AIs emissions are about to skyrocket even further Its no secret that the current AI boom is using up immense amounts of energy. Now we have a better idea of how much. A new paper, from a team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, examined 78% of all data centers in the country in the US. These facilitiesessentially buildings filled to the brim with rows of serversare where AI models get trained, and they also get pinged every time we send a request through models like ChatGPT. They require huge amounts of energy both to power the servers and to keep them cool. Since 2018, carbon emissions from data centers in the US have tripled.Its difficult to put a number on how much AI in particular is responsible for this surge. But AIs share is certainly growing rapidly as nearly every segment of the economy attempts to adopt the technology. Read the full story. Googles big week was a flex for the power of big tech Google has been speeding toward the holiday by shipping or announcing a flurry of products and updates. The combination of stuff here is pretty monumental, not just for a single company, but I think because it speaks to the power of the technology industryeven if it does trigger a personal desire that we could do more to harness that power and put it to more noble uses.Read more here. This story originally appeared in The Debrief with Mat Honan, our weekly take on whats really going on behind the biggest tech headlines. The story is subscriber-only sonab a subscriptiontoo, if you havent already! Or you cansign upto the newsletter for free to get the next edition in your inbox on Friday. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Mysterious drones have been spotted along the US east coast People are getting a bit freaked out, to say the least. (BBC) Although sometimes theyre just small planes, authorities say.(Wired) Trump says they should be shot down.(Politico) 2 TikTok could be gone from app stores by January 19 Last week, a US appeals court upheld a law forcing Bytedance to divest. (Reuters) The rationale behind the ban could open the door to other regulations that suppress speech.(Atlantic) Influencers are putting together their post-TikTok plans.(Business Insider) The long-shot plan to save TikTok. (Verge) The depressing truth about the coming ban.(MIT Technology Review) 3 Authorities in Serbia are using phone-cracking tools to install spyware Activists and journalists found their phone had been tampered with after a run-in with police. (404 Media) 4 Cellphone videos are fueling violence inside US schools Students are using phones to arrange, provoke and capture brawls in the corridors. (NYT) 5 AI search startup Perplexity says it will generate $10.5 million a month next year Its in talks to raise money at a $9 billion valuation. (The Information) AI search could break the web. (MIT Technology Review) 6 How Musks partnership with Trump could influence science Even if he cant cut as much as hed like, he still stands to make big changes. (Nature) Is deleting the IRS his worst idea yet?(Washington Post) The top cybersecurity agency is bracing for Trump. (Wired) Trumps win is a huge loss for the climate.(MIT Technology Review) 7 AI firms will scour the globe looking for cheap energy Low-cost power is an absolute priority. (Wired) Its an insatiably hungry industry.(Bloomberg) 8 Anthropics Claude is winning the chatbot battle for tech insiders Its not as big as ChatGPT, but it's got a special something that people like. (NYT) A new Character.ai chatbot for teens will no longer talk romance. (Verge) How to trust what a chatbot says.(MIT Technology Review) 9 The reaction to the UnitedHealthcare CEOs murder could prompt a reckoning Healthcares algorithmic decision-making turns us into numbers on a spreadsheets. (Vanity Fair) Luigi Mangione has to mean something. (Atlantic) 10 How Chinas satellite megaprojects are challenging Starlink Between them, Qianfan, Guo Wang and Honghu-3 could have as many satellites.(CNBC) Quote of the day Weve achieved peak data and therell be no more. OpenAIs cofounder and former chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, tells the NeurIPS conference that the way AI models will be trained will have to change. The big story How to stop a state from sinkingApril 2024 In a 10-month span between 2020 and 2021, southwest Louisiana saw five climate-related disasters, including two destructive hurricanes. As if that wasnt bad enough, more storms are coming, and many areas are not prepared. But some government officials and state engineers are hoping there is an alternative: elevation. The $6.8 billion Southwest Coastal Louisiana Project is betting that raising residences by a few feet, coupled with extensive work to restore coastal boundary lands, will keep Louisianans in their communities. Ultimately, its something of a last-ditch effort to preserve this slice of coastline, even as some locals pick up and move inland and as formal plans for managed retreat become more popular in climate-vulnerable areas across the country and the rest of the world.Read the full story. Xander Peters We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?Drop me a lineortweet 'em at me.)+ How to make the most of yourjigsaw puzzlestry them on hard mode. +Mr Tickleis a maniac who needs to be stopped.+ Asong about Christmasthat probably many of us can relate to, if were honest. + If the original Home Alone was wince-inducing in terms of injuries, thesequelis even more excruciating.+ The best crispy roast potatoes ever?Ill let you be the judge.

