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

Harvard Art Museums, comprising the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, is currently undergoing a renovation and expansion project and will reopen in Q3 2014. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, the project will bring the three museums under one roof for the first time. The new facility will feature expanded permanent collection galleries along with galleries programmed in consultation with students and faculty and flexible

Dudley Council has shared its plans for the three attractions at Castle Hill with the public, following its submission of planning permission in January for the major redevelopment. The £10.1m proposal for the Dudley Zoological Gardens, the Black Country Living Museum and the Dudley Canal Trust include a shared arrival point for visitors, a new entrance for each attraction and 600 new parking spaces and an upgraded car park. During

Tonbridge is one step closer to getting a new leisure and community centre, shops and a cinema for its town centre, with the council signing a legal agreement with Sainsbury's for the redevelopment. The purpose of the regeneration is to stimulate the town's economic vitality, attracting new retailers to the area and shoppers back to the city centre, creating new jobs in the process. Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council and

Plans for a new £50m leisure and retail development - designed by architects Marchini Curran Associates (MCA) - are to be considered by Daventry District Council (DDC). Developer Henry Boot said the Mulberry Place development in Daventry town centre would include 100,000 sq ft of town centre retail and leisure space, a six-screen cinema, together with an 80,000 sq ft food store and 40,000 sq ft of bulky goods on

Construction work on the £22m Aquatics Centre at the Aberdeen Sports Village has reached another landmark and the facility is on track to open in early 2014 - in time for the Commonwealth Games. Graham Construction, which is building the facility, has taken delivery of the centre's Olympic standard diving boards. The installation of the three, five, 7.5 and 10-metre boards is the last major structure to go in before

A Brazilian spa backed by The Body Shop co-founder, AOL's former president and two local entrepreneurs has officially opened in the heart of the country's Atlantic Rainforest. The Botanique Hotel & Spa, said to be the first 100 per cent Brazilian spa, features indigenous treatments, essential oils, therapies and rituals and an all Brazilian staff. Designed by Sao Paulo architects Colletivo de Arquitetos the spa covers 10,000sq ft (929sq m)

A government grant for rural development has partially funded the conversion of a former Durham garage into a quintessentially English spa. The Garage, at Greta Bridge in rural Teesdale, draws on its heritage as a refuelling and repairing point for some of the country’s first motorcars with guests offered “Tune Up Treatments” at the Body Shop and manicure or pedicure treatments at the Paint Shop. An exclusive product line made