According to media reports in Bahrain, the country’s government is planning to build its biggest integrated sports stadium, with capacity for 50,000 spectators. The facility, to be located in Sakhir, Southern Governorate, would have an international standard football pitch and facilities to accommodate basketball, handball, bowling, badminton and table tennis. A shopping complex, sports training school, Olympic-size swimming pool and cinema are also planned, according to the Gulf Daily News.

English League Two football club Luton Town has filed a planning application as its ambitious bid to build a new stadium complex gathers pace. The application includes plans for a 17,500-capacity stadium in the Power Court part of the town, and a mixed-use development including hotels and a cinema – expected to fund the stadium – to be built in Newlands Park. The project has been designed by AndArchitects. The

Dubai investment firm Najibi Group has unveiled plans for a AU$400m (US$300.7m, €270.4m, £226.3m) “active lifestyle” destination in Queensland, Australia. Najibi recently launched its new Australian investment and development offshoot Sanad Capital, which has been created to serve as a springboard for a diverse range of projects on the Sunshine Coast. The firm’s first project will be a community lifestyle and tourism hub “never-before seen in Australia”, according to Sanad.

Glenn Howells Architects (GHA) and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) have reached the final in the competition to design a new stadium for Forest Green Rovers Football Club in Gloucestershire, UK. Almost 50 entries from around the world were submitted to the competition, and the winning pair have been selected from a shortlist of nine candidates. The brief called for a fan-focused and sustainable 5,000 capacity stadium in line with the

Engineering design experts Thornton Tomasetti have been selected to work on the £70m (US$92.8m, €83.4m) project to renovate Wimbledon’s No. 1 Court. The studio will work alongside KSS Architects to provide structural and facade design engineering services for the new development, which will include a retractable roof. Improved public facilities, 15 new hospitality suites and an increased capacity to 12,000 seats will also be included in the project. Thornton Tomasetti

The government of Hong Kong is seeking non-binding Expressions of Interest for a planned sports park in Kai Tak. Construction companies and joint ventures, investors, sports operators, facility managers and stadium architects are invited to make their interest in the project clear before 8 July 2016. The Kai Tak Sports Park is described by the government as “the most important investment in sports infrastructure in recent decades”. The site –

NFL quarterback Andrew Luck is playing a part in creating a US$35m (€31.5m, £26m) hands-on indoor/outdoor sports exhibit for The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts star, who majored in architectural design, has been working with the museum and Ratio Architects to create the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience, which he called a “sports utopia” that every child would want when it opens in Q2 2018. “For me,

Alisports – the sports arm of global trade platform Alibaba – has inked a strategic partnership with Populous as it attempts to build and operate “tens of thousands” of sports venues in China. Populous has worked in China since 2000, designing sports developments such as the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre and Zhuhai’s International Tennis Centre. That work will almost certainly increase as China – and Alisports chief executive Zhang Dazhong

An exhibition game of American Football will take place the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Canada, as constructors seek to test the venue’s performance and facilities ahead of its grand opening in 2017. The University of Regina Rams – which will call the stadium home – will host the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the fixture on 1 October 2016, the first serious test of the multi-purpose arena following its

Scottish Premiership football club Aberdeen FC has moved to secure planning permission to build its proposed new stadium and surrounding development. The club has submitted its Proposal of Application Notice – which also includes a new community and sports campus, as well as a football academy – to Aberdeen City Council, Kingswell Community Council, Westhill and Elrick Community Council and Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Community Council. A 12-week consultation process

AEG – the organisation behind Los Angeles’ Staples Center – is planning a US$1.4bn (£1bn, €1.3bn) development in San Diego which includes an 18,000-capacity sports and entertainment arena. The Embarcadero District is one of six proposals being considered by the San Diego Unified Port District to replace the city’s Seaport Village. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the proposed development would include three hotels with a combined 1,700 rooms, 325,000sq

HOK – the architects chosen to design FC Barcelona’s new Palau Blaugrana arena – have swooped in to hire former Populous associate principal Algen Williams. Williams has joined the Kansas City-based studio as leader of sports, recreation and entertainment where he will oversee the Barcelona design and have a role in other projects, including the Rogers Place hockey arena in Edmonton, Canada and the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium. During his

Construction is nearing completion of the new Grandstand Stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, New York, ahead of the US Open in late August. Architects Rossetti have designed the 125,000sq ft (11,600sq m) facility, which will have 8,000 seats, 2,000 more than the old version. The lower bowl is recessed into the earth to create a strong match-day atmosphere and to boost player-fan interaction. The new stadium's exterior features a translucent

France’s rugby federation has reached an agreement with contractor Ibelys to begin building a new 82,000-capacity home for the sport in Paris. The planned stadium, designed by Populous, will form the heart of a new leisure district planned for the French capital. In addition to hosting all French national team home matches, the multi-purpose stadium will also accommodate conventions, shows and other sporting events. The capacity can be extended to

