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

The Danish Maritime Museum in Helsingor, Denmark has opened its doors to the public following innovative design work from Danish architecture firm BIG, which created the underground museum by incorporating an old dry dock into its structure. BIG originally won the design competition in 2007 and has since set about transforming the area located within the grounds of Denmark’s famous 15th century Kronborg Castle, as part of a project to

A new indoor swimming pool, spa and sports centre will open on 5 July 2014 after 26 months of construction work in the resort town of St Moritz, Switzerland. The Ovaverva is themed around the three states of water - gas, solid and liquid – with amenities including a wellness area, pools, a fitness centre, a cross country ski and outdoor sport centre and a restaurant. The 1,620sq m (17,437sq

The Museum of African Design (MOAD), Johannesburg, South Africa has opened its doors to the public, with the museum looking to create a pan-African cultural hub and connect the city’s existing art and design archives. The museum was created with the aim of challenging some of the problems facing African design and society at large and exhibit design pieces from across the continent. Located in the country’s innovative Maboneng Precinct

The Bass Museum of Art, US is to undergo an expansion with the addition of a new wing dedicated to educational facilities and exhibition space, following a $7.5m (£4.6m, €5.4m) grant from the City of Miami Beach. The expansion is to coincide with the museum’s 50th anniversary next year, with the City providing funding as recognition of the centre’s contribution to the area’s cultural output. The expansion would see the

A new £16m swimming pool and leisure complex has opened in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, six months later than originally scheduled. The Pier Parade project is part of South Tyneside Council’s regeneration plans. It was designed by LA architects and is being built by Graham construction. The new centre feature’s a 25m, eight-lane competition pool; an 18m teaching pool and leisure waters with flumes; sprays; bubble pools and water

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has launched a new luxury hotel and spa in Holborn, London – marking the groups’ entry into Europe. Following an extensive renovation to transform the 1914 Edwardian Belle Epoque building, the original architectural features have been restored including the Grade II-listed street frontage and dome, and the grand Pavonazzo marble staircase. Rosewood London features 262 guestrooms and 44 suites, public areas are filled with artwork and

Frank Gehry – regarded as one of the world’s most innovative architects – will co-design part of the £8bn project to redevelop Battersea Power Station as a mixed-use leisure project. The Canadian American will jointly create a new shopping street and surrounding homes at the iconic site on the bank of the River Thames with architect Lord Foster. The project in Nine Elms in London was granted outline planning consent

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) have announced the winners of this year's international architectural awards for sports and leisure facilities. The prize-giving ceremony took place during the 23rd IAKS Congress in conjunction with the FSB event (International Trade Fair for Amenity Areas, Sports and Pool Facilities) in Cologne, Germany earlier this week. In total, three

Sayyid Fatik bin Fahr al Said companies (FBF) and the Arab Malaysia Development Company (AMDC) have signed an agreement to develop Oman’s largest ever indoor theme park at a cost of OMR40m (£64.2m, US$104m, €76m). The 25,000sq ft (2,322sq m) Majarat Oman is expected to be completed by Q1 of 2016 and will feature, a waterpark, entertainment facilities, retail facilities, restaurants, a cinema, conference facilities and a selection of rides.

Work on the Czech Republic’s first 3D planetarium has been completed at the Techmania Science Centre in Plzen, with an opening date of 4 November. The planetarium, which cost CZK150m (£4.95m, US$7.98m, €5.8m) to build will include two large domes for education, a laboratory, workshops and clubs, and is housed inside the heritage listed ASAP Skoda cafeteria, built in 1917. “We have rebuilt a dilapidated building into an ultramodern planetarium

After a soft opening earlier this Summer, the Hotel Ambassador in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, will be welcoming guests to its newly renovated rooms and spa. Constructed in 1969, the new Crans Ambassador has re-opened after a renovation which was started at the end of 2009 by architect Pierre Gervais, who supervised the building’ entire renovation process and architectural design of the spa’s interior. The SPA 360? covers an area of 1,300

Northampton Town FC chair David Cardoza has said plans to redevelop the club’s Sixfields Stadium are “the biggest thing which has ever happened to the club.” A planning application was submitted on 10 October, with the plans including an expanded west stand and a complete redevelopment of the east stand, with new corporate boxes and a conference centre. If planning permission is granted, work could begin as early as February

Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva in Switzerland has launched the inaugural Spa Mont Blanc, which opened today (15 Oct) following a three-year renovation. The 1,200sq m (12,916sq ft) spa, designed by Turkey-based architectural firm Metex Design Group, features seven treatment rooms, including a double suite with private hammam. Also included is a fitness centre, rooftop terrace, Japanese-fusion restaurant, infinity pool, male and female-only hammams, a hairdresser, silent vitality pool

Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva in Switzerland has launched the inaugural Spa Mont Blanc, which opened today (15 Oct) following a three-year renovation. The 1,200sq m (12,916sq ft) spa, designed by Turkey-based architectural firm Metex Design Group, features seven treatment rooms, including a double suite with private hammam. Also included is a fitness centre, rooftop terrace, Japanese-fusion restaurant, infinity pool, male and female-only hammams, a hairdresser, silent vitality pool

Mirbeau will be adding its second location with the opening of its new Inn & Spa at Pinehills, New England, US in 2014. The Mirbeau Inn & Spa will feature a distinctive design and décor, recreating the look of a French country estate. The 50-bedroom destination retreat has been designed by Boston-based firm Arrowstreet, with interior designs by Mirbeau Companies co-owner Linda Dower and Desson Design’s Westley Spruill. The hotel’s

Interior designers, design worldwide partnership (dwp) has had its skills endorsed for designing hotel restaurants by scooping two awards at the 2013 Design & Architecture Awards in London. Both awards were for Restaurants with a Hotel. The Horizon Restaurant & Skybar at the Hilton Pattaya, Thailand designed by the Thailand office, won the International Hotel & Property Award. The Belon Oyster Bar & Grill at the Banyan Tree, Macau, designed

Developers of a new district in Chengdu, China - designed to house two million people - have turned to Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire, UK for inspiration. Letchworth was designed as a self-contained, sustainable community with proportionate areas for homes and recreation, and Chinese developers believe the plan can be adapted for cities of up to 14 million people. Industrial areas in Letchworth were set aside and all parts of

Construction work has begun on the £30m Islands project at Chester Zoo in Cheshire following a groundbreaking ceremony. Set to open in 2015, Islands will fill a previously unoccupied area of the zoo and will feature flora and fauna from the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Sumatra, Sumba and Sulawesi. There will also be an Indonesian jungle house, one of the largest indoor zoo exhibits in the UK, which will

The Storytelling Architecture Technology Experience (SATE) Conference 2013 kicks off today (3 October) at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) with Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Centre (ETC) founder, Don Marinelli making the keynote speech, entitled SATE: the reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic of the 21st Century. Organised by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), the conference is an annual, international gathering of themed entertainment and experience design creators, producers, owners

The Serpentine Sackler Gallery, a £14.5m arts and gallery space designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, has opened in London. The Sackler is Hadid’s first permanent structure to be created in central London and features 900 metres of exhibition space, a restaurant and room for socialising. The building is seven minutes’ walk from the main Serpentine Gallery. Located in Kensington Gardens – in an 1805 gunpowder store formerly known as The

A luxury holiday home built within the walls of a derelict castle in Warwickshire has won this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture. Astley Castle, near Nuneaton, was chosen from six shortlisted buildings – including the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre in Northern Ireland – to win the award, which is the highest accolade of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The building dates back 1,000 years, has links to

The world’s first ever Compact Athletics Facility (CAF), designed to allow track and field facilities to be built in places where there is limited space, has opened in Hackney, north east London. A joint initiative by England Athletics and Sport England, the £370,000 facility at Stoke Newington School includes a sprint straight, a long jump straight and pit, a high jump area, a throws area and a running trail around

Described as a cross between the Royal Albert Hall and the Coliseum, Scotland’s latest entertainment venue opened its doors, in Glasgow, on 23rd September. Rod Stewart was the opening act for The Hydro, the 12,000-seater music, sport and entertainment arena which is expected to be the fifth busiest entertainment arena in the world, alongside venues such as London’s O2 Arena. Situated next to the Clyde Auditorium and SECC, the £125m

Sweden is putting its tradition and knowledge of building sustainable cities to the test with an urban development project on a brownfield site next to the harbour and Ekoparken national park. Plans are afoot to transform 236 hectares into a mix of homes, offices and green areas, by 2030. Within easy cycling distance of the city, the site is set to have 12,000 apartments and 135,000sq m of commercial space,

Two new luxury hotels by Four Seasons are set to open next year in Dubai and Bahrain. The Bahrain hotel will be Four Seasons' first venture in the kingdom and will be part of the $2.5bn (£1.56bn, €1.87bn) Bahrain Bay waterfront community - a rapidly developing area on the north coast of Manama. Included will be 263 bedrooms, a spa, conference centre and ballroom, business centre and restaurants. The spa

A planning application for an £11m leisure centre in Washington has been unveiled by Sunderland City Council. The centre will include a six lane, 25m pool, a four court sports hall, a multi-purpose sports hall, two squash courts, sauna, steamrooms and relaxation area, a soft play centre and football pitches. A wellness centre will comprise a 100-station gym, spinning studio, exercise studio and two consultation rooms. Pellikaan Construction has already