North Lincolnshire Council has welcomed the news that The Pods, a £21m leisure complex in Scunthorpe, has been named on the shortlist for the World Architecture Festival Awards. Andrew Wright in association with S&P Architects was behind the design of the new venue, which opened earlier this year and comprises five timber and glazed geodesic domes. The facility, which is shortlisted in the sport category, was recently named 'most sustainable

Australian designer Joost Bakker will launch his first overseas Greenhouse restaurant in London, UK next year. The sustainable restaurant concept first opened in Perth in 2009 and has gathered momentum following a pop-up restaurant that operated for six weeks at Sydney's harbourside in March 2011. As well as the UK launch, permanent sites are currently being planned for Sydney and Melbourne. The London restaurant is scheduled to open by mid-2012.

The London 2012 velodrome, which will be used for Olympic and Paralympic track cycling at next summer's Games, has secured the Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award. Designed by London-based architects Hopkins, the 6,000-seat complex will be used by elite athletes and members of the local community following the 2012 Games. The Prime Minister's Better Public Building Award is designed to recognise new buildings and spaces that seek to improve

A new boutique facility called Akatsuki has opened on a secluded beach on the island of Koh Samui Designed by Tokyo-based architect Riccardo Tossani, the private luxury resort is built entirely from recycled wood and uses natural ventilation and shade for guest comfort. Catering for small groups or business events, the resort has a dining pavilion with large beach-side deck, a more relaxed living pavilion and a pavilion with conference

Giraffe has unveiled a new cafe concept, with an interior designed to appeal to the cosmopolitan, adult all-day market. The style of the neighbourhood cafes are a departure from the bright orange and graphic-led art of the original brand. Giraffe founder Russel Joffe worked with designer Claire Nelson to introduce a colour palette of copper and yellows, with natural elements such as timber. Hampstead was the first to open, and

Exhibition designer Real Studios has created an introductory gallery for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich to coincide with the opening of the new Sammy Ofer wing. The permanent Voyagers exhibition uses AV installations, text, objects and personal narrative to evoke the historic and contemporary relevance of the sea and maritime heritage. Images are projected over a central wave structure and follow themes such as navigation, exploration, leisure and conflict.

Hotel operator Yotel has launched in New York - the first city centre location for the brand. The new hotel offers 699 stylish cabin-style rooms, including three VIP cabin suites with private terraces and jacuzzis offering views of the Manhattan skyline. Designed by the Rockwell Group in collaboration with Softroom, the hotel also offers a lounge and bar with DJ booth, restaurant, gym, studio space for events and a 7,000sq

Thailand-based hotel and resort operator Onyx Hospitality Group will launch two new spa brands early next year to support its four existing hotel brands. Breeze will be a four-star spa offering that will, according to Onyx's corporate director of spa Kirsty MacCormick, be marketed as a "fun" brand which will aim to make the spa journey more approachable - especially to those who have never been to a spa. The

John Wright, a founding member and former president of the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), has passed away. John Wright guided TEA for four years, growing its membership and shaping it's future. He remained an active member of the TEA to the end, helping to define the projects honoured at the annual THEA awards. He was also the driving force behind exhibition design company Lexington, helping to establish the company in

The Pods, a Scunthorpe leisure complex designed by Andrew Wright, has been named most sustainable building/development of the year at the Property Industry Awards Yorkshire. Opened in July, the facility was build by Bowmer and Kirkland. S&P Architects worked on the scheme as delivery architects, while Buro Happold and Arcadis were also involved. Comprising five timber and glazed geodesic domes, The Pods features an 85-station, split-level fitness suite; an eight-lane

A new themed visitor "experience" based around the film Dolphin Tale has launched at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Florida, US, which aims to increase visitor numbers. Oldsmar-based theming and design studio Wacky World Studios was behind the installation, which incorporates a new entrance façade for the Atlantis Theater. Wacky World Studios president Bruce Barry said: "The entrance to the theatre was almost invisible and the aquarium wanted something that would attract

Canterbury's new £25.6m Marlowe Theatre has been officially unveiled for the first time by HRH The Earl of Wessex, following the completion of a two-year construction project. A gala event marked the opening of the new arts venue, which has been designed by London-based Keith Williams Architects and replaces a former building first opened in the 1930s but that has now been demolished. The new Marlowe Theatre includes a 1,200-seat

Willmott Dixon is to start work on a £6.45m revamp of Aqua Vale Swimming and Fitness Centre in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, as part of wider local authority regeneration plans. Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) is to undertake the improvement programme in a bid to complement its multi-million pound vision for the town centre. Work on the FaulknerBrowns Architects-designed scheme are scheduled for completion in September 2012, with the facility to remain

Ealing Council has announced that Acton Baths will close to the public on 4 December until spring 2014 as part of its plans for a major redevelopment of Acton Town Hall, London. The local authority said it will assist existing members and user groups in finding alternative facilities to use during the closure, with some activities set to move to nearby leisure venues. A 25m swimming pool; a teaching pool;