Last week, this space was all about OpenAIs 12 days of shipmas. This week, the spotlight is on Google, which has been speeding toward the holiday by shipping or announcing its own flurry of products and updates. The combination of stuff here is pretty monumental, not just for a single company, but I think because it speaks to the power of the technology industryeven if it does trigger a personal desire that we could do more to harness that power and put it to more noble uses. To start, last week Google Introduced Veo, a new video generation model, and Imagen 3, a new version of its image generation model.Then on Monday, Google announced a breakthrough in quantum computing with its Willow chip. The company claims the new machine is capable of a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes that would take one of todays fastest supercomputers 10 septillion (that is, 1025) years. you may recall that MIT Technology Review covered some of the Willow work after researchers posted a paper preprint in August. But this week marked the big media splash. It was a stunning update that had Silicon Valley abuzz. (Seriously, I have never gotten so many quantum computing pitches as in the past few days.) Google followed this on Wednesday with even more gifts: a Gemini 2 release, a Project Astra update, and even more news about forthcoming agents called Mariner, an agent that can browse the web, and Jules, a coding assistant. First: Gemini 2. Its impressive, with a lot of performance updates. But I have frankly grown a little inured by language-model performance updates to the point of apathy. Or at least near-apathy. I want to see them do something. So for me, the cooler update was second on the list: Project Astra, which comes across like an AI from a futuristic movie set. Google first showed a demo of Astra back in May at its developer conference, and it was the talk of the show. But, since demos offer companies chances to show off products at their most polished, it can be hard to tell whats real and whats just staged for the audience. Still, when my colleague Will Douglas Heaven recently got to try it out himself, live and unscripted, it largely lived up to the hype. Although he found it glitchy, he noted that those glitches can be easily corrected. He called the experience stunning and said it could be generative AIs killer app.On top of all this, Will notes that this week Google DeepMind CEO (the companys AI division) Demis Hassabis was in Sweden to receive his Nobel Prize. And what did you do with your week? Making all this even more impressive, the advances represented in Willow, Gemini, Astra, and Veo are ones that just a few years ago many, many people would have said were not possibleor at least not in this timeframe.A popular knock on the tech industry is that it has a tendency to over-promise and under-deliver. The phone in your pocket gives the lie to this. So too do the rides I took in Waymos self-driving cars this week. (Both of which arrived faster than Ubers estimated wait time. And honestly its not been that long since the mere ability to summon an Uber was cool!) And while quantum has a long way to go, the Willow announcement seems like an exceptional advance; if not a tipping point exactly, then at least a real waypoint on a long road. (For what its worth, Im still not totally sold on chatbots. They do offer novel ways of interacting with computers, and have revolutionized information retrieval. But whether they are beneficial for humanityespecially given energy debts, the use of copyrighted material in their training data, their perhaps insurmountable tendency to hallucinate, etc.is debatable, and certainly is being debated. But Im pretty floored by this weeks announcements from Google, as well as OpenAIfull stop.) And for all the necessary and overdue talk about reining in the power of Big Tech, the ability to hit significant new milestones on so many different fronts all at once is something that only a company with the resources of a Google (or Apple or Microsoft or Amazon or Meta or Baidu or whichever other behemoth) can do.All this said, I dont want us to buy more gadgets or spend more time looking at our screens. I dont want us to become more isolated physically, socializing with others only via our electronic devices. I dont want us to fill the air with carbon or our soil with e-waste. I do not think these things should be the price we pay to drive progress forward. Its indisputable that humanity would be better served if more of the tech industry was focused on ending poverty and hunger and disease and war. Yet every once in a while, in the ever-rising tide of hype and nonsense that pumps out of Silicon Valley, epitomized by the AI gold rush of the past couple of years, there are moments that make me sit back in awe and amazement at what people can achieve, and in which I become hopeful about our ability to actually solve our larger problemsif only because we can solve so many other dumber, but incredibly complicated ones. This week was one of those times for me. Now read the rest of The Debrief The News Robotaxi adoptionis hitting a tipping point. But also,GM is shutting down its Cruise robotaxi division. Hereshow to use OpenAIs new video editing toolSora. Blueskyhas an impersonator problem. The AI hype machine iscoming under government scrutiny. The Chat Every week, I talk to one of MIT Technology Reviews journalists to go behind the scenes of a story they are working on. This week, I hit up James ODonnell, who covers AI and hardware, about his story on how the startup defense contractorAnduril is bringing AI to the battlefield. Mat:James, you got a pretty up close look at something most people probably havent even thought about yet, which is how the future of AI-assisted warfare might look. What did you learn on that trip that you think will surprise people? James:Two