ATTRACTIONS


Merlin unveils £185m plans for new Legoland Japan


Merlin Entertainments has unveiled plans for a high-profile development in the world’s second biggest theme park market, with the launch of its first Legoland in Japan. Te new park, to be located in the central


city of Nagoya, will cost around £185m in total and adds to UK-based Merlin’s existing port- folio of six Legoland parks in five countries. Merlin is looking to build on the success


of its existing Legoland Discovery Centre in Tokyo. With the Japanese theme park mar- ket valued at approximately £4bn and Lego brand awareness in the country already high, Merlin expects to attract a broad market, with a particular focus on young families. Legoland Japan will be of simi- lar scale to those in Malaysia and Florida. Details: http://lei.sr?a=g9W5u


Science Museum set for redesign


A number of famous names are among the 13 firms in the running to design new galleries at London’s Science Museum as the regeneration of the site. Zaha Hadid, Amanda


Levete and Haworth Tompkins are all vying for a shot at shaping the two new galleries – a maths area due to open in 2016 and a medicine offering set to fol- low two years later. Hadid has been short-


listed for the maths gallery along with five others including Hugh Broughton and Carmody Groarke. Te new mathematics gal- lery will bid to illustrate the subject’s vital role in all aspects of life, recounting stories of math- ematicians, their tools and ideas, and the wider world their work has underpinned, from the turn of the 17th century to the present. Te brief for the medicine galleries is to


“create the world’s greatest centre for the understanding of medicine through a ground- breaking suite of new galleries,” set to be


Gloriana in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Pageant


New river park could house Queen’s Jubilee Rowbarge


A proposed new river park in London’s Richmond upon Tames could become home to the Queen’s Royal Row Barge, should planning permission be approved. Gloriana – the first Royal rowbarge to be


built in over 200 years – was specially con- structed to serve as a lasting legacy to mark Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. She was the lead craſt at the Diamond Jubilee Pageant which saw rowing legends Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent take the ores. Gloriana is being used to promote bet-


ter use of the Tames via a programme of opportunities for charities and other events that celebrate the Tames – with a partic- ular emphasis on involving young people. However, authorities are eager for


Gloriana to have a safe and secure per- manent base – with access to the water to continue carrying out her ceremonial func- tions – where the public can learn about the history of the vessel, and the region’s boat- building heritage from centuries gone. Foster and Partners has produced designs


for a modern boathouse in Twickenham’s Orleans Park. Details: http://lei.sr?a=C3F7y


8 Te Science Museum in South Kensington is undergoing a major revamp


double the size of the existing offering. Te galleries will reveal personal stories about how our lives have been transformed by changes in medicine and health over the last 400 years. Seven practices have been shortlisted for the medicines galleries, including Rick Mather and Wilkinson Eyre. Appointments for both projects will be made in early August. Details: http://lei.sr?a=u3P6K


How Minecraft can get more kids into galleries


Te online phenomenon known as Minecraſt has been highlighted as a method of getting more children interested in museums and galleries. Adam Clarke of The Common


People offered ways in which Minecraſt – a sandbox indie game which allows players to build con- structions out of textured cubes in a 3D generated world – could be used to educate children and simul- taneously get them interested in museums and galleries worldwide. A forefront creator in the online


Minecraſt has more than 100 million registered users


Minecraſt community, Clarke has instigated numerous groundbreaking Minecraſt projects and is involved in the use of Minecraſt within cultural, heritage and educational settings. With Minecraſt particularly popular among


kids, Clarke suggested using Minecraft to expose and teach the younger generation about museums, artefacts, science and archaeology. Among the innovations created by Clarke in the game, one of the most outstanding is Tatecraſt – a project shortlisted for the Tate Britain IK prize which celebrates talent in the digital industry. Tatecraſt saw the Tate Britain


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


recreated in-game, with players able to liter- ally enter the works of art, explore the streets and see the world “behind” the art. “It’s an adventure in art and culture, not


learning in the traditional sense, but kids are making these connections from gameplay,” said Clarke speaking at MuseumNext 2014. Te fact that objects created in Minecraſt


can be 3D printed in the real world, bringing virtual creations to life, also benefits learning institutions such as science museums in an effort to attract more children to the attractions. Details: http://lei.sr?a=v9B6W


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24