New renderings have been released of Peter Zumthor’s proposed redevelopment of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) ahead of a public consultation meeting on 24 August. The images visualise eight semi-transparent pavilions supporting an elevated, organically-shaped main exhibition level. The Pritzker Prize winning architect’s design will replace four of the museum’s deteriorating structures to house LACMA’s permanent collection of historic and contemporary art. Demolition of older buildings means

Since opening its US$57m (€51.5m, £43.7m) African Adventure, California’s Fresno Chaffee Zoo has experienced a 40 per cent upturn in attendance. Funded mainly by a levy a tax to help support new zoo projects and programmes, the 13-acre (57,000sq m) project offers a modern home for a number of species, including African elephants, lions, cheetahs, wildebeest, giraffes, ostrich, springbok and more. “It’s by far the largest project we’ve done both

The British Airways i360 – the world’s first vertical cable car, tallest moving observation tower and most slender tower – has opened to the public in Brighton, UK. Opened today (4 August), the so-called “vertical pier” by Marks Barfield Architects sits on the foundation of Brighton’s former Victorian-era West Pier, which was destroyed by an arson attack in March 2003. “When the West Pier was built and when the Palace

Architecture studio Alison Brooks have created a banana-like structure for this September’s London Design Festival, due to sit in the grounds of the Chelsea College of Arts during the event. Aptly named ‘The Smile’, the curving urban structure is being built from cross-laminated tulipwood and has been created as a means to demonstrate the structural and spatial potential of that material, in addition to its artistic purpose. The American Hardwood

Architects Hassell + OMA have unveiled their design for Perth’s AUS$428m (US$325m, €290.8m, £245.7m) Western Australian Museum building, with global contractor Brookfield Multiplex chosen to lead the landmark development. The design by the two international design practices combines a mix of heritage and contemporary architecture, with a modern roof and new buildings intersected by refurbished heritage buildings on the museum campus. The building, which will house the state’s scientific and

US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have reportedly chosen Chicago's historic Jackson Park as the site for their Obama Presidential Center. Media reports in the city claim the historic park has been chosen ahead of fellow South Side location Washington Park. Official confirmation is expected next week. Once the announcement is made, preparation work will begin ahead of the start of construction next year. Earlier this month,

Stanton Williams and Asif Khan have triumphed over a number of architectural heavyweights, winning a competition to design the Museum of London’s new home at Smithfield. The architectural duo overcame competition from firms including Bjarke Ingels, Caruso St John Architects and Studio Milou with their winning proposal, which will lift the dome on the market area to create a landmark light-filled entrance to the museum. Malcolm Reading Consultants handled the

A 75,000sq ft (7,000sq m) rainforest will be situated halfway up a tower in the Hilton Worldwide hotel in Dubai as part of a "never before seen" entertainment experience created by ZAS Architects. In an exclusive interview with CLAD, principal DJ Armin said the firm is using innovative digital technology, advanced architectural practices and biophilic design to create an indoor/outdoor leisure experience that “can work successfully through all four seasons

A safari park opening later this year in Dubai will feature misting machines, cool-water pools and rocks fitted with air conditioning to keep temperatures down. Design and construction firm Cape Reed are creating the 120 hectare (296.5 acre) site for the Dubai Municipality, and have had to think innovatively in order to ensure the park’s thousands of animals are kept in cool enough conditions in the desert climate. The park

Long-running plans to build a permanent home for the Universal Hip-Hop Museum (UHHM) in the US have moved a step closer to reality, after architects BrandNu Design unveiled renderings showing what the project could look like. A disused courthouse in The Bronx, New York, has been proposed as the site of the museum – the first time a specific building has been suggested. BrandNu’s proposal for the 38,000sq ft (3,500sq

Studio MMK, who have offices in the US and South Korea, will design a music-led cultural complex on an island in Seoul after winning an international architecture competition for the project. ‘Nodeul Dream Island’ will be one of the firm’s first built projects. Located on the Han River, the island will host concerts, festivals, exhibitions and other cultural events. The Seoul Metropolitan Government had invited architects, landscape architects and urban

Tourism officials have launched an art installation on the hills of Snowdonia, with giant mirrored letters spelling out the word ‘EPIC’ as part of a campaign to promote Wales as the home of great adventures. Designed by Cardiff-based design firm Wild Creations, the four-metre-tall (13.1 foot) lettering has appeared in Pen y Gwryd in North West Wales and was commissioned by VisitWales as part of its Year of Adventure Campaign.