things stand out. One, I think people would be surprised by the gulf between how technology has developed for the last 15 years for consumers versus the military. For consumers, weve gotten phones, computers, smart TVs and other technologies that generally do a pretty good job of talking to each other and sharing our data, even though theyre made by dozens of different manufacturers. Its called the internet of things. In the military, technology has developed in exactly the opposite way, and its putting them in a crisis. They have stealth aircraft all over the world, but communicating about a drone threat might be done with Powerpoints and a chat service reminiscent of AOL Instant Messenger. The second is just how much the Pentagon is now looking to AI to change all of this. New initiatives have surged in the current AI boom. They are spending on training new AI models to better detect threats, autonomous fighter jets, and intelligence platforms that use AI to find pertinent information. What I saw at Andurils test site in California is also a key piece of that. Using AI to connect to and control lots of different pieces of hardware, like drones and cameras and submarines, from a single platform. The amount being invested in AI is much smaller than for aircraft carriers and jets, but its growing. Mat:I was talking with a different startup defense contractor recently, who was talking to me about the difficulty of getting all these increasingly autonomous devices on the battlefield talking to each other in a coordinated way. Like Anduril, he was making the case that this has to be done at the edge, and that there is too much happening for human decision making to process. Do you think thats true? Why is that? James:So many in the defense space have pointed to the war in Ukraine as a sign that warfare is changing. Drones are cheaper and more capable than they ever were in the wars in the Middle East. Its why the Pentagon is spending $1 billion on the Replicator initiative to fieldthousands of cheap dronesby 2025. Its also looking to field more underwater drones as it plans for scenarios in which China may invade Taiwan. Once you get these systems, though, the problem is having all the devices communicate with one another securely. You need to play Air Traffic Control at the same time that youre pulling in satellite imagery and intelligence information, all in environments where communication links are vulnerable to attacks. Mat:I guess I still have a mental image of a control room somewhere, like you might see inDr. StrangeloveorWar Games(orStar Warsfor that matter) with a handful of humans directing things. Are those days over? James:I think a couple things will change. One, a single person in that control room will be responsible for a lot more than they are now. Rather than running just one camera or drone system manually, theyll command software that does it for them, for lots of different devices. The idea that the defense tech sector is pushing is to take them out of the mundane tasksrotating a camera around to look for threatsand instead put them in the drivers seat for decisions that only humans, not machines, can make. Mat:I know that critics of the industry push back on the idea of AI being empowered to make battlefield decisions, particularly when it comes to life and death, but it seems to me that we are increasingly creeping toward that and it seems perhaps inevitable. Whats your sense? James:This is painting with broad strokes, but I think the debates about military AI fall along similar lines to what we see for autonomous vehicles. You have proponents saying that driving is not a thing humans are particularly good at, and when they make mistakes, it takes lives. Others might agree conceptually, but debate at what point its appropriate to fully adopt fallible self-driving technology in the real world. How much better does it have to be than humans? In the military, the stakes are higher. Theres no question that AI is increasingly being used to sort through and surface information to decision-makers. Its finding patterns in data, translating information, and identifying possible threats. Proponents are outspoken that that will make warfare more precise and reduce casualties. What critics are concerned about is how far across that decision-making pipeline AI is going, and how much there is human oversight. I think where it leaves me is wanting transparency. When AI systems make mistakes, just like when human military commanders make mistakes, I think we deserve to know, and that transparency does not have to compromise national security. It tookyearsfor reporter Azmat Khan to piece together the mistakes made during drone strikes in the Middle East, because agencies were not forthcoming. That obfuscation absolutely cannot be the norm as we enter the age of military AI. Mat:Finally, did you have a chance to hit an In-N-Out burger while you were in California? James:Normally In-N-Out is a requisite stop for me in California, but ahead of my trip I heard lots of good things about the burgers at The Apple Pan in West LA, so I went there. To be honest, the fries were better, but for the burger I have to hand it to In-N-Out. The Recommendation A few weeks ago I suggestedCa7riel and Paco Amorosos appearance on NPR Tiny Desk. At the risk of this space becoming a Tiny Desk stan account, Im back again with another. I was completely floored byDoechiis Tiny Desk appearance last week. Its so full of talent and joy and style and power. I came away completely inspired and have basically had her music on repeat in Spotify ever since. If you are already a fan of her recorded music, you will love her live. If shes new to you, well, youre welcome. Go check it out. Oh, and dont worry: Im not planning to recommendBillie Eilishs new Tiny Desk concertin next weeks newsletter. Mostly because Im doing so now.

