Qatar, which will be hosting the FIFA 2022 Football World Cup, has expressed its interest in developing floating hotels as part of its accommodation solutions for the tournament. The luxury floating hotels developed by Finnish architectural firm, Sigge and partners Global Accommodation Management (GAM)/Almaco Group of Finland, will provide the same services and amenities available in hotels constructed on land. According to GAM, a floating hotel's design can be tailored

Denmark is the latest Scandinavian country to propose an indoor ski resort. The Skidome Denmark project, to be based in the city of Randers, proposes more than 3kms (1.8m) of indoor and outdoor slopes and a freestyle park. There are also plans for a hotel, restaurant and retail outlets on an area of just over 1m sq ft (93 000sq m). Danish architectural firm, CEBRA were responsible for the design

The new £31m Olympia pool in Dundee, Scotland, is about to open its doors as part of the ongoing investment into Dundee's waterfront. The new centre, which opens its doors to the public next week, features a 50m, variable depth pool, four water slides, a gym and a café. Two of the slides feature digital projection technology, meaning that the image will appear in front of the sliders face as

Hobart's major cricket venue, the Bellerive Oval - also known as the Blundstone Arena - is being upgraded to the tune of A$30m (£18,2m, €21,4m, US$28,5m). The project, which is being financed by the Tasmanian State Government and the Australian Federal Government, will see the oval's capacity increase to almost 20,000 seats from its current 16,000. The redevelopment will include the construction of a new western stand, a new concourse

Italian football club, AS Roma, has confirmed that the club's new stadium will be built on the Tor di Valle site located on the south-western outskirts of the city. The site lies on the banks of the Tiber River and is currently occupied by a racetrack which will be demolished. The 55 - 60,000 seater stadium was designed by sports and entertainment architect, Dan Meis, who said: "In 25 years

The new £20m (US$30.9m, €23.5m) Glass Mill Leisure Centre in Lewisham, south London, will open its doors on 10 June after 15 months of construction work. The new facility has been designed by LA Architects and will be operated by Fusion Lifestyle on behalf of Lewisham Council. The contractor for the project was Pellikaan, with additional work from Barratt Homes, who developed the 'Renaissance' theme. The new centre comes equipped

Construction work has begun on the Witham Leisure Centre in Essex. The £9.5m project is headed by Barr Construction and the facility - designed by Scott Brownrigg Architects - is due for completion in summer 2014. Once opened, the centre will be managed by Fusion Lifestyle. Facilities will include a six lane, 25m pool, leaner pool with moveable floor, a health and fitness suite, two dance studios, sauna and steamroom

A new £5m (US$7.55m, €5.83m) watersport development has been launched on the Colwyn Bay waterfront in north Wales. The development features the new Porth Eirias building, which has been constructed on a one hectare (107,639sq ft, 10,000 sq m) platform on top of a groyne. Built by local company Wynne Construction, it will provide a hub for watersport activities in Colwyn Bay and will include a bistro, café, changing areas

Planning permission has been given for a new country park and housing development in Ashford, Kent. The Conningbrook Lakes project will see the new site, formerly a quarry for sand and gravel, transformed into a country park with water-based activities, foot and cycle paths, nature trails, a water-front restaurant and a lakeside village of 300 homes. The site will be planned and designed by BDB Design Ltd, based in Canterbury

A £100m (US$151.3m, €117.7m) development in Yorkshire is set to be built on the existing Flaxby Park Golf Course and will feature a 27-hole course and a 303 room hotel. York-based property firm, Skelwith Leisure, will begin work on the new site at the end of May, which will also feature a floodlit driving range, conference centre, four helipads, three restaurants, and an 18,000sq ft (1,672sq m) spa, gym and

Swindon could become home to the longest ski slope in the UK as part of the revised plans for the multi million pound revamp of the Oasis Leisure centre. In the new plans, the slope would exceed the current longest UK slope at Xscape Braehead in Scotland, which holds the record at 200 metres in length. "This development will make Swindon the best indoor skiing venue in the country," said

The new Romford Leisure Development in Essex, which includes an ice rink has been given the green light by Havering’s Regulatory Services Committee. The new project will be located on a compact urban site in Romford centre includes a competition pool and ice rink under one roof, something the town has never seen before. A new eight-lane 25m pool and kiddie’s learner pool will occupy the ground floor together with

The new £17.9m Splashpoint leisure complex has opened to the public in Worthing, West Sussex. Designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, the centre has replaced the former Aquarena venue on the site. The scheme was project managed by Deloitte Real Estate on behalf of Worthing Borough Council following a RIBA design competition in 2009. Facilities include a six lane, 25m competition pool and a learner/diving pool, an indoor leisure pool with

