The 25th MIPIM exhibition and conference takes place in Cannes next month, with smart cities being one of the talking points and new technologies for sustainable building being exhibited. The conference programme includes a presentation from the European Commission about financing plans to support the development of smart cities. There will also be talks on the latest architectural designs and innovation, including positive-energy buildings, which are designed to produce more

A dome made by a robotic arm and live silkworms, a folding bike helmet and a floating pyramid-shaped school in a Nigerian lagoon are among the pioneering concepts nominated for Designs of the Year 2014 by London’s Design Museum. A total of 76 nominations have been put forward and will feature in an exhibition at the Design Museum from 26 March to 25 August 2013. Afterwards, the winners from each

South African eco-spa and yoga retreat Woodlands has made a fresh start to 2014, reopening with a new operator and design following renovation work. Spa operator Legacy Balance has taken the reins of the 770sq m (8,288sq ft) city escape, 30 minutes northwest of Johannesburg, on a five-year operating contract after being approached founder and ongoing owner Marisa Lloyd steps aside to pursue corporate ventures. Sitting on the banks of

A new initiative has been launched in Los Angeles to allow for community groups to use urban design kits to help create pedestrian plazas, mini parks and bike parking, in a bid to re-appropriate 7,500 miles (12,070km) of street within the city. In most states, community design and planning is often hampered by intense bureaucracy, or a lack of financial support from local authorities. However, the People St Programme is

Swansea Bay could soon boast a tidal lagoon featuring an international watersport centre and oyster hatchery as part of radical redevelopment plans. London 2012 Olympic Park designer LDA Design has released its masterplan for Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, featuring the world’s first, man-made energy-generating lagoon, which would provide clean, renewable power for over 120,000 homes and could be connected to the national grid by 2018. Inspired by traditional fishing warehouses

Construction work is expected to start this year on the Lego House, a visitor and interactive exhibition centre in the Danish town of Billund, with the attraction made to resemble a giant stack of Lego bricks. The project has been designed by progressive architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), in conjunction with the Lego Group, the Lego Foundation and investment company Kirkbi A/S. Once completed in 2016, the centre will play

Spa Opportunities can exclusively reveal plans for an ambitious US$3m (€2.22, £1.84m) wellness retreat in the foothills of India’s Himalayan mountains, combining ancient Ayurvedic methods and integrative medicine with modern healthcare to tackle chronic disorders such as heart disease. Under the working title ‘Total Health Centre’, the project is the brainchild of Dr Robert Schneider, a leading physician and researcher into the science behind Ayurvedic methods and author of Total

German hotelier Michael Schlösser has launched the appealingly eccentric BaseCamp Bonn, an ‘indoor campground hostel’ in a former storage facility in Bonn, Germany. The indoor campsite features 15 vintage caravans, two railway sleeper coaches and four US airstream trailers, as well as a former GDR train and several VW camper vans, providing a total of 120 beds. The caravans were designed by German tv and film set designer Marion Seul,

The Trump Hotel Collection has announced the opening of its first property in South America with the Trump Hotel Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Located in the Jardim Oceanico district of the city and overlooking the beach, the 171-bedroom Trump Rio will be the only luxury hotel in the vicinity when it opens in 2016. Brazilian developer LSH Barra SA is building the R$200m (£50.8m, US$83m, €61.4m) project with the

Leisure Management magazine editor Liz Terry has described government proposals for building two garden cities in the south of England as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for the leisure and wellness industries. Her editorial in the magazine’s Q1 edition, called for a move away from traditional garden city models - used for Letchworth and Welwyn - towards a wellness city concept, built on the latest sustainable design principles, with

The American University of Notre Dame’s 80,000-seater football stadium is to undergo major work following the announcement of a US$400m (£242m, €295m) expansion. The development will create 4,000 new seats and three large buildings will flank the arena sides, with the buildings adding about 750,000sq ft (69,677sq m). It will also house a student centre, the University's anthropology and psychology departments, its digital media centre, plus a variety of music

Oldham Council has unveiled plans for a new £15m flagship leisure facility in its town centre, with hopes the complex could attract major televised sporting events. The new Oldham Sports Centre, at the junction of Manchester Street and St Domingo Street, would replace the existing Lord Street facility in 2015 if planning is approved. Oldham’s council leader Jim McMahon says the centre would represent a significant upgrade to current sporting

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to continue its push into the Southeast Asia market by opening a 62-storey luxury hotel and spa in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) development in 2017. Fairmont’s parent company, FRHI Hotels & Resorts (FRHI), has signed a deal with CITITOWER SDN BHD (a joint venture between Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and KLCC Holdings Sdn Bhd) to launch its first property