Submitted by WA ContentsMVRDV wraps Tiffany & Co. store in hand-crafted ceramic diamonds in Stuttgart Germany Architecture News - Dec 16, 2024 - 14:36 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"MVRDV has wrapped the new Tiffany & Co. store in hand-crafted ceramic elements in the shape of diamonds in Stuttgart, Germany.Named Tiffany Faade Stuttgart, the 165-square-metre building references Tiffanys history of material innovation to create a three-dimensional, striking faade.The iridescent sparkle of these diamonds, which are invisibly set onto the glass storefront to create a "floating" illusion, is reminiscent of the Favrile Glass, which Louis Comfort Tiffany patented in 1894.In order to create a strategy for developing faades for Tiffany, the designers at MVRDV came up with a number of ideas that were influenced by the history of Tiffany & Co. and could be transformed into imaginative, exquisitely designed, striking architectural results.The Stuttgart store was created using a variety of themes, including the desire to experiment with materials and a strong sense of three-dimensionality, which were influenced by the delicate texture of Tiffany jewelry and the exquisite geometry of diamond cuts.Using specially made steel fixings, 2,829 ceramic diamonds have been mounted directly into the glass storefront of the faade. Installed on the exterior and interior of the glass, this creates the illusion that guests are in a surreal environment full of floating diamonds.These diamonds' densities are changed to provide the desired transparency and opacity; they "dissolve" around window displays and at the building's corner to let views into and out of the store.A "slip-casting" technique is used to manually cast each diamond, after which it is coated in one of nine colors that create a gradient from Tiffany's trademark robin's-egg blue to a pure white. In addition to helping Tiffany draw in customers, this color gradient makes the store blend in with the neutral hues of the Dorotheen Quartier."In our faade design for the Stuttgart store, we tried to capture the sense of wonder and enchantment that has characterised the world of Tiffany & Co. ever since its inception," said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs."Being surrounded by seemingly floating diamonds, with their shimmering iridescence, we hope will do justice to this history," Van Rijs added.Koninklijke Tichelaar, the oldest ceramics factory in the Netherlands and a master of specialty glazes, produced the diamonds. The diamonds are completed with an iridescent shine in addition to the colors that comprise the faade's gradient, creating a gentle, dynamic finish that varies according on the viewing angle, weather, and lighting conditions.In order to produce a delicate, realistic sheen, Dutch ceramic and glaze company Tichelaar and MVRDV collaborated to develop this glaze, which exploits deliberate fluctuations in mineral composition and glazing temperature over the diamond surface.The effect alludes to the iridescent, lavishly colored glass known as Favrile, which Louis Comfort Tiffany created and patented in the 1890s.Recently, MVRDV created a glittering store for Tiffany & Co, featuring a diamond-studded facade in Shanghai. In addition, the firm designed one-of-a-kind faade made up of recycled ocean plastics for the Tiffany & Co. store at Changi Airport in Singapore.Architecture practice MVRDV was established in 1993 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries. MVRDV became a globally recognized firm after achieving early success with projects like the Dutch Public Broadcaster VPRO headquarters and the WoZoCo senior home complex in Amsterdam.Project factsProject name:Tiffany Faade StuttgartArchitects:MVRDVLocation: Stuttgart, GermanyYear: 2022-2024Client:Tiffany & Co.Founding Partner in charge:Jacob van RijsPartner:Fokke MoerelDesign Team: Aser Gimnez Ortega, Elien Deceuninck, Monica Di Salvo, Simone Costa, Natalia Lipczuk, Basak Gunalp, Tatiana GurduzaPartnersCeramics:Koninklijke Tichelaar MakkumContractor: SOMEC Mestieri GroupLighting:METIS LightingAll images Gionata Xerra Studio.> via MVRDV

Submitted by WA ContentsWinners of the 2nd edition of the Young Moroccan Architecture Awards revealedMorocco Architecture News - Dec 16, 2024 - 13:59 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The Young Moroccan Architecture Awards (YMAA) celebrated the creativity of Morocco's vibrant young architectural scene by rewarding emerging talents during a memorable evening at the Marriott Hotel in Casablanca.This event, held under the auspices of the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing, and Urban Policy, underscored the significance of promoting architecture in Morocco.The Award CeremonyDuring this festive ceremony, 19 prizes and trophies were awarded to the finalist architects, highlighting the innovation and excellence of the new generation of Moroccan architects.The YMAA, organized by the Archimedia Group the leading media dedicated to architecture and construction in Africa aims to promote the emergence of Moroccan architects and the realization of their projects on a national and international scale. After the success of the first edition, this competition is experiencing renewed enthusiasm this year.The jury of this 2nd edition of theYMAA, chaired by architect Mohamed Fikri Benabdallah, perfectly illustrates the desire for transmission and generational renewal. Recognized for his insatiable commitment to young talents, he is a passionate defender of contemporary Moroccan architecture and dialogue between generations.The YMAA also aims to promote constant improvement in architectural practice by encouraging constructive and enriching exchanges between professionals. By highlighting current achievements and providing a platform dedicated to the presentation of projects, this event allows for a better understanding of the challenges and solutions specific to each context. It also helps to refine perspectives, stimulate dialogue and develop a critical eye that is essential to the evolution of architecture.The YMAA are part of a context where the practice of architecture in Morocco is oscillating in a progressive and regrettable weakening of the framework for exercising the profession. The jury, fully aware of the delicacy and harshness of this exercise, had to decide carefully. Some young architects did not try