let the billions fly Amazon pours another $4B into Anthropic, OpenAIs biggest rival Amazon has now committed $8 billion to AI startup that makes a key ChatGPT competitor. Benj Edwards Nov 22, 2024 2:32 pm | 39 Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, during the Bloomberg Technology Summit in San Francisco, California, US, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, during the Bloomberg Technology Summit in San Francisco, California, US, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreOn Friday, Anthropic announced that Amazon has increased its investment in the AI startup by $4 billion, bringing its total stake to $8 billion while maintaining its minority investor position. Anthropic makes Claude, an AI assistant rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT.One reason behind the deal involves chips. The computing demands of training large AI models have made access to specialized processors a requirement for AI companies. While Nvidia currently dominates the AI chip market with customers that include most major tech companies, some cloud providers like Amazon have begun developing their own AI-specific processors.Under the agreement, Anthropic will train and deploy its foundation models using Amazon's custom-built Trainium (for training AI models) and its Inferentia chips (for AI inference, the term for running trained models). The company will also work with Amazon's Annapurna Labs division to advance processor development for AI applications.Reportedly, Anthropic has also been assisting Amazon with developing a new version of its Alexa AI assistant since August based on Anthropic's Claude AI language model. However, snags with security issues and latency have delayed the launch.Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI executives Dario and Daniela Amodei in 2021, will continue using Google's cloud services along with Amazon's infrastructure. The UK Competition and Markets Authority reviewed Amazon's partnership with Anthropic earlier this year and ultimately determined it did not have jurisdiction to investigate further, clearing the way for the partnership to continue.Shaking the money treeAmazon's renewed investment in Anthropic also comes during a time of intense competition between cloud providers Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. Each company has made strategic partnerships with AI model developersMicrosoft with OpenAI (to the tune of $13 billion), Google with Anthropic (committing $2 billion over time), for example. These investments also encourage the use of each company's data centers as demand for AI grows.The size of these investments reflects the current state of AI development. OpenAI raised an additional $6.6 billion in October, potentially valuing the company at $157 billion. Anthropic has been eyeballing a $40 billion valuation during a recent investment round.Training and running AI models is very expensive. While Google and Meta have their own profitable mainline businesses that can subsidize AI development, dedicated AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic need constant infusions of cash to stay afloatin other words, this won't be the last time we hear of billion-dollar-scale AI investments from Big Tech.Benj EdwardsSenior AI ReporterBenj EdwardsSenior AI Reporter Benj Edwards is Ars Technica's Senior AI Reporter and founder of the site's dedicated AI beat in 2022. He's also a tech historian with almost two decades of experience. In his free time, he writes and records music, collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC. 39 Comments

An artists impression of IBMs Eagle quantum processing unitIBMIBM has made a significant advance on the road to larger and more powerful quantum computers by linking two such devices together and performing calculations beyond the capabilities of either alone. The result is a positive sign that the companys bet on a modular approach to scaling up quantum computers is feasible.Quantum computers promise to be able to solve certain problems much faster than conventional devices, but major hurdles remain, including making the computers large enough while reducing errors. Various research groups and companies are taking different approaches to

Dolly Parton makes her sweet potato casserole with a nutty twist.Ingredients for Dolly Parton's sweet potato casserole. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider To make Parton and her sister's sweet potato casserole at home, you'll need:5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered2 cups miniature marshmallows cup chopped raw pecans cup light brown sugar, packed cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon First, I preheated the oven and prepped my potatoes and baking pan.I quartered my sweet potatoes after peeling them. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and buttered a 9-inch by 13-inch pan, per Parton's instructions.I also washed, peeled, and quartered my sweet potatoes. I placed my sweet potatoes in a large pot and covered them with cold water.I cooked the potatoes for 20 minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I brought the pot to a boil over high heat, then lowered the heat to maintain a low boil for 20 minutes while the potatoes cooked.Parton said you'll know the potatoes are ready when they're "fork tender."I drained the potatoes, placed them in a large bowl, and added the butter and seasonings.Seasoning my sweet potatoes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I threw in the brown sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and butter, adding the latter in knobs so it'd be easy to mix. Then, it was time to mash.My mashed sweet potatoes. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Parton recommends using a potato masher to mix the ingredients until they're "well combined," but I don't own one, so I simply used a big wooden fork. It worked like a charm.I transferred my mashed sweet potatoes to the baking pan, smoothing the top.I covered the top of the pan with marshmallows, as Dolly instructed. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I sprinkled the pecans before evenly covering the casserole with my miniature marshmallows. I covered my pan with aluminum foil and threw it in the oven.My covered pan. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Parton says you should bake your sweet potato casserole for 20 minutes.Once the 20 minutes were up, I removed the foil and baked the sweet potato casserole for five more minutes.My sweet potato casserole after 20 minutes in the oven. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider Parton says your marshmallows should be "golden brown" once the five minutes are up. My marshmallows were still white as snow, so I turned on the broiler and baked the casserole for two additional minutes to give them some color. I let my sweet potato casserole cool for 15 minutes before serving, per Parton's recommendation. Then, everyone dug in!I would make Dolly Parton's sweet potato casserole again, with one little tweak. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider I was slightly disappointed when the sweet potato casserole came out of the oven. The marshmallows got a little overcooked by the broiler and now only covered half of the casserole. Next time, I think I'll skip Parton's aluminum foil trick and just let the marshmallows cook uncovered the entire time.But unphotogenic marshmallows aside, the flavor of this sweet potato casserole was delicious. The crunch of the pecans was a delightful twist, and the combination of the brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon was well-balanced. The texture was satisfyingly creamy, and the dish smelled delicious. I brought this for a recent Friendsgiving, and the pan was empty within minutes despite having a lot of competition!So, with one little tweak, I think the Parton sisters' sweet potato casserole will be a hit on your holiday menu.

Hiring could increase in 2025, easing job changes for workers.Job postings for recruiters are up in some industries. That can signal broader hiring will follow.One industry's workers are feeling "restless and grumpy," an HR exec told BI.Come 2025, you might find it's a tad easier to change jobs.That would be welcome news for many. While layoffs and the overall US unemployment rate remain low, some employees in industries like tech have felt stuck in their roles because of tepid hiring.Labor market experts and executives who oversee corporate recruitment told Business Insider that more people could switch roles next year. One possible sign: Job postings for recruiters are up in some industries.Hiring recruiters tends to signal an increase in broader hiring about three months later, Lisa Simon, the chief economist at Revelio Labs, which examines employment data, told BI.Simon said demand isn't uniformly higher, though, in some areas, it's up sharply. Take electronics manufacturing. Job recruitment postings in that sector have jumped about 76% from the first quarter of 2024, according to data from Revelio Labs and Appcast, which provides recruitment advertising services.Recruiter postings for areas like pharmaceuticals as well as hospitality and tourism management are up about 45% from early 2024."It could well be that this is real," Simon said, referring to the demand for recruiters indicating a broader economic lift.As always, unforeseen economic obstacles could emerge. It also remains unclear whether proposals to increase tariffs or cut the federal workforce might alter some employers' plans.Nevertheless, there's room for optimism, according to Sean Barry, VP of talent acquisition at Allstate. He told BI that he expects the company will hire between 15,000 and 16,000 workers in 2025, up from an estimated 14,000 this year. The insurance giant has about 55,000 workers."I personally think the entire market is going to experience an uptick," Barry said, referring to overall hiring in the US in 2025.Working through a backlogIf hiring does heat up in 2025, it might take time for everyone hunting for a job to see the effects, Daniel Zhao, the lead economist at Glassdoor, told BI.He said that because many workers have had to settle for lower-paying or lower-seniority positions in recent years, they might be the first to seek better roles."Those experienced workers will be prime targets to climb the career ladder," Zhao said.It would likely then take longer, he said, for entry-level workers and new grads to see the benefits of a stronger job market as they might need to wait for more experienced peers to create vacancies.Regardless, increased movement could give a much-needed boost to worker sentiment, Zhao said."Workers are feeling stuck right now," he said, "creating an epidemic of employee disengagement."If the job market doesn't strengthen