The St Louis Art Museum, in the US State of Missouri, has closed its doors until 29 June when it will reopen with a new East Building extension. The building, designed by David Chipperfield Architects with technical assistance from St Louis-based HOK, will increase the museum's gallery and public space by 30 per cent and will house 21 new galleries. The inaugural exhibitions in the East Building will feature 230

A massive mixed-use development is taking shape off Victoria Island in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, which will become a new financial hub for West Africa. The multi-billion pound development, called Eko Atlantic, is a joint venture between the Lagos State government and developers, South Energyx Nigeria, and is being fully funded by private investors, most notably large private banks. The project was designed by MZ Architects and ar+h Architects. Conceived

Two separate construction projects, one in Australia and another in South Africa, have made claims to become the tallest building in the southern hemisphere. The projects, which are proposals at present, have received provisional backing from their respective government authorities. The city of Melbourne in the State of Victoria, Australia hopes to build a 388m (1,272 ft) tower rising 108 stories, while the South African project - to be constructed

Design plans for the new multi-million pound King Richard III visitor centre in the heart of Leicester's Old Town has been revealed. The former Leicester Grammar School building at St Martin's Place will be transformed to house a new exhibition, entitled 'Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery' which will guide visitors through the story of the king's life, brutal death at Bosworth Field in 1485, and the story of his

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) have revealed the winners of their respective 2013 awards in recognition of architectural achievement. RIBA announced 52 winners in all, 43 from the UK and nine From the EU. These winners will make the shortlist for the prestigious Stirling Prize for best building of the year. The prize will be presented on 26 September

Hobart's major cricket venue, the Bellerive Oval - also known as the Blundstone Arena - is being upgraded to the tune of A$30m (£18,2m, €21,4m, US$28,5m). The project, which is being financed by the Tasmanian State Government and the Australian Federal Government, will see the oval's capacity increase to almost 20,000 seats from its current 16,000. The redevelopment will include the construction of a new western stand, a new concourse

Centre Parcs has revealed designs for the new Subtropical Swimming Paradise, which will be part of the new Woburn Forest village in Bedfordshire, set to open in spring 2014. Woburn Forest will have the largest of Centre Parcs' Subtropical Swimming Paradises, with features that include water rapids, a wave pool, toddler pool, family play area, Lazy River and three new water rides; Tornado, Twister and Typhoon. The area will be

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai has announced that a new district will be created in Dubai, dedicated to developing the Emirate’s fashion, design and luxury sectors. The “Dubai Design District” will be adjacent to the Business Bay area of Dubai. The district is expected to become a full service commercial hub for design industry-related organizations, brands, and supporting enterprises within the value chain. It will feature a

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is to unveil a new property in August in the centre of Qufu in southwestern China. Shangri-La Hotel, Qufu will pay homage to philosopher Confucius and will be within walking distance of the Temple of Confucius, the Mansion of Confucius and the Cemetery of Confucius, all three are UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites. Located in Shandong Province, the resort will feature 211 guestrooms with

Indian conglomerate, The Krrish Group, plans to build a US$650m (£418m, €491m) mixed use development in the colonial district of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. The company has enlisted the help of French architect Edouard Francois to design the project, called Krrish Square. It will cover an area of 450,000sqm (4,8m sq ft) surrounding a historic British colonial building in the heart of the city. The design includes three towers rising

A proposed £8.8m Landscape Discovery Centre in Northumberland National Park (NNP) has the potential to contribute £3.5m (US$5.2m, €3.9m) to the local economy, according to reports. The Economic Impact Assessment, prepared by New Skills Consulting and the KSA Partnership, which was commissioned by NNP and the Youth Hostels Association (YHA), estimated that 'The Sill' has the potential to attract up to 120,000 new visitors and generate £3.35m (US$5.2m, €3.9m) annually

Italian football club, AS Roma, has confirmed that the club's new stadium will be built on the Tor di Valle site located on the south-western outskirts of the city. The site lies on the banks of the Tiber River and is currently occupied by a racetrack which will be demolished. The 55 - 60,000 seater stadium was designed by sports and entertainment architect, Dan Meis, who said: "In 25 years

The city of Southampton may have its new arts complex by 2015 according to the Southampton Cultural Development Trust, which is spearheading the project. The trust says around 90 percent of the funding required for the £21m ($32m, €24m) project has already been secured with the remaining funds expected to come from private donors. Project developer Grosvenor has selected CZWG to design the mixed-use cultural scheme which will encompass 100,000

The new £20m (US$30.9m, €23.5m) Glass Mill Leisure Centre in Lewisham, south London, will open its doors on 10 June after 15 months of construction work. The new facility has been designed by LA Architects and will be operated by Fusion Lifestyle on behalf of Lewisham Council. The contractor for the project was Pellikaan, with additional work from Barratt Homes, who developed the 'Renaissance' theme. The new centre comes equipped