The new home of American National Football League (NFL) franchise the Minnesota Vikings has been completed six weeks ahead of schedule in Minneapolis. Contractor Mortenson Construction has symbolically handed over the keys to the U.S. Bank Stadium to the Vikings and the building’s owner, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA). Designed by HKS Architects, the 70,000-capacity stadium cost US$1.1bn (€974m, £749m) to build. The 1.75m sq ft (162,600sq m) structure

International architecture and design practice The NRA Collaborative have outlined their masterplan for a sweeping new entertainment district in Brisbane, Australia. The proposed precinct, called Brisbane Live, would create an area around the city’s Roma Street featuring entertainment venues, commercial buildings, hotels, residences, restaurants, a retail zone and 12 hectares of parkland. At the heart of the design is a 17,000-seat arena able to host a multitude of events from

Architecture studio Gensler have won the contract to design the interior of San Francisco’s Chase Center, which will be the new home of basketball franchise the Golden State Warriors. Gensler will work with MANICA Architecture – who are designing the exterior of the building – to work on all the public interior space, including concourses, clubs, suites, offices, locker rooms the team store and retail space. The architects have pedigree

Las Vegas’ US$375m (£264.7m, €333.1m) multi-purpose T-Mobile Arena, which opened in April, looks set to become the home of the latest National Hockey League (NHL) franchise. Reports in the US suggest the NHL has chosen the Nevada city over launching a franchise in Quebec, although the league’s board of governors will hold a formal vote on 22 June. The Populous-designed arena – described by its creators as "a diamond in

The organisers of Paris’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games have unveiled plans to build a 15,000-capacity aquatics centre if the city’s application is successful. Located in the Saint-Denis region of Paris, the centre will house two 50m (165ft) swimming pools and two diving pools. Once the Games are over the capacity will be scaled down to 2,500. The aquatics centre will be the only facility that will need to

Cox Architecture will create a 3,000 capacity velodrome in Jakarta for the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. According to reports in Australia, where the studio have their headquarters, the project will cost AUS$51m (US$38m, €33.6m, £26.5m) and is set to be completed by June 2018. Engineering firm Motts MacDonald, Indonesian architects BKM and construction company Wika are all said to be involved. In order to ensure the quick construction time,

After plans were revealed at the end of last month to build a permanent home for World Rugby in the sport’s birthplace, Manchester-based design firm Mather and Co have been appointed to create the attraction in Warwickshire, UK. Billed as a “fully-interactive and immersive museum”, the Hall of Fame will be located within the town of Rugby’s art gallery, museum and library. Mather has a strong portfolio of sporting experiences,

Larsen & Toubro, the largest construction firm in India, has won the contract to build Qatar’s 2022 World Cup venue, the Al Rayyan Stadium. Construction of the 40,000-capacity arena will be delivered in a joint venture with Qatari contractor Al Balagh Trading & Contracting. The deal was announced by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) – the organisers of the tournament. “This marks an important milestone in our

The £15m Crewe Lifestyle Centre, designed to be accessible for people with special needs and dementia, has been officially opened by the president of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Philip Craven. The 7,800sq m (83,959sq ft) two-storey building is to serve as a central hub for the community of Crewe, UK, bringing together a range of different services under one roof. Architects Pozzoni were appointed by Cheshire East Council and

Twickenham – the home of English rugby – is embarking on a redevelopment plan which will see the transformation of its east stand. The work will double the available space on the east stand, creating an additional 10,750sq m (115,712sq ft) to facilitate improvements to existing hospitality areas. KSS Architects have been selected to modernise the exterior of the stand as part of the project, although the existing bowl infrastructure

Two yet-to-be-built stadiums have been selected to host the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl in 2019 and 2021. In a move which appears to encourage the development of new infrastructure, NFL owners plumped for Atlanta Falcons’ HOK-designed Mercedes-Benz Stadium – which is due to open its doors in 2017 – for the 2019 edition of the flagship match. The 2021 Super Bowl will be contested at the future home

Texas Rangers – the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise – has moved a step closer to building a new US$1bn (£680.1m, €894.2m) stadium after the council agreed a financing package for the development. Arlington City Council unanimously approved a master agreement in which the funds for the stadium would be split between the team and public finance. A public vote will now be held in November to ask residents if

With its mass appeal and ability to unite people worldwide, sport offers a powerful platform for demonstrating and communicating the importance of sustainability. That’s the view of Chris DeVolder, sustainable design leader at architecture firm HOK. In a column penned for the latest issue of CLADmag, DeVolder reflected on the changing nature of sports-oriented design, particularly with city centre sports developments returning to favour. “By establishing new paradigms for environmentally