The architect developing Japan’s National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has publicly refuted claims his studio have copied from an earlier design submitted by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). According to the Japan Times newspaper, Kengo Kuma spoke at a news conference on 15 January in Tokyo to deny that significant similarities exist between the two designs for the stadium. “I believe if you take a look at Zaha

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) have claimed the Japan Sports Council are withholding payment for the studio’s design for the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo unless the architects give up the copyright to the designs and sign a confidentiality clause. The revelations – confirmed to CLAD by the architects – mark the latest escalation in an increasingly bitter fallout between ZHA and the JSC over the decision to drop the architects

Dramatic drone footage of the ongoing construction of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been released. The short film shows workers installing the structure's first 70ft (21m) high steel truss, which will support the unique retractable roof of the HOK-designed stadium.

The city government of the Taiwanese city of Tainan will unveil a design partner for a NT$1.7bn (£34.5m, US$50m, €46m) baseball development at the end of the month. A tender process for the 25,000-capacity arena opened last October, with the deadline set for 15 January. The architect chosen to work on the project will then be announced on 28 January. International standard baseball facilities, an electronic scoreboard and a total

National Football League (NFL) franchise the St Louis Rams has been granted relocation to Los Angeles after a decisive vote by the league’s board. The Rams will return to the city for the start of the 2016 season, with its new US$1.86bn (£1.3bn, €1.69bn) stadium in Inglewood due to open in 2019. The 80,000-capacity ground, located at Hollywood Park, will form part of a new mixed-use development designed by architects

A Canadian beer brand has assembled a custom-built ice rink on the rooftop of a 32-storey building in downtown Toronto. Molson Canadian – a subsidiary of the Molson Coors Brewing Company – has created the unique venue to celebrate ice hockey; Canada’s national winter sport. As part of the brand’s longstanding #anythingforhockey media campaign and competition, hockey fans were asked in December to share stories, images and videos over social

Marriott International is preparing to open a luxury hotel in Minsk, Belarus within a wider sports and leisure complex developed by the investment fund of Qatar's Ministry of Defence. The five-star Minsk Marriott Hotel will be located alongside a 4,500 capacity sports arena and a health club featuring a gym, wellness centre and spa. The complex, called the Falcon Club, has been designed by Belarusian studio Varabyeu Partners – who

AFL Architects have been appointed to design an education-focused football training centre in Shanghai – potentially one of several facilities being lined up for development in South China. The Manchester-based architects have teamed up with the Shanghai-based Kehua Football Training & Development to complete the project, which will include an academy, technologically-advanced pitches and community facilities. Talking exclusively to CLAD, AFL director Phil Osborne said the firm was moving from

The Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise is set to open its new mixed-use event centre and global HQ in Frisco, Texas in August 2016. Described as the first of its kind for a professional sports team, the US$350m (€323m, £240m) Ford Center at The Star will include a multipurpose 12,000-capacity indoor stadium, new headquarters for all Cowboys operations, practice fields and pitches, a sports science and medicine centre, a 300-room luxury

University of Mississippi – known as “Ole Miss” – will officially open its new 9,500-capacity indoor arena today (7 January) when its Rebels basketball team faces off against Alabama in an NCAA Division 1 game. Designed by global architects AECOM, the US$97m (€89m, £67m) Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, will become the region’s premiere multi-purpose venue – capable of hosting a range of sports as well as concerts,

The city of San Diego has put forward plans for a US$1.1bn (£749.6m, €1bn) “Super Bowl-ready” stadium in a bid to keep the National Football League (NFL) franchise the Chargers in the city. Billed as a “sports entertainment complex” in the Mission Valley district of San Diego, the Populous-designed stadium would have a seating capacity of 67,500, extended to 73,000 for Super Bowl and special events. The 1.8m sq ft

Work has begun on the Los Angeles development being earmarked for the relocation of American football franchise the St Louis Rams, just days after the local council put together a deal to keep the team in Missouri. According to the Los Angeles Times, the National Football League (NFL) team’s billionaire owner Stan Kroenke is pressing ahead with the plans to build a US$1.86bn (£1.3bn, €1.69bn) mixed-use development – which includes

Work has begun on the Los Angeles development being earmarked for the relocation of American football franchise the St Louis Rams, just days after the local council put together a deal to keep the team in Missouri. According to the Los Angeles Times, the National Football League (NFL) team’s billionaire owner Stan Kroenke is pressing ahead with the plans to build a US$1.86bn (£1.3bn, €1.69bn) mixed-use development – which includes

Parisian fashion brand Pigalle and architecture firm Ill-Studio have collaborated to create a vivid multicoloured basketball court squeezed between two apartment buildings in the French capital’s 9th arrondissement. Pigalle founder and basketball aficionado Stéphane Ashpool had previously renovated the Rue Duperré court – where he himself plays and offers coaching to local youths – in 2009 with the help of sports brand Nike and basketball icon LeBron James. The colourful