their luck this year, out of restraint or hesitation, while others, despite their participation, did not see their efforts rewarded. Competitions, by their very nature, are sensitive events: they reveal as much as they test, celebrate as much as they question. But beyond the result, the YMAA aims to be a space for dialogue and recognition, where the evaluation of projects is accompanied by a deeper reflection on the future of the profession and the challenges it faces.The Young Moroccan Architects In The SpotlightThe YMAA 2024 honored architectural excellence through 16 awards and 3 special distinctions across various categories, ranging from renovation to education, along with three prestigious distinctions: AwardsImage Amine HouariZvaco Special Prize: Villa Ribat Bioclimatic in Rabat - Anas KoubaitiImage courtesy of Mohamed Yahya El Alj, Noesis Architecture StudioHealth and well-being: The Tulip Clinic in Casablanca - Mohamed Yahya El Alj, Noesis Architecture StudioImage Omar TajmouatiEducation: The French International High School in Benguerir - Zineb AjebbarImage Medialaoui AgencyIndividual residential real estate: "Hermitage" El Menzeh resort in Rabat - Sakina Belkasmi & Ahmed Amine Khiyati, All In ConceptImage courtesy of Younes DiouriRetail and commercial architecture: Ovillage shopping in Casablanca - Younes DiouriImage Alession MeiLeisure and tourism: Socio-cultural center of Kenitra - AGA STUDIOImage Amine KasmiInterior design and decoration: School extension E1337, Khouribga - Sakina Belkasmi & Ahmed Amine Khiyati, All In ConceptImage courtesy of Rida HbibiRenovation and refurbishment: Foundouk Kabbaj in Marrakech - Rida HbibiImage Laabi RaidSingle-Family Home: Villa ID in Tangier - Younes DiouriImage Alession MeiOffice building: Headquarters of the Competition Council in Rabat - Adil Sadik et Camlia DendaneImage Al Maslil MehdiCollective housing: Zig Zag building in Casablanca - YLA STUDIOImage Mehdi MounirFirst work: Villa E/N in Marrakech - THE AKA'S - Architecture Kosmopolitan AgencyImage Mara BaronDesign Architect of the Year: M'hammad MuffakImage Youssef EchihOut of category: Luxalight stand at SIB 2022, El Jadida - Samia MoukhalidImage courtesy of Othmane BoudlalBest male PFE: "Returning the coastline" - Othmane BoudlalImage courtesy of Rim MoussaouiBest female PFE: Towards a new eco-district model adapted to the Moroccan context - Rim MoussaouiDistinctions:Image Amine HouariBuilding of the Year: Villa Ribat Bioclimatic - Anas KoubaitiImage Zakaria TaberkantAudience favorite: The Gateway to Laayoune - Yassine BenkiraneImage Zakaria El HamoudiPrize Fouad Akalay: The Delacroix Residence in Rabat - Merouane Oussama ZouaouiThe second edition of the Young Moroccan Architecture Awards is the sensitive and outstanding realization of the visionary architect and passionate advocate of Moroccan modern architecture and those who define it, Fouad Akalay, who founded the competition. The YMAA represents his dreamthat of a meaningful architecturewith tact and genius, enhancing the skill and audacity of Moroccan architects and raising Moroccan architecture's profile internationally.Founded by the late Fouad Akalay, a visionary architect and ardent defender of Moroccan contemporary architecture and those who shape it, the second edition of the Young Moroccan Architecture Awards is the sensitive and dazzling embodiment of his dream.embodies with sensitivity and brilliance its dream: that of a meaningful architecture, magnifying the talent and boldness of Moroccan architects while contributing to the prestige of Moroccan architecture on the world stage.From now on, this excellence, and generational renewal, this event will now firmly represent the legacy of his vision: to inspire future architects to innovate while honoring the most inspirational projects around the Kingdom.World Architecture Community is the official media partner of YMAA 2024. Top image in the article: Villa Ribat Bioclimatic in Rabat - Anas Koubaiti. Amine Houari.All results can be viewed at YMAA website.> via YMAA

Developer Ballymore hopes to start on two Newham schemes next yearSource: BallymoreBallymores proposed Knights Road schemeBallymore has submitted two hybrid planning applications for riverside schemes in east London which together would deliver 3,684 homes.Proposals for schemes at Thames Road, designed by Howells, and Knights Road, designed by Allies & Morrison, have both been submitted for approval to Newham Council.Proposals for the former scheme were first submitted to the council in September 2021 but were stalled when the Greater London Authority raised concerns about the level of affordability in the scheme.The original proposals, which included an affordable housing share of 17%, never went to planning committee and the developer went back to the drawing board, with Howells also asked to add second staircases to the scheme.Both applications flank the developers completed 40-acre Royal Wharf project and have been designed to blend into the neighbourhood.Thames Road, which is adjacent to Thames Barrier Park and Pontoon Dock DLR, would see 1,658 new homes delivered, of which 281 are for affordable tenures.The project would also include 359 co-living suites, a new primary school, light industrial workspace, new parkland, plus ground floor retail and community spaces.Meanwhile, the Knights Road scheme lies a short walk from West Silvertown DLR, and would include 1,667 new homes, 334 of which are affordable.It would also deliver 4,000 sq m of light industrial and flexible workspace, along with improvements to the 4.5-acre Lyle Park.> Also read:Bishopsgate Goodsyard resurfaces as developers eye 2025 construction startJohn Mulryan, managing director at Ballymore, said: Weve been deeply committed to this part of London for several decades, and its a gift to be able to expand upon the success of Royal Wharf so that we can continue to support the neighbourhoods growth and build upon its character.Royal Wharf has become a blueprint for successful brownfield development completed back in 2020 yet to this day delegations from around the world visit to study the project.Subject to planning progress, the developer hopes to begin construction next year.OCSC is structural engineer on the Knights Road scheme with Hoare Lea working on MEP.Hoare Lea is also responsible for MEP on the Thames Road scheme, with Walsh as structural engineer on this job.

