A new home for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) – worth an estimated US$650m (€574.6m, £497.3m) – has cleared a major hurdle having had its plans approved. Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, a former Pritzker Prize winner, the new building’s plans were approved at a county vote, which also cleared US$117.5m (€103.9m, £89.9m) in taxpayer funding for it. The museum’s design has received criticism for its

American architecture office Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the "Moon Village" project, the first full-time human habitat on the lunar surface. According to the design team, the future settlement, which would be situated in the rim of Shackleton Crater near the Moon's South Pole, would comprise three to four-story inflatable structures, "with

The Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon, a hospital founded in the 12th century by the semi-monastic Pontifices Fratres brotherhood, is set to reopen as a five-star resort in June following a four-year restoration. Situated on the banks of the Rhone in Lyons, France, the UNESCO World Heritage-designated hospital – in operation until 2010 – was restored by French architecture bureau AIA Architectes, who also reconverted the site's disused spaces into 8,000 sq

Andermatt Concert Hall, a 700-seat music centre taking shape in the canton of Uri in the Swiss Alps, is scheduled to open on 16 June with symphonic performances by the Berliner Philharmoniker. Designed by Christina Seilern Architects, the new arts venue – formerly a war bunker – will feature an auditorium planned by theatre specialists dUCKS scéno in collaboration with Kahle Acoustics. Shaped in what the design team have called

One Wall Street, a 56-storey Art Deco skyscraper in Manhattan, New York, is undergoing an extensive refurbishment and will soon be home to a series of luxury condos as well as a 74,000 sq ft (6,900 sq m) Life Time Fitness-branded wellness centre. The limestone building, which was designed by prolific 20th-century architect Ralph Walker and acquired by Macklowe Properties in 2014, will comprise 566 studio- to four-bedroom apartments, in

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will manage a second luxury hotel in Istanbul, Turkey. The project, which also features branded residences, is scheduled to open in 2022. UNStudio from Amsterdam has been appointed as the masterplanner and architect. The new development comprises three standalone towers and is located in the exclusive Etiler residential area, close to the city’s central business district. One of the towers will house Mandarin Oriental Etiler, Istanbul

The government of Saudi Arabia has pledged to fund the construction of a US$1bn "sports city" close to the Iraqi capital city Baghdad. The announcement was made by the Saudi commerce and investment minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qassabi, following a visit by senior Saudi ministers to Baghdad last week. No details of the facilities have been revealed as yet, but it is believed that the project will include a number

Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have joined forces to conceptualise a man-made archipelago for OCEANIX, a non-profit company interested in exploring the viability of floating cities. Intended to serve as a blueprint for future pelagic communities, the conceptual city – also named "Oceanix" – is designed to organically expand over time and accommodate up to 10,000 residents. "The additive structure has a

The Britannia Hotel – once a turn-of-the-century pied-à-terre for aristocrats, Arctic explorers, and literati, has reopened in Trondheim, Norway following a £107m (US$139.5, €123.8m) overhaul. The 148-year-old landmark features 257 newly renovated rooms and suites, as well as revamped common areas, restaurants, and leisure facilities. The spa centre at the Britannia comprises a 200 sq m fitness room, six treatment rooms, a heated lap pool, a sauna, steam bath, ice

Retirement community developer PegasusLife is gearing up to launch a collection of 'later living' residences in Tetbury – a picturesque village in the Cotswolds, UK. Called the "Steepleton", the property, which was designed by British studio Proctor and Matthews Architects, comprises nine buildings, each housing 133 one-to three-bedroom flats. According to PegasusLife, Steepleton's "layout draws on the idea of ancient settlements, with a farmstead at the centre and a variety

The Shed – the long-awaited movable events space and one of the crowning structures of the Hudson Yards development – has finally opened to the public. The multi-use arts venue, which was co-designed by Rockwell Group and Diller Scofidio+Renfro (DS+R) kicked off its events programme with The Soundtrack of America, a five-night concert celebrating African-American music. The production was conceived and developed by British filmmaker Steve McQueen in collaboration with

Thailand-based developers Dusit Thani Public and Central Pattana (CPN) have unveiled the latest details for the Dusit Central Park project – an immense mixed-use scheme planned for the heart of Bangkok. The new 440,000 sq m development, which will adjoin the city's Lumpini Park, will be designed by the Office of Metropolitan Architecture and Architects 49, and play host to a series of leisure-friendly attractions and facilities, including luxury residences,

The Techniquest science discovery centre in Wales is building a £5.7m (US$7.4m, €6.6m) expansion that will more than double its exhibition space and use a remarkable power source – fish. Techniquest’s new building, called Science Capital, sits on Cardiff Bay in the Welsh capital and the centre has consulted a number of STEM, energy and marine biology specialists across Wales for the Scale-ectric power project. Bream, carp and rudd in

The Amerikalinjen Hotel – once the main office of one of Norway's earliest transatlantic cruise lines – has opened in Oslo. Situated on Jernbanetorget Square near the city's opera, the 6,000 sq m Den Norske Amerikalinje (Norwegian American Line) building now features refreshed exteriors by studio Kritt Arkitekter as well as a number of expanded private and common areas designed by Finnish studio Puroplan. The 122-key property, which was originally

