Architecture Tours Ireland - a new joint venture between the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) - has been officially launched. Jimmy Deenihan, the Irish minister for arts, heritage and the Gaeltacht, has given his support to the scheme, which aims to generate interest in architecture as a cultural form. Architecture Tours Ireland is already working with tourism agency Fáilte Ireland in order

A new £23m leisure centre being built in Dagenham, East London, by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) is to open its doors to the public at the end of May. Becontree Heath Leisure Centre has been designed by S&P Architects and delivered by the London-based construction firm, Leadbitter Group on behalf of the local authority. Facilities will include a 95-station fitness suite and three workout studios with

Tierra Verde Development Company LLC has commenced work on the construction of The Healing Spa at Tierra Verde - part of a wider 'green' scheme in Wichita, Kansas, US. The destination spa will offer an extensive range of services and facilities, as well as offering an environment for patients to recover from surgical and medical procedures. Skilled medical concierge services will be offered by fully-certified nursing staff, an on-call doctors

A new publicly-owned stadium will be developed in Ramsey County, US, after local officials secured an agreement with the Minnesota Vikings American Football team. The multi-purpose facility on the site of the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant will feature a retractable roof and is expected to cost around US$884m (£538.6m). Populous are behind the design of the scheme. A further US$173m (£105.4m) is to be invested in on-site infrastructure

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and leisure operator Tees Active have announced that the Billingham Forum complex is to reopen on 3 June, following an £18.5m overhaul. Morgan Sindall, the scheme's main contractor, completed work on site at the start of May, which has enabled preparations to commence ahead of the leisure venue's reopening. Facilities at the Devereux Architects-designed Billingham Forum include a six-lane, 25m swimming pool, with an additional training pool

La Maddalena Hotel and Yacht Club - located on the archipelago of La Maddalena between Sardinia and Corsica - is to open its doors on 20 May. Created by Studio Boeri Architetti, the hotel also features Porto Arsenale Marina - a former military base that has been converted to accommodate more than 600 boats. Facilities at the 96-room property feature a spa boasting three treatment rooms overlooking the sea, a

The 426-bedroom Chedi Andermatt Hotel at the skiing resort of Andermatt in the Swiss Alps will include a 1,620sq m (17,000sq ft) luxury spa when it opens in 2013. Facilities at the spa, designed by Zürich-based archites Hotz Architekten AG, include 10 treatment rooms; a 125sq m (1,350sq ft) relaxation zone; indoor and outdoor swimming pools; a sauna world with a number of saunas, steamrooms and plunge pools and a

A gala performance of Arthur Miller's The Crucible has marked the unveiling of the new £18.1m Lyric Theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland - two years after work commenced. Dublin-based architects O'Donnell and Tuomey were selected to design the new venue; one of 56 entries into an international competition held in 2003. Built by main contractor Gilbert Ash N.I., the Lyric Theatre is nearly three times larger than its predecessor and

Construction work on the Bayscape development in Cardiff Bay - including Wales' tallest building - could be poised to get underway in late summer/autumn this year. Developers are currently in discussions with architects Harper Downie to finalise plans for the scheme, which is to include a 32-storey hotel operated by Wyndham Hotel Group. Ardmore Construction has been appointed to deliver the scheme, which will include the 200-room hotel; serviced apartments;

Plans for the development of a new multi-million pound swimming pool in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, are to face further scrutiny after being called in by members of the local authority. Oxford City Council's (OCC) strategic development control committee approved proposals for the scheme on 28 April, but will now go before the planning review committee. The FaulknerBrowns Architects-designed facility would be located at the existing Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre and

JW Marriott has officially unveiled central London's historic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which follows the completion of an extensive £150m restoration of the Victorian property. Manhattan Loft Corporation worked alongside contractor Galliford Try; RHWL Architects; conservation architects Richard Griffiths; and GA Design International on the scheme. Facilities at the 245-room hotel include a 6,226sq ft (578sq m) spa area, which includes five treatment rooms and a couple's suite; a spa

Netherlands-based architects MVRDV have been appointed to design the new China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM), which is to be developed in Hangzhou. The group was selected following an international design contest for the EUR92m (£81.6m) scheme, with the attraction to comprise eight speech balloon-shaped structures. Covering a total area of 13.7 hectares (33.9 acres), the complex will also include a series of parks on islands; a public plaza; and

Chester Zoo has shelved its plans for a new £90m Heart of Africa biodome attraction, saying that the project will now form a 'latter part' of the zoo's £225m Natural Vision scheme. A spokesperson told Attractions Management the biodome had been postponed due to government cuts and that another part of the Natural Vision would take priority and open as the first phase of the ambitious redevelopment. She said: "The

Le Bristol hotel in Paris has been declared a national treasure by the French government following a 103m euro (£92m, US$150m) redevelopment of the property. The hotel, which is privately owned by the Oetker family, has been recognised as having 'palace distinction' and becomes the first hotel in France to receive the accolade. In total, the French government has awarded eight French hotels the right to call themselves a palace.

