The French Pavilion Explores Concepts of Living With at the 2025 Venice Architecture BiennaleSave this picture!French Pavilion in Venice, 2014. Image l'Institut franais et le Ministre de la Culture et de la CommunicationThe French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs have announced that the project, "Vivre avec / Living with," developed by the agency Jakob+Macfarlane, formed by architects Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, in collaboration with Martin Duplantier Architects and Eric Daniel Lacombe EDL, will represent France at the 2025 Venice Biennale. The project was selected through a two-phase competition, involving an initial pre-selection of five teams from forty-five applicants, followed by a detailed project presentation. The winning proposal focuses on architecture's capacity to address global challenges such as climate change, conflict, and instability, utilizing a combination of natural, human, and artificial intelligence."Vivre avec / Living with" will be a temporary, lightweight structure built from reused materials, situated within the grounds of the French Pavilion, which is undergoing renovation. Designed as an inclusive and interactive space, it will function as an exhibition venue, meeting point, and discussion forum, incorporating contributions from both French and international architectural schools. The project's design emphasizes porosity and coexistence with the existing pavilion restoration site, creating an open and collaborative environment.Save this picture!The collaborative team behind "Vivre avec / Living with" aims to bring together a diverse range of expertise: Jakob+Macfarlane will be on 's focus on repurposing existing structures, Eric Daniel Lacombe brings experience in building in vulnerable territories, and Martin Duplantier 's work in urban planning and landscape architecture further expands the project's scope. This collaborative effort highlights a multi-faceted approach to contemporary architectural challenges. Related Article The Trkiye Pavilion Announces Grounded Exhibition and Curators for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale In this world of ongoing crises and disruptive changes, where conflicts multiply and the climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, where millions of people are displaced while others live in areas ever more exposed to risk, we must learn to live with a state of permanent instability. How can we keep inhabiting this planet by inventing new ways of life in response to these challenges? The curatorial team Save this picture!The 19th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia 2025, running from May 24th to November 23rd, 2025, will be curated by Carlo Ratti and centered around the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective". The French Pavilion, located in the Giardini, will be closed for renovations during the Biennale to improve visitor experience and energy efficiency, aligning with the Institut Franais's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 25% by 2026 and 40% by 2030. Other countries have also announced their participation, including Argentina, proposing a project focused on the interconnectedness of architecture with diverse disciplines, and Belgium, announcing a pavilion curated by Bas Smets on viewing architecture through the lens of plant intelligence.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorCite: Maria-Cristina Florian. "The French Pavilion Explores Concepts of Living With at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale" 10 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025568/the-french-pavilion-explores-concepts-of-living-with-at-the-2025-venice-architecture-biennale&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

M Hotel / Ho Khue ArchitectsSave this picture! Hiroyuki OkiHotelsDa Nang, VietnamArchitects: Ho Khue ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:23500 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Hiroyuki OkiManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Sika, Daikin, YKK AP More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Located along the coast of Da Nang, M Hotel is a 25-story building with two basements, offering 199 guest rooms ranging from 35m to 100m. The project features a distinctive and stunning architectural design fronting one of the most gorgeous beaches on Earth.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!M Hotel is designed with the concept of a flowing stream on the surface of a rocky mountain. The fair-faced concrete material evokes the image of a sturdy structure, resembling a majestic mountain mass in nature.Meanwhile, the flowing stream is represented by winding, curving lines of greenery, seamlessly intertwined with the building. This approach creates a harmonious architectural ensemble, blending beautifully with the natural surroundings in the urban coastal landscape.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The creation of a hotel with dense coverage of greenery conveys the message of connecting high-rise buildings with the coastal urban landscape. This is especially crucial today, as many high-rise structures are being constructed quickly with repetitive, rigid forms that fail to create a harmonious link with the coastline. This design paves the way for a "Green" trend in high-rise projects, reshaping investors' perspectives, while also incorporating rooftop gardens that provide guests with a fresh and captivating view while enjoying resort services.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The placement of green garden areas on the hotel's surface is intertwined with a variety of spaces for each room. The ocean-facing rooms are constructed with large glass walls to take advantage of the breathtaking views. Meanwhile, the west-facing rooms, which face the city center, are positioned further back to allow for green garden spaces. This not only offers a delightful green nook in the urban environment, but it also gives shade to the rooms and cooling to the entire environment inside. Of course, it also saved heating and cooling money.Save this picture!Save this picture!The remaining facades of the building, which adjoin neighboring hotels, limit the visibility of the rooms of the hotels next door. To address this, four large, well-planned sky gardens have been incorporated, offering unique scenic spaces for the rooms while optimizing public areas such as the elevator lobbies on each floor. Additionally, this solution introduces a striking vertical garden, making a bold impression from the first glance and enhancing the hotel's overall aesthetic appeal.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Da Nang, VietnamLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeHo Khue ArchitectsOfficeMaterialConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on January 10, 2025Cite: "M Hotel / Ho Khue Architects" 10 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025447/m-hotel-ho-khue-architects&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

