The Los Angeles Dodgers have this month announced plans to upgrade their 51-year-old stadium in time for the 2013 season. Improvements will include high definition video boards, Wi-Fi, increased disability access, new food service facilities, a new home clubhouse, new batting cages, and a new sound system that will minimise echoes and sound migration outside the stadium. Dodger president and chief executive Stan Kansten said the stadium would retain its

A new luxury hotel - The Richmond - is set to open in Liverpool in March, combining serviced apartments and hotel services. Located at Liverpool Convention Bureau, the new property features 51 apartments, suites, executive and classic rooms. Set within a Grade II-listed building, guests will have free access to the recently opened Olympus Leisure Spa, which houses saunas, steamrooms, sunken baths, bucket showers and a relaxation zone. The spa

Lancashire private fitness and leisure facility Crow Wood, Burnley, has opened its doors to around 1,200 people keen to get a preview of their new £4m spa development. The Woodland Spa is expected to open in the next couple of weeks but tours have been held to showcase the development. Treatments on offer include a hydrotherapy pool, serenity pool, sauna, hot tubs, Roman foot baths, ice fountain, experience showers, Rasul

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, has launched the next phase of its US$300m (225m euro, £187m) expansion. The US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Centre, which cost US$35m (26m euro, £22m), tells the story of America's industrial capability during the war years and explores what it was like to participate in World War II on land, at sea or in the air. It showcases the macro artifacts

Work is now well underway on a luxury spa at Salcombe Harbour Hotel in Devon, set to open in summer this year, which will include a two-level spa excavated into the cliff. The multi-million pound refurbishment of the 50-bedroom property is being undertaken by Bristol-based construction group Galliford Try with interiors by DO Design. The first spa level will include the reception, five treatment rooms and a fitness suite, and

The capital city of Arizona, US will be receiving a new addition to its skyline in the form of a 430ft (131m) high Phoenix Tower. Developer Novawest LLC and Danish architecture firm Bjark Ingels Group (BIG) unveiled plans for the observation tower, which will be located in downtown Phoenix on the Science and Technology campus. The principle feature of the tower - which will have a total floor space of

A new cricket stadium in Rajkot, India is making its international debut today when it hosts a one-day match between India and England. Spread over 29.48 acres, the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, which opened earlier this week, has a total seating capacity of 28,000. The stadium houses three stands, South Pavilion, West Stand and East Stand featuring a health club, media box and president box. A sports complex for other

Ahead of its opening on 1 February, details of The View from the Shard visitor experience at London's tallest skyscraper have been revealed. The attraction's viewing platforms sit on levels 69 and 72 of the 1,016ft (310m) landmark building - developed by Sellar Property in association with LBQ Ltd as part of a £2bn regeneration project for the London Bridge area. Starting at the ground floor galleries, visitors to The

Pritzker Prize-winner architect Frank Gehry will make his Latin American debut in August with the opening of a new museum in Panama City. Located in the birth country of Canadian born Gehry's wife, Bertha, the new BioMuseo aims to educate about biodiversity and the raise awareness of the significance of the creation of the Isthmus of Panama. The museum is funded by the Amador foundation with scientific support by the

Vienna International is set to unveil a luxury hotel and wellness area in Shchyolkovo near Moscow, Russia at the end of 2013. Astrum Hotel Shelkovo is owned by Shelkowskij Holding and will be under the management of Vienna International Hotel Management (VIHM). Spanning 27-floors, a main feature of the hotel is the 3,6597sq ft (3,400sq m) Wellness and Medical Spa, which will be run as a conference and relaxation area.

Dubai-based construction firm Arabtec Holdings has been awarded a US$653m contract to build the Abu Dhabi branch of France's Louvre museum, according to Reuters. Awarded by Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company, the contract will see construction begin immediately with the museum expected to open in 2015. Abu Dhabi Louvre was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and will be located on the Saadiyat Island's Cultural District complex. The

Planning permission has been granted for Lightwater Valley to build 106 holiday units at its theme park in Ripon, North Yorkshire, UK. The £5m resort development will be set on Lightwater Valley's existing grounds, which cover 175 acres and feature Europe's longest rollercoaster, The Ultimate, among its 33 rides. The park was denied planning permission for 204 caravans and 136 lodges in 2007 as it was deemed the development would

An eco-friendly visitors’ centre in Bournemouth, UK, will showcase the history of the region – from the Stone Age to the present day – when it opens in time for summer. Construction is currently underway on the £1m Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre, which will house an exhibition space, a retail outlet and workspace for staff, volunteers and community groups. Green energy features will include a green roof, 16 photo-voltaic solar

An £20m eco-friendly hotel has opened at the University of Nottingham, adjacent to the campus’s conference centre and landscaped gardens. The Orchard, funded entirely by the university, includes 220 bedrooms, meeting rooms, bar and gym, with eco-friendly features including a green roof, photovoltaic panels, ground source heat pumps and energy efficient lighting, heating and ventilation systems. Nottingham’s pro-vice chancellor for environment and infrastructure Professor Karen Cox said the hotel is

