Svart, the world’s first energy-positive hotel, has appointed award-winning Danish designers Space Copenhagen to lead the property’s interior design. Designed by the Norwegian architect firm Snøhetta, Svart will be located in Arctic Norway at the base of the Svartisen glacier and will house an indoor-outdoor spa – designed by spa and wellness consultant Felicity Leahy, as well as four restaurants, an education centre and a design laboratory. The glass-fronted, circular

In 2021, the Hotel Green Solution House (Hotel GSH), on the Danish island of Bornholm will welcome a brand new wing, built, clad and insulated using wooden materials that will be both CO2 neutral and climate positive. Currently under construction, the groundbreaking 24-key wing will feature a rooftop spa and conference room, and is being designed by the same team that originally built Hotel GSH in 2015 – Danish architecture

LA-based experience design studio, BRC Imagination Arts, is the creative force behind the new Glenkinchie Distillery attraction, which has opened today (29 October 2020) near Edinburgh, Scotland. The single malt distillery is located in East Lothian, a region known for its produce and has undergone a major transformation of its visitor attraction as part of a wider £185m investment by owner, Diageo. Glenkinchie will be known as the ‘Lowland Home

Designs have been revealed for the world’s first dedicated coral conservation facility, to be located at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. Designed by Australian architects Contreras Earl Architecture, in partnership with Arup and Werner Sobek for the Great Barrier Reef Legacy, The Living Coral Biobank aims to secure the long-term future and biodiversity of corals worldwide. The 6,830sq m multi-function centre will have exhibition areas,

A new waterfront destination in San Francisco, US, would transform the city's South Beach neighbourhood. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, the project – called The Cove – would be developed on the site of three former piers which were destroyed in 1984. The Cove is based around a dramatic five-acre public park and has been designed to provide a new hub of activity for the city. The horseshoe-shaped building includes modular,

Luxury Irish spa resort, The Johnstown Estate, in County Meath, has invested €3.5m (US$4.13m, £3.18m) in creating a new spa nearly twice the size of its previous facility, scheduled to launch early November 2020. The overhaul was conceived by Millimetre Design, the interior design and branding studio which created Johnstown’s Fire & Salt Restaurant, Coach House Brasserie, The Atrium and many of the other spaces at the 167-key Johnstown Estate.

Belgian football team Club Brugge has appointed architects B2Ai and SCAU to develop designs for a new €100m stadium. The new stadium, to be located at the heart of a new park in Bruges' Sint-Andries district, will seat 40,000 fans and will be designed to provide a more "intimate experience". Design aspects of the venue include an exterior draped in a see-through, perforated textile covering, while inside modern, open-plan councourses

Four Seasons has announced a collaboration with Mexican real estate development company, Paralelo 19 Desarrollos, to realise a new luxury resort located in Mexico. Debuting in 2021 as Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, México, the project will be located on a private peninsula along the Pacific Ocean and house an organic spa set amongst a tropical backdrop with eight treatment rooms, saunas, steamrooms, and hot and cold plunge pools. The resort

Following the death of Design Museum and Habitat-founder, Terence Conran, aged 88, we celebrate his wide ranging influence on the museum, hospitality and leisure industries. In a tribute, his family said: “Terence Conran was a visionary who enjoyed an extraordinary life and career that revolutionised the way we live in Britain. "A proud patriot, he promoted the best of British design, culture and the arts around the world and at

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has opened a new luxury resort and spa in Japan, expanding its luxury Asia Pacific portfolio into the historic mountain region of Nikko. Nikken Sekki led the architecture for the overall project, while rooms and public spaces were designed by Layan Architects + Designers. The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko, showcases a new spa designed to be an urban sanctuary of wellness inspired by the abundance of natural revitalising

Maslina Resort has opened on the Croatian island of Hvar, inspired by local healing traditions and nature. Croatian architect Tomislav Alujevic, interior designer Léonie Alma Mason and landscaper Thomas Seconde were responsible for the project, working with Melany Martinez Thomas, founder of consultancy, Spa and Wellness Collective on the spa. Located near Stari Grad, the 53-key resort is surrounded by olive groves and terraced vineyards, stretching across two hectares of

The long-awaited Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa in the historic spa town of Buxton in the UK will open its doors on 1 October 2020 following an extensive multi-million-pound restoration, after plans were first submitted nearly 15 years ago. Archer Humphryes Architects and Nicholas Jacob Architects have both worked on the project, which has revived one of the UK's first genuine spa hotels, the 81-key destination will re-establish Buxton’s

The UK government has revealed the six finalists for its Home of 2030 initiative. Launched in November 2019, the competition has been designed to encourage the best and brightest talents of the design industry to create environmentally sustainable, practical and scalable ideas for future homes. A particular focus in deciding a winner will be on designs which support people to live independent, fulfilling lives as society ages. The six teams

