A stylish new science museum and business centre has opened in Japan’s industrial Komatsu city as part of a regional regeneration programme which will boost tourism and trade. Science Hills Komatsu is built on a 14,428sq m (155,300sq ft) site of a disused mining equipment factory once operated by the multinational manufacturing corporation Komatsu Limited and now owned by the city’s government. The design of the museum, by Mari Ito

The first Rosewood hotel in Asia has opened its doors in Beijing, China, in the central Chaoyang district opposite the iconic CCTV Tower. The 22-storey hotel, designed by Melbourne-based design firm BARstudio – in collaboration with Bangkok-based landscape architects PLandscape – has been inspired by traditional Chinese paintings. The 283-guestroom hotel is owned by New World Group and its business affiliates, while New World Development Company is the majority shareholder

The new wing of the Contemporary Art Museum Gösta Serlachius in Finland, designed by Spanish architectural firm MX_SI, has been opened after three years of planning and development. MX_SI won a competition back in 2011 to design and build the extension for the visitor attraction in Mänttä, which is now a fully functioning part of the museum, playing host to the new entrance, foyer, restaurant, conservation facilities and a shop.

The FJD85m (US$45m, €35m, £28m) Pearl South Pacific Resort’s three-phase development in Fiji’s Pacific Harbour is on track for completion and a grand opening ceremony in August 2015. The resort will offer an 18-berth marina, 400-seat conference centre, 250-seat fine dining restaurant, wedding chapel and numerous wellness facilities. Developers and owners, Papua New Guinea’s Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC), took over operations in 2012, when the resort’s construction began. Pacific

The ‘Rom’ in Hornchurch, East London, has been given Grade II listed status by English Heritage and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Opened in 1978, the Rom, named after a nearby river, is one of the finest surviving examples of early skatepark designs in the UK. The decision to protect the park follows the publication of a new book by sports historian Simon Inglis called Played in London

Alfredo Carvajal has been appointed president of International and Signature Programs for Delos, the US-based company behind the Well Building Standard® ( see Spa Business 14/1 p36 ). Previously Carvajal operated as COO of spa and leisure consultancy WTS International, which works in collaboration with Delos. As part of the alliance, WTS is integrating Delos’ evidence-based wellness features into the facilities it designs. In his new role – starting November

Hilton Worldwide has opened the Hilton Nay Pyi Taw in the capital city of Myanmar, Nay Pyi Taw, just in time for the upcoming East Asia Summit to be held in November at the neighbouring Ruby Hall – a meetings and conventions venue. The 202-key hotel, owned by Eden Group Company Limited, spans more than 100 acres and is situated in the developing Dekhina Thiri Township. Designed by Leo International

The Shanti Maurice Nira Resort in Mauritius has relaunched its 70,000sq ft (6,503sq m) spa, offering a brand new concept – A Journey Around the World Through Wellbeing. The concept includes new product ranges, treatments and packages based on oriental, Indian and ‘Natural-Bio’ themes. After feedback from clients, requesting more tailor-made spa and wellbeing packages to restore body, mind and soul in a short time, the new worldly concept was

The cost of converting the London Olympic Stadium into a 54,000-capacity multi-use stadium is set to rise from £154m to £190m due to complications in installing the new roof. Providing the support structures for the new roof have required significantly more strengthening work to the main roof truss than initially expected. The truss was originally designed to be taken down after the Games. As a result, the London Legacy Development

Guests of the Ritz-Carlton Bali, Indonesia, will be able to swim with dolphins in the Indian Ocean, go sailing and participate in night dives when the property opens in Q2 of 2015. Located in the developing Sawangan area, south of Nusa Dua, the 288-key property – including 90 suites and 14 villas – is owned by PT Bali Nusaintan and will feature a 25,000sq ft (2,323sq m) spa. The spa

The AU$450m (US$394.4m, £246m, €312.2m) revamp of the Sydney Modern art gallery in New South Wales, Australia has taken a step forward after its director announced 12 highly acclaimed architecture firms as potential designers for the project. In January the former Art Gallery of New South Wales will know which high-profile architect has been entrusted with its future when an expert panel will select five of the visions to take

The Castle Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel by Starwood Hotels & Resorts has opened on Lotus Mountain in China's Dalian, in a prime location overlooking Xinghai Square, Xinghai Bay and the Yellow Sea. The city of Dalian’s ports were used in ancient times as an international trading hub. As a nod to its heritage, the city hosts European-inspired events to attract tourists – for example the Dalian International Beer Festival

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an end to China’s abstract and strange-looking architectural structures, calling for morally inspiring art to “cultivate taste and clean up undesirable work styles.” During a recent speech at a literary symposium in Beijing, Xi said buildings such as the CCTV headquarters, which is one of Beijing’s most iconic towers should no longer be built in the city. Xi also commented that Chinese art

