The Ritz-Carlton has officially opened a new luxury Middle East resort and spa - The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal - opposite the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Spanning 230,670 sq m (57 acres), the resort consists of ten buildings arranged in a crescent formation, that feature 447 guestrooms and suites, in addition to 85 private one and two-bedroom villas. The 2,000 sq m (21,500 sq ft) Abu Dhabi ESPA spa

A major partnership between East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Sussex will see around 350,000 items moved from the Royal Pavilion & Museums to new historical resource centre The Keep, beginning next month. Based in Falmer the facility will house the area's archives and historical records including: maps and plans; written records; photographs and films; prints and drawings; oral histories; digital and electronic

Construction is underway on a £7m development of a cinema and restaurant complex in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. The 32,000sq ft (2,972sq m) Rowley Arts Centre is being developed Turnstone Estates and built by Briannia construction company. Britannia has begun transforming an old recycling centre and car park into the new complex that will comprise an 18,600 sq ft (1,728sq m) six-screen Cineworld cinema (capable also of hosting theatre productions) and

Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield is to be transformed into a £40m "sports and wellbeing park". The plans, described as the most comprehensive Olympic legacy project outside of the capital, would see the demolition of the existing Don Valley stadium and a complete redevelopment of the site. At the heart of the planned development is a new stadium - providing a new home for the Sheffield Eagles (Rugby League) and

Liverpool-based architecture and design company Broadway Malyan has secured a contract to design the Everton Park Destination Hub in Liverpool. The competition, which was organised by economic development company Liverpool Vision, saw Broadway Malyan beat off stiff competition from four other Liverpool-based architects, Austin Smith Lord, Cass Associates, FVMA and Studio Three. The winning design includes an information centre, event and gallery space and café and was deemed to make

Australia's Art Gallery of New South Wales has revealed it plans to double in size and transform itself into an art museum for the "Asian century", in time for the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2021. An international architectural competition will produce a design for the new building, which will expand northwards towards the harbour. Other improvements - part of a strategic master plan for the attraction - include

Hyatt is to make its debut in the Mediterranean Island Mallorca off the east coast of Spain with its first Hyatt-branded hotel opening in 2015. The hotel will be located at the centre of a 61-acre master development, which is owned and being developed by Spanish developers Grupo Cap Vermell. Overlooking the Canyamel valley with views of the sea and the ancient town of Artá, the resort will feature 142

New sport-inspired mixed-use development The:Square3, which will consist of three towers of gold, silver and bronze, is expected to open in Berlin in 2017. Located near the Olympic sports centre and Europe's largest urban nature reserve, The:Square3 urban quarter will offer hotels, 1,000 apartments, educational facilities and sport-themed retail experiences all in one place. Conceived by Berlin-based developer Moritz Gruppg and designed by architects, LAVA, the 146,000sq m (1.5m sq

London mayor Boris Johnson has signed off £1.5bn plans for the regeneration of Elephant & Castle in the city's southeast, providing new leisure and community facilities, thousands of new homes, and shops and offices. The plans, submitted by Southwark Council's development partner Lend Lease, will see 23 acres of Heygate Estate demolished and redeveloped, creating 5,000 construction jobs and a further 1,255 permanent jobs once the transformation is complete. The

Alton Towers Resort has worked with researchers at New Scientist to ensure its news £18m roller coaster The Smiler delivers park visitors maximum thrills. The ride, which will reach speeds of 85km/hr along 1,170m of track, will feature "twisted psychological effects to mess with riders' minds" including blinding lights and optical illusions to maximise the fear factor. Alton Towers aims to make visitors to feel "spaced out, or mashed up"

Financing to fund the first phase of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, US, has been secured, with construction to start this month. The US$125m (96m euro, £84m) project, which will detail the African-American civil rights movement and ongoing human rights issues, had been slow to secure funds due to the economic downturn. However, on 7 March PNC Bank and Invest Atlanta announced US$24m (18m

Disney has unveiled the first image of Shanghai Disneyland Resort, at its annual meeting of shareholders this month. Set to open in 2015, the resort will include 225-acre theme park Shanghai Disneyland, two themed hotels and 16,000sq m (495,000sq ft) of retail, dining and entertainment, recreational facilities and a lake. The Enchanted Storybook Castle will be the centrepiece of the theme park and will be surrounded by themed lands. Walt

Filmmaker George Lucas has revealed his vision for a populist art museum to be built in San Francisco overlooking the Bay Area, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. His proposal is one of 16 received by the Presidio Trust, which is overseeing the rejuvenation of the former commissary site at Crissy Field, with others proposals including an observatory, an environmental museum and a museum dedicated to the US response to

