Plans for a major new sports complex in Lewisham, South London, have moved forward with the formation of a new foundation to oversee the delivery of the project. Former transport minister and London mayoral candidate Steve Norris will chair the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, which will ensure long-term sports provision for the site. An indoor regional centre of sporting excellence - Surrey Canal: London's Sporting Village - will be at

Rubicon Group Holding (RGH), a Jordan-based diversified entertainment organization, has announced that it has been appointed to design and produce The Red Sea Astrarium (TRSA), a 184-acre themed entertainment resort located in Aqaba, Jordan. The US$1bn (714m euro, £640m) resort will be anchored by a Star Trek theme park, which will be developed by Paramount Recreation. According to a statement from RGH, the Star Trek attraction will deliver a variety

The £38m Basildon Sporting Village has been officially opened by The Duke of Gloucester. The S&P Architects-designed complex will boast the county's first Olympic-sized swimming pool and a 24.2m x 10m (79.4ft x 32.8ft) climbing wall, as well as a 100-station fitness suite. Sports and Leisure Management (SLM) has been appointed to operate the facility under its Everyone Active brand - part of a wider leisure management deal with Basildon

A number of leisure schemes have been included among the 97 UK and European projects to be named as winners of the 2011 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Awards. The RIBA Awards are designed to recognise "architectural excellence" and comprised 89 properties in the UK and a further eight across the European Union. Among the 2011 winners is the new £112.8m home for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon,

A new multi-million euro cultural attraction - Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) - has opened its doors to the public in Antwerp, Belgium, following a four-year construction process. Netherlands-based Neutelings Riedijk Architects was appointed by Antwerp City Council to design the new museum in 2000, with B-architecten chosen to lead the interior design. Covering a total surface area of 6,600sq m (71,042sq ft), the museum also features pavilions and a

Silverstone Circuits and the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) have launched a new pit, paddock and conference complex - the Silverstone Wing - at the Northamptonshire venue. The multi-million pound development boasts 41 garages; a race control building; a podium; a media centre; and hospitality and VIP spectator areas for motor racing events. Facilities also include three large halls; conference space; a business centre; and a 100-seat auditorium, with the

LPA has been selected by the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum/ExplorOcean design and construction committee to draw up plans for a new waterfront facility in Newport Beach, California, US. The architectural practice has been appointed to design the Core Building Shell and Site phase, including the concept; planning and design; and schematic design. Meanwhile, The Hettema Group has also been chosen to provide concept design; exhibition themes; and unifying project elements

Ireland-based operator Maldron Hotels has expanded into the UK with the launch of a 216-bedroom property in Cardiff - part of a wider scheme led by Rush Developments. The new 12-storey hotel has been built on the site of the former Central Hotel, near Cardiff Central railway station, and has been designed by Belfast-based White Ink Architects. Delivered by McAleer and Rushe, the £25m project was funded by Cardiff's Julian

California, US-based Hettema Group has been appointed by Japan-based Sanrio to draw up a masterplan and concept designs for a new Hello Kitty Park in Anji, China. Due to open in 2014, the planned new amusement park is the result of a licensing agreement between Sanrio and Zhejiang New Insight Leisure Tourism Development Co. The deal will enable the use of the Sanrio-owned characters and intellectual property as part of

Sandwell Council has announced that work has now commenced at the site of a new £8.1m swimming pool complex to be developed in Tipton, West Midlands. Work is currently being carried out to create a new access road to the new pool complex site from Alexandra Road and Thursfield Road. The project is to be completed by spring 2013. The venue - designed by Sandwell Urban Design Architects, the council's

Brent Council has resolved to approve planning permission for a 160,000sq m (1.7 million sq ft) mixed-use development at the Wembley City complex in north west London. Quintain Estates and Developments is leading the scheme, which will feature a 1-acre (0.4-hectare) public square; a multi-use games area; up to 20,000sq m (215,278sq ft) of hotel space; and 1,300 new homes. Land along Olympic Way - the iconic route into Wembley

Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park, a new £16.1m multi-purpose complex being developed in Huyton, Merseyside, is scheduled to open its doors to the public on 26 September. Designed by Broadway Malyan, the 6,600sq m (71,042sq ft) complex will feature a wet spa area with steamroom, sauna and whirlpool, as well as treatment rooms and a relaxation area. Two swimming pools; a six-court sports hall; a fitness suite with up to

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company (RCHC) has announced that it has secured an agreement with Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) to open its first property in the Emirate state. Due to open in late 2011, the waterfront Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal will boast a 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft) ESPA-managed spa area with 20 private treatment rooms. The 447-bedroom property will also incorporate 85 villas; a fitness centre; outdoor tennis courts;

A new spa and organic wellness resort, which has been modelled on the 18th century Haut Koesnigburg castle in France, is due to open in Malaysia by the end of July. The 210-room Chateau Spa and Wellness Resort is sited in the Berjaya Hills amid a 150-million-year-old rainforest and will be the world's first organic destination spa resort. Facilities will include the La Santé spa, which will use Voya organic

London mayor Boris Johnson has announced that up to £60m has been secured towards the creation of a new 1km (0.6-mile) floating promenade along the north bank of the Thames. International architecture practice Gensler have drawn up designs for the London River Park scheme, which is to be financed by Venus Group of Singapore. A Memorandum of Understanding has now been signed between Gensler and the mayor in a deal

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