes have been enjoyed by multiple generations,” said Juan Manzanares Suarez and Cristian Santandreu Utermark – the creative duo behind Spanish studio A2arquitectos. “We observed the optical effects of these toys and decided

Marriott International is buying its rival, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, for US$12.2bn (€11.4b, £8bn), creating the world’s largest hotel company, with 5,500 hotels and 1.1 million bedrooms worldwide across 30 brands. “The driving force behind this transaction is growth,” said Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive officer of Marriott International. “This is an opportunity to create value by combining the distribution and strengths of Marriott and Starwood, enhancing our competitiveness

Replacing the beloved 100-year old stadium of Atletico Bilbao – known in Spain as the “cathedral of football” – was quite a challenge for architect César Azcarate and engineering firm ACXT-IDOM. Their effort has been rewarded, however, after the 53,000-capacity San Mames arena was judged the world's best new sports building at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore. “One of our biggest challenges was maintaining the intense and magical football

Five studios have been shortlisted to design a major extension to Manchester’s Hallé St Peter’s music venue; adding extra rehearsal, performance and education space to the Grade II listed former church building in the UK. Caruso St John; Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios; Flanagan Lawrence; Jamie Fobert Architects’ and Stephenson Studio beat off competition from 37 other firms across the UK and Europe in the RIBA-organised contest. The extension will be

The worlds of art and architecture are collaborating in the Danish city of Aarhus, where an ambitious expansion of the city’s modern art museum is underway. Danish studio schmidt hammer lassen architects are working with acclaimed American artist James Turrell to extend the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum; a project which is intended to propel it “into the the world elite museums". The €30m (US$32.3m, £21.2m) expansion - called ‘The Next

Spanish football giant Real Madrid has selected a modern and minimalist design for its new corporate headquarters in the Spanish capital. Architects Rafael de La-Hoz have visualised a glass-fronted structure formed of two parallel cuboid volumes slid across each other. The studio says the structure, which resembles a pair of Tetris blocks, will create fluid interiors flooded with light. Views of the surrounding city and the club’s training grounds will

Another day, another exciting new development in London’s King’s Cross: a public park encased within an enormous Victorian gasholder frame. Gasholder No. 8 – the largest of the 25m-high cast-iron structures that once dominated the London landscape – was painstakingly dismantled, refurbished and then carefully rebuilt in a new home next to Regent’s Canal. Inside it sits a polished stainless steel canopy surrounding a wide area of green space. Bell

An Azerbaijani steakhouse inspired by the myths and legends of fire has opened in Baku’s JW Marriott Absheron. The Fireworks Urban Kitchen is the creation of Henry Chebaane’s Blue Sky Hospitality studio, which has partnered with the hotel on a number of large-scale interior design projects. “Our challenge was to create a steakhouse unlike any other in the world,” Chebaane told CLAD. “It had to be instantly recognisable with a

Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay – famous for its emerald waters and thousands of jungle-covered limestone karsts – is now home to a five-star private island resort, which guests can only reach by speedboat. Architects SRSS Singapore have designed the Vinpearl Ha Long Bay resort on the island of Dao Reu, which opened in late October. The neoclassical building contains 384 guest rooms and suites with private balconies overlooking the open

Ground has been broken on the latest project from Foster + Partners; a museum in Narbonne in the south of France exhibiting a priceless collection of ancient Roman artefacts. Archaeologists working in the city – which was once a major Roman port – have uncovered a treasure trove of ancient buildings and relics. Many of these will be housed in the Musée de la Romanité Narbonne (MuReNA), which has been

The architects behind a remote five-star hotel resort in Zanzibar have told CLAD how they are pushing sustainability to its limits on the project. Jestico + Whiles have been tasked by Czech developer RSJ Private Equity with creating Zuri Zanzibar; a hotel and wellness retreat on the African island which will stand out for its positive environmental, social and economic impact. “The whole concept behind the project reflects an ethos

Architecture firm Dan Pearlman have unveiled plans for a 10-storey articulated sculpture and museum known as ‘The Giant’, which is set for a worldwide rollout from 2017. Touted as “the visitor attraction for the 21st Century”, the sculpture will take the form of a mythical giant, with moving limbs and eyes. Each will be custom-designed for its location, with the first scheduled to open in Berlin, Germany in 2017 and

US-based National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise the Milwaukee Bucks has released the first interior renderings of its proposed new home; a 17,000-seat indoor arena in the city’s downtown. The images reveal an intimate venue that places the majority of fans in the lower seating tier closer to the on-court action, while members of the team’s fan club have their own exclusive elevated viewing area. Replays will appear on a large

Seattle-based architects goCstudio have built and launched a floating sauna in Seattle, providing locals with a new perspective of their waterfront city. The designers wanted to create a tranquil refuge which could tour Seattle’s many lakes. Designs were drawn up in January 2014 and a successful Kickstarter campaign raised over US$40,000 to keep the project afloat. Construction was completed in Q3 this year, and the vessel – named the wa_sauna