Albert Einstein's life and work, as well as his connections to Judaism and Zionism, are to be honoured by a museum in Jerusalem. The museum will be located at The Hebrew University on Mount Scopus, a site which has drawn some controversy as it lies outside Israel's pre-1967 borders. A design concept, by Foster + Partners, in collaboration with local Israeli firm, Baer, Shiftman-Nathan Architects, has been commissioned by the

The Corning Museum of Glass in New York has unveiled the final design of its North Wing expansion, which is slated to open in late 2014. Designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners, the addition will include a new 26,000 sq ft (2,415sq m) contemporary art gallery building, as well as a new 500-seat glassmaking demonstration venue in the renovated facility of the former Steuben Glass factory ventilator building, adjacent to

The multi-million dollar Lambda project have been given the green light to create the Munch Museum in a glass structure on Oslo’s waterfront. Spanish architects Herreros Arquitectos were appointed to design the museum in 2009 but the project was put on hold over issues on cost and location. The museum is now being developed on the site originally intended; a 12,000sq ft glass structure on the waterfront. Expected to open

After more than a decade of planning and preparation, the new Mediterranean civilisations museum (Mucem) is preparing open its doors to the public. The €191m (£163.3m, US$249.7m) project will be the worlds first museum to be dedicated to Mediterranean civilisations and culture. With an expected 300,000 visitors a year, Mucem will be the first standalone French national museum ever to be located outside of Paris. Developed in partnership with the

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by Jakarta-based Ciputra Group to manage Rosewood Tanah Lot Bali and Rosewood Jakarta, both scheduled to open 2017. The two new properties support Rosewood’s strategic Asia expansion plans, joining Rosewood Beijing opening Autumn 2013 and Rosewood Phuket opening end-2014. Rosewood Tanah Lot Bali will be located on 30 acres (12 hectares), near the world famous Tanah Lot temple on Bali’s west coast. The

Following its announcement earlier this year that it will create 50 Hollywood-themed hotels over the next few years, Paramount Hotels has teamed up with consultancy GOCO to create a new wellness brand to be featured at each property. Paramount Hotels & Resorts CEO Thomas van Vliet said: "We'll have our own wellness and fitness concepts and our own food and beverage concepts, which will be a mix between our Paramount-themed

Engineering and design company Atkins has drawn up plans for a new mixed-use resort project in Vietnam, which will include both residential and hotel properties. Situated in the east of of the country, in Vung Ro, the plans for development include a marina, hotel resort and luxury villas. Three areas have been identified for construction: The Marina for direct ocean views, the Village occupying the valley plain and the Bai

Construction work has begun on the Witham Leisure Centre in Essex. The £9.5m project is headed by Barr Construction and the facility - designed by Scott Brownrigg Architects - is due for completion in summer 2014. Once opened, the centre will be managed by Fusion Lifestyle. Facilities will include a six lane, 25m pool, leaner pool with moveable floor, a health and fitness suite, two dance studios, sauna and steamroom

A new £5m (US$7.55m, €5.83m) watersport development has been launched on the Colwyn Bay waterfront in north Wales. The development features the new Porth Eirias building, which has been constructed on a one hectare (107,639sq ft, 10,000 sq m) platform on top of a groyne. Built by local company Wynne Construction, it will provide a hub for watersport activities in Colwyn Bay and will include a bistro, café, changing areas

Planning permission has been given for a new country park and housing development in Ashford, Kent. The Conningbrook Lakes project will see the new site, formerly a quarry for sand and gravel, transformed into a country park with water-based activities, foot and cycle paths, nature trails, a water-front restaurant and a lakeside village of 300 homes. The site will be planned and designed by BDB Design Ltd, based in Canterbury

Plans are in the works to bring a Guggenheim museum to Wales as early as 2019 in a bid to replicate the success that came from opening one in Bilbao, Spain. In 2012 the Guggenheim in Bilbao helped generate €294.6m (£252.2m, US$380.2m) in GDP for the country. The predicted opening date of 2019 or 2020 would coincide with the current timetable for the electrification of the south Wales rail line.

The architectural and structural design firms and individuals who helped to shape the 2012 Games legacy have been celebrated in the short film Designing for Champions. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and New London Architecture (NLA) initiated the DROPTHEBAN campaign and commissioned the ‘Designing for Champions’ film to advocate many of the Games’ unsung heroes. The DROPTHEBAN campaign which launched in July 2012

A £100m (US$151.3m, €117.7m) development in Yorkshire is set to be built on the existing Flaxby Park Golf Course and will feature a 27-hole course and a 303 room hotel. York-based property firm, Skelwith Leisure, will begin work on the new site at the end of May, which will also feature a floodlit driving range, conference centre, four helipads, three restaurants, and an 18,000sq ft (1,672sq m) spa, gym and