Batteries that power electric cars are tested rigorously in the lab and in real-world conditions before the electric vehicle hits the market. At Nissans technical center near Detroit, that process includes a steel chamber capable of reaching temperatures ranging from -40 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit.Ansu Jammeh, an engineer on Nissans Zero Emissions team, donned a full-on snowsuit and heavy gloves to measure the Ariya EVs performance in extreme cold. At the start of a 24-hour cold soak (at -4F) in the chamber, the team parked an Ariya with a 17 percent battery charge. Left unplugged and bypassing its battery heater for this test, the EV came through with the same percentage and started right up.While some are skeptical about EVs as a good choice for drivers in cold weather states, Jammeh points out that the Ariya is all-wheel drive and its cabin heats up quickly. That said, sliding behind the wheel of an icy car that has been sitting in the equivalent of a giant air conditioning compressor for a full day is not pleasant. This part of Jammehs job may be no picnic, but he takes it in stride.My favorite animal is the penguin, he jokes.Extreme testingThe Ariya is available with a standard-range 66-kWh battery or 91-kWh long-range battery. Thats larger than the battery in Nissans original EV, the Leaf, which comes with a choice of a 40-kWh battery pack or a 62-kWh battery pack. The first Leaf owners were early adopters, and the Ariya emerged during a period of higher EV adoption overall. In either case, Leaf and Ariya owners seem to gravitate toward pushing their cars to the edge to see how they perform.For that reason, the engineering team has to stay a step or two ahead of its customers by testing the vehicles not just in simulation but in the real world. Vehicles spend time on the dyno, or dynamometer, a device that measures power and force. Theyre also subject to extreme weather testing like Nissan conducted with the new Kicks, chasing blizzards in Colorado to ensure the compact SUV could hold its own in the snow.The Ariya was soaked in the icy chamber for 24 hours, starting at 17 percent energy level.Images: NissanLooking at our social media channels, we see a lot of customers who are brave, Jammeh says. Theyre hypermilers, pushing their vehicles to the limits even in the extreme cold.Take, for instance, a British couple who drove a Nissan Ariya 30,000 kilometers (nearly 19,000 miles) from the 1823 Magnetic North Pole on the Arctic Ocean all the way to the South Pole in Antarctica. While they did outfit the EV with 39-inch snow tires and raised the suspension, the Ariya retained its original battery and powertrain.Nissans testing chamber is made of insulated steel, operated with a control pad on the outside. While it kind of sounds like a device a movie villain might use to detain a superhero, dont worry: the chamber has big double doors that push right open. It takes about an hour to go from ambient temperature to -40 F, and it can also replicate a solar load to evaluate how the paint, exterior, and performance components hold up.Recipe for success: preheatEV range isnt a simple, all-purpose measurement, Jammeh says. Weather, terrain, elevation, speed, traffic, cargo, passengers, and climate settings all make an impact.I do want to touch on one thing, he comments. Some customers think theyll lose energy in the winter, and thats not inherently true. Whats happening is that since the battery is cold, it takes more energy to get the same output. But the same energy is still there.Nissans EV allows drivers to precondition the battery for best results; owners can even set a timer for it to start at the same time so they can climb into a cozy car. The ideal scenario is for the EV to start preconditioning inside a garage while its still plugged in, so its using power from the grid and not the vehicles battery.The Department of Energy agrees with preconditioning. All vehiclesEVs includedperform best in cold weather when theyre warmed up first. [Preconditioning] is best executed while the car is still charging to ensure the battery is sufficiently charged and the cabin is sufficiently warmed to optimize performance.More heat means better electron flow, and better electron flow speeds up the batterys chemical reactions, Jammeh points out. If you get into a cold car, youre going to use a lot more energy to heat that car up, so youll want to use the preconditioning feature to get the cabin to the appropriate temperature at home. Then when youre ready to leave, youre using less energy to sustain that temperature than you would going from a cold start.The car, in other words, is like a person in that way: its more difficult to get out of bed and get going when its cold.Nissan tested the all-electric Ariya in extreme temperatures to ensure the battery performs as it should.Image: Nissan

