Starbucks underwent a lot of changes in 2024, and more are likely coming in 2025.New CEO Brian Niccol will face choices about unionized stores and the China business.Starbucks faced slumping sales and dealt with activist investors in 2024.Starbucks was on the cusp of a big change in late 2024. This year will bring even more shifts for both baristas and coffee-lovers.Starbucks' sales had slowed and even lost ground in the first half of 2024. Customers and employees pointed to operational challenges for the company, such as a lengthy menu and an explosion of mobile orders. There were even two activist investors with stakes in Starbucks during the summer.Then, in August, the coffee chain surprised investors by saying that Brian Niccol would take over as its CEO, replacing Laxman Narasimhan, who had held the job for roughly a year and a half.Niccol was known for turning around the Mexican grill chain Chipotle after a food poisoning crisis. He announced some changes after starting as CEO in September, such as cutting the number of discounts that Starbucks offers to members of its loyalty program.Starbucks has also stopped charging extra for non-dairy milk, and is bringing back self-service bars for milk and other condiments to reduce complexity for its baristas.It's already clear that those were just opening salvos.Niccol said in October that he's "putting a full-court press" on getting drinks to customers within four minutes of when they placed their order.He has also said he wants Starbucks to return to being a "third place" where people can hang out a role it played for many patrons in its early years of national expansion.Store employees whom Starbucks calls "partners" could get details on how that change will happen at three-hour meetings scheduled to take place later this month.Partners have pointed to some specific areas where Starbucks might have to make adjustments to achieve Niccol's goals. Some have said that their Starbucks stores need to be better staffed, especially during the busiest times.Others have suggested that a better process needs to be developed for handling mobile orders, which can be difficult to manage in addition to customers who walk in and others who order at the drive-thru.There are further issues that Niccol will need to address in 2025.These include Starbucks' unionized stores, which account for about 4.5% of the chain's locations. Starbucks workers at those stores went on strike in the days leading up to Christmas and have yet to secure a contract. An agreement would be the first ever between Starbucks and its store workers.Starbucks and Niccol also have to craft a strategy for the company's business in China, its second-largest market after the US. In October, Niccol said that Starbucks was considering "strategic partnerships that could help us grow in the long term."The following month, Bloomberg reported that Starbucks was weighing selling a stake in its China business and finding a partner in the country to manage the unit.Niccol has only been at the helm for four months, but it's clear he has big plans for the coffee chain at home and abroad. Investors were hopeful when he joined the company, though it's too soon to tell whether his actions will result in a recovery this year.Starbucks' challenge for 2025 will be to make itself more than a place for a quick cup of coffee. The chain has long held itself to higher service and quality standards than most fast-food joints, from offering healthcare benefits to part-time employees to encouraging customers to stick around the store and relax.Yet one barista with almost two decades of experience at the company said his store has drifted from those higher standards lately."It started out as a trendy, quirky coffee shop job, and it's just morphed into this soulless fast-food empire since that time," the employee told Business Insider earlier this year.Do you work at Starbucks and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com.

