Tehran-based New Wave Architecture have designed a 4,500sq m (48,438sq ft) rock climbing gym for Porlour, Iran, that resembles a giant boulder. The gym overlooks Iran’s highest peak – Mount Damavand – and features a bouldering hall with a climbing wall, a temporary accommodation zone and a fitness gym. The climbing centre’s exterior will also provide opportunities for outdoor climbing. According to the architects, the design has been inspired by

The Hongkun Fine Art Gallery has reopened in Beijing following a refurbishment by Vienna and Beijing-based architectural firm Penda, featuring a fluid, curved design. The all-white gallery encompasses 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) of exhibition space across two floors. The refurbishment involved the addition of a new reception area and gently curved archways of different sizes, that open out onto the existing exhibition space. The continuous arch was selected as a

America’s National Civil Rights Museum, the converted motel where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, reopened its doors on Saturday – the day after the 46th anniversary of King’s death – following an extensive redevelopment. The Memphis museum has undergone a US$27.5m (€20m, £16.8m) renovation – the culmination of 18-months’ construction led by architects Self+Tucker – to complete the remodelling of the 23-year-old attraction. Now boasting 52,000sq ft (4,831sq m)

New look plans have been revealed for Aberdeen’s city centre on the site of the former City Council headquarters Muse Developments has been selected as Aberdeen City Council’s development partner for the £107m joint project, which will see the former St Nicholas House site and Broad Street in Aberdeen transformed to include 175,000 sq ft (16,258sq m) of sustainable offices, and mixed-use leisure facilities. Valued at £5.6m, the leisure amenities

Ambitious proposals to redevelop the Grade II listed Brighton Hippodrome into a leisure complex have been backed by English Heritage, which said this could be the “final chance” to save the 117-year-old structure. Alaska Development Consultants, working on behalf of an institutional client of Helix Property Advisors, has submitted a planning application to Brighton & Hove City Council to redevelop the theatre into a leisure complex housing an eight-screen Vue

With east London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to fully open to the public for the very first time tomorrow (5 April), Prince Harry and Boris Johnson stopped by this afternoon to ensure the play equipment was up to scratch. The London Mayor and the fourth-in-line to the throne joined local school children for some fun on the tyre swing and rope bridge ahead of the official opening tomorrow (see video

Set to open on 5 July this year, after 26 months of construction, the Swiss Ovaverva swimming pool expects 100,000 visitors in its first year and its spa anticipates 35,000 customers. Spread over four floors, the €67m (US$91.8m, £55.3m) development in St. Moritz, Switzerland, is on track for completion, including a women-only panorama sauna, bio sauna and steamroom. Mixed gender bathing areas include the 915sq m (9,948sq ft) rosatsch bath

Blackberry Farm – the 62-bedroom chateau property in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee – will unveil its new wellness spa centre on 1 June later this year. The 12,663sq ft (1,176sq m) stand alone Wellhouse has been designed by Blackberry Farm founder and director of design Kreis Beall along with Johnson Architecture. The newly appointed Wellhouse director, Amanda Anderson, has previous experience working with Red Door Spas, The

Torbay council and Torbay Development Agency granted planning permission for a £90m luxury resort and flats development on the site of the existing Torquay Palace Hotel in Torbay in March. Mapstone Developments are consulting GJR Architects to create the 137 apartments – a mix of flats and duplex units – with 270 parking spaces, private spa and leisure facilities. Divided into four blocks of flats in a gated, concierge-serviced community

The first Andaz hotel located in Japan, Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, is set to open on 11 June 2014 – with full access to the building’s existing AO Spa & Club. The twelfth hotel to join the Andaz brand is located on floors 47 to 52 of the 52-storey Toranomon Hills tower, which was developed as part of an urban engineering project integrating central Tokyo with the bay area. Guests

Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) has appointed construction group Laing O'Rourke to build the expansion of its Etihad Stadium. The extension works, designed by architects Populous, are expected to cost £50m and will be undertaken in two phases. The work will result in the venue having a capacity of 60,000 (up from the current 48,000) - making it the second largest in the English Premier League behind Old Trafford (capacity

Kempinski will unveil its largest ever property in China this May – a 14sq km (5.4sq m) hotel, villa and spa complex which is being lined up as a possible host for major political events such as APEC 2014 and future G20 summits. Set at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains, 60km (37.3m) north of Beijing city centre and 25km (15.5m) from the Great Wall of China’s Mutianyu section, the

Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed plans for a 780-bedroom hotel to be built by property developer Melco Crown Entertainment in Cotai, Macau. The hotel will be located at Melco Crown’s flagship City of Dreams resort in an area that takes its visual inspiration from the Las Vegas Strip. The 40-floor hotel, which covers 150,000sq ft (13,935sq m) of space, will boast a number of amenities including a spa offering a

The Shard, the London Aquatic Centre, and Portsmouth’s Mary Rose Museum are among 233 projects shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Regional Awards. London-based architect Allies and Morrison has the most buildings shortlisted with six, followed by fellow London firm Haworth Tompkins with five. A total of 64 projects have been shortlisted in the London region alone for this year’s RIBA Awards, including the Shard, which opened