Japanese architects Kengo Kuma have been selected to design the 80,000 capacity stadium which will be the centrepiece of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The design was selected by the Japanese government after it was put forward by the Japanese Sports Council as one of two shortlisted proposals last week. Kuma’s design will cost ¥149bn (£806m, US$1.2bn, €1.1bn) and is due to be completed by November 2019. It will be

Work is nearing completion on a vast international sports complex in Hangzhou, China, created by international architects NBBJ Design. The Hangzhou Sports Park has been designed in collaboration with architects and engineering firm China Construction Design International (CCDI). It will host international sports fixtures and the 2022 Asian Games. Covering a project area of 400,000sq ft (37,000sq m), the park will be the largest of its kind to open in

Work is nearing completion on a vast international sports complex in Hangzhou, China, created by international architects NBBJ Design. The Hangzhou Sports Park has been designed in collaboration with architects and engineering firm China Construction Design International (CCDI). It will host international sports fixtures and the 2022 Asian Games. Covering a project area of 400,000sq ft (37,000sq m), the park will be the largest of its kind to open in

International architects Snøhetta have designed a sanctuary for hikers seeking shelter in the remote and icy wilderness of southern Norway. Located in the the remote Tungestølen region, in the shadow of Jostedal – the largest glacier in continental Europe – the studio has created a series of angular wooden cabins after winning a design competition set by the Norwegian Trekking Association. The buildings – which have just opened – are

A crumbling 100-year old church in Llanera, northern Spain, has been transformed by local skateboarding enthusiasts and a hotly-tipped artist into a spectacular indoor skate park. Almost every interior surface in the ‘Iglesia Skate’ church is painted with bright murals and geometric patterns, creating a kaleidoscope of colour. The collective behind the scheme – who call themselves the Church Brigade – describe it as “a temple of urban art.” “It’s

Real Madrid’s plan to redevelop its Santiago Bernabeu stadium has encountered a new setback after the city council rejected it in the interest of the public. The €440m (US$477.9m, £320.7m) development proposal – which includes the installation of a retractable roof, increasing the capacity to 90,000 and building a hotel, shopping centre and underground car park – will only be accepted if the council believes the interest of local citizens

Tottenham Hotspur has been granted planning permission by Haringey Council for its new stadium in north London. The council approved all three applications submitted by the Premier League club in a meeting that ran until the early hours of Thursday morning (17 December). Last month, the club announced it had appointed Mace to create the pre-construction plans for the stadium, which is expected to be completed by 2018, in time

The architects of the original Tokyo 2020 Olympic stadium have accused the Japanese government of putting the legacy of the Games in jeopardy and overlooking several designers after it unveiled two new plans for the arena. The Japan Sports Council has shortlisted two designs for the stadium - Design A and Design B. One of which will be selected as the blueprint for the 80,000-capacity structure. Although the council declined

The saga of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium has moved to another stage, with the Japanese Sports Council revealing two potential designs. The winner is expected to be announced this month. Both designs have construction budgets of ¥153bn (US$1.26bn, €1.14bn, £832m), putting them within the council's limit of ¥155bn (US$1.28bn, €1.16bn, £848m). Design A has a flat roof and shrubbery along its outer concourse, stands 50m tall (164ft) and is

Raymond James stadium in Tampa, Florida, US is set to undergo a US$100m (€91m, £66m) upgrading of its facilities. Tampa Sports Authority (TSA), which owns the 66,000-capacity venue, has reached an agreement with the stadium’s tenant, NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccanneers over a two-stage renovation plan. The first stage of the renovations are scheduled to be completed in time for the 2016-17 NFL season. The centerpiece of the first phase

The 20,000-capacity AEG-MGM indoor arena in Las Vegas, US is set to open to the public on 6 April 2016. Currently being built in the heart of the city, the US$375m (€247m, £342m) venue will become the region's largest indoor sports and entertainment venue and has been earmarked as the possible future home of teams in the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. Designed by sports architects Populous –

International innovators and architects NBBJ have revealed their latest unusual design concept: a series of natural ice rinks on London’s River Thames. The firm releases three outside-the-box concept designs every year to inform its commissioned physical projects. The idea is to resurrect a city tradition dating back to the 17th century called the Frost Fair, which would see Londoners take to the frozen waters of the Thames in winter to

Former England football captain David Beckham’s plans to establish a new football franchise in Miami, Florida, are a step closer after Major League Soccer (MLS) approved stadium plans for the project. The Beckham-led consortium of investors – called Miami Beckham United – is in the process of acquiring land in the city's Overtown neighbourhood and is planning to build a 25,000-capacity stadium at the site. The choosing of the Overton