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

AV specialist Electrosonic has acquired Global Immersion, a designer of high performance digital immersive theater attractions. The deal, completed yesterday (10 December) will allow Electrosonic to offer digital immersive solutions across the theme park, museum, giant screen cinema and planetarium markets. Jim Bowie, president of Electrosonic Group, said the deal was a significant strategic move for both companies. He said: "As a single operation, we will service an even broader

Barr construction will begin work on a new £9.5m leisure centre in Witham, Essex in spring 2013. The building contract was awarded by Braintree District Council (BDC) who is funding the Witham Leisure Centre. The centre, designed by Scott Brownrigg Architects, will replace the Bramston Sports Centre and is set to open in summer 2014. Located adjacent Bramston Sports Centre, the new centre will include a six-lane swimming pool and

Major League Soccer (MLS) moves ahead with plans for a US$300m (231m euro, £186m) soccer stadium in Queens, New York. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens has been selected by MLS as the potential site for the new development. The plans call for a 25,000-seat stadium (expandable to 35,000 seats) to be constructed on the current site of the park's Industry Pond. Depending on when the stadium deal is finalized, league

Castle Hotel & Spa is set to open a US$9m (7m euro, £5.6m) Thann Sanctuary Spa in Westchester County, New York, US in May 2013. The 100-year-old resort, overlooking the Hudson River in Tarrytown, is owned and managed by Sankara Hospitality Group. Spanning 7,800sq ft (725sq m), the spa will be the first Thann Sanctuary-branded site to launch in the US. It will feature seven treatment rooms, hot pools, men

A new spa retreat, based in Texas and constructed using environmentally-friendly techniques and materials, will open its doors on Saturday (8 December). Deer Lake Lodge & Spa, nestled on 50-acres 40 minutes from Houston, will hold tours of the lodge, mini treatment demonstrations and a ribbon cutting ceremony as part of its grand opening. Co-founders Tracy Boulware and her sister Dr. T.C. Hughes have dedicated themselves to providing an all-natural

Germany based 25hours Lifestyle Hotel Group has opened a new design-led hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. 25hours Hotel Zurich West was developed by Zurich interior designer Alfredo Haberli and features 126 guestrooms. Located in the Hard Turm Park, the guestrooms are divided into categories that refer to Zurich's identity as a bank city. The rooms are named and designed to reflect precious metals: silver, gold and platinum. The hotel houses a

Paris' famous Louvre museum and gallery is set to open a satellite gallery in Lens, Northern France next week. The Louvre-Lens will exhibit more than 200 artworks by masters including Botticelli, Raphael, Poussin, Rembrandt, Goya, Ingres and Delacroix at its 50-acre site, situated in a small mining town near Lille. Artworks will be displayed chronologically with different cultures and civilizations juxtaposed so classical Greek works might sit next to pieces

After opening an office in Shanghai, China, Blink Design Group has won three key design projects in the cities of Beijing, Benxi and Hefei. In less than a month, the design group was appointed to carry out the interior design of the new Sheraton Resort Beijing, work on the design of two new resorts at Benxi's hot springs in Liaoning Province and began designing a new spa-lifestyle clubhouse in Hefei.

Cleveland Museum of Natural History in University Circle, Ohio is set for a US$125m transformation. The project, which was previously halted during the 2008 expansion, will see the demolition of half of its existing facility on the west side of Wade Oval, and adding two glassy new exhibit wings and a crystalline lobby. The renovations will be designed by architect Curt Fentress of Denver, whose previous work includes Denver's international

A planned mega events centre at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) could add US$393m (301m euro £244m) to the Las Vegas economy each year, according to an economic impact report. Mark Rosentraub, an expert on economic benefits and the University of Michigan Centre for Sport Management, carried out the report. The proposed UNLVNow complex, would feature an events centre capable of hosting 55,000 spectators as well as a student

Designs for a contemporary leisure centre, in Grimsby, were unveiled by North East Lincolnshire Council yesterday. The £8.4m Grimsby Leisure Centre will feature a hi-tech two storey wall of glass to create a shop window for sport. Award winning architects, Faulknerbrowns, have come up with the vision, which includes a 25m competition pool, an easy access learner pool, a 60 station gym, a fitness studio, and sauna. Cllr Mick Burnett,

The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland is set to launch the UK's first Guerlain Spa on 1 January, following a £24m (US$38m, 30m euro) redevelopment of the property. Managed by Hilton Worldwide, the hotel's spa will be operated as a beauty spa and be open to both hotel guests and non-guests. Facilities at the spa include three large treatment rooms, a swimming pool, steamroom, sauna, spa pool

Plans are underway for a US$350m (£219m, 269m euro) sports complex and destination resort in Vineland, New Jersey, US. Magic Sports – a private company headed by entrepreneur Ron Nametko and developer Sora Northeast Development – have submitted a proposal for the privately funded Magic Sports Complex to the Vineyard zoning board. Plans for the complex include indoor and outdoor facilities for hosting training camps and leagues for competitive tournament

The next chapter in the story of Hastings Pier, which was gutted by fire in 2010, is underway, following the news of a successful Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The £11.4m HLF grant will provide the lion's share of the £13.9m redevelopment costs. Plans, drawn up by architects deRijke Marsh Morgan (dRMM), include a traditional seaside promenade, farmers' markets, open air cinema, restaurant, bistro, bar, music, theatre, fairs and fetes. According

The Belfry Hotel and Golf Resort in Warwickshire is set to undergo a £30m refurbishment. The Belfry was bought in August by American investment firm KSL Capital Partners, which appointed The De Vere Group to manage the property. It is expected that work will begin on the resort early next year. The renovations will include updating the guestrooms and function suites as well as a revamp of the restaurants and

A former BBC broadcasting centre is to open as a luxury hotel following a £4m redevelopment. Located near Evesham and Stratford-upon-Avon in Worcestershire, the Grade II listed Wood Norton property will re-open as a boutique hotel at the end of the month. The hotel will feature 50 guestrooms including five suites. It will also house a restaurant, bar and al fresco dining terrace. Other facilities include boardroom and meeting facilities,

Starwood Hotels and Resorts is set to launch W Bangkok hotel in December - its second W property in Thailand. Located on the North Sathorn Road, the hotel will feature 407 guestrooms including 32 suites. The hotel will also house an Away Spa and a Sweat Fitness Centre as well as a wet outdoor heated pool. W Bangkok will form part of the Golden Land's Sathorn Square, a mixed-use project