as hoped, Zhao said some workers' frustrations over their 9-to-5 could rise.Yet "if the job market heats up, then we'll likely see a wave of turnover as workers vote with their feet," Zhao said.Michelle Volberg, a longtime recruiter who founded Twill, a venture-backed startup that pays tech workers to recommend peers for key jobs, told BI in early November that she's witnessed more demand from employers for 2025."We're seeing a pretty healthy number of roles planning to be posted in January, probably more than we even expected," Volberg said. She added that she'd seen an "upward trend" in the past year.It might not be the Great Resignation 2.0Even if the job market does pick up, Simon, from Revelio Labs, said it won't be like the pandemic-era boom when companies like the tech giants scooped up workers."We're done with that level of hiring," she said.Yet even without a Great Resignation Redux, finding the right workers could remain challenging for some.Christina Schelling, SVP and chief talent and diversity officer at Verizon, told BI that she expects the competition for workers to remain high.Verizon has some 105,000 employees and typically fills about 20,000 jobs a year through a mix of internal and external candidates. She expects that will continue."I don't think that it's going to be any easier to get the best of the best to work here," Schelling said.Feeling 'restless and grumpy'Tanya Moore, chief people officer at the consulting firm West Monroe, told BI that reductions in promotions and job changes for many US desk workers have hurt morale.Over the summer, she grew concerned that some of the firm's employees were not feeling recognized or rewarded for their work.Based on conversations with West Monroe employees and others in the industry, Moore said many consultants are feeling "restless and grumpy."So, Moore and several colleagues went to the company's board. Moore shared her concern that if the job market heats up in 2025, as she expects, key employees could be tempted to leave.The board listened. In October, to help stave off an exodus and to "make workers feel valued," Moore said, the company paid a bonus to the top 18% of its performers. The payouts were based on financial criteria that she said were "clear and hard to argue with."The payments were in addition to the annual bonuses that a wider pool of employees are eligible for.Moore expects the consulting business and the broader economy will see "moderate" growth in 2025 and stepped-up growth in 2026. That could lead to another "big reshuffle," she said.Already, she said, West Monroe has seen a slight uptick in attrition."As the economy settles and people get more confident, I think we're going to see a whole other Great Resignation," Moore said.

The US-Mexico border isnt the only place where the impact of President-elect Donald Trumps immigration policies is likely to be keenly felt. Major changes are likely to come to the US-Canada border, as well.Tom Homan, who Trump recently named his border czar, has sought to sound the alarm about immigrants entering the US without authorization via the Canadian border, and has outlined plans to make entering the US through its northern border more difficult. Canada is also bracing for a potential influx of immigrants if Trump moves forward with his plans for mass deportations and to end temporary protections for more than 1 million immigrants in the United States. The Canadian border isnt often a focus of the US political debate over immigration, but policy discussions on both sides of the border suggest that may change in the next Trump administration. That could both strain normally friendly US-Canada relations and reshape domestic Canadian politics on immigration.Changes are already underway in Canada. After Trumps election, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reestablished a special Cabinet committee on relations between the two countries that will reportedly have a major immigration focus. Trudeau will now not only have to contend with Trumps policies but also a Canadian public that has become increasingly resistant to accepting asylum seekers and refugees in the last four years.Though it receives less attention than the US-Mexico border, the US-Canada border has become a flashpoint in the past. During his first administration, Trump sought to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a set of legal protections for citizens of certain countries experiencing upheaval. As a result, thousands of immigrants flocked to the northern border in 2018 to seek refuge in Canada. In 2023, a dirt road in upstate New York also became an informal gateway for some 40,000 immigrants crossing over to Canada to seek asylum, most from Latin America but some coming from as far as Asia. The Canadian government eventually closed the crossing in 2023. Now, the border may again become a priority in US-Canada diplomacy. Trumps plans for the northern borderTrump himself has not outlined his plans for the Canadian border, but Homan has been clear on his recommendations.Homan said in an interview with a local TV station in New York earlier this month that the northern border constitutes an extreme national security vulnerability, citing increasing numbers of migrant encounters in recent years, including of hundreds of people on the US terror watchlist. Border agents recorded almost 199,000 encounters along the northern border in