Architecture and design news

The 35 private mansions will be built in the grounds of the Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental / Mandarin Oriental

Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi

by Helen Andrews | 05 Jun 2026

Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029. The creation of a new residence brand marks the expansion of the group’s global portfolio of residence offerings, which until now have fallen under the Mandarin Oriental Residences brand. Laurent Kleitman, group chief executive of Mandarin Oriental, said: “Abu Dhabi continues to distinguish itself internationally through the depth of its cultural identity, the quality of its hospitality, and

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Architecture and design news

Eve Music Hall – the building 'has only fronts' / BIG

BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion

by Liz Terry | 04 Jun 2026

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has unveiled its design for Eve Music Hall in Čepin, eastern Croatia, as construction progresses towards completion ahead of the opening, which is scheduled for March 2027. The 10,000sq m venue is being developed as a new cultural, entertainment and events destination for the Slavonia region and is BIG's first completed project in Croatia, as well as its first completed music performance venue. Designed to accommodate almost 4,000 guests indoors and up to 25,000 people for

Architecture and design news

(L-R) Brad Shelton, VP of story and creative; Bob Rogers, founder; Carmel Lewis, president; Christian Lachel, chief creative officer; and Matthew Solari, VP of story and creative / BRC Imagination Arts

Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team

by Liz Terry | 04 Jun 2026

Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while remaining actively involved with the company. Ownership has transferred to president Carmel Lewis, chief creative officer Christian Lachel and vice presidents of story and creative, Brad Shelton and Matthew Solari. The move formalises a leadership structure that the company says has been operating in practice for some time. Rogers, who founded BRC 45 years

Architecture and design news

TR Equipment Sweden has supplied specialist therapeutic bathing systems / Addere Care Vilnius

Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept

by Helen Andrews | 03 Jun 2026

Lithuanian care operator Addere Care has launched a “wellness care hospital” in Vilnius. It's the company’s second Lithuanian site, following a hospital in Trakai, but the first to offer professional medical care in a spa resort environment. The new 4,400sq m facility has been developed within a reconstructed former hotel. It features 160 rooms and a day care centre that can accommodate up to 12 patients at a time. The site has treatment areas, communal spaces that resemble spa resort

Architecture and design news

Madrid's Olympic Aquatic Centre is the focus of a major regeneration project / Atlético de Madrid

Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex

by Kath Hudson | 01 Jun 2026

Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.

The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will be developed on a 115-hectare municipal site granted on a

Architecture and design news

The property will have a forest shower / Auko

All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves

by Helen Andrews | 28 May 2026

Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing. Van Phu Real Estate Development JSC owns the property, which is set along the Son River in the UNESCO-listed landscape of Phong Nha–Ke Bang National Park. The site borders the world’s largest cave system by volume (38.5 million cubic metres), the Son Doong caves. Guests will be invited to switch off their

Architecture and design news

The entire Therme Manchester site measures 28-acres / Therme Group

Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme

by Helen Andrews | 28 May 2026

Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK. The site will also have 60,000sq m of surrounding external space that will be developed as community gardens. Even compared to future sites in the Therme Group pipeline all over the world, the Manchester complex will remain the largest. In addition to its UK

Architecture and design news

The 2,800sq m spa has a vitality pool and a 23-metre pool can also be found on the rooftop / Joe Thomas

Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people

by Helen Andrews | 28 May 2026

Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary, with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s Southwest coast – the Calusa. The spa, which is set across three levels, was created by Champalimaud Design and uses a layered palette of natural materials, soft textures and luminous light to echo Naples’ shoreline. The reception features a hand-painted tile mural created in collaboration with an artisan workshop in

Architecture and design news

Puy du Fou has ambitions to build an attraction in the UK / Shutterstock/photofort 77

Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor

by Liz Terry | 27 May 2026

A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.

For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the route of East West Rail suggests the region is evolving

Architecture and design news

The new theatre features Penguins, Sharks and Octopi / © Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez, © John Downer Productions Ltd, 2024 Photography Frederique Olivier/JDP © 2012

Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater

by Liz Terry | 22 May 2026

Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.

The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.