Stanton Williams to Design Fleming Research Centre at St Marys Hospital, London, United KingdomSave this picture! Stanton WilliamsStanton Williams has been selected to design the Fleming Centre, a state-of-the-art research and public engagement facility to be constructed on the St Mary's Hospital campus in Paddington, London. Announced by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the project aims to create a global hub for collaboration and innovation in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a significant healthcare challenge affecting populations worldwide. The Fleming Centre forms part of the broader Fleming Initiative, a joint venture between Imperial College Healthcare and Imperial College London.The Centre will act as a multidisciplinary space where researchers, policymakers, clinicians, behavioral scientists, commercial partners, and the public can collaborate. It aims to harness diverse expertise to combat AMR on a global scale. Additionally, it will be part of an international network of similar facilities strategically positioned around the world to foster collective action and knowledge-sharing on this critical issue.Save this picture!Stanton Williams was chosen following a RIBA design competition that included a three-day design exhibition. The exhibition showcased concepts from five shortlisted architectural teams, including AHMM, Allies and Morrison, Grimshaw, and Wilkinson Eyre with White Arkitekter. Furthermore, the exhibition gathered feedback from over 300 visitors and 100 written responses, which helped guide the final decision. The selected design was recognized for its strong balance of functionality, design quality, and alignment with the local community's needs. Related Article RIBA Awards House of the Year 2024 to Six Columns by 31/44 Architects The next phase of the project involves further refining the design, engaging with the public through consultations, and submitting a planning application in collaboration with Westminster City Council. The Fleming Centre is part of a larger redevelopment of St Mary's Hospital, which is included in the Government's New Hospital Programme. It is expected to open in 2028, coinciding with the centenary of Sir Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin at St Mary's.The Stanton Williams design integrates the historical significance of the site, known as The Bays, which consists of industrial warehouses from the 1850s that were adapted for hospital use in 1983. The proposal preserves this heritage while incorporating modern elements, such as the Fleming Discovery Centre, to highlight advancements in scientific research. The design aims to prioritize sustainability, including renewable energy systems like a water-source heat pump and photovoltaic panels, as well as biodiverse landscaping and a low-carbon structure. Public engagement is a key feature, with the ground floor designed as an open, inviting space that provides views into laboratories and exhibition areas to make science more accessible to visitors.Save this picture!In other similar news, architectural firms Snhetta and HGA have just began work on the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Research and Academic Building (BRAB) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Additionally, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the architect of the Alisher Navoi International Scientific Research Centre, an expansive cultural and educational facility taking shape in New Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Finally, Vjosa National Park, Europe's first "wild river national park," spans 190 km of free-flowing river and will feature a visitor research and information center designed by Danish firm CEBRA.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorNour FakharanyAuthorCite: Nour Fakharany. "Stanton Williams to Design Fleming Research Centre at St Marys Hospital, London, United Kingdom" 10 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025513/stanton-williams-to-design-fleming-research-centre-at-st-marys-hospital-london-united-kingdom&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?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