ShareIn an era where data is the backbone of every organization, cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated, leaving businesses across Germanyparticularly in Frankfurtvulnerable to attacks. Recent GDPR statistics reveal a troubling surge in data breaches, with nearly 40% of small to medium businesses (SMBs) in Hessen reporting cybersecurity incidents in the past year. Frankfurt, a hub for finance and technology, finds itself at the epicenter of this growing crisis.As businesses digitize at unprecedented rates, their exposure to cyber threats escalates. The costs of inactionincluding reputational damage, operational disruptions, and compliance finesare too high to ignore. Thankfully, IT services offer robust solutions to mitigate these risks, serving as the first line of defense for businesses of all sizes.Why Frankfurt Is a Target for CybercriminalsFrankfurts prominence as a financial and technological hub makes it a lucrative target for cybercriminals. The citys infrastructure supports thousands of SMBs, multinational corporations, and financial institutionsall prime targets for ransomware, phishing attacks, and data breaches.1. High-Value DataFrankfurts businesses manage sensitive customer and financial data, making them attractive to attackers seeking to exploit or sell this information.2. Increasing Digital DependencyWith businesses accelerating their adoption of cloud services, IoT devices, and remote work solutions, the attack surface has expanded significantly. Many organizations lack adequate measures to secure these technologies, leaving gaps in their defenses.3. Evolving Threat LandscapeGDPR has raised the stakes for businesses. Non-compliance in the wake of a breach can result in hefty fines, compounding the financial and reputational impact of cyberattacks.he iconic Euro symbol in front of the European Central Bank, representing Frankfurts role as a financial hub of Europe. The Cost of Data BreachesAccording to a recent IBM study, the average cost of a data breach in Germany has reached 4.85 million, a figure that continues to climb. Beyond direct costs, businesses also face:Downtime and Lost Revenue: Operational disruptions can halt productivity for days or even weeks.Customer Attrition: Loss of trust often leads to clients taking their business elsewhere.Legal and Regulatory Fines: GDPR mandates strict reporting and remediation measures, with fines reaching up to 20 million or 4% of global revenue.These risks underscore the urgency of adopting comprehensive IT solutions to safeguard sensitive data and maintain business continuity.How IT Services Can Fortify Your BusinessTo counter the escalating threat of cyberattacks, businesses in Frankfurt must embrace proactive and scalable IT solutions. Below are the critical areas where IT services can make a significant impact:Employee Training: Your Human FirewallHuman error remains a leading cause of data breaches, with phishing emails accounting for 91% of cyberattacks globally. Training employees to recognize and respond to potential threats is essential.Simulated Phishing Attacks: These exercises help employees identify malicious emails in real-time.Cybersecurity Awareness Programs: Regular training ensures staff stay informed about evolving threats and best practices.MFA adds an extra layer of security to account logins by requiring users to verify their identity through multiple factors, such as a one-time password or biometric scan. This approach drastically reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if passwords are compromised.Case Study: A Frankfurt-based accounting firm implemented MFA across its systems, preventing a ransomware attack despite hackers breaching an employees email account.Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR): Prepare for the WorstBacking up data is no longer optional; its a critical safety net. Modern BDR solutions ensure businesses can recover quickly from breaches or system failures.Cloud Backups: Offsite storage protects data from local disasters and hardware failures.Disaster Recovery Plans: Ensure business continuity by switching to backup systems seamlessly during outages.Outdated software often serves as an entry point for cyberattacks. Implementing regular updates and patch management ensures vulnerabilities are addressed promptly.Automated Updates: Use tools to schedule updates without disrupting workflows.Security Patches: Address critical vulnerabilities that hackers frequently exploit.Network Monitoring: Proactive Threat DetectionReal-time network monitoring tools can detect unusual activity and prevent breaches before they escalate. By identifying threats early, businesses can mitigate potential damage.Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): Monitor traffic for suspicious patterns.Proactive Alerts: Receive real-time notifications to address risks immediately.Practical Steps for SMBs in FrankfurtAdopting IT services doesnt have to be overwhelming. Here are some actionable steps to enhance your cybersecurity posture:Step 1: Conduct a Security Audit. Work with IT professionals to identify vulnerabilities in your systems. A thorough audit highlights weak points, from outdated software to unsecured networks.Step 2: Implement Endpoint Protection. Advanced endpoint security solutions protect devices like laptops and smartphones from malware and phishing attacks. Tools like Sophos Intercept X are particularly effective.Step 3: Establish a Cybersecurity Policy. Create clear guidelines for employees, covering:Password management (e.g., regular updates and complexity requirements).Safe internet usage practices.Reporting suspicious activity promptly.Step 4: Partner with a Trusted IT Provider. You should only choose the best and most reliable IT services, and one company that offers this is ORTIT, a trusted provider of IT support in Frankfurt. ORTIT delivers tailored solutions like real-time monitoring, threat detection, and proactive maintenance, helping businesses stay ahead of cyber threats without the need for in-house expertise.Real-World Success StoriesCase Study: Preventing a Phishing AttackA logistics company in Frankfurt worked with an IT provider to improve its cybersecurity measures. Within three months:Employee training reduced phishing email click-through rates by 85%.MFA implementation secured remote access for employees working from home.Regular audits identified and patched vulnerabilities in their network.These measures prevented a major breach attempt, saving the company an estimated 150,000 in potential losses.The rise in data breaches is a stark reminder that cybersecurity is no longer optional; its a business imperative. For companies in Frankfurt, proactive investment in IT services can mean the difference between resilience and ruin.By investing in employee training, implementing advanced security measures, and leveraging professional IT support, businesses can safeguard their operations against emerging threats.