Warner Bros. has revealed plans to develop a Harry Potter studio tour attraction in Japanese capital Tokyo. To be located on the grounds of the Toshimaen Amusement Park in the city's Nerima ward, the attraction will become the second Harry Potter studio site, following the opening of the inaugural Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, UK. Since its launch in 2012, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of

The architectural competition to decide the designer of the planned Shenzhen Opera House has reached the closing stages, with three high-profile practices being selected as finalists. Those making it to the final list are Jean Nouvel Ateliers, Bjarke Ingels Group, working with Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, and Kengo Kuma and Associates, working with Shenzhen University Institute of Architectural Design. The opera house project is being driven by the local

Mexican design firm, Aidia Studio, has unveiled plans for a complex of 25 luxury hotel pods with collapsible shells, located in the Rub’ al Khali Desert in Abu Dhabi. Called the Oculus, the pod consists of a double-glazed dome encasing a luxury hotel room, which is shrouded by a collapsible shell for shading, temperature control, camouflage and privacy. The outer shell is made up of 60 shading panels which create

The organising committee of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have shelved plans to create an athletes' village in the Perry Barr area of the city. The £520m development would have provided a home for around 6,500 athletes and officials during the Games and was due for completion in early 2022. Post games, the development was set to be converted into more than 1,400 homes, forming the first phase of a

Architecture firm, Killa Design, is collaborating with interior design consultant, KCA, to deliver upcoming twin-tower development, The Address Residences Jumeirah Resort and Spa and The Residences Jumeirah Dubai, in Dubai. The beachfront destination will be housed in 310-ft-tall towers, interconnected by lower and upper bridges. The property will include a 217-room, 77-storey hotel, as well as fully-serviced apartments and luxury residences. Facilities will include a rooftop infinity pool offering unrivalled

A South Tyrolean wellness resort in Saltaus, Italy, has received a new two-floor wellness centre designed to provide a sanctuary of wellbeing that integrates smoothly into the natural landscape. Apfelhotel Torgglerhof hotel’s new 570sq m facility has been created to complement the resort’s existing spa with its apple-shaped bio-sauna – inspired by the local apple orchards. Architecture and interior design firm Network of Architecture (noa*) led the overhaul, with construction

Following approval to build a £250mn wellbeing resort in Manchester, Therme Group has revealed plans to develop and expand its concept in other major UK cities. “Our aim is to ensure that a Therme Group wellbeing resort is within easy reach of 90 per cent of the UK population,” commented Therme UK COO, James Mark. The development plan includes projects – with a similar concept to Therme Manchester – in

Rosewood Hotels and Resorts is expanding its presence in the Middle East with plans to open a hotel and residences in Doha, Qatar, in 2022. Housed in two towers, Rosewood Doha and Rosewood Residences Doha will consist of one 40-storey building that will include 300 residences for purchase while the other 37-floor tower will feature a 185-room ultra-luxury hotel and 173 serviced apartments for longer-term stays. The hotel group has

Six Senses has announced plans to open a new Italian resort at a historic castle estate nestled into the Umbrian countryside, in Perugia, scheduled to open in 2023. Architecture firm Woods Bagot is behind the masterplan, while interiors are being planned by Tokyo-based Design Studio SPIN. The redevelopment is being driven by VIY Management (VIYM), a London-based investment firm focused on luxury hospitality and mixed-use real estate projects, and Alessio

Construction work on Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Sydney, Australia, is expected to be completed in late 2020. The City of Sydney, which owns the centre, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused delays to works and it now expects the facility to open by the end of the year. When complete, Gunyama Park will be the biggest aquatic complex built in Sydney since the 2000 Olympic Games.

Wellness destination and spa, Rancho La Puerta, has announced plans for a private, wellness-focused village of residences on The Ranch’s 4,000 acres in Tecate, Mexico. The Residences will be an extension to the Rancho La Puerta community and will be nestled beside a vineyard, with sweeping views of Mount Kuchumaa and will be both connected to, and separate from, The Ranch. The vision for the project is focused on creating

Details have been revealed for what is being described as the world's most radical and environmentally-friendly furniture factory and visitor centre. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) for Vestre, the 6,500sq m factory – called The Plus – is in Magnor, Norway. It will be a "global showcase for sustainability" and highly-efficient manufacturing. As well as a fully functional factory, The Plus will include a visitor centre and a 300-acre

A team of architects have revealed plans to transform a multi-lane road in central Copenhagen into a green and car-free city park. The project will turn a famously congested passage to an inviting living space, where "nature is merged into the urban space". The road will be replaced by trees, water, wildlife and illuminations, with the aim of creating a new recreation area in the middle of the Danish capital

Global wellbeing organisation, Therme Group, has confirmed its 28-acre wellbeing project in the UK is on track to begin construction. Set to open in 2023, the £250m (US$308.6m, €274.4m) waterpark and spa project will combine hundreds of water-based activities with wellbeing treatments, art, nature and technology to create a unique destination. Therme Manchester will feature a dedicated adults’ area with warm-water lagoons hidden among botanical gardens, therapeutic mineral pools, swim-up