Image: The Shard under construction last month HRH Prince Andrew will be among the dignitaries in attendance at the launch of The Shard - one of Europe's tallest mixed-use skyscrapers - in central London, UK, on 5 July. Qatari Prime Minister His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani will be inaugurating the 310m (1,016 ft)-high development – designed by Renzo Piano – along with the Duke of

Image: The ringing of a special bell marks the opening Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has marked the official relaunch of Asten's Klok and Peel Museum following the completion of an extensive renovation and expansion programme. The new-look museum - formerly known as the National Carillon and Nature Museum - is home to one of the world's collections of bells and carillons, while also exploring the heritage of the Peel

Image: Breare (left) conceived the concept in 2010 Snoozebox, the UK-based portable hotel and temporary accommodation concept, has begun trading on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The number of ordinary shares in issue on the group's entry to the market today (1 May) is nearly 52 million, with a total of 30 million shares placed with institutional investors. Snoozebox has said it will use the proceeds to

SportsDock, a new £21m complex to be used by Team USA as its training base during the 2012 Games, has opened at the University of East London's (UEL) Docklands Campus. Canterbury-based architects Clague are behind the design of the facility, which was built by Denne Construction - part of the Leadbitter Group. The project was managed by Ball Hall. A Precor-equipped fitness centre and offering cardiovascular equipment and free weights

Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club's (BHAFC) plans to expand the Amex Stadium in Falmer, East Sussex, have been given the green light by members of the local authority. The KSS Group -designed venue first opened last summer and currently has a capacity of more than 22,000, but will now be increased to hold 30,750 over two phases of work. BHAFC will add 5,000 more seats in the first stage

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is to open its first hotel in Cambodia after announcing the signing of a management agreement which will lead to the rebranding of a property in Siem Reap. The 107-bedroom Hotel De La Paix Siem Reap is to close on 30 June in order to receive an extensive renovation before reopening as the Park Hyatt Siem Reap during Q1 2013. Facilities at the hotel currently include the

A new 150sq m (1,615sq ft) retail and visitor centre has been unveiled at Conwy Castle in a move towards a new design concept to be implemented at Cadw-operated heritage attractions. M Worldwide and Datum Contracts International were chosen by the historic environment agency last autumn to work on a flexible approach for Cadw's sites across Wales. The concept aims to create retail units and visitor centres reflecting the "uniqueness"

Plans have been submitted for a £6.4m redevelopment of a Grade II-listed former lead shot mill in Chester, which will contain leisure and retail facilities along with 53 residential units. Neptune Developments is working with Chester and District Housing Trust on the scheme, with proposals drawn up by international architectural and design firm, Broadway Malyan. The project, which is due for completion in mid-2013, will include ground floor leisure and

The Queen has today (25 April) officially reopened the restored Cutty Sark to the public in Greenwich, London. The historic clipper was severely damaged by fire in 2007, but has since been fully restored thanks to a £50m redevelopment project that has taken five years to complete. The Heritage Lottery Fund contributed a total of around £23m towards the conservation, while the Greater London Authority, Greenwich Council and the Department

The 790-bedroom Pan Pacific Singapore hotel is to benefit from a comprehensive SG$80m (US$64m, EUR49m, £40m) refurbishment of its guestrooms, restaurants and lobby area. It is the largest renovation programme to be undertaken at the property in its 25-year history and will include the creation of the new Pacific Club with panoramic views on the 38th floor. Australia-based interior design firm Chada are leading the scheme, which is scheduled to

Work on the construction of Toxteth's new £5.2m combined sports centre and fire station in Liverpool has reached a milestone after the final metal beams were put into place. Wates Construction started work on the Toxteth Fire Fit project last year and is set to include a fitness gym, a dance studio, a combat sports room and a climbing wall. Toxteth Fire Station is relocating to the Upper Hill Street

De Vere Village Hotels chief executive officer Robert B Cook has announced the launch of the new UpperDeck room concept, which is to be rolled out across the group's UK estate. UpperDeck is designed to provide a new "superior room type" to guests, with its hotels in Swansea, Solihull and Chester St Davids among the first to offer the concept. It is expected 20 rooms per property will be rolled

Brazilian premier league football team Grêmio Foot-Ball has appointed UK-based design consultancy Mather & Co to design and create a visitor attraction at its new Grêmio Arena. The 60,000 capacity arena, currently under construction in Porto Alegre, is set to be one of the venues of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. As part of the plans, Mather will produce a new visitor attraction, stadium tour, commercial hub and retail offer.