Upper Lawn: A Manifestation of Alison and Peter Smithson's Architectural VisionSave this picture!Upper Lawn / Alison and Peter Smithson. Image seier+seier via Flickr under CC BY 2.0Nestled near the ruins of Fonthill Abbey in the English countryside, Upper Lawn Pavilion also known as the Solar Pavilion is a modest yet profound architectural experiment by Alison and Peter Smithson. Built between 1959 and 1962 as a weekend retreat and laboratory for ideas, the pavilion embodies their ethos of economy, material honesty, and respect for context, reflecting the pioneering spirit of New Brutalism.Upper Lawn's thoughtful interplay between the new and the existing is particularly compelling. Built on the remains of an 18th-century English farmhouse, the pavilion repurposes thick masonry walls from the original structure, incorporating elements such as the well, trees, and lawn into its design. Using prefabricated materials like timber, glass, and aluminum, the Smithsons constructed a light-filled space that harmonizes with its surroundings, embodying their principle of "as found architecture" a concept rooted in honoring and adapting to preexisting conditions rather than imposing on them.Beyond its role as a dwelling, the pavilion serves as an architectural manifesto. Reinterpreting the primitive hut, the Smithsons crafted a space exploring shelter, domesticity, and sustainability. In later years, Sergison Bates Architects' thoughtful restoration of the pavilion bridged the Smithsons' legacy with contemporary architectural challenges, cementing Upper Lawn's enduring importance as a beacon of experimental, environmentally conscious design. Related Article Alison and Peter Smithson: The Duo that Led British Brutalism The Primitive Hut and New Brutalist IdealsThe concept of the primitive hut, rooted in architectural theory since the Enlightenment, offers a compelling lens through which to understand the Upper Lawn Pavilion. Advocated by theorists like Marc-Antoine Laugier, this archetype seeks to return architecture to its essential purpose: providing shelter in harmony with nature. For Alison and Peter Smithson, Upper Lawn Pavilion embodied this elemental ideal, offering a retreat from the frenetic pace of urbanization. It reflected a deliberate effort to reconnect architecture to its most fundamental principles a reaction against the rapid transformation and growth of cities, and a search for clarity and authenticity in design.Save this picture! In memorable experiences of architecture, space, matter and time fuse into one singular dimension, into the basic substance of being, that penetrates our consciousness. we identify ourselves with this space, this place, this moment, and these dimensions become ingredients of our very existence. Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this mediation takes place through the senses. Juhani Pallasma, The eyes of the skin At Upper Lawn, the primitive hut ideal manifests through an open plan, a restrained material palette, and a design that emphasizes light, air, and the surrounding landscape. The pavilion's simple rectangular form, slightly elevated off the ground, underscores the Smithsons' belief that architecture should respond to its environment, offering inhabitants an immersive connection to nature. Large glass windows frame the countryside, transforming the external world into an integral part of the living experience. The play of sunlight, the passing seasons, and the ever-changing landscape become central to life within the pavilion, making the natural environment a participant in the daily rhythms of its occupants.Save this picture!This approach aligns with the principles of New Brutalism, a movement the Smithsons championed. At Upper Lawn, this philosophy is evident in the unadorned use of prefabricated concrete blocks, timber, and glass. These materials, presented in their natural state, invite a tactile and intuitive engagement with the space. The rawness of the pavilion, rather than being a limitation, becomes an invitation for deeper reflection a way to connect architecture to the realities of its site and the needs of its users. It is this reverence for materials a realization of the affinity which can be established between building and man which is at the root of the so-called New Brutalism. It has been mooted that the Hunstanton School, which probably owes as much to the existence of Japanese Architecture as to Mies, is the first realization of the New Brutalism in England. - Theo Crosby, Architectural Design Upper Lawn is more than a retreat; it is an experimental laboratory where the Smithsons explored critical architectural questions. How does architecture define home? How can it coexist with nature? How can simplicity foster well-being? These questions, rooted in the idea of the primitive hut, guided the design without seeking definitive answers. Instead, the pavilion offered a space for exploration and introspection through its simplicity, material honesty, and experimental spirit. Continuing to inspire and remind us of architecture's capacity to address both our most basic needs and our most profound questions.Save this picture!This dual function as both a home and a site for architectural experimentation allowed the Smithsons to challenge conventions, testing ideas about domesticity, materiality, and sustainability in a real-world context. Something was seen in other Smithson projects, such as the House of the Future (1956). While the House of the Future projected a futuristic vision of domesticity with modular systems and cutting-edge materials, Upper Lawn turned inward, revisiting fundamental architectural questions. Both projects, despite their contrasting approaches, reflect the Smithsons' enduring fascination with pushing the boundaries of design and redefining what constitutes a home. Together, they illustrate the couple's ability to engage with both the speculative and the essential aspects of architecture.Save this picture!Modernist Influences: Mies' Tectonics and Le Corbusier's PilotisWhile deeply tied to the principles of New Brutalism, Upper Lawn Pavilion also stands as a Modernist enclave, reflecting the broader lineage of architectural experimentation. Its tectonic clarity and structural expressiveness echo the work of Mies van der Rohe, particularly his pursuit of material precision and spatial minimalism. The Smithsons' meticulous attention to how materials meet, align, and define spaces resonates with Mies' ethos ofless is more, where strength emerges from simplicity and exactitude. This approach imbues the pavilion with a disciplined elegance, even in its modest scale and rural setting.The pavilion's slightly elevated platform draws inspiration from Le Corbusier's use of pilotis, a hallmark of