Barcelona FC’s board of directors has rejected the option of building a new stadium and instead has approved a £495m (US$821, €602.2m) redevelopment of its iconic Nou Camp stadium. The proposal would see the capacity of Europe’s biggest stadium increase from 98,000 to 105,000 with work starting in 2017 to be completed in early 2021. Also planned for the remodelled stadium, which originally opened in 1957, is a new roof,

Chinese state-owned property firm Greenland Holding Group has bought the Ram Brewery site in Wandsworth, West London - home of Britain’s oldest brewery - as part of a £600m development. The 7.75 acre (3.14ha) site, previously held by real estate developer Minerva, will be converted into 661 new homes, plus a brewing museum and microbrewery under plans approved last year by Wandsworth Council. The project includes a 36-storey landmark residential

Scunthorpe United Football Club (SUFC) has revealed plans for a new 12,000-capacity stadium in the town. To be located close to the club's current Glanford Park ground, the stadium is set to be developed as part of a mixed-use project which will also include a 120-room hotel, a multi-use indoor arena, community sports pitches and a new transport hub for the town. The initial designs and masterplan have been created

Plans to construct a hotel and spa complex on a former naval battery outpost in Plymouth, UK, have been resurrected by Rotolok Holdings. The £10m ($16.4, €12m) scheme designed by LHC Architecture - featuring a 3,322sq.m (10,899ft) luxury hotel boasting 43 rooms and a spa overlooking Plymouth waterfront - was originally thrown out by local councillors last year, amid concerns over Drake Island’s wildlife and a Grade II-listed building. The

The Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre, used during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, will open to the public on 1 March. The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) – which operates the park – said the relaunch of the centre will be a major landmark as it prepares for the full opening of the southern section of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, due to take place in early April. The opening day

Florence is to welcome the opening of a new 20th Century Art Museum this April, as the city undergoes a cultural transformation which will see a host of other attractions open or receive restoration work. The city’s new Museo del Novecento, located in the former Leopoldine convent in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, will feature 800sq m (6,611 sq ft) of exhibition space, as well as 10 meeting rooms. To be

The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, has re-opened to the public after a 23-month transformation costing approximately $61m (£37m, €44.6m). Overlooking Lake Geneva, the Olympic Museum documents the complete history of the Games, spanning from ancient Athens to the present day. A major renovation of the original 1993 building, by Swiss architects Brauen & Wälchli, has virtually doubled the display areas, as well as creating new exhibition space totalling 3,000m²

Plans have been unveiled for a progressive SkyCycle network, designed to give cyclists a dedicated commuter route, as its developers seek to transform cycle transport in London. Designed by Norman Foster + Partners with Exterior Architecture and Space Syntax, the 135-mile network of routes is planned for construction above existing suburban railway lines. The plans come in the wake of a number of deaths of cyclists experienced on the capital’s

Velaa Private Island has opened in the Maldives, with a Spa My Blend By Clarins. Located north from Malé, in the Noonu Atoll, the island is the vision of owner Jiri Smejc. The Czech billionaire wanted a Maldivian resort that met his standards for what a luxurious private resort should be and intends to “bring new meaning to private moments” in the Maldives. The resort, designed by architect Petr Kolar,

The Canary Wharf Group has put forward plans to develop the area’s nearby Wood Wharf site into a business and residential development in time for the introduction of the Crossrail network. The group has submitted plans to Tower Hamlets Council in a bid to create a district housing 3,100 residential units, 240,000sq m of office space and 100 shops, restaurants and cafes. It is thought that the group also wants

Sheffield has edged closer to realising its Olympic legacy programme after plans were unveiled for a new £7m sports centre and swimming pool. The proposed centre would be built on the Thorncliffe Recreation Ground in High Green and help fill the gap left by a £50m programme of cuts which has seen many existing facilities close, including Stocksbridge pool in April. It is expected to feature a 25m six-lane pool,

The deputy director of Florida’s Norton Museum of Art believes hiring world-renowned architects Foster and Partners for its new transformation has sent a "clear message" of the institution’s "serious ambition" to become a major international art venue. James Brayton Hall described Lord Norman Foster as one of the "top three architects in the world" and said it was his work on the British Museum and Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Developer, Capital & Counties Properties (Capco), has received outline planning consent for its far reaching, and controversial, plans for a £8bn regeneration of Earls Court. Plans, which have met with local protest, involve demolishing the famous art deco exhibition centre and two council estates. Land is being acquired under the Conditional Land Sale Agreement, although the company is having to negotiate with Transport for London about an important piece of

The Tate Britain’s newly completed £45m renovation is a "triumph of funding" and could usher in a new age of philanthropy, according to Lord Browne, chair of Tate. A total of 95 per cent of the work was funded by private donors, with the majority of support coming from trusts, foundations, individual donors and Tate members – as opposed to big businesses. The Tate’s latest set of renovations sees the