ReviewsHumansHow child soldiers heal after the trauma of warShadows into Light looks at the mental health of Sierra Leones former child soldiers Researchers are studying how to help children and their families recover from the trauma of war.WENN Rights Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoBy Elizabeth Quill1 hour agoShadows into LightTheresa S. BetancourtHarvard Univ., $35For more than two decades, Theresa S. Betancourt has followed the lives of children (now adults) who returned home after being forced to fight in the civil war that ravaged Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002. Thousands of children unwillingly participated in the violent conflict as soldiers, spies and laborers. Many took part in attacks on their own neighbors and relatives, many faced sexual violence, many witnessed unspeakable atrocities. In her new book, Betancourt, director of Boston Colleges Research Program on Children and Adversity, shares what she has learned about the factors that have helped some of these people recover and even thrive.

Nature, Published online: 10 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04240-1Adam Levy discusses some of the systemic changes needed to make the academic workplace both a happier and healthier place.

Nature, Published online: 10 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04233-0These three scientists are pushing boundaries in their fields.

Antarctica is home to a peak shaped like a perfect pyramid but contrary to what conspiracy theorists say, the mountain's four symmetrical faces were forged through natural processes.

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When Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles was released nearly 25 years ago, it featured a roster of heroes--and a few villains--from Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. Jar Jar Binks was not among the playable characters in the game's original form, but he will be featured in the game's upcoming release on modern consoles. In the reveal trailer below, Jar Jar finally gets a chance to become an action hero. Jar Jar shows far more skill and fighting prowess in that trailer than he ever displayed in The Phantom Menace or any of his subsequent appearances. Regardless, Jar Jar's ridiculous side is also on full display when he runs away from a pack of charging animals on Naboo. Courage was never Jar Jar's strong suit, but it might be fun to play all the way through the game as this unsung hero.Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn are the two primary controllable characters in Power Battles. However, the game will also allow players to use Mace Windu, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, Queen Padme Amidala, Captain Panaka, Ki-Adi Mundi, a battle droid, and Darth Maul. It's also been tweaked by developer Aspyr to give the Jedi screen-accurate depictions of their respective lightsaber colors. For example, that means Mace Windu will be getting his purple lightsaber.Continue Reading at GameSpot