Portuguese company Unicer, best-known for its beer brewing operations, has announced the addition of two northern Portugal spas to its property portfolio. The company is best-known for its flagship beer Super Bock, but also has assets through its Pedras Salgadas mineral water brand, as well as recently expanding into tourism ventures. The tie-up continues the trend of convergence between the spa and mineral water markets. Linked by the natural thermal

Renovations to the roof and structure of a historic Grade II-listed lido in Reading, UK, may take place while delays in the planning process of a £3m (US$4.9m, €3.6m) spa complex continue. Redevelopment of the dilapidated King’s Meadow Baths into a spa has attracted significant interest – with high volumes of planning inquiries – since the council selected the complex as its preferred choice for the renovation in October, putting

The Royal Palm Marrakech hotel, operated by Beachcomber Hotels, will open its Clarins Spa on 15 May 2014. The soft opening of the five-star, Berber-inspired, 135-suite hotel occurred on 11 December 2013. Until the Clarins Spa opens, four suites converted into spa cabins are being used to provide guests with massages and beauty treatments. Beachcomber Hotels says this will be the only Clarins spa at any hotel in Morocco, with

David Beckham and his partners have released images of the proposed US$200m (€145m, £120m) football stadium they are hoping to build in Miami, Florida, US. The conglomerate of investors - Miami Beckham United (MBU) - is hoping to establish a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise in Miami with the view of having the team and stadium ready for the 2018 season. Designed by Arquitectonica and 360 Architecture, the stadium is

The Catalina Island Museum is moving to the Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building – four times the size of their rented Avalon Casino accommodation – on Santa Catalina Island, California. Scheduled to open in 2015, the private, non-profit museum bought the land for US$1.9m (€1.3m, £1.1m) with funds from private donations. The new 11,000sq ft (1,021sq m) building will cost US$6m (€4.3m, £3.5m). Founded in 1953, the museum has always

Super League rugby club Castleford Tigers has revealed detailed plans for a new 10,000-capacity community stadium in the town. To be located close to the Junction 32 of the M62 motorway, the stadium will form part of a £135m mixed development project proposed by London-based developers Lateral Property Group (LPG). The stadium would also be funded in its entirety by the retail development. Designed to meet Super League requirements, the

Northern Sweden’s isolated Icehotel is inviting its guests to design and build their own ice suites, with successful suggestions being maintained for the designer's exclusive use throughout the season. Now in its 24th season, the Jukkasjärvi-based hotel, which attracts 50,000 guests before evaporating each summer, will debut its new "Haute Couture Suite" service. Each year, hundreds of artists worldwide apply to design the hotel’s individual suites, with just a handful

The £8bn mixed-use development at Battersea Power Station is gathering steam, with developers revealing the latest images of the project and announcing prices for the first tranche of dwellings to go on sale. The power station is at the heart of the Battersea Power Station Development Company’s (BPSDC) 40-acre project that will create 18 acres of new public space, including a six-acre public park, approximately 200 shops and restaurants, plus

Funding for Thomas Heatherwick’s progressive Garden Bridge crossing the River Thames in London has now passed £100m, with its developers seeking £150m to get the project underway. If funds are found, the Cupronickel structure will combine elements of stone, brick and concrete brutalism to create a landmark connecting structure in the capital. So far investment has come from the Treasury and Transport for London, who have each contributed £30m towards

Eco sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor is looking to use underwater sculpturing to help boost coral reef environments, while also bringing a new form of experience to the attractions industry. Developing underwater museums, through the use of sculptures installed on coral reef beds, Taylor is helping to transform languishing environments, as well as relieving strain by opening up new options for tourists among heavily populated hot-spots. Taylor has so far opened

Eco sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor is looking to use underwater sculpturing to help boost coral reef environments, while also bringing a new form of experience to the attractions industry. Developing underwater museums, through the use of sculptures installed on coral reef beds, Taylor is helping to transform languishing environments, as well as relieving strain by opening up new options for tourists among heavily populated hot-spots. Taylor has so far opened

Planning permission has been granted to transform a listed building in Belfast city centre into a boutique hotel. Ireland’s environment minister Mark Durkan recommended planning approval for a £12m redevelopment of the Grade B1 listed Scottish Mutual Building, which sits opposite Belfast City Hall. The development retains all of the building's original features and there will be two bars and two restaurants, along with 10 serviced apartments in addition to

Plans have been unveiled for the coil-shaped Lofoten Opera Hotel to be built in Norway’s stunning Lofoten archipelago. The striking hotel design will cover 11,000sq m (118,400sq ft) and will feature as-of-yet unnamed spa facilities in addition to 95 hotel rooms and apartments, seawater basins, an amphitheatre and many outdoor sporting activities. Norway-based Snøhetta Architects are behind the project and said in December 2013 that the cost would be approximately