The SHA Wellness Clinic, a medi-spa in the Spanish village of Albir in the Sierra Helada Natural Park, will launch its new medical and wellness area by the end of the year. The 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) extension will double the size of the building and include a number of new facilities designed to offer guests an even wider range of macrobiotic treatments and anti-ageing programmes. The existing facility’s architect

The spa and fitness offering at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas in Texas, US, is set to undergo a US$3.5m (€2.8m, £2.2m) renovation, which will transform it into one of the largest luxury hotel health clubs in the country. Luxury hotel spa operator Trilogy Spa Holdings is using its 'Well & Being' spa brand to market the new 176,000sq ft (16,351sq m) space, which is scheduled

Operators of public saunas in Germany say they will struggle to make ends meet if the rate of value added tax they pay is increased from seven per cent to the full value of 19 per cent. Access to saunas is soon to be classified a luxury by the German government, and will therefore taxable at a higher rate. Key players in the pool, sauna, spa and heat experience manufacturing

Competition entries are currently being sought for ‘Hello Nature!’ – a site located at the foot of Mt Omneberget in northern Sweden – which is looking for ”structures that celebrate nature” involving elements of “both education and recreation, or business and pleasure.” Combo Competitions – founded by London-based Swedish architect Per Linde – has placed emphasis on the ideas presented in proposals, rather than aesthetics alone. Combo Competitions’ main driver

Multiple images for each of the 1,715 entries for the Guggenheim coming to Helsinki, Finland, have been released by the upcoming museum, with a huge number of anonymous stage-one entries showcased. The €126m (£100m, US$160.5m) waterfront project is officially the most popular architectural contest in history, attracting more entries than the contest for the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which was won by Heneghan Peng from 1,557 submissions. Competition organiser

New plans have been released for the London-based Geffrye Museum’s £15m (US$24m, €18.9m) transformation, which will create new spaces for the museum’s collections and library. The plans by architecture firm Wright & Wright include a gallery, café and conference facilities, as well as a rejuvenation of the current public spaces. The plans will create around 40 per cent additional space within the 18th century Grade I listed museum’s walls, by

Boris Johnson, mayor of London, has begun a consultation process with GT Architects over the proposed plans for a sports centre at Crystal Palace, south London. Launched on 6 October, the mayor, CSM Strategic, with FMG Consulting and GT Architects have proposed several development concepts for the sports centre. These are being pitched to the public through a series of talks and exhibitions, as well as a survey, running throughout

Work on the upcoming Louvre Abu Dhabi has progressed, with construction of the mammoth US$653m (€512.9m, £404.6m) structure’s dome roof now complete. Building work on the dome started in December 2013 and the elaborate roof currently sits on 120 temporary support towers, which will be replaced with four permanent support pillars and the dome will be clad in aluminium. The construction of all the 9,200sq m (99,000sq ft) museum’s galleries

St Fagans National History Museum – Wales’ most popular heritage attraction – has named Kier Group as lead-developer for a £25m (US$40m, €31.5m) renovation of the site. With funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Welsh government, the Cardiff museum has started on the makeover, which will include both new build and refurbishment work. A new £16m (US$25.8m, €20.2m) sustainable building, designed by lead architecture practice Purcell, will

From 2016, London’s Design Museum will be offering free entry to permanent exhibitions following its move to a new site in Kensington. Chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, visited the Museum’s new site on 17 October and announced plans to support opening the doors for free under the VAT refund scheme for museums and galleries. The Design Museum will join more than 50 other museums across the UK capital opening

The Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) has published a standards guide for spa and wellness industry projects, the Guide to Hydrothermal Spa Development Standards. The book is designed to help spa owners, operators, architects and builders when considering the building of either public or private hydrothermal areas. It contains global terminology, definitions of hydrothermal areas and provides information on project planning, right through to key building and construction considerations,

Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine, a five-star retreat in Spain’s Duero wine region is transforming the estate’s former stable into a spa, complete with a ‘spa sommelier’ who will carry out blind tasting sessions for each guest before suggesting treatments based on individual preferences. The entire estate, which used to be an abbey and winery, dates back to 1146. The hotel opened in 2012 after a complete restoration of the abbey, with

The £8bn (US$13bn, €10bn) redevelopment of London's iconic Battersea Power Station has received another boost after the Frank Gehry and Norman Foster-designed mixed-use high street won planning approval. The phase three plans – which will see a new pedestrian high street running from Battersea Park Road to the existing power station building – feature a new public park and glass cube-shaped community hub building, in addition to bars, shops and

The first major museum to be built in Morocco since it gained independence from France in 1956 has opened in Rabat. Showcasing modern and contemporary works by Moroccan artists, the Musée Mohammed VI d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) – now partnered with the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC and the Louvre in Paris – had been under construction for a decade following a