fiscal year 2024, which ended in October, compared to about 110,000 just two years before. Canada cant be a gateway to terrorists coming to the United States, Homan said in the interview.He added that he intends to tackle the pace of migration once at the White House by deploying more immigration enforcement agents to the northern border and encouraging Trump to negotiate with Trudeau to increase enforcement on the Canadian side. Homan also suggested that a version of Trumps Remain in Mexico policy could be implemented in Canada. Its not clear exactly what that might look like or whether Trudeaus government would acquiesce to such a policy, but the original version forced tens of thousands of migrants to await decisions on their US immigration cases in Mexico for months. President Joe Biden ended the policy on the Mexican border, but Trump has signaled he intends to revive it.Canada is bracing for an influx of immigrants from the USCanadian authorities are reportedly preparing for a wave of immigrants arriving from the US under a second Trump presidency, just as they saw beginning in his first. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police recorded an increase in irregular border crossings between 2016 and 2023 from only a few hundred arrivals in a three-month period to over 14,000 at their peak resulting in part from Trumps immigration policies. The most direct example of that was Haitians who claimed asylum in Canada when Trump ended their TPS status, which had been in place since a devastating 2010 earthquake from which their home country never fully recovered. They arrived on foot and crossed the border between checkpoints. There are reportedly concerns among some Canadian officials that Trumps mass deportations policy and targeting of TPS and other programs shielding immigrants from deportation will drive people to the Canadian border. The New York Times reported earlier this month that Canadian authorities are drawing up plans to add patrols, buy new vehicles and set up emergency reception facilities at the border between New York State and the province of Quebec.These resources might help prevent tragedies like a 2022 case in which a family, aided by smugglers, froze to death on the Canadian side of the border while trying to enter the United StatesThe Canadian government also reportedly intends to enforce its so-called Safe Third Country agreement with the US, which states Canada has the right to deport asylum seekers who travel through the US before trying to claim asylum in Canada. Those migrants would then have to apply for asylum in the US. Homan has indicated that the Trump administration intends to detain them for the duration of their court proceedings in the US. Currently, most migrants are released into the US while awaiting their court proceedings.Canadas plans mark a departure from Trudeaus previously open-arms approach to immigrants during the first Trump administration, one that reflects a broader change in Canadians feelings about immigration. To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, Trudeau tweeted in 2017, just after Trump implemented his travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. Seven years later, he said in a video statement that his government had made some mistakes on immigration in the post-pandemic era. We could have acted quicker and turned off the taps [of immigration] faster, he said.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

Why I blame Xbox for Sony buying FromSoftwareGameCentralPublished November 24, 2024 9:00am Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree will Froms next game be a PS5 exclusive? (Bandai Namco)A reader is angry at the thought of Sony buying the makers of Dark Souls and Elden Ring and blames Microsoft for starting the trend.When the news about Sony buying FromSoftwares parent company emerged it seemed like just another rumour and not even a particularly believable one, given the complications involved. And yet within a matter of days we got confirmation that they really were interested and while that doesnt guarantee the sale, it does make it very likely. I blame Microsoft for this.I have both an Xbox and PlayStation, so I dont consider myself bias one way or another, but this rush to buy up every publisher and developer possible was started by Microsoft and it was always obvious what it would lead to. Sony is simply trying to play by their game and now were in a position where theres drastically less big name publishers than there were a decade ago.Microsoft shut down a lot of its first party developers at the end of the Xbox 360 era and when Phil Spencer took over he rightly realised this had been a mistake and so started buying up developers. None of those made a difference to their bottom line though, so then they bought Bethesda. Then, when that didnt make any difference either, they bought Activision Blizzard. The rest is history.Xbox make lots of money now but only by doing exactly what Activision Blizzard did already: sell games on all formats. None of this has helped the Xbox console, which is quickly being sidelined, and its not hard to guess whats going to happen to these other developers now that Microsoft has a cash cow and they dont have to worry about all these smaller companies.Spending money is the only thing Microsoft knows how to do when things turned pear-shaped, but they mustve known what they were setting