Bury House decision pleases Historic England but heritage group attacks 1 Undershaft green light given at same hearingStreet level view of the proposals for the Bury House siteThe City of London has refused plans by Stiff & Trevillion for a highly controversial 43-storey office tower due to concerns over the impact it would have on Britains oldest synagogue.Councillors voted 14 against and eight in favour of the Bury House scheme at a planning committee meeting on Friday despite a recommendation for approval from planning officers.It comes three weeks after communities secretary Angela Rayner intervened in the decision by issuing an Article 31 order preventing councillors from granting permission while the communities secretary considered whether or not to call in the application.The Citys refusal now means Rayner will not need to call in the scheme, although its developer Welput could launch an appeal.Welput said it was surprised and very disappointed by the decision and is currently considering all our options.We believe this project would address the increasing demand for sustainably-designed, high quality business accommodation and would play a crucial role in enhancing the Citys attractiveness and ensuring sustained growth and prosperity for its diverse business community, aspokesperson for the developer said.Stiff & Trevillions plans for Bury HouseFridays vote was the second time the tower has been turned down following an initial refusal in 2021, which prompted a series of design revisions including a height reduction of five storeys unveiled in March.The site neighbours the grade I-listed Bevis Marks Synagogue, built in 1701 and the oldest synagogue in Britain in continuous use and the only non-Christian place of worship in the City.The proposals have sparked a row at the City over the balance between promoting new development and protecting heritage sites and provoked 1,300 objections from members of the public.Planning officers argued in a 574-page report last week that the scheme would preserve the setting of the synagogue and the Creechurch conservation area within which the site is located.But this was challenged in the meeting by several planning committee members and former lord mayor of the City of London Michael Bear, who described claims that the scheme would enhance the conservation area as Orwellian doublethink.Bear, who led the City of London Corporation between 2010 and 2011, said: It is quite unprecedented for a pro-growth former lord mayor of the City of London to address you as an objector but this audacious application leaves me with no choice.He said the synagogue was a living centre of an important minority community and something to be celebrated in our multicultural city, adding: It sounds like the officers recommendation completely disregards the City traditions I have mentioned as well as the importance of multiculturalism and religious tolerance.Bear also said the height reduction of the proposals made no significance change on its impact on the synagogue compared to the previous refused application.Much of the controversy stemmed from concerns the tower would obscure the passage of the moon through the sky when viewed from the synagogue grounds, which would impact the ability of the Sephardi community to practice the Kiddush Levana ritualCouncillor Natasha Lloyd-Owen said that the chipping away at this access to sunlight for this important and valuable grade I-listed building does not justify the continued chipping away.For me it is a beautiful example of why all of those really stringent St Pauls requirements that sometimes feel a bit heavy handed are the only way we can prevent this taking place.The grade I-listed Bevis Marks Synagogue is located just 40m from the Bury House siteBut councillor Tom Sleigh, who voted in favour of the proposals, said: This is a part of town that does need a revamp. This is a part of town where we do need to see development, we do need to yield the economic benefit that this site would bring, so recognising that public benefit, I think that trading that off against what I think is indeed a concern from a very valuable minority community here in the City who we desperately want to protect and look after, in my view, this is an application that I will support because I think officers have made a very difficult and correct decision.Historic England praised the committees refusal, which it said would have also harmed the setting of the Tower of London and of the grade II*-listed Holland House, a 1910s building on the site which would be refurbished and extended under Welputs plans.But the governments heritage advisor criticised the Citys vote to approve 1 Undershaft, which was taken at the same committee meeting, saying the people of London deserve better.The 74-storey tower, designed by Eric Parry for developers Stanhope and Aroland, is set to be the apex of the Citys main cluster of towers and the joint tallest in the UK with the Shard.A Historic England spokesperson said: We are disappointed that this scheme has been approved because the people of London deserve better.The proposed building will have a harmful impact on precious public space, as well as on the important listed buildings beside the development site and the Tower of London World Heritage Site.We asked for minor amendments to the revised scheme which, if implemented, would still have allowed significant commercial development while also keeping what makes the City of London so special.

