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

New York City’s Dryline – a proposed flood barrier around Lower Manhatten by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), is to be the subject of a webinar on Friday 12 June. In addition to protecting the city from high water, the Dryline will include greenspace and leisure amenities. The webinar will be led by BIG's Jeremy Alain Siegel and will involve the Rebuild by Design team, which worked alongside BIG in conceiving

Robin Snell and Partners is to transform the largest theatre in London’s West End as part of a £1.2m ($1.77m, €1.65m) renovation project. The company won a competition run by the English National Opera (ENO) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for the revitalisation of the ground floor foyer of the grade II* listed London Coliseum. The foyer will be opened up to provide uninterrupted views from the

An ‘imagination playground’ is being built in New Orleans to inspire children to get into architecture through play. Not-for-profit organisation PlayBuild’s goal is to transform under-utilised urban spaces into fun environments for 4-12-year-olds to think and learn about architecture, design and city planning. Set up two years ago, PlayBuild has so far organised a number of outdoor play sessions for local schools, but has now broken ground on a permanent

Donald Trump is progressing with long-delayed proposals to expand his hotel and leisure development at Menie Estate, Aberdeenshire, UK, with new construction planned alongside the five-star Trump International Golf Links. Trump has submitted new planning applications, which cite Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) at the project's designers. The new plans include the construction of hundreds of houses and nearly 2,000 holiday homes and lodges, in a major step towards completing

The multi-million restoration of the Italian Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, will be complete in Q2 of 2015 with its launch to coincide with the Expo Milano 2015. Owned by Katara Hospitality and operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the historic hotel first opened in 1932 as Palace Gallia in the Porta Nuova area of Milan. It is being revamped by Milan-based Studio Marco Piva, which has blended

Australian property developer, Lang Walker, is planning to develop his first resort, on the island of Fiji. The Kokomo Yaukuve Island Resort on Yaukuve Island, which is part of the Kadavu Island Group - surrounded by the world famous Great Astrolabe Reef - will open in 2016. The resort will have five villas and 21 bures on the beachfront, in addition to a luxury day spa, kids club, tennis court,

An urban skyscraper divided into 11 natural landscapes has been recognised as the most outstanding new concept for high-rise living in an annual competition. Polish architecture firm BOMP – whose partners are Konrad Basan, Ewa Odyjas, Agnieszka Morga and Jakub Pudo – took first place in the 2015 Skyscraper Competition, organised by eVolo Magazine. Recreation and leisure ranked high on the agenda in many of the winning entrants’ designs. BOMP’s