Chester Zoo will redevelop 100 acres (405,000sq m) of its existing site into grassland and forest areas as part of a £100m (US$130.4m, €113m) development masterplan. The grasslands area will be located in the western part of the zoo and will be characterised by large, open savannah landscape populated by a mix of free-roaming species in the same areas. To the eastern side of the zoo the forest zone will

The founder of Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania has unveiled detailed plans to build a neighbouring 172 room, 5-star hotel suspended over the River Derwent. David Walsh has commissioned Fender Katsalidis Architects, who designed Mona’s understated Berriedale home, to draw up the design for the project, called HOMO (HOtel at MOna). In addition to guest rooms, it will also include a conference centre, a 1,075

Ireland’s most popular visitor attraction is seeking to draw even more visitors after the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin announced €16m (US$18.5m, £14.2m) expansion plans centred around doubling the size of its Gravity Bar. The culmination of the Guinness visitor experience, the plans will see the creation of a new 360 degree space, which will directly link to the original Gravity Bar – Dublin's highest – forming an expansive area for

Plans to develop America's largest Ferris Wheel are in jeopardy after the attraction's main contractor was removed from the project. Originally scheduled for early 2017, the development was pushed back to mid- and then late 2017, with the US$580m (€503m, £442m) wheel then delayed till April 2018 thanks to a “complicated engineering process”. The project is now completely on hold after developer NY Wheel ended its working arrangement with contractor

Disney has announced a slew of new additions for its parks worldwide, including a Star Wars hotel, Marvel and Pixar attractions, and the very first ride for the company's iconic figurehead, Mickey Mouse. Star Wars Star Wars was a focal point of the presentation, with the newly-named lands “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” to open at Disneyland California and Disney World in Orlando in 2019. Following the unveiling of a scale

One of the largest urban regenerations in Europe is set to be anchored by a public garden where spring, summer, autumn and winter coexist together throughout the year. The concept, called ‘Garden of the Four Seasons’, comes from the studio of designers, researchers and innovators Carlo Ratti Associati, and is being developed by property firm CityLife for a 366,000sq m (4 million sq ft) district in the west of Milan.

Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) transformation of a former German WWII bunker into a cultural complex camouflaged among the protected dunes of Blåvand, western Denmark, has opened to the public. Conceived as “a sanctuary in the sand”, the 82,000sq m (882,600sq ft) museum, called Tirpitz, has been successfully completed three years after construction began. Upon arrival, visitors first see the bunker, which was one of hundreds of coastal defences and fortifications

Disney has offered its most in-depth look at its upcoming Star Wars Land yet, unveiling a scale model of the attraction ahead of the D23 fan expo taking place this weekend in Anaheim, California. Two years on from the last D23, when Bob Iger first revealed plans for two Star Wars attractions at Disney’s Florida and California theme parks, the operator unveiled the model, which has been made available for

London’s Natural History Museum has completed a major revamp of its main hall, with its blue whale skeleton replacing the national institution’s much-loved Diplodocus replica – a sight which has welcomed visitors to the museum for more than 37 years. The museum made the move as it aims to refresh its image, wanting to be known for living science rather than its fossil collection, with a focus on “authenticity” and

A host of leading international architects are in the running to create a concept design for a new Centre for Music in the City of London. Snøhetta, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and the firms led by Amanda Levete, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano have all been shortlisted in the international competition for the concert hall; billed as “a state-of-the-art building of acoustic and visual excellence.” In May, the

UPDATE: Studio Gang's interactive installation for the National Building Museum’s 2017 Summer Block Series opened to the public yesterday (6 July) in Washington D.C. The intricate structure, called Hive, is formed entirely by 2,700 wound interlocking paper tubes of different sizes – from several inches to 10ft high. They feature a reflective silver exterior and vivid magenta interior, “creating a spectacular visual contrast with the museum’s historic nineteenth-century interior and

A constantly evolving installation that adapts to heat, sunlight and the number of visitors has opened at the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) sister institution in Long Island City. Jenny Sabin Studio have created 'Lumen' in the courtyard of MoMA PS1 as part of the annual Young Architects Program, which offers emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and present innovative temporary, outdoor installations. The structure, on display until 4

Twelve Architects’ proposals to redevelop Bodmin Jail into a new hotel, visitor attraction and teaching facility have been granted planning consent following a unanimous decision by Cornwall Council. The Grade II listed jail currently operates as an attraction and venue on Britain’s Cornish coast, but many of the buildings are in a ruinous state. Twelve Architects scheme will see the complete refurbishment of the two wings of derelict cell blocks

Dutch design agency NorthernLight has completed the design phase for the redevelopment of Sochi’s Olympic Village, which is turning its former media centre from the 2014 Winter Olympics into a science and art park. Connecting science and art, the unique addition is the “crossover of an art biennale and science gallery”, according to NorthernLight. With 40,000sq m (430,500sq ft) of exhibition space, the Sirius Art and Science Park will develop