in motion when they started buying up other companies.Its not even just Sony that has responded but other big publishers that have realised that if they want developers for themselves, even if they were happy dealing with them as independents, they have no choice but to buy them before they become the next target for Microsoft.Theres good reason to think that Sony bought Bungie to keep them out of Microsofts grasp, as much as they wanted them for themselves. Im sure theres a lot of people at Sony that regret buying Bungie now and yet on the other hand at least they werent snapped up by Microsoft.Dont get me wrong, I think all of these acquisitions are awful and bad for the industry, but Sony and the others had to respond in kind or the percentage of the industry that Microsoft owns would be even bigger than it is now.It would have been so much better if FromSoftware had remained independent but now theyre likely going to be making PlayStation exclusives from now on. That wouldve been the case with everyone Microsoft bought too, if the Xbox console hadnt been too far gone by that point already.Its not even hard to guess wholl be next, with Ubisoft circling the drain. Then whos left? EA, Take-Two, and Warner Bros.? Thats it in terms of Western publishers. And to think how many there used to be only a few years ago, all trying to compete with each other and gamers benefiting from that competition with better games.Now everything is owned by just a handful of different companies and theres no real competition at all, just a conveyor of product where anything that isnt a massive hit instantly gets the entire studio shut down.More TrendingI dont know how bad its going to get before the end. Will someone buy EA? Will the Japanese publishers start getting bought up as well? Will it all end where the entire industry is literally just Microsoft vs. Sony? I dont know but I do know I dont like it.By reader Pinky Its a scorched earth policy for Microsoft and Sony (Bandai Namco)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

The Galaxy Z Flip 6 is currently one of the most exciting deals available for Black Friday, with huge discounts on the official Samsung website. This promotion represents the best savings of the year, and customers need to choose between two attractive options.First, you can take advantage of an immediate discount of $250, which brings the price of the 256GB model down to $849 from its original price of $1,099. Alternatively, Samsung provides a trade-in offer that allows users to receive a total discount of $750, which reduces the price to just $349 from $1,099 after trading in an old smartphone. The trade-in value will be assessed based on the condition and model of the device being exchanged.See Galaxy Z Flip 6 256GB at Samsung.comFor those considering the 512GB version, certain colors come with an additional $100 discount by default. For instance, if you opt for the green color, the price drops to $1,119, and with the trade-in offer, it can be as low as $369. This makes the 512GB model nearly equivalent in price to the 256GB variant under these conditions.See Galaxy Z Flip 6 512GB at Samsung.comIn addition to these massive savings on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 itself, you will also benefit from a 1.5% cashback offer. Furthermore, Samsung is offering discounts ranging from 40% to 70% on all accessories including smartwatches and earbuds like the Galaxy Buds3 Pro.Elegant And PowerfulThe Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a stunning example of modern design, and arguably the most elegant foldable smartphone on the market today. Its iconic clamshell design has been refined to enhance both aesthetics and functionality and makes it a standout choice for style-conscious consumers. One of the most striking features of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is its sleek profile: When closed, the device is compact and easily fits into pockets or small bags. The matte finish on the back and frame adds a touch of sophistication and minimizes fingerprints.In addition to its stunning exterior, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display which provides vibrant colors and sharp details. The displays 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and responsiveness. The external 3.4-inch Super AMOLED cover screen allows for quick access to notifications without needing to unfold the device, adding both convenience and style.Moreover, Samsung has made significant improvements to the durability of this model with an enhanced zero-gap hinge design, which not only makes the fold almost imperceptible when open but also contributes to its overall sturdiness. With an IP48 rating, this phone is resistant to dust and water, making it suitable for everyday use in various environments.Whats for sure is that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 stands out as a great option this Black Friday with unprecedented savings. Whether opting for the immediate discount or leveraging the trade-in program, you have a unique opportunity to own one of the most innovative and elegant smartphones on the market at a fraction of its original cost.See Galaxy Z Flip 6 256GB at Samsung.com