Construction work has started on a 400m (1,312ft) BMX track in Burgess Park, Southwark, South London. Ground Control Ltd has been appointed as the contractor for the new £800,000 track which will open in summer 2013. The track will be free to use and has been designed to cater for both novices and competition-standard riders. It will feature a starting hill, a variety of jumps and floodlighting. The venue will

Linwood's sport and community centre ON-X has officially opened following a £24m investment by Renfrewshire Council. Designed by Cr8 Architecture and built by BAM Construction, the facility includes an eight court sports hall, two squash courts, 600sq m gym, four fitness studios, and athletics track. The new centre is part of the council's £40m investment in local leisure facilities. It also features three swimming pools including a six-lane 25m competition

Westminster City Council and Willmott Dixon have announced £19m proposals for sports and leisure in the north west of the borough, which will deliver a 40 per cent increase in facilities. The plans include a new Moberly Sports Centre with two swimming pools and large sports hall and gym, and a new sports facility at Jubilee Leisure Centre. The cost will be entirely funded by Willmott Dixon, which will develop

Plans to transform part of East Manchester with new sports and community facilities have been granted council approval, with work due to begin later this year. The joint venture between Manchester City Council, Manchester City Football Club and urban regeneration company New East Manchester will see a 16-acre site in Beswick redeveloped with a new leisure centre, pool and school. A sports research centre, offering academic research and diagnostic facilities,

S&P architects have merged with AFL Architects to form AFLS+P, which will be one of the largest architectural practices in the UK. By joining forces, they plan to extend their operations nationally and internationally. AFLS+P has offices in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin and Doha. Regional growth will continue in the UK, with a new office in Birmingham in May this year, and internationally, where it will build on work in

Planning approval has been granted for a community sports centre to be built at Coleshill School in North Warwickshire. The facility will replace the ageing Coleshill Leisure Centre, which according to planning documents would have been too costly and take too long to refurbish. The planning document also stated that despite attracting 100,000 visits a year the leisure facility's popularity had dropped 14.5 per cent between 2008/09 and 2010/11. The

SportScotland has revealed bidders who have made it to the second stage of the process to develop a National Performance Centre for Scotland. A preferred bidder for the multi-sport centre, to receive up to £25m of government support, will be announced in summer with the facilities expected to be complete by early 2016. Six stage one bids were received in February and those that have been invited to take their

Manchester City Council has revealed plans for a national home for both speedway and basketball, as part of the £10m Belle Vue Sports Village development. It will offer new sports facilities for the community and elite athletes alike, while also modernising the existing Belle Vue Leisure Centre. A purpose-built 6,500-capacity speedway will provide the Belle Vue Aces with their own home allowing them to hold weekend meets, which will strengthen

Three consortia of renowned stadium developers - responsible for projects including the London Olympic Stadium, Adelaide Oval and Singapore Sports Hub - have been shortlisted for the right to bid for the design and construction of the new 60,000 seat Perth Stadium. The three consortia are WESTADIUM, led by Brookfield Financial and John Laing, Confidem led by Capella Capital and WestAdium led by Bouygues and Plenary Group. The stadium will

Bristol City FC has appointed a project manager for the proposed redevelopment of their stadium at Ashton Gate - a back up option should its plans to build a new £60m stadium at Ashton Vale fall through. Capita Symonds has been appointed to the £40m redevelopment that would comprise new stands and pitch widening, which would be expected to be complete by the 2016/17 season. The Wedlock and Williams stands

Tipton Leisure Centre has opened its doors to the public, at a formerly vacant site on Alexandra Road. Facilities at the centre include a 25m six-lane pool, a 12.5m teaching pool, a dance studio and a fully equipped 54-station gym that overlooks the centre's pool. Sandwell Leisure Trust will manage the new centre, which was designed by Sandwell Urban Design Architects - the council's in-house service. Construction was led by

UK-based architectural firm Caruso St John has unveiled its proposal for the new Zurich Arena, which saw the firm win the design contract. The project will include arenas for both ice hockey club ZSC Lions and volleyball team Volero as well as hockey training facilities. The design proposes a building with qualities between a monument and a tent. Caruso St John said the clarity of its structure and volume suggest

West Ham United Football Club (WHU) will be the new anchor tenant of the London Olympic Stadium following the government's agreement to contribute a further £25m towards converting the venue. WHU was chosen as the preferred bidder for the tenancy in December 2012 but the signing of the deal was dependent on a number of financial and commercial terms being agreed upon. It is believed that as part of the

Leading architects, planners and city experts are in London this week to attend Fit Cities-Fit World - a conference organised to look at the role design and planning have in ensuring cities have healthy and active populations. Held at City Hall, the conference will examine and build on what was learned as a result of major infrastructure and urban developments created for the London 2012 Games, including Queen Elizabeth Park