The Chinese government has commissioned Scandinavian architecture firm Snøhetta to design the Shanghai Grand Opera House. Described by the architects as an "accessible canvas for global visitors, local citizens, and artists", the new opera building, which will rise on the banks of the Huangpu River, will comprise a 2,000-seat auditorium, two smaller performance halls, restaurants, exhibition areas, libraries, and cinemas. Key structure elements of the future landmark will be its

London-based designer Afroditi Krassa has unveiled renderings of her latest project, Lucky Cat – a new dining concept from British celebrity chef and gastronome, Gordon Ramsay. The flagship – Ramsay's first major London restaurant in over a decade – has been described as an "eating house" and "late-night lounge" and will feature a number of Japanese-inspired decorative and structural elements, such as bamboo panelling, indigo fabrics, and sculptures of whimsical

The Andaz Hotel Munich Tor Schwabinger – Germany's first Andaz-branded hospitality venue – has opened its doors. Designed by Dutch architecture studio Concrete Architectural Associates to reflect what the group have called the "kaleidoscopic" cultural and artistic diversity of Bavaria, the hotel boasts 234 rooms and 43 suites, as well as a spa, two bars, a pool deck, a gym, and a restaurant. The Andaz Spa – said to be

The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) has submitted plans to the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) for the MSG Sphere – a multi-use entertainment complex slated to become the city's largest music venue. The 21,500-capacity arena will be situated on a 4.7-acre site in Stratford and play host to a variety of events, such as concerts, conferences, and sporting matches. Its campus will also comprise restaurants, parks, retail areas, a

Global architecture firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo (WATG) and Studio PCH have teamed up to build the Nobu Hotel Los Cabos – the first Mexican property from the Robert de Niro- and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa-founded Nobu Collection. Located in San Lucas, on the Pacific Coast, the tropical retreat comprises 200 rooms, four pools, a 13,691 sq ft (1,272 sq m) spa, retail spaces, and multiple indoor-outdoor lounges and dining

Lifestyle company Equinox has announced that its first short-stay hospitality venture – the long-gestating Equinox Hotel at 35 Hudson Yards – will throw open its doors in June. The innovative project, which has been making waves since it was first announced in 2016, will feature an array of health-centric offerings, such as rooms with amenities devised to increase sleep wellness, and private fitness sessions led by professional trainers and nutritionists.

Interior specialists Topos Design Clan have completed an ocean-inspired rehaul of Shunfenglou Restaurant in Wenzhou, China. Citing Claude Debussy's orchestral composition La Mer as an influence, the designers created the eatery's ship cabin-like decor, which features aquatic motifs, such as bronze-coloured fish decals, porthole-shaped mirrors, and royal blue furniture. Other notable elements of 1,500 sq m space include a ribbed vestibule, a streamlined bar, and a metal grid ceiling that

Italian architecture firms Laboratorio Di Architettura e Design (LAD) and Hypnos Studio have proposed to create the "Sovraparco" – a bowl-shaped elevated garden on the Piazzale Loreto in Mian, Italy. The concave structure, which the proposers have likened to an inverted Panthéon, would house a miniature forest and be accessible through a basement-level stairway and ramp. Once inside, visitors would be unable to see the surrounding Milanese cityscape due to

OPEN Architecture have transformed five decommissioned oil containers into the Tank Museum Shanghai – an art gallery and exhibition complex. The new 60,000 sq m attraction, which is situated near an airfield that was active in the 1920s and '30s, also includes a landscaped concourse and "urban forest", as well as retail shops and restaurants. "While paying tribute to the site's industrial past," the architects outlined in a statement, "the

Cultural space developments in the Gulf region continue apace with the opening of a new US$434m (€383m, £328.7m) museum in Doha, Qatar. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the museum resembles a desert rose and has been described as representing a kind of fantasy. "To imagine a desert rose as a basis for a design was a very advanced idea, even a utopian one," said Nouvel. He continued: "To construct

Architecture practice Populous have teamed up with Comcast Spectacor and The Cordish Companies to create the Fusion Arena – a US$50m (€44.2m, £37.7m) competition venue for professional video game players. Set to rise at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, the 60,000 sq ft (5,574 sq m) arena will be able to accommodate up to 3,500 spectators and offer a slew of training facilities, studios, and streaming rooms for competitors. Fusion

Lifestyle and hospitality group SBE Entertainment has unveiled renderings for its first resort in the UAE – the SLS Dubai Hotel and Residences. The US$550m (€485.9m, £416m) flagship will be situated in a 75-storey tower and feature 254 rooms and 371 residences, as well as infinity pools, bars, restaurants, terraces, and cocktail lounges. The resort will also boast a bevy of SBE's Ciel-branded spa facilities, including seven treatment rooms, plunge

Family-owned COMO Hotels and Resorts will open its first hotel in continental Europe next month, the COMO Castello del Nero in Italy. The Tuscan hotel will be the fifteenth property in the Group’s global portfolio. The 740-acre historic estate is situated in the Chianti wine region of Italy, a 30-minute drive from Florence and Siena. At the heart of the estate is a 12th century castello, featuring 50 rooms and