The new-build in Madrid’s developing Sanchinarro district is arranged across varied levels and podiums to minimise massing and improve the public realm Buckley Gray Yeoman’s body of work made the shortlist at last year’s AYAs, as the practice was named a finalist for two awards, including WA100 Architect of the Year. In this series, we take a look at one of the team’s entry projects and ask the firm’s managing director, Oliver Bayliss, to break down some of the biggest specification challenges that needed to be overcome. At ground level, a communal café and garden create an informal plaza at the building’s entrance What were the key requirements of the client’s brief? How did you meet these both through design and specification? The brief called for an office building catering to tech and creative sectors in Madrid’s Sanchinarro district. Key requirements included wellbeing features, varied landscape and multiple breakout spaces. The design response included: More than 1,000sqm of private terraces and gardens. A ground floor public plaza with cafe and informal gathering spaces. Private terraces for each office floor. A bookable events space on the roof terrace. Sustainable design achieving LEED Platinum pre-certification. The design prioritises access to outdoor space for the building’s users, with over 1,000sqm of private terraces and gardens What were the biggest specification challenges on the project and how were these overcome? The biggest specification challenges on the project included meeting sustainability targets, creating a healthy, future-proof workplace and maximising site potential while maintaining quality external space.  Meeting ambitious sustainability targets whilst creating a fully functional office building was solved with the implementation of comprehensive environmental strategies resulting in: Net zero carbon operation. 25% reduction in energy consumption compared to regulations. 45% reduction in water usage compared to regulations. 30% improvement in air quality compared to regulations. Facilities for 100 electric vehicles. Low iron glass being specified for the double-glazed units. LEED Platinum pre-certification. Incorporating post-pandemic safety measures and wellbeing features resulted in the integration of bGRID Smart Building Solution technology, providing: Enhanced air ventilation systems. Real-time monitoring of air quality, CO2 and volatile organic compounds. Automated sanitation level recognition. Smart access control with card readers and number plate recognition. Occupancy monitoring through heat mapping. Balancing development density with extensive outdoor provision required careful arrangement of building mass, including: Strategic positioning towards the street to create rear garden space. Integration of 10,000sqm of outdoor space across multiple levels. Creation of varied public and private external areas, including roof gardens, outdoor meeting pods, private patios and a 2,500sqm private garden. Column-free floorplates of 4,000sqm that maintain flexibility while connecting to outdoor space. These challenges were addressed through integrated design solutions that combined smart technology, innovative environmental systems and careful space planning to create a building that meets contemporary workplace demands while achieving exceptional sustainability credentials. The building is net zero in operation and has a LEED Platinum pre-certification What did you think was the biggest success on the project? The biggest success of the Skylight project lies in its harmonious balance of seemingly competing priorities, creating a workplace that is both environmentally responsible and exceptionally user-focused. The response to the site was to create a new green space open to both the public and the tenants of the building throughout the day. This makes this project unique. At its core, the project demonstrates that ambitious sustainability targets need not compromise the quality of user experience. The building achieves net zero carbon operation and significant energy and water consumption reductions whilst delivering generous, light-filled spaces prioritising occupant wellbeing. The two 120sqm skylights and 100m glass facade flood the flexible, column-free floorplates with natural light, whilst the innovative bGRID Smart Building Solution ensures optimal environmental conditions throughout. Perhaps most notably, the project’s extensive outdoor provision – totalling 10,000sqm – creates a new benchmark for workplace amenities. From the ground floor public plaza to private terraces on each level and the communal rooftop space, these areas provide valuable breakout spaces that enhance wellbeing and productivity. The strategic positioning of the building mass creates an urban lung to the rear, contributing meaningful green space to the developing Sanchinarro district. The project’s response to contemporary workplace priorities is particularly relevant, incorporating advanced air quality monitoring, smart occupancy management and extensive outdoor working options. These features, combined with targeting both LEED and WELL Platinum certifications, position Skylight as an exemplar of post-pandemic office design that prioritises health alongside environmental responsibility. 1/3 show caption Project details Architect Buckley Gray Yeoman Client PineBridge Benson Elliot Developer BWRE Structure Valladares Ingeniería M&E Deerns Quantity surveyor Mace Sustainability Deerns Vertical transportation Hoare Lea Smart building solution bGRID Our “What made this project” series highlights the outstanding work of our Architect of the Year finalists. To keep up-to-date with all the latest from the Architect of the Year Awards visit here.

