Architecture and design news
Scottish Mutual Building to undergo £12m boutique hotel conversion
by Tom Anstey | 26 Mar 2014
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
Snøhetta reveals striking design plans for Lofoten Opera Hotel
by Tom Anstey | 26 Mar 2014
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
Museum of Zoology gains lottery funding for full redevelopment
by Tom Anstey | 26 Mar 2014
Cambridge University’s Museum of Zoology is to undergo a complete redevelopment after receiving a grant of £1.8m ($3m €2.2m) from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The funding will support £4.8m ($7.9m €5.8m) plans to redevelop the Museum of Zoology with new displays showcasing the animal kingdom, as well as new stores to preserve its outstanding collections for future display and expand the museum’s learning programmes, reaching out to wider audiences
Scottish musueum's mining memorial up for two design awards
by Chris Dodd | 26 Mar 2014
A new museum memorial centre acting as a leading light for leisure restoration projects could be in line to receive two design awards. The National Mining Memorial Centre at the National Mining Museum Scotland has been nominated for a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) award, as well as an Edinburgh Architectural Association (EAA) award in the Small Projects category. Located at the Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, the centre
Citi Field, New York could become home to green-space development
by Chris Dodd | 25 Mar 2014
New York City is looking to continue its commitment to becoming an environmentally-friendly city, through plans announced by former Mayor Bloomberg to turn an area near Citi Field in Queens into a green space-inspired neighbourhood. The Willets Point area, situated between Flushing and Corona, is home to a number of industries, with the area suffering from soil contamination caused by the region's extensive automotive industry. However, this could be about
Mixed-use plans submitted for mill development in Chipping, Lancashire
by Tom Anstey | 25 Mar 2014
Plans have been submitted for a mixed-use scheme in Chipping, Lancashire, which will include two new hotels, a spa, a cricket pavilion and a trailhead centre on the site of a former mill. The Grade II listed Kirk Mill – to be operated by Living Ventures – will be converted into an 18-bedroom hotel with a restaurant and gastro pub, while the existing barn will be turned into seven holiday
Mandarin Oriental Group set to unveil The Spa in Taipei
by Helen Andrews | 25 Mar 2014
The Mandarin Oriental Group will soon raise the curtain on The Spa at Mandarin Oriental in Taipei, China – the upcoming 303-bedroom hotel owned by Kai Tai Fung International Company Limited. The Spa interior is courtesy of international design firm Yabu Pushelberg, which specialises in hospitality and retail industry projects. Spread over two floors, the development is more than 3,500sq m (37,673sq ft) in size and consists of two separate
Plans approved for mixed-use development in Perthshire national park
by Tom Anstey | 24 Mar 2014
Arran Brewery has got approval from the National Park Authority on plans to open a new brewery, hotel and visitor centre in Perthshire, Scotland. The development – on the site of the former Drummond Hotel in St Fillans – will include a 32-bedroom hotel with banqueting hall, three bars, three restaurants, visitor centre and a brewery making both lager and cider. Commercial activity on the site, which is now part
Architect Alberto Apostoli designed the new spa at Casale Del Principe, Sicily
by Helen Andrews | 24 Mar 2014
Acqua Spa, designed by Veronese architect Alberto Apostoli, has opened its doors at Casale Del Principe in Sicily. In 2012 owners of the Monreale property, the Rizzo family, began the project to build a 700sq m (7,534sq ft) wellness centre into the fortified farmhouse’s structure. The spa, which opened at the end of January, is spread over three levels, with the ground floor incorporating a cabin for treatments carried out
Enormous £3m Chinese lantern illumination attraction to open in Blackpool, UK
by Helen Andrews | 20 Mar 2014
One of the world's largest indoor illumination experiences, Illuminasia, will open in Olympia Arena at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, UK on 18 April. The £3m investment means the 45,000sq ft (4,180sq m) space inside Olympia Arena will be made into six family-friendly zones, illuminated by 35,000 lights using Chinese lantern crafts and LED bulbs. Investors - Shanghai's Yi Sai Culture Communication, International Special Attractions Ltd and Global Entertainment Productions
Populous-designed new Lord's stand gets green light
by Tom Walker | 20 Mar 2014
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has been given planning permission for a new 2,922-capacity stand at Lord's Cricket Ground in north London. Designed by Populous, the new £21m structure was given the green light by Westminster City Council and will replace the historic but ageing Warner Stand, built in 1958. The innovative design has a number of eco-friendly aspects, including solar panels and a waste water collection system. The stand will
Guanacaste region of Costa Rica a new hotbed for luxury resort development