The 2016 Archikids Festival begins in London this weekend with a host of free activities planned to engage children with architecture, engineering and design. Children aged 5-11 and their families are invited to tour some of the capital's iconic buildings, including the Gherkin by Norman Foster, and take part in a series of architecture challenges between 10am-5pm BST on both days. Tasks include experimenting with different materials and shapes to

Exhibition designs for a museum dedicated to the world’s only preserved Nordlandsjekt – a 17th century Norwegian cargo ship – have been unveiled by design firm Kvorning. Located in Bodø lake in north-western Norway, Anna Karoline, will be centred around the vessel of the same name, which will form the centrepiece of the museum as part of a wider exhibition looking at jekt shipping heritage. The ship has spent the

The rebuilding of a disused ice rink in Schierke, Germany has officially started, with architecture studio GRAFT transforming the site into a multi-use sports arena with a unique roof structure. The Nature Rink, located at the foot of the snow-topped Harz Mountains, is one of the country’s oldest natural ice stadiums. It is being renovated at a cost of more than €7m (US$7.7m, £5.8m) enabling it to host ice sports

PortAventura has revealed the official opening date for its Ferrari Land attraction, with the theme park addition coming to the Spanish resort on 7 April 2017. The 60,000sq m (646,000sq ft) Ferrari Land will be centred around its vertical accelerator rollercoaster, which will become the tallest in Europe at 112m (367.5ft), exceeding PortAventura’s own Shambhala for the impressive record. The ride’s structure was completed earlier this year, with trains added

Unesco has included a new addition to its World Heritage list for 2016, adding 17 sites across three continents, to recognise the work of Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Of the 21 new additions to Unesco’s list of more than 1,000, The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement is perhaps the most unique as it covers seven countries – Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Japan

The transformation of Governors Island in New York into a landscaped tourist destination is complete, with ten acres of new public realm by Dutch architects West 8 opening today (19 July). The studio have created four hills, rising high above the island to offer a 360-degree panoramic experience of the city’s harbour. Formerly a military base located a short ferry ride from Manhattan and Brooklyn, the site is now an

Plans to build “the world’s first underground park” in New York have taken a major step forward with the city’s Economic Development Corporation (NYEDC) approving the project. The US$60m (€53.6m, £44.8m) Lowline scheme, designed by James Ramsey of Raad Studio, will see the transformation of an abandoned underground trolley terminal in Manhattan's Lower East Side into a community-oriented public and cultural space. Solar technology will directly deliver sunlight underground, lighting

Disney has revealed a new artist's impression for its Star Wars lands being built at its theme parks in Florida and California. The largest land expansion in Disney’s history, the 56,655sq m (609,840sq ft) Star Wars Land will feature a virtual reality Millennium Falcon ride allowing guests to “take the controls of one of the most recognisable ships in the galaxy." It also includes the iconic cantina first seen in

Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos and Llama Urban Design have been declared winners of an international design competition to expand the Lima Art Museum in Peru. The studios will develop a new public plaza and extension to the museum, including new galleries for its permanent collection, a library for 40,000 books, classrooms, a café and workshop spaces. The competition jury received 387 entries from 56 countries, which was whittled down to

Ground was broken last month on a US$16.4m (€14.8m, £12.6m) planetarium development for the Orange Coast College (OCC) in Costa Mesa, California. Part of a larger seven-year US$965m (€854m, £625.2m) renovation to OCC’s district campuses, the 125-seat planetarium will include a 3D immersion theatre with a 40ft (12.2m) dome, a large Foucault pendulum and open space for exhibits. Newport Beach-based architects HPI are handling design for the project. "It will

Game of Thrones creator George R R Martin has partnered with a design company and arts and entertainment production studio to create an explorable attraction in Santa Fe, US. The House of Eternal Return is a 20,000sq ft (1,800sq m) space filled with fantastical environments, technology and art. Billed as “a unique combination of children’s museum, art gallery, jungle gym, and fantasy novel”, visitors are invited to walk, climb and

The new mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has suspended work on Thomas Heatherwick’s controversial Garden Bridge project over concerns that more public money will be required to complete the £175m (US$225.6m, €204.4m) project. Khan officially supports the plans to build the 367m long plant-filled bridge, but only if no more than the agreed £60m (US$77.3m, €70m) in public funding is made available to build it. According to the Architects’ Journal

The first museum in the world to be dedicated entirely to roses has opened in Beijing, with a design packed with motifs and references to the flower. The distinctive Rose Museum, designed by NEXT Architects, is a solid volume covered by a detached silk-like skin of stainless steel with a pattern of cut-out Chinese roses. This 300m (984ft) long, 17m (56ft) high façade extends outwards from the main museum building,

Plans are at an advanced stage to create a new bourbon-themed leisure district in Lexington, Kentucky on the site of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Every year, spirit lovers from across the US make the journey to the state to savour bourbons produced by different boutique distilleries. The recent completion of a deal to bring back a James E.Pepper bourbon distillery to Lexington – a city the brand last called home

The Geffrye Museum of the Home in London will be comprehensively revamped in a bid to improve the experience of visitors to its Grade I listed buildings and gardens. Wright & Wright Architects have designed a £15m (US$19.5m, €17.6m) scheme – called Unlocking the Geffrye – to significantly open up the museum’s 18th century almhouse buildings, improving circulation and access and revealing previously hidden spaces to the public. This, along