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He's finally back...Apart from Mario Kart World for Switch 2, Nintendo has also announced Donkey Kong Bananza is on the way to the new system.This game will be released a month after the Switch 2 launch and although it's still a while away, we've now got our first impressions. As you might have seen, we've already shared our 'hands on' here on Nintendo Life and thought it was shaping up to be great stress relief after a long day.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Register for free to join the AR editors and AR W Awards winners and finalists in Venice during the opening week of the architecture biennale Join the Architects’ Journal and The Architectural Review to celebrate the winners of the W Awards 2025 in Venice. This free event will include presentations from the winners of the Jane Drew Prize for Architecture, Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture, and Prize for Research in Gender and Architecture. The winners of the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture and MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice will also be revealed in a joint prize-giving ceremony. Date: Friday 9 May 2025 Time: 11am–1pm Location: ECC, Palazzo Michiel, Venice Register your attendance here Each winner will be presented with a trophy designed by the previous year’s research prize recipients, Swedish architecture collective Mycket. Read about their trophies, crafted from rush and salvaged plastic packaging, here. Read more about the winners and shortlisted practices here, or pick up a copy of AR March 2025 to read all about them in print. 2025-04-11 AR Editors Share

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Perseverance’s challenging three-and-a-half month climb out of Jezero Crater has definitely been worth it, with NASA reportedly discovering a fascinating array of rocks worthy of detailed examination.  “During previous science campaigns in Jezero, it could take several months to find a rock that was significantly different from the last rock we sampled and scientifically unique enough for sampling,” said Perseverance project scientist Katie Stack Morgan of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is overseeing the rover mission. “But up here on the crater rim, there are new and intriguing rocks everywhere the rover turns. It’s been all we had hoped for and more.” Recommended Videos The rover’s ongoing work is helping scientists to gain greater knowledge about the red planet’s history and evolution, though its ultimate aim is to find out whether any kind of life form ever existed there.  Related Perseverance completed its climb out of Jezero Crater in December 2024, ascending 1,640 feet (500 meters) while making a few stops along the way to carry out various science observations. Since the six-wheeled rover began exploring the rim in January, Perseverance has collected five rock samples that in the coming years could be returned to Earth for closer study in laboratory conditions. It has also carried out detailed analysis of seven rocks and analyzed another 83 from a distance by zapping them with a laser.  Scientists are finding the western rim of Jezero Crater to be particularly fruitful due to ancient meteor impacts in the area that disturbed the underlying rocks, bringing them to the surface. Perseverance collected its first crater-rim rock sample, named “Silver Mountain,” soon after reaching the top of the crater. NASA said the rock that it came from likely formed at least 3.9 billion years ago during Mars’ earliest geologic period, and may have been broken up and recrystallized during an ancient meteor impact. Scientists have suggested that it’s the oldest sample collected by the rover to date. Perseverance’s mission began in earnest in 2021 when it touched down on the martian surface in dramatic fashion — a moment captured in incredible detail by cameras attached to both the rover and the spacecraft that dropped it off. Editors’ Recommendations

Juicy government contracts Google takes advantage of federal cost-cutting with steep Workspace discount Google will knock 71% off government Workspace subscriptions for a limited time. Ryan Whitwam – Apr 10, 2025 2:49 pm | 11 The Google Workspace icons. Credit: Google The Google Workspace icons. Credit: Google Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Google has long been on the lookout for ways to break Microsoft's stranglehold on US government office software, and the current drive to cut costs may be it. Google and the federal government have announced an agreement that makes Google Workspace available to all agencies at a significant discount, trimming 71 percent from the service's subscription price tag. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, the government has engaged in a campaign of unbridled staffing reductions and program cancellations, all with the alleged aim of reducing federal spending. It would appear Google recognized this opportunity, negotiating with the General Services Administration (GSA) to offer Workspace at a lower price. Google claims the deal could yield up to $2 billion in savings. Google has previously offered discounts for federal agencies interested in migrating to Workspace, but it saw little success displacing Microsoft. The Windows maker has enjoyed decades as an entrenched tech giant, leading the 365 productivity tools to proliferate throughout the government. While Google has gotten some agencies on board, Microsoft has traditionally won the lion's share of contracts, including the $8 billion Defense Enterprise Office Solutions contract that pushed Microsoft 365 to all corners of the Pentagon beginning in 2020. The GSA notes that Google's hefty 71 percent discount is based on the volume of the entire government. In the past, Google's discounts were