Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has announced details of the second phase of its redevelopment plans for Lord's Cricket Ground in London, UK Designed by global sports architects Populous, the works are set to replace the venue's historic Tavern and Allen stands with a single new structure built in place of the two existing stands – adding more than 5,500 seats – to raise the ground's overall capacity to nearly 30,000.

Hawaiian design firm G70 International (G70) has secured investment deals with a number of companies in the US, Tahiti, China, France and Mexico to work on the 130-acre (53-hectare) Tahiti Mahana Beach Resort and Spa. Commitments from these sources add up to more than US$3bn (€2.8bn, £2bn). In July 2014, G70 was awarded the contract for the resort, which is also backed by the French Polynesian government. The design practice

Surf Snowdonia, a massive surf facility in north Wales, UK, has announced an opening date of July 2015. Architects seven have been working alongside the master-planning team to design the buildings. The outdoor adventure destination features a 30,000sq m (322,000sq ft) lagoon – with waves courtesy of Spanish wave technology company Wave Garden. It will be the world's first commercial application of the technology. The lake will have a central

Studio Octopi – the architecture practice behind innovative plans to make outdoor swimming in London’s Thames a reality – have won an invited competition to design a new version of Peckham Rye Lido, also in the UK capital. The practice’s reputation for aquatic innovation proved a hit with Peckham Rye Lido campaign founders Ben Lloyd-Ennals and Jim Glynn, who chose Octopi’s designs over those of fellow contestant Red Deer architects.

Preliminary work is underway on Perkins Eastman/EEK Architects' US$790m (€734m, £527m) redevelopment of Staten Island, with the US's largest observation wheel the centrepiece of the transformative plan. The wheel, which will for a time be the largest in the world assuming it is completed before the upcoming Dubai Eye, is being developed by engineering firm Starneth. After it opens in Q2 of 2017, the 630ft (192m) high wheel would dethrone

Four of the five finalists nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award – involve leisure-related architecture. Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei’s Ravensburg Art Museum, Bjarke Ingels Group’s Danish Maritime Museum, Archea Associati’s Antinori Winery, and Barozzi / Veiga’s Philharmonic Hall Szczecin all made the cut from a previous shortlist of 40, with the winner to be announced on 8 May. The O’Donnell +

Developer Peel Land & Property has submitted a planning application for Trafford Waters, a sustainable, mixed-use development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, in Trafford, UK. The scheme is worth £1bn (US$1.50, E1.39) Close to the Trafford Leisure Village and intu Trafford Centre, Trafford Waters will be a sustainable urban neighbourhood, including leisure, retail and commercial space. The leisure element will include two hotels: one in the commercial

Developer Peel Land & Property has submitted a planning application for Trafford Waters, a sustainable, mixed-use development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, in Trafford, UK. The scheme is worth £1bn (US$1.50, E1.39) Close to the Trafford Leisure Village and intu Trafford Centre, Trafford Waters will be a sustainable urban neighbourhood, including leisure, retail and commercial space. The leisure element will include two hotels: one in the commercial

Striking designs for a new skyscraper in Chicago have been unveiled by Studio Gang Architects. The 1,100ft (335m) high, mixed-use Wanda Vista Tower has a facade of reflective blue-green glass and would sit at the north edge of the thriving Lakeshore East community, adjacent to the Chicago River. The development would include more than 1.8m sq ft (167, 225 sq m) of hotel and residential space, and the distinctive design

Japanese architects are getting out of the blocks in terms of promoting active design ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with Narita Airport’s newly-opened Terminal 3 centred around an indoor running track. The Tokyo Olympics will have a strong theme of active design, with Arup set to masterplan the Games. The cycling helmet-shaped Olympic Stadium has been designed by Zaha Hadid, while several other wellness-related facilities are also in the

Exploring the crucial role of a bee colony in the global ecosystem, artist Wolfgang Buttress and architects BDP have created a hive structure to serve as the centrepiece of the UK’s pavilion at the upcoming Milan Expo. The impressive 14m3 aluminium lattice structure, called the Hive, has been constructed and manufactured by Stage One, which also built Thomas Heatherwick’s London 2012 Olympic torch. The company used 115,000 individual components to

Musician will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Company have partnered with Starwood’s W Hotels brand to bring recycled plastic products to properties across the world – promoting sustainability as a stylish lifestyle choice. A new brand – called Ekocycle – has been launched to create a range of products for hotels which recycle plastic. The first is the ‘Mobile Charger and Accessory Valet’ (MCAV) – a USB charging device that also acts

Three finalists have emerged in the competition to redesign the St. Petersburg Pier in Florida, US. Designs from Alfonso Architects, St. Pete Design Group and Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers made the cut, following the latest meeting of the City of St. Petersburg’s Pier Selection Committee, at which four other concepts were eliminated. The replacement of the pier has been a matter for the whole community, with Mayor Rick