his modernist vision. This subtle gesture not only enhances the pavilion's relationship with its surroundings but also serves practical purposes, such as protecting the structure from ground moisture. The elevation emphasizes the pavilion's horizontal form, creating a visual lightness that contrasts with the solidity of its materials. By elevating the structure, the Smithsons echoed Modernist ideals of openness, fostering a seamless dialogue between architecture and landscape while respecting the site's natural flow.Save this picture!What makes Upper Lawn particularly compelling is how the Smithsons adapted these Modernist principles to a rural, rather than urban, context. Unlike the urban environments addressed by Mies and Le Corbusier, the pavilion responds to the pastoral qualities of the English countryside. The Smithsons embraced the site's specificities its sloping terrain, varying light, and panoramic views translating the universal ideals of modernism into something intimate and place-sensitive. The result is a pavilion that integrates modernist rigor with the organic qualities of its natural surroundings, creating a delicate balance between integration and distinction.Prefabricated Materials and Low-Cost ArchitectureOne of Upper Lawn Pavilion's most distinctive features is its reliance on prefabricated materials, reflecting a commitment to low-cost construction without sacrificing design integrity. Conceived during Britain's post-war reconstruction era, the pavilion embodies an architectural response to the economic austerity, material scarcity, and shifting societal priorities of the 1960s. For Alison and Peter Smithson, these constraints were not limitations but opportunities platforms for innovation, adaptability, and a forward-thinking approach to design.Save this picture!Alison and Peter Smithson embraced readily available industrial materials valuing their unembellished qualities and efficient, straightforward assembly. These materials echoed the Smithsons' earlier work, such as the Hunstanton Secondary Modern School (1954), where structural clarity and raw materiality established their architectural language. At Upper Lawn, they refined these principles for a domestic setting, creating a space that balanced economy with warmth and functionality with experimentation.Save this picture!This ethos was more than an aesthetic or functional choice it was a response to the socio-economic realities of post-war Britain. Housing shortages, rising construction costs, and a growing awareness of finite resources demanded new approaches to building. The Smithsons viewed prefabrication not just as a cost-saving measure but as a means of addressing these broader societal challenges. By reducing the dependency on skilled labor and traditional materials, they demonstrated how architecture could remain ambitious and experimental even with limited means.Save this picture!In this way, the pavilion connects with ongoing conversations about resource-conscious design. Its reliance on prefabricated elements and efficient construction techniques mirrors contemporary efforts to address housing affordability and sustainability. Upper Lawn's legacy lies in its ability to show how architecture, even at its simplest, can engage with pressing global challenges while maintaining a sense of place, purpose, and innovation.A Model for the Past, Present, and FutureBeyond technical innovation, Upper Lawn reflects the Smithsons' belief in architecture as a tool for resilience and adaptability. Their writings often explored the interplay between built environments and their broader ecological systems, advocating for a sensitive, context-driven approach a conviction that architecture should operate on both personal and universal levels. In this sense, Upper Lawn transcends its function as a modest countryside retreat to become a prototype for sustainable design that addresses challenges still relevant today.Save this picture!This dual purpose mirrors the Smithsons' broader architectural philosophy a seamless interplay of theory and practice. Projects like Upper Lawn, paired with writings such as Without Rhetoric: An Architectural Aesthetic, reveal how they continually pushed the boundaries of architecture, challenging conventions and exploring the discipline's potential. For them, the act of building was as much about questioning the status quo as it was about constructing functional spaces.This legacy was thoughtfully extended in 2006 when Sergison Bates Architects undertook a sensitive restoration of Upper Lawn. Their intervention exemplified a contemporary approach to heritage architecture, carefully balancing preservation with adaptation. Together, the Smithsons' original vision and Sergison Bates' respectful intervention underline Upper Lawn's timeless contribution to architecture. By responding to the challenges of its era while anticipating future needs, the pavilion bridges the post-war emphasis on reconstruction and innovation with contemporary concerns about environmental stewardship and adaptive reuse.Save this picture!This layered history ensures that Upper Lawn remains a compelling study of how architecture can negotiate the past, present, and future. Its reliance on prefabricated materials and innovative environmental strategies reflects modernism's democratic ideals, making design accessible and purposeful. Simultaneously, its adaptability and enduring relevance underscore architecture's ability to evolve with changing needs and values.By intertwining resilience, sustainability, and experimentation, Upper Lawn provides timeless lessons for architects addressing contemporary global challenges. As both a product of its time and a blueprint for the future, it demonstrates how even modest projects can embody profound architectural ambitions.This feature is part of an ArchDaily series titled AD Narratives, where we share the story behind a selected project, diving into its particularities. Every month, we explore new constructions from around the world, highlighting their story and how they came to be. We also talk to the architects, builders, and community, seeking to underline their personal experiences. As always, at ArchDaily, we highly appreciate the input of our readers. If you think we should feature a certain project, please submit your suggestions.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorDiogo Borges FerreiraAuthorCite: Diogo Borges Ferreira. "Upper Lawn: A Manifestation of Alison and Peter Smithson's Architectural Vision" 10 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025366/upper-lawn-a-manifestation-of-alison-and-peter-smithsons-architectural-vision&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?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

