Six Senses has opened a 33,000sq ft (3,066sq m) spa at Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Muscat, Oman. Al Bustan Palace is a beachfront retreat that is tucked away between the rugged Al Hajar Mountain range and the Sea of Oman, and includes 250 guest rooms and suites. A five-minute walk from Al Bustan Palace, the spa is built into the surrounding landscape of towering stone and rock

Kuwait’s Scientific Center has said that 10 architects have presented bids for a multi-million dollar expansion of the facility. The visitor attraction in Salmiya, which serves as a centre for environmental education in the gulf region, laid out plans for a new facility to include dolphins and mammals, with plans also in the works for a conference facility and exploration hall. Scientific Center chair and CEO, Mijbil Al-Mutawa said in

The Atlantis by Giardino in Zurich – a 95-room urban retreat that has hosted the likes of Steve McQueen, Freddie Mercury, Shirley MacLaine and Muhammad Ali – will open on 1 December, following an extensive renovation programme which has been overseen by Gallery HBA. Originally designed by architects Hans and Annemarie Hubacher and Peter Issler in the late 1960s, the Y-shaped building with three wings is an important example of

Muzeiko – the first children’s museum to be built in post-Soviet Eastern Europe – has opened its doors to the public in Sofia, Bulgaria. Following two years of development, the Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership-designed (LHSA+DP) children’s science discovery centre has been conceived as a “journey moving through time and space”. The 35,000sq ft (3,250sq m) facility is set over three storeys. On the bottom floor, children can

US architects ArandaLasch have unveiled plans for a contemporary arts complex and gardens in Bali, envisioned as a place to experience “art within nature”. Revealed at the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Budidesa Art Park – funded by Chinese-Indonesian entrepreneur Budi Tek – comprises a series of art gardens, a museum complex and residences surrounded by rice paddies near the country’s capital of Denpasar. Budidesa will act as a new

The first glass suspension bridge in China has opened above a canyon in Hunan's Shiniuzhai National Geological Park, offering bold tourists a chance to cross a 180m (590ft) deep chasm between two cliffs. Dubbed Haohan Qiao – Brave Men's Bridge – the 300m (984ft) long bridge was originally designed to be wooden before developers opted for a transparent glass floor 24mm thick, but 25 times stronger than usual. The glass

Montreal, Canada’s famous floating spa, Bota Bota, has added a 5,000sq ft (465sq m) spa garden with a pool, hot tub, cold bath, steam bath, solarium, rest areas, outdoor fireplace and yoga platform. Designed by Montreal-based MU Architecture, the Bota Bota Gardens is “an oasis of relaxation” between the boat-spa, the Saint-Lawrence River, and the elevated railway. “The idea was to double the capacity and to expand the experience outdoors,”

The work of the late Mark Fisher has been realised with the opening of Stufish Entertainment Architect’s Dai Show Theatre in Xishuangbanna, China. Fisher, who died in 2013, drew the initial concept designs for the Dai Show Theatre, which hosts a permanent 75-minute acrobatic water display created by show producers Dragone. Key to the Xishuangbanna’s cultural offering, the 19,500sq m (209,900sq ft) theatre is inspired by the natural and cultural

Construction works on the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar are set to be completed by the end of 2016 – making it the first of the 2022 World Cup venues to open to the public. The stadium, which originally opened in 1976, is undergoing its second major redevelopment, following a restructuring in 2005, in order to host the 2006 Asian Games. At the time, Cox Architecture and its JV partners

Oslo-based property developer Selvaag has been granted planning permission to develop one of the world’s largest indoor ski arenas. Masterplanned by London architects Chapman Taylor, in collaboration with Norwegian architect Professor Thomas Thiis-Evensen, the Winter Village scheme in Ødegården has been designed for cross country, free ski and downhill skiing, and will be the first indoor ski arena to be built in Norway. Offering year-round skiing for both local people

The Eden Project has signed a deal to create a new £100m (US$152m, €135m) Eden centre in China. The UK-based educational charity has teamed up with developer China Jinmao Holdings to design and develop an iconic tourism and education project in the city of Qingdao on the east coast. Grimshaw Architects, designers of the original Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, have been appointed to work on the Chinese version. The

Spa consultant and designer Sylvia Sepielli is leading the US$8 m (€7.1, £5.2) renovation of the spa at Henry Flagler’s historic hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, The Breakers. Sepielli, who has just finished work on Bath, England’s Gainsborough Bath Spa, is working in conjunction with Peacock + Lewis architects and landscape architect Gregory Lombardi Design on the indoor/outdoor spa, which will include 17 treatment rooms and a private courtyard and

Hotel giant Marriott International is to expand its partnership with hotel pioneer Ian Schrager with the opening of the group’s first hotel in Iceland. To be operated under the luxury lifestyle brand Edition, the 250-bedroom property in the capital Reykjavik will be located on the city's waterfront adjacent to Harpa – the country’s premier concert hall. Engineering firm Mannvit and T.ark architects have been contracted for the engineering, design and