Virgin Galactic's efforts to establish a new commercial space travel service have taken a step forward after the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) vessel completed its first "feathered" flight. SS2 - named VSS Enterprise - was transported to a height of 51,500ft (15,697m) by carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo from Mojave Air and Space Port, California, US. The vessel was released and established a stable glide profile before using its "feathered" re-entry configuration, which rotates

Florida EcoSafaris at Forever Florida in St Cloud, US, has revealed that it will launch a new eco-tourism experience that will allow visitors to cycle through treetops. The new Cypress SkyCycle is due to open in July and involves a one-hour journey through the 4,700-acre (1,902-hectare) Forever Florida Wildlife Conservation Area. Suspended from a network of high-tension steel cables, specially-designed SkyCycles will allow visitors to travel over pine flatwoods and

Benmore Group, the UK-based property developer, has submitted its plans for a new £30m leisure-led mixed-use scheme adjacent to New Mersey Retail Park in Speke, Liverpool. Hotels, restaurants, a multi-screen cinema and a gym have been proposed as part of the New Mersey Leisure complex, which would occupy a 15-acre (6.1-hectare) site. It is anticipated that the first £30m phase of the Falconer Chester Hall-designed scheme will open by the

Graham Construction has been selected to deliver Glenrothes' new £21m sports and leisure centre, which will replace the existing Fife Institute for Physical and Recreational Education (FIPRE). It is anticipated that work will commence on site shortly, with the new facility to be delivered in phases to ensure there is minimal disruption to services during the construction process. Designed by B3 Architects and Crea8 Architecture, the complex will comprise a

The new US$30m (20m euro, £18m) wing of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, US has been opened to the public. The 30,000sq ft (2,800sq m) expansion includes 15,000sq ft of archival storage, an additional classroom, a staging area for exhibits and curatorial work, and a new temporary exhibit gallery. Boston-based architect Einhorn Yaffee Prescott and Quincy-based construction firm Lee Kennedy Company were chosen by

The National Mining Museum Scotland has opened its Scottish government-funded conservation project, restoring some of Scotland's most fragile industrial heritage and saving the buildings for future generations. The work has consisted of preservation of the tippler floor, picking tables, elevator shed and brick-vaulted undercroft. The conservation has been carried out by a team of architects, structural engineers, project managers and builders. An exhibition is currently running in the museum to

A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been agreed by the Gulf Organisation for Research Development (GORD) and the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC). The document will see both organisations work together on the creation of environmentally-sustainable sports venues using Qatar Sustainability Assessment System standards. It is anticipated that the MoU will help reduce energy use and carbon dioxide emissions in the construction of new sporting facilities across the Middle Eastern

Thailand-based hospitality operator Anantara has announced plans to open its first property in Vietnam this autumn - Anatara Mui Ne Resort and Spa. Located nearly 200km (125 miles) north east of Ho Chi Minh City on the south eastern coast of Vietnam, the resort will be sited near to the town of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan province. Anantara Mui Ne Resort and Spa will feature a 361sq m (3,886sq ft)

Visitor attractions operator Merlin Entertainments Group has unveiled its new £7m Sea Life centre and marine sanctuary in Jesolo, Venice, Italy. UK-based architectural firm Kay Elliott are behind the design of the 2,030sq m (21,851sq ft), two-storey attraction, which accommodates more than 5,000 sea creatures. Sea Life Jesolo boasts a number of individual areas that allows visitors to explore a different river or ocean element, with many incorporating a Venitian

Spenhill, the wholly-owned regeneration subsidiary of supermarket chain Tesco, has started work on a £105m mixed-use scheme in the heart of Higham's Park, London. The 11.2-acre (4.5-hectare) project has been designed by ColladoCollins and will include a new public park and a new pedestrianised street comprising retail and café units. Construction work can now commence on the first phase after Spenhill concluded the final agreements of the Section 106 arrangement

ELLE, one of the world's largest fashion magazines, is to lend its name to a premier spa set to launch at Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach hotel in June 2011. The 22,000sq ft (2,000sq m) ELLE Spa will be a joint venture between the magazine and the resort and forms a part of a larger US$200m (135m euro, £121m) redevelopment of the property. Facilities will include six treatment rooms and

Trustees of the Baltimore Museum of Art in Maryland, US, have revealed that Ziger/Snead Architects are to work on a US$24m (£14.4m, EUR16.2m) renovation of the attraction. It follows an extensive year-long procurement process for the scheme, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014 ahead of the museum's 100th anniversary. The renovation of Baltimore Museum of Art is to create "dynamic" new spaces for art and visitors, including enhancements

Plans for the development of a major new youth facility in the centre of Luton have received a boost after the Department for Education approved capital funding worth £4.7m. The Tokko scheme has been designed by Max Rengifo of AStudio Architecture with the help of local young people, and was given the go ahead by Luton Borough Council (LBC) planners in April. Facilities at the five-storey building will include multi-use