Planning has been approved for a landmark £50m waterfront scheme at Ocean Village in Southampton. Southampton City Council planners approved MDL Marinas' 'super-yacht'-inspired project which includes a luxury spa hotel, a Michelin-starred restaurant and a rooftop champagne bar. MDL Marinas has teamed up with Harbour Hotels on the plans. The ground floor of the hotel will include a large open plan lounge, restaurant and bar which will extend out onto

The first phase of Tate Modern's £215m redevelopment project - the opening of the former power station's Oil Tanks - is to be completed in time for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The Oil Tanks - circular spaces spanning 30m (98ft) across and 7m (23ft) high - are set to open on 18 July and will provide dedicated space for showing "art in the live form". In addition to the

Plans for the development of the "first new West End theatre in more than a decade" have been approved by Westminster City Council as part of London's Crossrail scheme. The new venue will occupy the capital's former Astoria site as part of the transformation of the Tottenham Court Road area, with retail, residential and office space also proposed. Crossrail submitted its plans in conjunction with Derwent London, which cover two

The Northern Ireland Executive has hailed the new £18m Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) in Belfast as "another symbol of progress", following the venue's official opening. Carál Ní Chuilín, the province's minister for culture, arts and leisure, was among the figures in attendance at the launch of the Hall McKnight -designed complex on 19 April. Located in the city's Cathedral Quarter, the MAC incorporates two black box theatre spaces seating 120

PLB, the Malton-based design consultancy, has completed work on a new heritage centre at The Florence Institute in Toxteth, Liverpool, as part of a wider £6.4m regeneration project. The group worked on the interpretative design and installation of the new Heritage Resource Centre, which will look at the history of the Victorian leisure facility and local community. It complements other facilities created at the Grade II-listed Florence Institute created as

FIFA, the international governing body for football, is planning to establish a new museum dedicated to the sport as part of an expansion of its Zurich base in Switzerland. Zurich City Council was informed of the proposals on 11 April in a meeting held at FIFA's base, although a design plan will need to receive validation from Zurich Municipal Council. FIFA's executive committee has already agreed to invest approximately CHF180m

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on a new USD1.02bn (£634m, EUR774m) stadium in Santa Clara, US - the new home of San Francisco 49ers. The 1.85 million sq ft (171,871sq m) complex will have a seating capacity of around 68,500 and will be able to host a wide range of sports, as well as entertainment events when complete. Due to open in August

Hammersmith and Fulham Council's (HFC) cabinet will consider a progress report into the proposed inclusion of two estates in a major redevelopment of London's Earls Court site. The findings from a recent public consultation and draft terms for the Conditional Land Sale Agreement with developer and landowner Capital and Counties are contained in the report. HFC said that if the project does proceed, it will be centred on a masterplan

The Seri Chenang Resort and Spa will open on the Malaysian island of Langkawi on 30 June. The privately-owned, RM5m (US$1.6m, 1.2m euro, £1m) boutique resort will offer accommodation in six luxury villas and also features a large spa villa. Created by the resort's owner, entrepreneur Dato Zainal Abidin, the design of each villa has been influenced by the architecture of traditional homes from six separate Malaysian states. The individual

Plans for a new AU$25.8m (£16.8m, EUR20.5m, US$26.8m) theatre complex in Bendigo, Australia, have taken a step forward after detailed plans for the scheme were released. Heritage and planning permits have also been lodged by Bendigo Senior Secondary College and the City of Greater Bendigo for the scheme, which will be located at the city's historic gaol site. Y2 Architects are behind the design of the theatre, which incorporate an

Chapter Hotels, the UK-based hospitality operator unveiled in 2010, has announced plans to open its second property within a 19th century former Exeter hospital building on 25 June. The 59-bedroom Magdalen Chapter is to occupy the city's West England Eye Hospital after a sympathetic restoration led by Bath-based architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Facilities will include The Spa, which will boast four treatment rooms offering massages and mini-treatments from locally-based

A new report has found that Turner Contemporary in Margate, a £17.4m gallery dedicated to the life of artist JMW Turner, has generated £13.8m of value for the Kent economy. The research was published to coincide with the first anniversary of the attraction's launch on 16 April 2011 and also showed that nearly 500,000 people had visited since it opened. David Chipperfield Architects designed the iconic seafront gallery, which was

Helsinki mayor Jussi Pajunen has formally offered financial backing to plans for the establishment of a fourth European Guggenheim museum in the Finnish capital. The news comes as no surprise as Pajunen has been among the most vocal supporters of the project, which is headed jointly by the Helsinki City Council and the Guggenheim Foundation. Pajunen has now outlined a financial package which will see the council provide 2.8m euros

The construction of a new cable car link spanning the River Thames in London has reached its latest milestone with the installation of the 1.1km (0.7-mile) steel cable by Mace. Work has also been completed on the erection of the three main towers that form part of the Emirates Air Line and will allow 34 cabins to cross the river at a height of 90m (295ft). The multi-million pound, Wilkinson