offered on an agency-by-agency basis. This new lower rate is available to all agencies, and Google might get some of them to bite. Cutting costs has been among the highest priorities for federal agencies since Musk's DOGE group began making its presence known. Like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace is certified for FedRAMP High, which guarantees security and privacy features compliant with government standards. Google says its new offer to the government also includes Gemini and NotebookLM, which is possible because Gemini is reportedly the first AI assistant to receive FedRAMP High authorization. Importantly, the lower subscription rates are not permanent. The GSA confirms Google's 71 percent discount is only available through September 30, 2025. Even with the brief discount window, the government's push for lowering costs could help Google integrate its products into agencies that are undergoing seismic shifts. As processes are rebuilt around smaller staffs and more limited mandates, Google could become entrenched the way Microsoft has been for years. Ryan Whitwam Senior Technology Reporter Ryan Whitwam Senior Technology Reporter Ryan Whitwam is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering the ways Google, AI, and mobile technology continue to change the world. Over his 20-year career, he's written for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has reviewed more phones than most people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see photos of his dozens of mechanical keyboards. 11 Comments

"You heard her. Every school should have access to A.1," A.1. wrote in a Friday Instagram post. A.1./Instagram; 2025 ASU+GSV Summit/Youtube 2025-04-11T06:26:41Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Secretary of Education Linda McMahon referred to AI as "A1" during a panel this week. A.1.'s marketing team jumped in to savor the moment. The brand created an image of a bottle with a new label: "For education purposes only." Linda McMahon may have meant artificial intelligence — but steak sauce brand A.1. heard opportunity.​​After the Secretary of Education repeatedly referred to artificial intelligence as "A1" on a panel this week, the brand jumped in to savor the moment."You heard her. Every school should have access to A.1.," the brand wrote in a Friday Instagram post, alongside an image of their iconic bottle slapped with a new label: "For education purposes only."The big slogan across the graphic read: "Agree. Best to start them early."McMahon made the slip while speaking at the ASU+GSV Summit, a conference on the future of education and work. She was on a panel discussing the role of AI in the workforce — but things took a saucy turn."You know, AI development — I mean, how can we educate at the speed of light if we don't have the best technology around to do that?" she said. The former CEO of WWE used the correct abbreviation for artificial intelligence, before pivoting into the world of condiments.McMahon said she heard about"Kids are sponges. They just absorb everything," she added. "It wasn't all that long ago that it was, 'We're going to have internet in our schools!' Now let's see A1 and how can that be helpful."McMahon and A.1. did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.It's the latest example of a brand seizing a quick moment of fame on social media.Coffee Mate's marketing team sprang into action after the season finale of "The White Lotus," creating a semi-viral post that played off a key moment from the show.The coffee creamer brand worked with the hit HBO series on two limited-edition flavors ahead of the latest season: piña colada and Thai iced coffee. An executive said his team had no idea that piña coladas would be featured on the hit show's finale on Sunday night. Recommended video

This week I took my son, Zac, to see the new Minecraft movie, which is hardly a remarkable statement in the highly video game-branded world of 21st-century cinema – except that what followed was not typical at all. At least, not yet.As you may have seen from a number of bewildered news reports over the last few days, A Minecraft Movie has quickly engendered a community of, let’s say, highly engaged and enthusiastic fans. Spurred on by TikTok meme posts, vast portions of the film’s audience are now yelling out key lines of dialogue as they happen and singing along to the songs. In one key moment where a rare character from the game – the zombie chicken jockey – is introduced, they go absolutely crazy, throwing drinks and popcorn around, and in some US cinemas, getting escorted from the screening by police.The reaction was a little more muted in our tiny independent cinema in Frome, but still, there were rows of teenagers who had clearly seen all the TikTok posts telling them which lines to shout along to, and went to throw stuff, and they were extremely excited to be doing so, a few surreptitiously filming their mates’ reactions so they could add to the social media carnage. It was boisterous enough for the cinema to post on Facebook the next day about antisocial behaviour and the illegality of recording during a film.There is much to unpack here about the exclusionary nature of internet culture, cinema etiquette and the migration of online communities into physical spaces. Most of the audience reactions were fine – it’s an intentionally daft movie made for fans, and it is thrilling to celebrate fandom in a crowded space with likeminded peers. The film itself constantly rewards those who are immersed in its fiction – we enjoyed spotting the many Easter eggs (“oh look, it’s Herobrine!”) as well as little cameos from Minecraft YouTubers and even the game’s developers. There are also genuinely funny moments of slapstick and irony, hinging on committed performances from Jack Black and Jason Momoa.Flying as high as cinema popcorn … A Minecraft Movie. Photograph: Warner Bros/APBut for Zac, who is 19 and autistic, and for a lot of the smaller children in the auditorium, there were times when the atmosphere was confusing and a little intimidating. There have been comparisons to the wild reactions in screenings of Marvel movies such as Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home, but those responses were largely prompted by in-film events. We all understood why people cheered when Captain America successfully caught Thor’s hammer, since the moment was painstakingly built into the lore of the series.With A Minecraft Movie, the prompts to audience reaction are largely from memes, that branch of internet comedy that is by its nature arcane: the joke is that you are seen to get the joke by other people who also get the joke. Out of context, a meme is a private gag you’re not in on. Perhaps the closest analogy is the culture around The Rocky Horror Picture Show and its legendary fan screenings in fleapit cinemas, complete with water pistols and drag attire. But those events were opt-in – everyone knew what they were getting. I’m not sure the same could be said for all of the parents leaving my screening picking popcorn out of their hair.But look, we really enjoyed watching the film. When Zac was young and struggling to communicate, Minecraft was a cherished outlet for him, allowing him to be creative and to make friends. He still plays to this day; it is his comfort blanket and it changed our lives – not least because I ended up writing a novel, A Boy Made of Blocks, inspired by our experiences within the game. Just hearing that baleful piano music in the cinema, sharing those jokes, seeing something that has had a profound positive effect on my family depicted on a huge screen among other fans, was an emotional experience.Of course, teenagers are supposed to be confusing and intimidating – that’s their job. We can’t just pivot from handwringing over the anxious generation to “let’s ban them from the cinemas because they’re naughty”. Also, in these difficult times for the movie industry, film-makers need to find ways to engage with teen audiences who are going out less, whether that’s due to the expense, social anxiety or the all-encompassing nature of digital culture. A Minecraft Movie is that most perfect unicorn of the entertainment business: a review-retardant, multimillion-dollar blockbuster that’s reaching the most unreachable generation in modern history. A lot of studios are now going to be busy working out how they can capture this meme-soaked magic in a bottle.Perhaps cinema owners will get wise and organise dedicated autism-friendly screenings, or at the opposite end of the scale, embrace the chaos and do special fan nights. They just need to be prepared to pay the cleaning staff a little extra.What to playLike an old war comic … Commandos: Origins. Photograph: Kalypso MediaA few hundred years ago (well, 1998), my favourite example in the then-crowded real-time strategy genre was Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, a rip-roaring world war two tactical adventure where you directed a group of variously skilled soldiers through covert missions against German strongholds. Commandos: Origins is a reimagining of the series, modernising the original’s intricately detailed isometric landscapes and retaining its focus on stealth and sabotage. It’s like being in your own interactive version of old war comics such as Warlord and Battle Action, and I am fully prepared to lose hours of my life repeatedly attempting to get the sniper into the guard tower without being spotted by the patrolling Nazis.Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Estimated playtime: skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionWhat to readThe Nintendo Switch 2 is still keeping some specs under wraps. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP Polygon has some interesting follow-on from the recent Nintendo Switch 2 announcement: the console’s much-heralded group chat feature won’t be free. Instead, owners will have to pay a monthly fee to talk to pals while playing. Elsewhere, Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry team has produced a typically excellent deep dive into the console’s tech specs, which we still know very little about. The use ofAI in game development continues to be controversial and this Aftermath feature talking to game makers who are having to work with artificial intelligence is eye-opening and important. What to clickQuestion BlockNot losing the plot … Dragon Ball FighterZ. Photograph: Namco BandaiThis week’s question comes from StevenMane on Bluesky, who asked:“Fighting games tend to have some of the deepest stories. However, there’s a stigma that fighting games are only about pushing buttons and being hyper-competitive. What could developers and players do to break this stigma?”I think this comes from the disconnect between the action of fighting games and their narrative content: usually, all the story happens in cutscenes and pre-fight taunts, so players can feel disconnected from the lore. A few fighting game designers have started to draw the narrative more into the interactivity, using specific locations, costumes and moves to express the story. I think Injustice and Blazblue do a good job of this, while Namco’s anime-based fighters Dragon Ball and Naruto really cram the ongoing plotlines into the fights. Maybe fighting game devs could look at breaking up bouts to let story sequences in, so players are more heavily invested in the story and understand the stakes. As for players, I’ve always found fighting game communities to be extremely welcoming – that’s all they really need to do.If you’ve got a question for Question Block – or anything else to say about the newsletter – hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.