Teams selected for the maximum four-year framework will work alongside the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Golden Jubilee health boards to support the delivery of capital projects across the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.The framework is divided into two lots covering cost consultancy services and lead consultancy services including architectural, mechanical and electrical engineering, civil and structural engineering and CDM principal designer services.According to the brief: Successful framework suppliers will undertake scoping, design, tender, cost management, and construction management activities split across two lots for Lead Consultant and Cost Consultant services.AdvertisementThe framework will to be for a maximum period of up to 4 years from its commencement date and support projects ranging in works value up to ten million pounds.The capital projects support the delivery of acute, primary care, mental health and healthcare support services across the health boards, framework consultants will be expected to work on a range of projects in terms of value, complexity and environment.Founded in 2006, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is a large health board responsible for 35 hospitals, 240 GP practices, 300 community pharmacies and 270 dental practices across Scotland.Bids for inclusion on the framework will be evaluated 70 per cent on cost and 30 per cent on price. Applicants must hold employers liability insurance of 5 million, public liability insurance of 5 million and professional indemnity insurance of 1 million.Competition detailsProject titleConstruction Professional Service FrameworkClientNHS Greater Glasgow and ClydeContract value1.5 millionFirst round deadline Midday, 24 January 2025Restrictions TbcMore informationhttps://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039989-2024

The winning team selected for the estimated 300,000 contract will create a consistent, inclusive and high-quality wayfinding and signage strategy and design for the Brutalist complex which is currently the focus of planned a 191 million redevelopment.The project will ensure new intuitive and accessible visitor journeys through the complex which has suffered from poor navigation in the past. The wayfinding upgrade coincides with plans to restore and refurbish key public spaces at the Barbican Centre venue including its foyers, lakeside terrace and conservatory.According to the brief: The Barbican Centre is at a key moment in its history, with a new Vision, Strategic Plan and set of Values, underpinning a major programme of work to renew the Grade II-listed building, and a full refresh of the brand, covering brand architecture, tone of voice and visual identity.AdvertisementOur ambition is for a consistent, inclusive and high-quality wayfinding and signage strategy and design within the Barbican Centre site boundary, and a suite of assets for use in the surrounding public realm.This new wayfinding approach will connect with wider wayfinding projects to create intuitive and accessible visitor journeys from major transport hubs into the Barbican Centre site, alongside improving signage and navigation across all of the Barbican Centres internal and external spaces.The new wayfinding strategy will reflect and espouse the Barbican Centres brand, which will be refreshed to create a bold and clear visual identity that flexes across a variety of uses and platforms.The Barbican Centre was designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and completed in 1982 as the centrepiece of the Citys large-scale Barbican Estate post-war reconstruction vision. It features a concert hall, theatre, cinema, two art galleries, a conference centre, library, restaurants and public foyers.In recent decades, the building has received a series of upgrades. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris completed a 12.6 million overhaul of the complex in 2006 and later created a 3.4 million street-level cinema complex and renewed shop. In 2019, RUFFARCHITECTS carried out an environmental upgrade of the centres main art gallery.AdvertisementAllies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio saw off four other big-name teams to win a competition for the revamp of Londons Grade II-listed Barbican Centre in 2022. Earlier this month, the City of London Corporation approved a 191 million investment in the project, which it said would make the cultural centre fit for the 21st century.Allies and Morrison, Asif Khan Studio and engineering consultancy Buro Happold have already carried out significant public consultation, and are expected to launch a more detailed phase of public discussions early next year, said the City of London.Subject to planning permission, construction is targeted to begin in 2027 with this first phase complete in time for the Barbicans 50th anniversary in 2032.Bids for the latest commission will be evaluated 65 per cent on quality and 35 per cent on price. Applicants must hold public liability insurance of 2 million and professional indemnity insurance of 1 million.Competition detailsProject title Barbican Renewal - Wayfinding DesignerClientContract value TbcFirst round deadline Midday, 10 January 2025Restrictions TbcMore information https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/039648-2024

A look back at our DNEG Animation INSPIRE series in 2024!Our DNEG Animation team was delighted to wrap up 2024 with a jam-packed line-up of events, featuring remarkable experts from all corners of the industry.Read more about these fantastic sessions below!PIECE BY PIECEBack in October, we were thrilled to welcome to our London studio the creative team behind Piece by Piece, Director Morgan Neville and Producer Caitrin Rogers!A one-of-a-kind experience about one of musics most innovative minds told through the lens of LEGO animation, Piece by Piece invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. This unique cinematic experience was released in theatres on October 11th, and also features Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.The duo treated our crew to a screening of the feature, then were joined by DNEG Animation Producer Shane Mulholland for an insightful discussion about the making of the film. From the initial meetings at Lego to bringing various celebrities on board, it was a fascinating conversation about how all the pieces finally fit together!Both coming from a background in documentary features and