A museum dedicated to Auguste Rodin has reopened in Paris on the 175th anniversary of his birth. Hôtel Biron – the 18th century Parisian mansion that houses the museum – partially shut in 2012 and closed to the public completely at the start of 2015 for a €16m (US$17.1m, £11.3m) overhaul. This included urgent floor repairs and a complete redesign of its interiors – the first such redesign since Rodin

Global restaurateurs D&D London have transformed London's historic German Gymnasium into one of the city's hottest new dining destinations, offering a cultural cocktail of cafes, eateries and bars. The German Gymnasium, located in King’s Cross, will open to the public tomorrow (12 November) in a grand setting. Built in 1865 for the German Gymnastics Society, the Grade II listed building was the first purpose-built gym in England and was a

A distinctive amber-coloured music venue, envisioned as a new landmark for Latvia, has opened in the medieval port city of Liepaja. The Great Amber Concert Hall features a glowing facade, which illuminates a distinctive reddish hue when night falls. The asymmetrical design by Austrian architect Volker Giencke was commissioned following an international competition in 2003. The concert hall is intended to provide a fresh cultural and social focal point for

German studio Ingenhoven Architects have designed a garden-themed Singapore tower scheme featuring the city's largest public plaza. The mixed-use Marina One project will comprise four 30-storey towers infused with lush greenery on every floor. Green sky terraces and tree-covered public spaces on the rooftops have been included to make the complex appear like a plant-covered mountain rising up into the Singapore skyline. Ingenhoven were selected by developer M+S Pte Limited

A boutique hotel spread across a maze of waterside houses in Amsterdam’s famous canal district is embarking on an expansive renovation programme. Interior designer Jacu Strauss is leading the revamp of the Pulitzer Amsterdam hotel’s twenty-five 17th Century canal buildings. Rooms are being stripped back to emphasise their historical features, with vintage furniture brought in to complement newly-introduced contemporary stylings. Four themed suites – dedicated to books, music, art and

One of the creative minds behind London’s Millennium Dome and the Pompidou Centre in Paris, has declared Renzo Piano’s forthcoming national opera house and library in Athens to be “a work of pure genius.” In an upcoming interview with CLADmag, Mike Davies – a founding partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour – is quick to praise the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre, which is nearing completion. “It's more than a building,” said

Experience designers Bompas & Parr have partnered with composers, perfumers and academics to transform the top of The Shard in London into “the most romantic place in the world.” The studio – best-known for its contemporary food design, culinary research and creation of flavour-based experiences – will operate the ‘Height of Winter’ experience from 23 November until the end of January 2016. According to the company, “super-scaled crystals, gem-studded snow

Pioneering architect Vo Trong Nghia, famous for his bamboo-based designs, has created a bar, restaurant and multi-purpose event space to enhance a wellness resort in the Vietnamese coastal city Da Nang. Nghia provided the original masterplan for the Naman Retreat – a 3.4ha tropical complex containing 80 guest bungalows, 26 villas, a hotel and five-star spa facilities – and was also tasked with designing the additional facilities by the Thanh

London-based architecture studio PHASE3 have developed a digital 3D masterplan for ‘The Life Above’ – a Croatian leisure development stretching along the Adriatic coast. The company’s director, Tyen Masten, revealed to CLAD that the latest 3D technology has been used to map out a 3.59sq km (1.38sq miles) complex of high-end hotels, villas, spas, restaurants, retail and entertainment facilities in Dubrovnik. In an exclusive interview, he said: “The use of

Tennis star Venus Williams has claimed her latest high-profile trophy at a tournament in China, just weeks after construction was completed on the host stadium. Builders raced against the clock to complete the Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre – designed by global sports architects Populous – and succeeded in finishing the work in time for the venue to host the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Elite Trophy in the first week

Plans are afoot to transform a swathe of industrial West London wasteland into a huge new cultural city where “people will aspire to live, work and play.” Exciting details have emerged about the 30-year development scheme for Old Oak and Park Royal Common; conceived as the UK’s largest regeneration project with around 1.35sq km (0.52sq miles) of available space. CLAD understands that museums, theatre companies, sports and leisure firms will

Work will soon begin on the creation of a public art depot in Rotterdam allowing visitors to explore behind the scenes at one of Europe’s largest art galleries. The Collectiegebouw will store 75,000 European art works belonging to the city’s Museum Boijmans van Beuningen. While art depots typically hide unexhibited collections from view, visitors here will be able to witness a hive of backstage activity. Restoration, maintenance and transportation of

British skincare brand Elemis has reunited with London-based interior design studio Virgile and Partners to open a new spa in Miami. The House of Elemis is the company's flagship wellness and retail outlet. Its first branch debuted in London in May of this year, with the design reflecting the brand's pillars – ‘the very best that science and nature can offer’. Set within a three-storey heritage townhouse, the London spa