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) has announced which design teams have been shortlisted to draw up plans for "two new distinctive areas" to be created in East London. A major public space is being planned for the southern part of the Olympic Park, which is to be located between the Aquatics Centre, the Olympic Stadium and the ArcelorMittal Orbit. It is hoped the South Park space will create a

Work has now got underway on the new 125-room Hotel Vermont in Burlington, US, which is expected to achieve LEED certification from the US Green Building Council. The start of the building phase was marked with a groundbreaking event, which was attended by state governor Peter Shumlin and commerce secretary Lawrence Miller. Burlington-based PC Construction has been appointed to deliver the property, which is being developed by Jay Canning and

Hepworth Wakefield, the David Chipperfield Architects-designed art attraction in Yorkshire, has been crowned Best Architectural Achievement at the British Design Awards 2011. The building held off four other shortlisted projects to pick up the accolade, including work by RHWL and Richard Griffiths Architects at London's St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. Heatherwick Studio's UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010; Plasma Studio's Creativity Pavilion; and Alain de Botton's Living Architecture were also

The new-look Museum of Somerset has reopened to the public at Taunton Castle, following an extensive £6.93m transformation that has increased its exhibition space by 50 per cent. Somerset County Council (SCC) invested £1.8m in the project, which is designed to explore the story of the the county from prehistoric times through to the modern day. Exhibits at the revamped attraction include the Frome Hoard, one of the largest collections

English Heritage has announced a "substantial" grant worth £250,000 towards efforts to restore the historic St George's Theatre building in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The former Chapel of St George property is currently undergoing a major programme of work to repair and convert it into a new arts venue as part of a £9.3m regeneration project. London-based Hopkins Architects have drawn up proposals for the Grade I-listed venue after being appointed

Plans for the multi-million pound redevelopment of the Afan Lido leisure complex in South Wales have taken a step forward after contractors started demolition work at the site. A £13.6m multi-purpose facility is being earmarked for the Afan Lido site, after the existing building suffered severe damage following a large fire in December 2009. It is currently hoped that the replacement facility will be completed in 2013, with initial plans

Leisure projects have missed out on the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize 2011 after London's Evelyn Grace Academy picked up this year's accolade. The Zaha Hadid Architects-designed secondary school in Brixton held off competition from the Hopkins-designed London 2012 Velodrome to secure the award. Among the academy's design features is the inclusion of a 100m running track in the centre of the site, which takes right up

A new Hartwell Architects-designed leisure facility has opened its doors to the public on the Spinney Lane sports ground site in Aylesham, near Canterbury, Kent. Freedom Leisure will operate the new Aylesham Welfare Leisure Centre in partnership with the Aylesham and Snowdon Social Welfare Scheme. Facilities at the WW Martin-built venue include a 26-station Life Fitness suite incorporating cardiovascular, resistance and free weights equipment, along with 10 outdoor grass sports

Las Vegas, US-based Caesars Entertainment Corporation (CEC) has confirmed it is to make its first move into the Asia Pacific region with a new resort in Hainan, China. The Caesars Palace Longmu Bay development is the "first major venture"of Caesars Global Life, which is a new non-gaming division created to build and manage branded properties. CEC is aiming to build 25 hotels and resorts in China over the next five

A 35,000sq ft (3,252sq m) Shamana Spa is to open later this year at the Hyatt Hotels Corporation's (HHC) new Grand Hyatt Goa hotel, which has been unveiled in India. Located overlooking Bambolim Bay, the new hotel's spa will feature 19 treatment suites when open - including 11 single, six double and two royal suites, offering indigenous therapies based on South East Asian philosophies. The Shamana Spa takes its name

Branding and design agency M Worldwide and fit out contractor Datum Contracts have been appointed to work on retail and visitor centre concepts at historic attractions across Wales. The two companies have been selected by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government's historic environment agency with responsibility for managing the country's heritage properties. New-look retail and visitor facilities at Conwy Castle, which are due to be launched by Easter 2012, will benefit

Warner Bros (WB) has announced details of some of the experiences that visitors can view on a new behind-the-scenes tour of the Harry Potter movies from spring 2012. Warner Bros Studio Tour London-The Making of Harry Potter will boast some of the most iconic sets included in the films, including the Great Hall and Dumbledore's office. Other sets set to be included as part of the tour will be the

Construction work has now commenced on one of the world's largest retractable aluminium-domed indoor waterparks in Donetsk, Ukraine, which is due to open early next year. The 61,000sq ft (5,667sq m) Aquatoria attraction is being developed by Canada-based group, OpenAire, and is intended to help boost tourism to the Donetsk region. OpenAire's free-standing dome structure will comprise an aluminium truss and will be 86ft (26m) in height, with a retractable