Work is progressing on the first phase of an experience destination in Tieling New Town, Liaoning Province, China. The development will capitalise on China's rapid urbanisation. Masterplanned by architecture firms RTKL International and Callison, La Viva is Hong Kong-based developer Hsin Chong’s first large-scale integrated project to be built in mainland China. Once complete the eco-friendly urban space will include retail, entertainment, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels, office space and residential

Alila Seminyak will open on Bali’s southwest coast this September, it will be the second new Indonesian property from the luxury boutique resorts group, following the development of the new Alila Villas Bintan. Alila Seminyak will be a prime beach frontage resort, comprising 72 suites, 69 residences. Green space will dominate both the interiors and exteriors, which will also have extensive events space, a Spa Alila and restaurants. The Alila

Ambitious plans are emerging for a museum in the war-torn Gaza Strip, honouring Palestinian culture and history. The proposals are an offshoot of the £40m Palestinian Museum Hub – currently under construction more than 83km (52m) away in Birzeit, the West Bank – which is due to open next year. The Hub was designed by Ireland-based Heneghan Peng Architects As part of this project, there are plans for satellite sites

A design contest launched to rival the controversial Guggenheim project in Helsinki, Finland, has received more than 200 entries from 37 countries. Set up by a group led by architect Michael Sorkin, The Next Helsinki competition is a protest against the City of Helsinki’s decision to allow a $153m (€146m, £105m) Guggenheim museum to be built in the South Harbor area. Instead of allocating space to a “foreign-owned museum chain”,

The Sports and Leisure Working Party Group of the International Union of Architects (UIA) has announced it will examine the legacies of the most recent Olympic Games – London 2012 – and most recent Commonwealth Games – Glasgow 2014 – at a seminar and site visit to be held in London on 12 and 13 June. The venue will be the office of Space Syntax. The group will also tour the Olympic

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has unveiled plans to open an eco-resort on his private island in Belize in partnership with New York-based real estate firm Delos, designed by lead architect Jason McLennan of McLennan Design. Dubbed ‘Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island’, the environmentally friendly project will offer 68 villas spread across its 104 acres (42 hectares) when it launches in 2018. Speaking to The New York Times, DiCaprio said it had

Foster + Partners have designed a 50-storey tower set to grace London’s skyline. Principal Tower will be part of Principal Place, a mixed-use development to feature a half acre public piazza and events space, bars, cafes, restaurants, shops and offices. Sited near Shoreditch, Liverpool Street Station, major financial institutions and Silicon Roundabout, Principal Place will be developed by Brookfield, Concord Pacific and W1 Developments in a joint venture. Foster +

US-based National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise Milwaukee Bucks has revealed detailed plans for the development of a new sports and entertainment district in Milwaukee. The Bucks are hoping to establish a 60,000sq ft “live entertainment block” – anchored by a 17,000-seat indoor arena – to rejuvenate the city’s Park East corridor. The total cost of the project is expected to reach US$1bn (€942m, £682m). The design team for the project

Work is now underway on Snøhetta’s new kitchen extension and garden redesign for the world-renowned restaurant The French Laundry, in Yountville, California. Due to complete in June of this year, the new buildings will transform both the visitor and cooking experience of the three Michelin star restaurant in Napa Valley. The restaurant, which was founded in 1994 by American chef Thomas Keller and named after one of the building’s former

Online private rental portal Airbnb has struck a deal with Rio 2016 organisers which will see residents of the city provide up to 20,000 additional accommodation options for foreign Olympic guests. Rio 2016 organisers have admitted that while a construction programme of new hotels in the city has increased capacity enough to host the 40,000-strong “Olympic family” – ie, representatives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee and

The One World Observatory at New York’s One World Trade Center building will open its doors to the public at the end of May, with tickets now on sale, enabling the public to visit the top of the western hemisphere’s tallest skyscraper. The building, which is largely office space, welcomed its first tenants – Condé Nast – in November 2014, 13 years after the 9/11 terror attacks. The tower, designed by

Plans for a development in Egypt, which were derailed by the Revolution in 2011, are back on track according to one of the key players behind the US$1.1bn (€1bn, £738m) safari, theme park and hotel development near Cairo. A consortium made up of Egypt-based 300 Years History, Canada’s Maple Leaf, South Africa’s Glen Afric, Italian Pinfari and Chipperfield Companies Group, is behind the proposal, which has been submitted to the

Global toy retailer Hamleys has taken the first step to becoming an experience brand after opening a mini theme park in its new Moscow store – also the largest toy shop in Europe. The new retail concept was developed by design studios Fitch and Paragon Creative within Moscow's Detsky Mir building. Hamleys Moscow offers shoppers and visitors nine “worlds of play”, including Enchanted Forest, Imagination, Lego World, Magic Kingdom, Metropolis,

A 2034 development masterplan for Mumbai, India, has come under fire after proposing to remove 70 per cent of the currently heritage-listed sites in the city, while incorrectly labelling others. Of the 1,488 listed heritage buildings, sites and precincts in the city, 1,000 will be removed under the new guidelines unveiled by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. According to the contentious Mumbai Development Plan - 2034, the listed Jehangir Art Gallery