biopics, they were fascinated to discover the challenges and rewards that arose when communicating this genre through animation:It was very hard to reconcile documentary and animation. With documentaries, youre constantly going back. So much of it happens in the post process; youre refining and youre changing. In animation, the goal is to always move forward and at each stage were trying to not go back and change! And that was, I think, very hard for us.THE ANIMATED FILMS OF JOS PRATSIn November, we were fortunate to host Jos Prats! An award-winning Director, Jos worked at the British animation studio Aardman Animations between 2016-2021, where he created the colour script of the Oscar-nominated Robin Robin and the Netflix production Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Joining us via Zoom, Jos shared a screening of two of his most recent shorts, Adis and Umbrellas.Adis is an 8-minute long stop-motion short about family and growing up, centred on a father who is struggling to accept that his adult son is moving abroad. Part of the 2024 Graduation Short Film program of the National Film and Television School, Adis was selected for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and San Sebastian International Film Festival.Umbrellas, a 2D animated short, tells the story of a young girl in a remote village where the rain never stops. Protected under her fathers umbrella beard, she typically never has to face the rain, which is her greatest fear until one night, when her beloved dog Nana disappears. Umbrellas was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Spanish Academy GOYA Awards!Following the screenings, Jos spoke with our crew about the making of each film, sharing inspirations and techniques, and also hosted a Q&A.PIXAR SHORT SELF WITH DIRECTOR SEARIT HULUFNext up in November, Searit Huluf joined us in our London studio to share a screening of her short film Self, the latest short from Pixars acclaimed SparkShorts program! The talented Director and Producer, whose credits also include Incredibles 2 and Turning Red, was so successful with her work on the short that it landed her on the 2024 Varietys Top 10 Animators to Watch List and won the Gold short film from the Collision Awards!Self is a touching story about a wooden doll who desperately wants to fit in. After making an ill-fated wish upon a star to blend in with her peers, she embarks on a journey of self discovery, challenging her perspective of both who she is and where she belongs.Following a screening of the short, Searit spoke about her inspirations behind the film, how her own life experiences shaped the story, and the process behind designing the character to honour her Ethiopian roots. She also shared several behind the scenes test footage, spoke about blending stop motion and computer animation to achieve the short films unique look, and brought in the stop motion doll for our crews to look at!LAYOUT ON INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE: VISUAL STORYTELLING WITH JAMES WILLIAMSFor the final INSPIRE session of the year, James Williams, Head of Layout for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, shared details about the films unique visual language and his fascinating journey in feature animation!Joining us in our London studio, James, whose credits over the years also include Prince of Egypt, Spirit, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Hotel Transylvania and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, discussed the character development and storytelling techniques used in the movie, emphasizing the use of camera movements, composition and visual elements to convey emotions and relationships between characters. In a conversation moderated by DNEG Animations own Head of Layout Hailey White, he also discussed the creative process behind the film and the challenges faced in adapting to the comic book style!When speaking on the importance of teamwork and clear communication and collaboration, James said:As a Layout Supervisor, your job mainly is not to dictate to your artists. Its to inspire your artists and then be an advocate for your artists ideas.Were so honoured to have been joined by so many esteemed and inspiring guests for this important series!Wed like to extend our sincere thanks to Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Jos Prats, Searit Huluf and James Williams for joining us for these special INSPIRE events.DNEG Animations INSPIRE Series invites inspiring speakers to share their knowledge and experience with our global animation crews. Launched in 2021, the series was created to encourage our teams passion for animation through exciting learning opportunities and celebrations of innovative new work within the industry. Learn more about INSPIRE from the creators here!

If you've felt a bit off-balance, you can blame your fellow humans: The pumping of groundwater caused the Earth to tilt 31.5 inches over a 17-year period, or about 1.8 inches per year.As reported in recent days by outlets including Popular Science and USA Today, the pumping of 2,150 gigatons of groundwater from 1993 to 2010 shifted the Earth's tilt more than two feet. (One gigaton of water represents about 2.2 trillion pounds of water, or a billion metric tons.) The research was originallypublished in the journal Geophysical Research Lettersin June of last year.Most of the groundwater pumping is for farming irrigation and the water we use for drinking, bathing and other domestic and industrial uses. Redistributing the water from its natural courses appears to be what causes the effect.The Earth has always had a tilt to its axis of 23.5 degrees, which is why we have seasons and daylight saving time.The pumped groundwater eventually makes its way to the oceans and has contributed, in a modest way, to rising sea levels. A more significant contributor to the rise in sea levels has been climate change stemming from the burning of fossil fuels, which has led to the melting of glaciers and sea ice. In both cases, it's human activity that's having an effect on the planet's water balance.The research was led by Ki-Weon Seo of Seoul National University and follows up similar findings thatdate back to NASA from 2016."Earth's rotational pole actually changes a lot," Seo said in a statement when the research was published. "Our study shows that among climate-related causes, the redistribution of groundwater actually has the largest impact on the drift of the rotational pole."