A new multi-million euro sports, music and culture indoor arena, designed by C3XN, is set to launch in Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed to hold between 12,500 and 15,000 spectators, the arena will be situated in the Ørestad-area of Denmark's capital, and is scheduled to be completed by Q3 2015. The development team includes sports and venue specialists from AECOM, HKS Architects, Arup, ME Engineers and Planit. Realdania and the City of

Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed plans to transform a former textile factory in Belgrade, Serbia into a 94,000sq m (1m sq ft) mixed use leisure development. Greek company Lamda Development, which bought the Beko factory in 2007, appointed EPR Architects as hotel consultants. Located near Kalemegdan Castle, overlooking the junction of Sava and Danube Rivers, the Beko site will house a luxury boutique hotel, a congress centre along with residential,

Australia’s Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens are to get a new “Biome” structure to showcase plants and insects from the Australasian and Indomalaya regions. According to the Sydney Morning Herald work on the AU$20m (US$21m, 16m euro, £14m) structure, designed by architectural firm Hassell, will begin this year and will be completed in 2015. It is expected to attract 70,000 visitors to the park annually. New South Wales environment minister Robyn

Australia’s Queensland state government has approved an AU$600m (US$617m, 472m euro, £408m) resort for Great Keppel Island, which will be one of the biggest tourism developments in the country – pending approval from the federal government. The proposed first stage of development would include: a 250-room hotel at Fisherman’s Beach with restaurant and conference facilities; a 250-berth marina and yacht club at Putney Beach; 150 precinct apartments and staff accommodation;

A restructure at the National Media Museum (NMeM) has contributed to the delay in the planned June opening of a new £4m Media Space at the Science Museum in London, which will now open on 21 September. The two museums – both part of the Science Museum Group – have collaborated on the new project, which will provide a gallery to showcase the National Photography Collection. According to the Museums

Three zip lines are among the new features at Kawarau Bungy Centre in Queenstown, New Zealand, which officially reopened 1 March. The attraction, which first opened 24 years ago and was the first commercial bungy site, also includes a new café, bar, photo and video system in its redesign. The centre will also be able to transform into an event space for up to 800 guests in the evenings. The

The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will include the 13th US presidential library, will host an official dedication ceremony on 25 April before opening to the public on 1 May. The 226,565sq ft (21,565sq m) building, located at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, has been under construction for two years and will include a library, museum and policy institute. Set on 23 acres, including replanted trees from Bush’s

The world's tallest hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai in the UAE, has been officially opened to guests. Soaring at 335m (1,099ft), the hotel is spread across two towers, which feature 1,608 guestrooms. The 72-story property houses a 4,000sq m (43,056sq ft) Saray Spa and Health Club featuring 16 treatment rooms. The spa draws inspiration from the caravanserai silk route across Arabia focussing on places of rest and recovery along

Planning permission for a luxury golf and spa resort development for Northern Ireland’s North Antrim coast has been upheld by the High Court, following a challenge by the National Trust. Northern Ireland environment minister Alex Attwood has welcomed the decision on the Bushmills Dunes Golf Resort and Spa, which he granted approval for in February 2012. The £100m development will include a 120-room hotel with spa and conference facilities and

England’s first national stadium for beach sports will be constructed at Skegness Beach, Lincolnshire, pending planning permission. The 2,040-seat facility would be home to the National England Beach Soccer Team and also host sports such as beach volleyball, rugby, cricket, handball and Futsal It will also host events such as fun days for kids, sand sculpture events, movies on the beach, and Red Bull events. It is expected to attract

A legal challenge to prevent Oxford City Council closing a public swimming pool so a £9.2m replacement can be built has been dropped, following the High Court’s rejection of the claim the community had not been properly consulted. Councillor Van Coulter, member for the council’s leisure board, said he was glad the “costly and time consuming” case – launched in October 2011 – was over. The council plans to operate

Virginia's planned presidential library for George Washington has achieved its US$100m (76.9m euro, £66.5m) capital campaign goal ahead of schedule with a gift from one of the United States' foremost philanthropists. The Mount Vernon Ladies' Assocation revealed on what would have been Washington's 281st birthday that David M. Rubenstein had donated US$10m (7.7m euro, £6.7m) to the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. The association

Belfast communities are being consulted this week regarding opportunities to improve local sport and leisure facilities in tandem with the development of Windsor Park and Casement Park. Northern Ireland sports minister Caral Ni Chuilin has pledged £130m to sport developments in the city, including the two stadia. Belfast City Council is consulting residents on opportunities to provide public leisure facilities in both stadia, a welcoming boulevard style entrance to Windsor

Nikki Beach has chosen Bodrum as the location of its first Turkish resort and spa – set to open in 2014 – due to the region’s popularity with Turkish holidaymakers and international jetsetters. The Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Bodrum will feature 57 suites and villas across 40,000sq m (430,556sq ft) of peninsula overlooking Torga Bay, the Mediterranean and nearby islands. The Nikki Spa – a feature of all the