Hollywoods been trying to get a Highlanderreboot off the ground for years, with different directors, writers, and actors at the helm. As we learned back in January, the latest attempt is set to star ex-Superman Henry Cavill and be helmed by John Wickdirector Chad Stahelski. We havent heard much about it since then, but Stahelskis recently teased some interesting aspects of the film. Speaking to the Direct (thanks, IGN), Stahelski revealed the newHighlanderis set beyond present-day New York and Hong Kong. As he described it, Cavills character has been an immortal warrior for over 500 years. Hes the last person in the world that wanted to be in this situation, so you get to cover quite a broad spread of a character arc there. Definitely not Cavills first rodeo as a reluctant hero, but the director apparently sold him on the project by explaining that the role would provide a chance to play a character that not a lot of people get to play. As for what else you can expect from Highlander,Stahelski teased thered be a whole lot of action. Youre shocked, surely, but he more explicitly stated audiences would experience someone thats trained over 500 years and sort of played [with many types of] martial arts. During his journey, Cavills hero becomes embroiled in a love story, though its apparently not as eyeroll-worthy as that may sound. Theres another kind of myth at play with that part of the movie, said Stahelski, helped by learning how to bend the story while working on the John Wickmovies.If that sounds like your kind of action flick, itll be a while: production on theHighlandermovie is set to kick off in spring 2025, and Lionsgate hasnt set down a firm release window at time of writing. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Library of Chongqing Electric Power College / Gu Zhihong Studio, AATUSave this picture! Gang WeiLibrary, Interior DesignTong Nan, ChinaArchitects: Gu Zhihong Studio, AATUAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:24300 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Gang WeiMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The new campus of Chongqing Electric Power College is located in a continuous mountainous environment in Tongnan District, Chongqing. The site of the campus is undulating with drops of nearly 100 meters. The total construction area of the campus is about 370,000 square meters, which is a high-density valley-type mountainous campus. Based on the analysis and research of the landscape environment and subject development, the architect decided to implant a ribbon-shaped growth and light interference buildings into the mountainous environment to build a compact and smart valley-type high-density landscape campus with ecological adaptability. The library is the spatial core of this light interference band-shaped building complex.Save this picture!Save this picture!The library has a construction area of about 16000 square meters. The architect attempts to comprehensively balance various design factors such as the campus ecological environment, cultural environment, energy conservation and emission reduction, space shaping and other design factors during the architectural design process, and deeply integrate with the unique cultural elements and characteristics of the electric power discipline from multiple levels and perspectives, trying to explore a multi-dimensional symbiotic personalized creative thinking that can essentially lead the campus design.Save this picture!Save this picture!Green and low-carbon thinking reflected in the ecological ring. The library is located in the center of the valley, where airflow is blocked by the surrounding mountains. Therefore, the architect choses a circular building shape with half-raised ground floor to enclose a three-dimensional wind corridor connected to the outside world. Through hot pressure difference between upper and lower sides, cool air cooled by the catchment landscape water is introduced into the interior of the building, strengthening the natural ventilation of the overall building, reducing building energy consumption, and improving space comfort. At the same time, the permeable architectural form lightly interferes with the organic growth state between the mountains, forming a multi-dimensional dialogue with the landscape. The comfortable and pleasant space under the corridor facing landscape water body, sheltered from rain and sun, will also become a place for students to read, study, and communicate.Save this picture!Save this picture!Interest in electric power discipline reflected by the energy ring. In addition to the ecological nature of the circular shape, the library is an "energy ring" of electricity in the cultural sense, which comes from the distinctive subject characteristics of the college. The building's facade abstractly displays the form of lightning through the change in the thickness of sunshade rods, which is the source of human understanding of electricity-Franklin's introduction of sky electricity, in order to easily and interestingly express the unique cultural charm of the electric power campus and create a campus cultural carrier with scientific spiritual connotations and electric power science connotations. Walking into the library, the indoor space also carries the connotation of power culture. In the center of atrium, an interesting hovering "energy ring" wooden staircase communicates with the sky and earth, which forms an infinite recurring "power structure" with the circular space of the sharing space. This "Giant Electric structure" embodies the scientific interest of energy exchange