by Tom Anstey | 19 Mar 2014
A Costa Rican region previously known as the “forgotten province”, is quickly making its way into the 21st century tourism industry with a number of luxury hotel and wellness developments. Luxury resort developers are looking at the Guanacaste region where a number of high profile developments have already been announced, with some set to open later in the year. The region has quickly risen to offer the highest rate of
Solar-powered floating island resort coming to Maldivian and Tunisian waters
by Tom Anstey | 18 Mar 2014
Italian designer Michele Puzzolante of MPD Designs has designed a new concept resort called the Solar Floating Island (SFI) – a totally self sufficient energy generator, which will use solar energy as its sole source of power. The entire resort, constructed of floating pontoons, includes a five-star, 54-bedroom luxury hotel consisting of a 410sq m (4,413sq ft) spa and wellness centre offering a range of massages, manicures, pedicures, facials, body
Work to start on £55m University of Birmingham sports complex
by Jak Phillips | 18 Mar 2014
Construction is to start next month on the University of Birmingham’s new £55m red brick and copper-clad sports centre on its Edgbaston campus. Designed by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands, the university hopes the 13,200sq m (142,083sq ft) sports development will reaffirm its status as one of the UK’s leading institutions for sport and nurture the next generation of Olympic talent. The new sports centre, which is being built on a former
US$750m all-year destination resort coming to New York, US
by Tom Anstey | 18 Mar 2014
A new US$750m (£451m, €539.5m) 1,100-bedroom destination resort with spa facilities in Sullivan County, New York, US, has been revealed by developer EPR Properties. Located 90 miles from New York City, the four-season Adelaar resort will sit on 1,700 acres (2.6sq m, 6.8sq km) of land at the site of the former Concord Resort and golf course, which closed in 2009. Master planned by architectural firm Hart Howerton, the resort
David Stalker: Garden city must adopt physical activity strategy
by Jak Phillips | 18 Mar 2014
Following Chancellor George Osborne’s weekend announcement that the UK’s first garden city for 100 years would be built in Ebbsfleet, ukactive CEO David Stalker has called on developers to ensure spaces for physical activity are high on the planning agenda, saying a successful outcome could provide a breakthrough in reducing the UK’s inactivity crisis. The garden city concept – small, self-sufficient cities of 30,000 people that are ringed by an
Eiffel Tower first-floor redevelopment nears completion
by Tom Anstey | 17 Mar 2014
Work on the first floor of France’s iconic Eiffel Tower is almost finished, with new upgrades offering visitors a glass floor to walk over, shops, restaurants, plus an events and conference space 57m (187ft) above Paris. The first floor is the most spacious but also least visited storey of the Parisian structure, but the development by French studio Moatti-Riviére Architects – the first refurbishment on the tower in more than
Canary Wharf to get health club and spa alongside first ever residential development
by Chris Dodd | 17 Mar 2014
Canary Wharf is to become home to a health club and spa alongside the site's first residential tower since the development was originally conceived in 1990. The east London office district is the base for more than 100,000 workers a day, but the Newfoundland tower will contain the first purpose-built homes on the estate, with a gym and spa incorporated into the plans. Planning permission for the 58-storey development was
Radic named designer of 2014 Serpentine Galleries Pavilion
by Chris Dodd | 13 Mar 2014
Chilean architect Smiljan Radic has been chosen to design this year’s Serpentine Galleries Pavilion with an unusual proposal inspired by an Oscar Wilde short story. The architect’s vision stems from a structure featured in Oscar Wilde’s short story, the Castle of the Selfish Giant, which was originally published in 1888. Radic has proposed designs that will see a fibreglass pavilion, spaced over 350sq m and sculpted to look like a
Ferrari's second branded theme park coming to Spain in 2016
by Tom Anstey | 13 Mar 2014
Europe is to get its first Ferrari-branded theme park when a new location opens near Barcelona, Spain in 2016. An existing Ferrari World is located in Abu Dhabi, while the new branded site will be the sole Ferrari theme park in Europe and will cost an estimated €100m (£83m, US$139m) to build. Ferrari Land will cover 75,000sq m (807,000sq ft) and feature several rides, including the highest and fastest vertical
Hampden's athletics track for Glasgow 2014 unveiled
by Tom Walker | 13 Mar 2014
The transformation of Hampden Stadium in Scotland has reached a landmark, as the raising of the playing surface to accommodate a competition-standard running track has been completed. Scotland's National Stadium will act as the centrepiece of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games later this year, hosting 48 Athletics events over seven days. To meet IAAF standards for international competition, a revolutionary solution has raised the stadium surface by almost two metres.