The first design images have been released showing Tadao Ando’s plans to convert Paris’ historic Bourse de la Commerce building into a new contemporary art museum for the collection of billionaire businessman François Pinault. The Bourse, built in the 19th-century by architect François-Joseph Bélanger, is a circular structure topped with a high glass dome located close to the recently revamped Les Halles culture centre. Ando plans to install a 9m

Music fans can now get a taste of what it would be like to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with a new US$14m (€12.3m, £10.8m) visitor experience at the iconic Cleveland, Ohio, attraction set to launch on Saturday (1 July). The I.M Pei-designed Hall of Fame is currently undergoing a multi-year transformation led by BRC Imagination Arts. In addition to its new Power of Rock

Toronto Zoo is about to open its CA$18m (US$13.6m, €12.1m, £10.7m) Wildlife Health Centre – a brand new high-tech zoo hospital and laboratory with visitor facilities for the public. The zoo held an official opening ceremony for the 50,000sq ft (4,645sq m) centre on 26 June, with the facility opening to the public on Saturday (1 July). Once open, visitors will be able to access a public viewing area, which

The largest building project undertaken by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in over 100 years opens to the public on Friday (30 June). Architect Amanda Levete and her firm AL_A have designed the new V&A Exhibition Road Quarter – comprising of a courtyard, a vast underground exhibition gallery and a new entrance to the museum. The project has redeveloped 2,200sq m of underused space, providing the V&A with 6,400sq

The renowned paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey is developing a museum dedicated to the history of human evolution on the banks of Lake Turkana in the Kenyan desert. Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind is developing the project design for Leakey, and told CLADglobal the museum will “present our entire history through a spatial experience and the exhibits inside.” Leakey is best known for discovering Turkana Boy, the most complete skeleton of an early

Architecture competition organiser Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) has launched the one-stage race to find a designer for a new concert centre in Kaunas. Practices from across the world have been invited to produce concept designs for “an emblematic new building of national and international significance”; the first of its kind in the Lithuanian city. The Kaunas M.K. Ciurlionis Concert Centre – named in honour of an influential 20th century Lithuanian

A historic fine art museum in Nantes, France, will re-open to the public tomorrow (23 June) following a major transformation by British architecture practice Stanton Williams. The firm have designed several extensions to the Musée d'arts de Nantes’ original 19th Century ‘Palais’ building and 17th Century Oratory Chapel – creating an additional 4,000sq m (430,000sq ft) of space for artworks to be exhibited. The €48.8m (US$545m, £430m) project was conceived

Houston’s Holocaust Museum has announced plans to nearly triple in size following a US$15m (€13.5m, £11.8m) gift from longtime patrons Lester and Sue Smith. The Smith’s donation goes towards the museum’s ongoing US$49.4m (€43.9m, £39.6m) capital fundraising campaign, which includes in addition to costs for the redevelopment, US$11.7m (€10.5m, £9.2m) in endowment funds. Expanding in size to 57,000sq ft (5,300sq m), the US$33.8m (€30.3m, £26.6m) expansion will see two thirds

Danish architects EFFEKT have released new images showcasing the spiralling 45m tall (147.6ft) observation tower they are designing in a preserved Danish forest. The studio won planning permission in January to design “a new and unique destination” for the Camp Adventure park in Gisselfeld Klosters Skove, an hour south of Copenhagen. Called the Treetop Experience, it will consist of a 600m long (2,00ft) two-tier elevated walkway that leads visitors around

This year's Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Diébédo Francis Kéré, has been unveiled today (20 June) in London’s Hyde Park. At a press launch, the architect told CLADglobal that the high-profile commission had given him an “exciting opportunity to explore new ideas, new ways of shaping space, new materials and new way of using materials.” His pavilion, designed “to bring a sense of light and life” to the park, was inspired

China has removed restrictions on foreign investment in large-scale theme park projects, opening up the possibility for new developments in what is already a hotbed for theme parks under development. China’s leaders have previously pledged to open the country’s economy – the second largest in the world – to wider foreign investment. At the end of March, China’s State Council approved the establishment of seven new free trade zones to

Seven diverse proposals from the design teams vying to create a new ampitheatre and pavilion in the heart of Edinburgh have been revealed to the public. The new landmark Ross Pavilion is intended to revitalise Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens, one of the city’s most emblematic places, and the shortlisted groups were tasked with submitting visions of “exemplary design quality inspired by, and appropriate to, the significance of its setting.”

Seattle’s iconic Space Needle is about to undergo a major renovation, with a refitted observation deck, glass-floored restaurant and new elevators to be installed in a modernisation of the structure. Opened in 1962 for that year’s World’s Fair, the John Graham-designed structure has become a staple of the Seattle skyline. US firm Olson Kundig Architects are behind the US$100m (€89.4m, £78.3m) renovation of the observation tower, which will completely revamp