Horror has been a core part of Japanese folklore forever, and it's always had a strong influence on the world of Japanese entertainment. In the 1950s, horror became a particularly prominent genre in the manga space, and it only grew more popular in the following decades, leading to a boom in the 1980s that saw the origins of some of the most renowned manga artists and writers of the modern age. Junji Ito is one such manga artist and writer, and his work has just appeared in Dead by Daylight.

Innate techniques are abilities that players can use to defeat enemies in Robloxs Jujutsu Infinite. These techniques are powered by cursed energy and are categorized into Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, and Special Grade rarities.

BrokenLore: LOW is a first-person horror game set in a mist-shrouded Japanese village. Check out the official teaser trailer here.

Also it's not a constant problem. If one red unit notices the guarding white units the next red unit will avoid the guarding white units by a safe margin.

In the video, the unit changes course a moment before the missiles launch.It should be: The missiles launch. The unit waits a moment to realize the sitatation and changing it's planIf I'm in the field (real life combat situation) and my purpose is to hit and run I will avoid unconfortable enemy units as soon as I notice them (regardless if they get to fire at me or not). I could set LOS > fire range to make units avoid the enemy without a single b

Oh, YT video directly in the post? How convenmient! Your marketing skills have increased. \:D/he final result might resemble machine learning a bit but how it works is not machine learning.uhh - no. Never say something like that - it just sounds stupid. terrible marketing. ; )Better say They act like real humans, but not They act like AI bots which themselves try to mimic humans., please.Cool results, but there are some typical tempora

When the small Palworld team, based in Japan, hit the green light on the game on Jan. 19, 2024 successfully pushing the game public into early access developers gathered around the office vending machine to celebrate. Immediately, players started to flood in. It was an instant success. The group watched the numbers go up: ten thousand, twenty thousand, fifty thousand, one hundred thousand. Thats when a couple of the developers had to go back to their desks because things started to get a bit shaky, global community manager John Bucky Buckley told Polygon in December.And the numbers kept increasing quickly. Two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, five hundred thousand. The Palworld team had to issue a statement on X shortly before midnight Japan time instructing players to try logging in a few times or waiting a bit to log in after launching the game; the servers were unstable due to the massive amount of people trying to play. Throughout the night it kept going, Buckley said. And there was a point, definitely after midnight because a few of us had gone home who lived far away, that the servers broke. That was around a million.Somewhere within the chaos, Epic Games (where the online servers were hosted) got in touch to help stabilize things. Over the next few days, the game surpassed 2 million players on Steam alone. It dethroned Fortnite on Xbox. All of our multiplayer capabilities started getting weird, going down and crashing, Buckley said. It was a lot of intense lag, but Epic was amazing. They super quickly allocated more resources to us and they helped out.It was help that was desperately needed: Pocketpair had one server guy when Palworld launched. One server guy who was 21 or 22 years old at the time Buckley joked he aged quickly in those first few days. He was trying his best, Buckley said. As a team, Pocketpair had about 35 people working on Palworld, including external developers. The server problems, of course, spilled over into community management, too: We had to streamline our bug reporting system because it wasnt very good at launch, Buckley said. Support was messy.With help, the servers eventually stabilized, despite Palworlds player numbers staying consistently high. Palworld held over 1 million concurrent players for days into February. I dont think we dropped under 100,000 until, I want to say, April, Buckley said. Palworld has consistently had a five-digit concurrent player base, occasionally bumping back into the six digits for updates, until late December 2024, due to the Palworld Feybreak expansion, which pushed the game into six-figure player counts again.Speaking to Polygon in December, ahead of the Feybreak announcement at The Game Awards in Los Angeles, Buckley expounded on what the team learned from the launch. We definitely panicked more than we should have, Buckley said. Didnt need to pull as many all-nighters as we did. And I wish I reached out to other people for advice sooner.He continued: You get caught up in it, especially when theres a wind of negative sentiment from players, even if its 100% valid and theyre right. Its very overwhelming when the comments are flooding in.The big lesson? No ego-searching, or egosa, as its called in Japan dont search for the game on social media, Buckley said. You pay attention to feedback reports and bugs, but the developers dont need to see everything. The level of success Palworld reached in such a short period of time before the game has even been fully released is something not a lot of developers and studios have experienced, or will experience.Theres a lot on the horizon for Pocketpair and Palworld heading into its 1.0 release. (No timing on that.) Part of Pocketpairs future will involve dealing with a lawsuit filed in Japan by The Pokmon Company and Nintendo for patent infringement related to how Pal Spheres work too close to Pok Balls, the suit claims and other details. The legal proceedings are expected to move slowly, but Pocketpair has recently made an update to Palworld that changes how Pals are summoned, something people have speculated is related to the lawsuit. (Buckley declined to comment, but said Pocketpair would explain these changes to players eventually.)