between man and nature, go and return circulation, and the communication between heaven and earth by science.Save this picture!Save this picture!The "Energy Ring" library presents the source of electric power, the Oriental wisdom of how to use the power of nature, and the energy interaction between man and nature in a unique space. Human learned about electricity from nature, and changed human lives and understanding of science through electricity. By making use of nature and understanding nature better, human beings have achieved self-revolution and development one after another. Meanwhile, man and nature are not simply a demanding relationship, but an interactive relationship. Human beings are part of nature and need to protect nature and return to nature. The "energy ring" embodies the interest of electricity as an important energy source used by humans and carrying out energy circulation. It also embodies the interaction and dependence between man and nature, as well as the positive philosophical meaning of people take the initiative to understand, utilize and integrate into nature. As the main transportation space and communication space of the library, the "Energy Ring" arc-shaped sharing hall not only fulfills its functional significance, but also realizes the cultural value of educating people in the library space.Save this picture!Save this picture!Through the "Energy Ring" library, the campus buildings have a closer symbiotic relationship with the mountains and rivers. The campus's humanistic characteristics interact with the natural environment of mountains and rivers, expressing the characteristics of the electric power discipline easily and interestingly and embodying the positive and harmonious relationship between man and nature also carries the unique cultural significance of the campus. With the dynamic and ecologically interesting "Energy ring" library, architects explored an innovative path to create more distinctive educational buildings through spatial translation with subject characteristics and philosophical meanings, and used this to break the one side of thousands of schools and create a more interesting future campus.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Chongqing, ChinaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeMaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on November 24, 2024Cite: "Library of Chongqing Electric Power College / Gu Zhihong Studio, AATU" 24 Nov 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1023695/library-of-chongqing-electric-power-college-gu-zhihong-studio-aatu&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save? / You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Zigzag Tower / Atelier FCJZSave this picture! Fangfang TianOfficesZhengzhou, ChinaArchitects: Atelier FCJZAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:39172 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2016 PhotographsPhotographs:Fangfang TianMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture! Fangfang TianTypological analysisThe design of speculative office towers is usually dictated by sets of conventions such as safety concerns and natural light. The project, a high-rise speculative office tower, is located at the Zhengdong New District in the city of Zhengzhou. After studying various precedents, we decided to accept the prototypical, rectilinear plan with centralized cores as a starting point while looking actively for improvements during the design process.Save this picture!Site geometryAnopportunity forimprovementwas presented by thesite itselfa slightly curved rectilinear parcel that is a part of a monumentalring around an artificial lake. We believe the curvature, however subtle, shouldbe acknowledged and so transformed therectangularplan intoa zigzagged configuration. Such move also addeda sense of verticality toan otherwiseblockyvolume.Save this picture!Save this picture!Floor plan and spaceThe zigzag configuration offers a floor plan with multiplecorners for better views anda sense ofspatialaggregation brought by thesmaller increments. In sectional design, we devised between the cores an atriumthat penetrates all floorsand spanned by footbridges so thebuilding'sdramatic verticality can be experienced from within.Save this picture!Save this picture!Structure and economyThe beam-free, reinforced-concrete structuralsystem with central cores and peripheral columns createsa total openspace flexible for further division. Withoutbeams, we were able to reduce the floor heightbut not the ceiling heightto include an extra floor within the building height limit.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Facadedesign Peripheral columns for load bearing and natural ventilation are placed in alternation outside the building enclosure, reinforcing the vertical composition of the volumes. Neighboring columns twist and converge with the descending height for better indoor-outdoor interaction on the lower floors.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Zhengzhou, ChinaLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeAtelier FCJZOfficeMaterialsMaterials and TagsPublished on November 24, 2024Cite: "Zigzag Tower / Atelier FCJZ" 23 Nov 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1023721/zigzag-tower-atelier-fcjz&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save? / You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream