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

Plans to build an innovative cultural museum designed by Foster + Partners in Abu Dhabi have moved a step closer following the proposal of 10 pre-qualified bids for the site's development. The Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) plans to build the Sheikh Zayed National Museum in the Cultural District area of Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. The final deadline for submissions passed on 26 November, though it is not

The organising committee for next year's football world cup in Brazil is coming under increased pressure to come up with a 'plan B' for some of the intended tournament venues. A number of stadium construction projects are badly behind schedule and the flagship project - Arena Corinthians in Sao Paolo, due to host the first game of the World Cup - suffered a tragic blow on Wednesday (27 November) when

Ritz-Carlton is set to continue its expansion into china and throughout the Asia Pacific region with the opening of a new hotel in the former Chinese capital of Nanjing in 2015. Featuring 297 bedrooms and 32 suites, the agreement with Nanjing New Universe Real Estate Development will see the Ritz-Carlton, Nanjing open in the central business district of Xiejiekou. Included in the hotel development will be a luxury spa by

Golden Globe award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio has purchased a multi-million dollar unit in Greenwich Village, New York, US, boasting more than 50 wellness and health features. The property, designed wellness property developers Delos Living, is housed inside a converted factory originally built in 1987 and is described as ‘the world’s first WELL-Certified residences.” While hotels and spas have increasingly marketed wellness environments to guests, Delos is pushing the idea into

Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid has released details of her firm’s latest innovative design project, the Al Wakrah Stadium to be created for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The designs are the first set to be released of a number of stadiums being prepared for the tournament, with Zaha Hadid Architects' designs for the 40,000-seater venue taking inspiration from dhow pearl fishing boats associated with Arabian maritime history. The site

Following the launch in September of a competition to redesign the grounds of London's Natural History Museum, five teams have been chosen from the entrants and invited to submit their proposals. Amongst them are Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), with Martha Schwartz Partners (landscape); Grant Associates, with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (architect); and Niall McLaughlin Architects, with Kim Wilkie (landscape). Also included are Land Use Consultants (LUC), with Design Engine (architect)

Leisure, property and care company The Malhotra Group is investing £43m in a revamp of its Newcastle leisure venues. Two restaurants in the group’s portfolio will first undergo a £500,000 refurbishment, with the interior refurbishment designed by brand specialists Dakota International. Malhotra’s plans for full renovations of its leisure arm will then continue with Newcastle’s Grey Street Hotel in 2014. The developments come after the group secured a £25m deal

The William Heath Robinson Trust has turned to crowdfunders, Kickstarter, in its efforts to raise money to open a museum commemorating the artist, illustrator and humorist. The Trust has an extensive collection of artwork, letters and books, but no permanent home. The proposed museum, at West House in Pinner Memorial Park in North East London, UK would display these artefacts in the permanent exhibition space, telling the story of his

Burnley’s town centre could be about to gain a cinema, shops and a selection of restaurants following a private local authority meeting to discuss the matter. In March 2012 Burnley Council announced that plans for a £40m shopping centre had been scrapped by developers Henry Boot, but now the council is again in talks to transform the area. The private meeting, which was held 4 November, was arranged on short

Plans to bring a massive entertainment complex and theme park in Houston, Texas, US have taken a step forward after an opening date of Q1 2015 was set. The new complex will consist of Grand Texas Theme Park, Big Rivers Waterpark, Downtown Texas, Wakeboard Lake, Baseball Stadium, hotels and a concert and event center. The US$118m (£76m, €88.8m) Grand Texas Theme Park will include not only a theme park, but

The founder of Ace Hotels, Alex Calderwood, died suddenly and unexpectedly on 14 November at the company’s Shoreditch hotel, in London. A day after his body was discovered, Ace Hotels posted a short message on its website, stating: “Yesterday Alex Calderwood passed away. Alex was our teacher, mentor, guru and most importantly our dear friend. We will miss him.” The cause of his death has not been specified. Ace Hotel’s

The man associated with the formation of the boutique hotel concept, cheap chic and lobby socialising, Ian Schrager, is being honoured with a lifetime achievement award at The International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin. Schrager’s initial ventures were in nightclubs: he created the hip New York nightclubs, Studio 54 and Palladium, before turning his unique vision to hotels. He opened Morgans Hotel in 1984, before creating the Ian Schrager

The Queens Museum, New York, has officially reopened following US$69m (£43m, €51m) worth of renovations, which have seen the doubling of museum space, the addition of new gallery and exhibition areas, as well a new artistic facade and an additional educational component being installed. Grimshaw Architects – with Ammann and Whitney – renovated the 105,000 sq ft (9,754sq m) museum in order to integrate the attraction with its location in

Plans are in progress to transform the historic Melville building in Plymouth’s Royal William Yard into a destination boutique hotel, aimed at both leisure and business travellers. This will be the second site for hoteliers, the Ashworth family, who own the Watergate Bay Hotel in north Cornwall, which aims to offer a ski resort by the sea feel, with its own beach, ‘active relaxation’ spa and varied food offering, including

The Royal Academy of Arts has moved a step closer to beginning its £36m (US$57.5m, €42.9m) Burlington Gardens redevelopment project, with designs created by David Chipperfield Architects, having been granted £12.7m (US$20.3m, €15.1m) by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The development will see the linking of 6 Burlington Gardens and the nearby Burlington House, to create a centre capable of housing contemporary art shows, a debating chamber and space to display

Ritz-Carlton has opened it first hotel in Bangalore, India complete with a fitness club and an ESPA spa. The property, located on Residency Road in the heart of Bangalore, has 277-bedrooms and combines intricate Jaali design native to the land with natural foliage, fresh water and the elemental characteristics of fire and stone to evoke India’s vibrant landscape. 26 global design firms worked on the property, with the principal architects

A two million sq ft (185,806sq m) museum complex is to be built in the Chinese port city of Qingdao, with the cultural centre featuring museums, galleries, art islands and public spaces. The Qingdao Culture and Art Centre, designed by Steven Holl Architects, will house four museums connected by a specially designed light loop that mimics the characteristics of China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge - the world’s largest bridge over water.

Plans to regenerate Preston city centre have been unveiled, with the aim of breathing new life into the faltering city centre. Preston council’s major plans include creating an office quarter, building a new cinema, increasing the number of homes in the city centre and revitalising the city’s leisure and culture offering. Plans are already afoot to make major improvements to the city’s transport system as part of the City Deal,

Chicago architects Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture have won the International Design Competition for Expo 2017 in Kazakhstan’s capital. AS+GG beat off competition from more than 100 companies around the world, including Zaha Hadid Architets and GMP International. The theme of the Expo in Astana is Future Energy: finding ways to achieve qualitative changes in the energy sector, primarily for the development of alternative sources of energy and new

The world-famous Bauhaus museum, based at the design school’s former campus in Dessau, Germany is offering people the chance to stay in the dormitories once used by the innovational institute. Guests can stay in the school’s Studio Building, which was once occupied by promising architecture and design students in the 1930s. One of the rooms on the site has been reconstructed to resemble its original state, while the other dorms

Councillors in Scarborough have approved proposals for a multi-million pound leisure village, which will include a new 2,000-seater football ground, leisure facilities and an eight lane swimming pool. The plans have been hailed by Scarborough Council as a ‘fantastic opportunity’ for the area to build on the success for the London 2012 Olympic Games and encourage people to take up more active and healthier lifestyles. Cambridge-based Wrenbridge Land will continue

The Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing, China, designed by innovative firm Steven Holl Architects, has opened its doors to the public, with the centre exploring the viewpoints, structures and materials that influence Chinese painting. The museum is based at the opening of an architectural site in the Laoshan National Forest Park, which houses projects from the Chinese International Practical Exhibition of Architecture (CIPEA) programme. Alongside the museum, the park will feature

Newmilns Snow and Sport Complex in Ayrshire has reopened it’s dry skiing facilities following a £1m redevelopment. The complex, which originally opened in 1975 has undergone a seven-month transformation which has seen two new slopes built for both amateur and advanced skiers, replacing the original single beginner slope that had been there previously. The two new dry ski slopes, built by Barr Construction, measure at 32m (104ft) and (328ft) long

Pittsburgh’s iconic Andy Warhol Museum has a new progressive lounge area, innovative multimedia experiences and more retail space at the Andy Warhol Store following a first floor renovation and redesign. Designed by Desmone & Associates Architects and built by F.J Busse Company, the renovations were funded by the Eden Hall Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, Anonymous and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. The work sees the installation of leading audio visual