Construction work has begun on the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Village in South Korea. A groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the occasion at the site of the 42,000sq m Yongpyong Dome, located in what will become the mountain cluster for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Designed as multi-functional resort to provide an athlete-oriented environment, the village will include a number of environmentally-friendly innovations and will be fully accessible – as

New York-based Robert D. Henry Architects are working on Ivanka Trump’s flagship spa in development at The Old Post Office in Washington, D.C., and part of the property’s US US$200m (€144.4m, £119m) redevelopment. The spa will be a prototype introducing Ivanka Trump’s “unique positioning within spa and wellness,” said Henry, and will be rolled out in the Trump collection of existing hotels, as well as future properties. “Ivanka has mandated

London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) is to undergo a multi-million pound transformation of its grounds as part of an overall redevelopment of the popular tourist attraction. Niall McLaughlin Architects, in collaboration with Kim Wilkie, won a competition to redesign the grounds of the London attraction in April 2014. As part of a larger strategy, NHM is adopting "three great narratives", which will guide visitors around the museum based on the

Massage and body treatment practice Wonder Woman Wellness has launched a pop-up office at the pioneering Washington, D.C. tiny house community Micro Showcase. Founded by Brian Levy, Micro Showcase has a growing display of micro structures – all under 350sq ft (32.5sq m) – and showcases micro tech (sustainable technologies), micro furnishings (space saving solutions) and micro grow (an orchard, garden and apiary). It also includes Levy’s Minim House, designed

The 397-bedroom Shangri-La Bengaluru has opened in Bangalore, India, with traditional Indian motifs and interiors. Designed by Adarsh Design Studio in Bangalore and with interior design by Singapore-based Wilson Associates, the 19-storey Shangri-La Hotel, Bangalore features an impressive 9m (30ft) high lobby with nine cylindrical chandeliers – each weighing nearly half a ton – as well as imposing marble columns with intricate Indian motifs. The interiors reference Bangalore (known as

Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has revealed plans to create real-life versions of the landscapes from his imaginative anime films, with designs for a 10,000-acre (40,000sq m) nature park on a remote island off the coast of Japan. Miyazaki, who retired from filmmaking in 2013, will recreate the magical worlds seen in classics such as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and My Neighbour Totoro, at the theme park on Kume Island

Zaha Hadid has been awarded the 2016 Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) – becoming the first woman to win the prestigious honour in her own right. Hadid, whose trademark dynamic swoops and complex curves have made her a global architecture star, was approved personally by the Queen for the award, which is presented in “recognition of a lifetime’s work.” Previous winners include Frank Gehry

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (Spurs) has revealed further details of the transformation of its White Hart Lane stadium into a 61,000 multi-purpose stadium – set to become the largest club stadium in London. Plans released yesterday show the £400m project will include four asymmetrical stands, a stadium wrapped in a sculptured mesh and a glass facade to the new home end. There will also be special design features to allow

Resort and real estate developer The Hartling Group is opening The Shore Club next year, a 110-suite resort in the Turks & Caicos that will include a luxury spa. The Hartling Group also developed and manages the Turks & Caicos property The Palms, which includes a 25,000sq ft (2,323sq m) spa. Building on the success of The Palms, the Spa at The Shore Club will offer the same quality experience,

A re-configured London Olympic Stadium will host its first major event since its radical £272m (US$424m, €390m) transformation when France line up against Romania for a Rugby World Cup game tonight. Designed by sports architects Populous, the stadium has been completely remodelled from its London 2012 configuration and is now the only stadium in the UK specifically designed to host football, athletics, rugby, cricket and concerts. Work since London 2012

A £215m (US$329m, €296m) extension for London’s Tate Modern will open next year, the gallery’s director has said. The announcement should assuage fears that construction work for the popular visitor attraction was running behind schedule. The designs have been on the table since 2008, and the extension was originally slated to open in time for the capital’s 2012 Olympic Games. The 11-storey addition, designed by acclaimed architecture firm Herzog &

Trump Hotels is partnering with Indonesian investment firm MNC Group to develop resorts in Bali and West Java, Indonesia. The six-star Lido, West Java location will include a “wellness destination spa” along with an 18-hole Ernie Els championship golf course, a Lifestyle Country Club, and high-end residential villas and condominiums. Details of the spa are not yet available. Trump Hotels is also developing an “opulent resort and residential development in

London’s Science museum has set a November deadline for architects to submit plans for its latest development as part of its ongoing five-year £60m (US$93m, €83m) transformation. In 2015, Zaha Hadid and Muf were awarded separate contracts to redevelop the museum’s Maths Gallery and Interactive Gallery respectively. Now the museum is seeking a world-class architect to work on it Exhibition Road entrance, which will welcome more than 3.3 million people

Construction is now complete on the Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Zifeng Tower, an eco-themed mixed-use structure in the Gaoxin District of Nanchang, China. The architects were Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The development – a 268m (879ft), 56-storey tower – is an elegant new addition to the city’s skyline and is owned by one of the country’s biggest development companies, the Greenland Group. Its rectangular shape is emphasised by a strong