£500m Oxford shopping centre plans gain approval from council
by Tom Anstey | 12 Mar 2014
Plans to redevelop Oxford’s West End into a £500m shopping centre have been approved by planners, with leisure facilities included. Various proposals for the Westgate Shopping Centre have been afoot since 1988, but certain factors delayed any potential plans. The proposals include 26,000sq m (279,000sq ft) of cafes and restaurants; more than 5,000sq m (54,000sq ft) of leisure use, including a cinema; between 27 and 122 homes; and two new
Two Bunch Palms development plans to enter second phase in US
by Tom Anstey | 10 Mar 2014
Plans to redevelop Two Bunch Palms in California, US, are soon to enter a second development phase following an investment plan designed to raise up to US$11m (£6.5m, €7.9m) as part of a US$24m (£14.3m, €17.4m) project. 22 investors are being sought to invest US$500,000 (£300,000, €363,000) into the redevelopment which will transform the property into a world-class wellness hotel, spa and tourist destination. The resort currently consists of 52
Hotelier Ian Schrager: “I’m a social scientist”
by Jak Phillips | 04 Mar 2014
Hotel developer and pioneer Ian Schrager was today awarded a lifetime achievement award at the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, and attributed his success to being a “social scientist.” Schrager, who is chair, CEO and founder of his eponymous Ian Schrager Company, started his career opening nightclubs, developing New York’s Palladium and the legendary Studio 54 before turning his unique vision to hotels. He is associated with the
Gibraltar planning new stadium to match FIFA requirements
by Tom Anstey | 04 Mar 2014
Gibraltar has unveiled plans for a new national football stadium, aiming to officially open the venue in 2016. The British territory's football team currently uses the Victoria Stadium - which does not meet FIFA’s regulations to host international football matches, although some friendlies will be played there. Gibraltar, which is also aiming for FIFA membership in time to play in the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, is looking to
9/11 memorial museum to open in May
by Tom Anstey | 03 Mar 2014
A museum dedicated to the events of 11 September 2001 will open in New York City this May. At each stage of the design process, which incorporated objects from the World Trade Center, the museum had to consider what was appropriate to display and find a balance between commemoration and education. New York-based Davis Brody Bond is the lead architectural firm on the project and worked in conjunction with Oslo-outfit
Zaha Hadid in contention to recreate London's Crystal Palace
by Jak Phillips | 03 Mar 2014
Zaha Hadid Architects are among six shortlisted candidates vying to rebuild Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace in London on a £500m (US$836m, €607m) budget. Chinese investor The ZhongRong Group plans to recreate the 19th century’s largest glass structure as a major cultural attraction. Famous for her futuristic fragmented geometry – including the Mind Zone at the Millenium Dome - Zaha Hadid is to team up with Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor in
Panama's long-awaited Biomuseo ready for opening
by Jak Phillips | 28 Feb 2014
The Frank Gehry-designed Biomuseo in Panama is set to open. The biodiversity and natural history museum has been in construction for almost ten years. The museum, which is located on the Amador Causeway at the entrance to the Panama Canal, has been designed to showcase the diverse range of species found in the region and represents Gehry's first built work in Latin America. The 43,000sq m (452,084sq ft) facility features
Three Boston museum projects for Renzo Piano
by Kath Hudson | 26 Feb 2014
Celebrated Italian architect, Renzo Piano, is changing Boston’s museum landscape with three major projects in quick succession. The first project was the launch of the extension to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in January 2012. Providing a distinctive architectural addition behind the historic palace, the extension relieves pressure on the exhibition space and also adds a shop, café, exhibition preparation space, archival storage and conservation labs. In November 2013 a
Orproject’s Bubbles provide solution for pollution
by Kath Hudson | 25 Feb 2014
High levels of air pollution in cities like Beijing has inspired London-based architects, Orproject, to come up with an innovative concept, Bubbles. These are inflatable spaces filled with fresh air, containing parks and botanical gardens. Bubbles would be made out of a material called, EFTE, a stretchy transparent plastic, which was used in China’s National Swim Center at the Beijing Olympics. Different micro climates would be created within the same
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