Georgia Aquarium defends new VP after dolphin abuse claims
by Tom Anstey | 09 Feb 2015
Jose Barbero (not pictured) is alleged to have kicked, hit and screamed at dolphins he trained in Spain / Shutterstock.com
Georgia Aquarium has rebuked claims that its staff abused dolphins, with the aquarium’s CEO Mark Leven stating footage that emerged last week was doctored by animal rights activists.
Speaking to local media, Leven said he believed the video – which purportedly shows the aquarium’s new vice president Jose Barbero hitting, kicking and screaming at dolphins he trained in Spain – had been doctored.
“This video is disturbing, we are not happy about it and we are investigating,” said Leven. “We have blown it up. It's very poor. We have seen that it could well be doctored. There is no real indication that we have found yet of any animal abuse in that video. That's not to say we won't.
"We think [Barbero] deserves, after 37 years in a career and no indication in our vetting that this had happened, that we should stand by him until we can prove that this kind of behavior would take place."
The International Marine Animal Training Association is also investigating the matter with Leven adding that the aquarium will stand by Barbero unless the video is proven to be real. Should the video prove real, Leven has said Barbero will be terminated with immediate effect. Barbero is scheduled to start with the aquarium in March.
Georgia Aquarium has rebuked claims that its staff abused dolphins, with the aquarium’s CEO Mark Leven stating footage that emerged last week was doctored by animal rights activists. Speaking to local media, Leven said he believed the video – which purportedly shows the aquarium’s new vice president Jose Barbero hitting, kicking and screaming at dolphins he trained in Spain – had been doctored. “This video is disturbing, we are not
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Ole Scheeren and Shigeru Ban team up to design art and cultural destination in Hangzhou
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FIFA files criminal complaint over funding of €459m world football museum
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ReardonSmith leads design of Heya – a hotel room concept offering personalisation for each guest
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Flaxmill Maltings – the world's first cast-iron framed building – is to be redeveloped as a visitor attraction by Mather & Co
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LVMH announces Bulgari Hotel for Miami Beach, with design by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel
by Megan Whitby | 10 Dec 2020
Bulgari Hotels & Resorts will open a new property in Miami Beach, Florida, in 2024. The Bulgari Hotel Miami Beach will be a 100-key beachfront hotel, offering a luxury wellness retreat complete with a large spa and fitness centre and outdoor pool. The hotel will be housed inside a building originally created by Miami architect Albert Anis in the late 1950s, located in the National Register Architectural District. The design
Technogym opens retail store in Los Angeles
by Tom Walker | 09 Dec 2020
Technogym has opened the latest of its consumer-facing retail store concepts in Los Angeles, US. The two-floor store, covering 3,500sq ft, is located in the heart of the West Hollywood Design District and will showcase the full range of Technogym's equipment and services. Specifically targeting the high-end consumer market, the store will allow people to access and discover the company's at-home products and solutions. Staff at the site will include
AZPML and UKST win competition to design Korean Museum of Urbanism and Architecture
by Tom Walker | 09 Dec 2020
Architects AZPML and UKST have secured the commission to design the Korean Museum of Urbanism and Architecture (KMUA), a £31.4m project in Sejong, South Korea. The competition was organised by the National Agency for Administrative City Construction (NAACC), which is looking to establish a museum exploring the history and the development of the built environment across the country. With a total floor area of 17,050sq m, the museum will be
Delos partners with TPP Capital to advance access to health and wellbeing solutions in urban communities
by Megan Whitby | 08 Dec 2020
Global wellness real estate and technology company Delos is collaborating with TPP Capital Management Group (TPP) – a Black-led social impact private equity fund manager and healthcare real estate development firm – to advance health and wellness through buildings in urban communities. The partnership will first work to transform Tioga District in North Philadelphia, US, with evidence-based healthy building strategies and solutions. The district has an 85.5 per cent Black
The Well creates integrated wellness retreat in New England countryside for Auberge Resorts
by Megan Whitby | 04 Dec 2020
The Well has struck its first-ever hospitality partnership and developed a holistic wellbeing retreat for Auberge Resort Collection’s Mayflower Inn & Spa resort, in Connecticut. The opening will complete Mayflower Inn’s property-wide transformation including a redesign of the 35-room resort, led by interior designer Celerie Kembele. The Well is a modern wellness brand known for its first location in New York which offers integrated holistic health solutions and access to
Architects 10 Design reveal plans for ambitious Edinburgh city centre plans
by Tom Walker | 28 Nov 2020
International architecture practice 10 Design has revealed its design concepts for an ambitious redevelopment of Edinburgh’s city centre. The project will transform the former Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) site on Dundas Street into a first-rate mixed-use development, which will create a new urban centre, providing a significant addition of public realm, including hotel, retail, residential and office components. The development will replace the existing car park and the ex-RBS
Perth's Boola Bardip museum opens in new AU$400m building designed by Hassell and OMA
by Tom Walker | 24 Nov 2020
Western Australia's new $400m WA Museum Boola Bardip, in the heart of Perth's Cultural Centre, has officially opened after four years of construction. Charting the rich heritage of Western Australia (WA), the museum houses eight permanent exhibition galleries, a 1,000sq m special exhibition gallery, life-long learning studios and retail, café and public spaces. The Museum has been conceived as a ‘collection of stories’ about WA's diversity, history and contemporary culture.
UK Government's £1bn scheme to decarbonise is 'a huge opportunity' for the leisure industries
by Tom Walker | 19 Nov 2020
The UK government has launched a £1bn Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), providing grant funding for energy efficiency measures across the public sector. The funding has been made available for capital sustainability and heat decarbonisation projects within public sector non-domestic buildings, including central government departments and non-departmental public bodies in England. Public sector bodies can apply for a grant to finance up to 100 per cent of the costs of
Museum devoted to the history of the US Army opens its doors
by Tom Walker | 16 Nov 2020
A museum telling the story of the US Army has opened in close to Newington, close to Washington, D.C. The National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA) is the first to outline the rich heritage of the oldest branch of the United States military had has been designed to serve as a center of education and as the Army’s symbolic "front door". Rather than focusing on battles or wars,
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