A new luxury hotel – The Thief – has opened on Oslo’s famous ‘Thief Island’ (Tjuvholmen) where 18th century criminals were once brought to face justice. Leaving the past behind Tjuvholmen island today is home to a thriving urban centre for business, art and nightlife, which the hotel aims to capture. Designed by Norway-based Mellbye Architects,"The Thief" features 119 guestrooms and suites all with French balconies. Art is central to

Regeneration organisation Groundwork has been appointed to manage the development of the Hafod Copperworks in Swansea, Wales, due to start early this year. The long-term vision is for the site – which dates back to 1810 and includes 14 buildings and structures of historical significance – to become a hub for work, education, tourism and leisure. Led by Swansea Council and Swansea University the development will see listed buildings protected,

Essex construction firm Mulalley has been confirmed as the preferred contractor for the new Atherton Leisure Centre, Stratford, UK. Newham Council is investing £14.7m in the centre, which will include swimming pools, a gym, crèche facilities, disabled facilities, and possibly some housing. It will replace the existing leisure centre, which was found to contain significant amounts of asbestos and closed its doors for the last time on 31 December. Construction

A company has been selected to build and operate an interim events facility in Sydney while the Australian city’s permanent international convention precinct is under construction. Sydney Harbour Expo, a company founded by event and equipment hire company Pages, will create a fully enclosed, fully serviced, marquee-style structure of 25,000 sq m for the Glebe Island attraction. It will attract more than 500,000 visitors a year and generate more than

The University of Houston (UH) Athletics Department has unveiled plans for its new on-campus stadium, to open for its inaugural game 30 August 2014. The 40,000-seat synthetic turf stadium, with future capacity for 60,000, is set to cost US$105m (79.12m euro, £64.49m) and host events including football games as well as other university events. The plans were unveiled on 19 December by representatives from Manhattan Construction and DLR Group who

Queensland's largest tourist development - an AUS$1.4bn (US$1.47bn, 1.1bn euro, £903m) integrated tourism and residential community at Ella Bay - has been given the green light after seven years. Federal Minister for Environment Tony Burke approved the proposal, which received State Government approval last month. Ella Bay Developments and Satori Resorts are behind the 161-acre Ella Bay resort which will be built in phases over a 15-year period. Located near

US-based Hyatt Hotels is set to launch an Andaz-branded hotel in Tokyo, Japan in 2014. Andaz Tokyo is a joint partnership between Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Japanese property management firm Mori Building Company. Located in Toranomon, the hotel will occupy eight floors of a 52-story tower in a multi-use complex and feature 164 guestrooms including 64 suites Andaz Tokyo will also house a spa with a 65 sq ft indoor

Plans have been revealed for a AUS$592m (US$623.6m, £385m, 474m euro) eco tourism resort on Great Keppel Island, Queensland, Australia. Australian-based Tower Holdings is behind the resort that would comprise a 250-room hotel, 750 eco-tourism villas and 300 eco-tourism apartments as well as a day spa. Designed by London-based architects WATG, the project is divided into four sections; Fisherman's Beach Resort, Clam Bay Resort, marine services and environmental protection. Fisherman's

Switzerland-based art gallery Hauser & Wirth has announced it will expand operations to derelict Durslade Farm in Somerset, UK come 2014. The gallery, which was founded in Zurich in 1992 by Iwan and Manuela Wirth and Ursula Hauser, represents emerging and established contemporary artists including Paul McCarthy, Roni Horn and Mary Heilmann. The Hauser & Wirth Somerset website states the gallery, which is expected to attract 40,000 visitors a year,

Systems engineering company Hightex Group has been selected to work on the Arena des Dunas in Natal, Brazil - one of the venues for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This is the third contract won by Hightex in partnership with Brazilian infrastructure company SEPA for a stadium for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Hightex and SEPA have won contracts for the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and for the

The Visions of China theme park, planned for a former opencast coal mine in the Rother Valley Country Park, is one step closer to development with a lease agreement signed between the local council and developers. The proposed 120-acre attraction is projected to cost more than £100m and would showcase Chinese architecture, garden design and culture and customs. A Rotherham Borough Council spokesperson confirmed the authority has entered agreements for

A Zaha Hadid-designed art gallery at Michigan State University opened its doors last month. The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum will be an educational resource, as well as a community and cultural hub, and features work from Salvador Dali, Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol. “Great art deserves great architecture, and so does a great university," says MSU president, Lou Anna Simon. "The Broad Museum's bold concept and design reflect

An interactive theatre show, which includes an animated whale, is the latest attraction at Korean theme park Lotte World. The Seoul-based theme park collaborated with Hollywood design firm the Goddard Group to develop the animated underwater experience, which will open in the Aqua Plaza section of the park in January 2013. Korea's Rayglyph is providing technology and content for the show and producer W.G. Choi said the attraction, which allows