The companys stock is getting a boost from the DeepSeek news, but AI isnt driving a rush to upgrade iPhones yet.

This article first appeared in The Checkup,MIT Technology Reviewsweekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first,sign up here. This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trumps pick to lead the USs health agencies, has been facing questions from senators as part of his confirmation hearing for the role. So far, its been a dramatic watch, with plenty of fiery exchanges, screams from audience members, and damaging revelations. Theres also been a lot of discussion about vaccines. Kennedy has long been a vocal critic of vaccines. He has spread misinformation about the effects of vaccines. Hes petitioned the government to revoke the approval of vaccines. Hes sued pharmaceutical companies that make vaccines. Kennedy has his supporters. But not everyone who opts not to vaccinate shares his worldview. There are lots of reasons why people dont vaccinate themselves or their children. Understanding those reasons will help us tackle an issue considered to be a huge global health problem today. And plenty of researchers are working on tools to do just that. Jonathan Kantor is one of them. Kantor, who is jointly affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the University of Oxford in the UK, has been developing a scale to measure and assess vaccine hesitancy. That term is what best captures the diverse thoughts and opinions held by people who dont get vaccinated, says Kantor. We used to tend more toward [calling] someone a vaccine refuser or denier, he says. But while some people under this umbrella will be stridently opposed to vaccines for various reasons, not all of them will be. Some may be unsure or ambivalent. Some might have specific fears, perhaps about side effects or even about needle injections. Vaccine hesitancy is shared by a very heterogeneous group, says Kantor. That group includes everyone from those who have a little bit of wariness and want a little bit more information to those who are strongly opposed and feel that it is their mission in life to spread the gospel regarding the risks of vaccination. To begin understanding where individuals sit on this spectrum and why, Kantor and his colleagues scoured published research on vaccine hesitancy. They sent surveys to 50 people, asking them detailed questions about their feelings on vaccines. The researchers were looking for themes: Which issues kept cropping up? They found that prominent concerns about vaccines tend to fall into three categories: beliefs, pain, and deliberation. Beliefs might be along the lines of It is unhealthy for children to be vaccinated as much as they are today. Concerns around pain center more on the immediate consequences of the vaccination, such as fears about the injection. And deliberation refers to the need some people feel to do their own research. Kantor and his colleagues used their findings to develop a 13-question survey, which they trialed in 500 people from the UK and 500 more from the US. They found that responses to the questionnaire could predict whether someone had been vaccinated against covid-19. Theirs is not the first vaccine hesitancy scale out theresimilar questionnaires have been developed by others, often focusing on parents feelings about their childrens vaccinations. But Kantor says this is the first to incorporate the theme of deliberationa concept that seems to have become more popular during the early days of covid-19 vaccination rollouts. Nicole Vike at the University of Cincinnati and her colleagues are taking a different approach. They say research has suggested that how people feel about risks and rewards seems to influence whether they get vaccinated (although not necessarily in a simple or direct manner). Vikes team surveyed over 4,000 people to better understand this link, asking them information about themselves and how they felt about a series of pictures of sports, nature scenes, cute and aggressive animals, and so on. Using machine learning, they built a model that could predict, from these results, whether a person would be likely to get vaccinated against covid-19. This survey could be easily distributed to thousands of people and is subtle enough that people taking it might not realize it is gathering information about their vaccine choices, Vike and her colleagues wrote in a paper describing their research. And the information collected could help public health centers understand where there is demand for vaccines, and conversely, where outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases might be more likely. Models like these could be helpful in combating vaccine hesitancy, says Ashlesha Kaushik, vice president of the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The information could enable health agencies to deliver tailored information and support to specific communities that share similar concerns, she says. Kantor, who is a practicing physician, hopes his questionnaire could offer doctors and other health professionals insight into their patients concerns and suggest ways to address them. It isnt always practical for doctors to sit down with their patients for lengthy, in-depth discussions about the merits and shortfalls of vaccines. But if a patient can spend a few minutes filling out a questionnaire before the appointment, the doctor will have a starting point for steering a respectful and fruitful conversation about the subject. When it comes to vaccine hesitancy, we need all the insight we can get. Vaccines prevent millions of deaths every year. One and half million children under the age of five die every year from vaccine-preventable diseases, according to the childrens charity UNICEF. In 2019, the World Health Organization included vaccine hesitancy on its list of 10 threats to global health. When vaccination rates drop, we start to see outbreaks of the diseases the vaccines protect against. Weve seen this a lot recently with measles, which is incredibly infectious. Sixteen measles outbreaks were reported in the US in 2024. Globally, over 22 million children missed their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2023, and measles cases rose by 20%. Over 107,000 people around the world died from measles that year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of them were children. Vaccine hesitancy is dangerous. Its really creating a threatening environment for these vaccine-preventable diseases to make a comeback, says Kaushik. Kantor agrees: Anything we can do to help mitigate that, I think, is great. Now read the rest of The Checkup Read more from MIT Technology Review's archive In 2021, my former colleague Tanya Basu wrote a guide to having discussions about vaccines with people who are hesitant. Kindness and nonjudgmentalism will get you far, she wrote. In December 2020, as covid-19 ran rampant around the world, doctors took to social media platforms like TikTok to allay fears around the vaccine. Sharing their personal experiences was importantbut not without risk, A.W. Ohlheiser reported at the time. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is currently in the spotlight for his views on vaccines. But he has also spread harmful misinformation about HIV and AIDS, as Anna Merlan reported. mRNA vaccines have played a vital role in the covid-19 pandemic, and in 2023, the researchers who pioneered the science behind them were awarded a Nobel Prize. Heres whats next for mRNA vaccines. Vaccines are estimated to have averted 154 million deaths in the last 50 years. That number includes 146 million children under the age of five. Thats partly why childhood vaccines are a public health success story. From around the web As Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s Senate hearing continued this week, so did the revelations of his misguided beliefs about health and vaccines. Kennedy, who has called himself an expert on vaccines, said in 2021 that we should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule thats given to whites, because their immune system is better than oursa claim that is not supported by evidence. (The Washington Post) And in past email exchanges with his niece, a primary-care physician at NYC Health + Hospitals in New York City, RFK Jr. made repeated false claims about covid-19 vaccinations and questioned the value of annual flu vaccinations. (STAT) Towana Looney, who became the third person to receive a gene-edited pig kidney in December, is still healthy and full of energy two months later. The milestone makes Looney the longest-living recipient of a pig organ transplant. Im superwoman, she told the Associated Press. (AP) The Trump administrations attempt to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs was chaotic. Even a pause in funding for global health programs can be considered a destruction, writes Atul Gawande. (The New Yorker) How ultraprocessed is the food in your diet? This chart can help rank food itemsbut wont tell you all you need to know about how healthy they are. (Scientific American)

I spent years becoming a psychologist and then trying to achieve tenure.When I finally got tenure, I should have felt accomplished, but something was missing.I had to slow down, and then I realized I wanted to be a mother.Becoming a psychologist is a long and grueling process. After four years of college, it's another six years or so to earn your master's and doctoral degrees. You then work full time for at least one year, accruing supervised hours before you're even eligible to take the licensing exam.After that, if you are in a tenure-track academic position, like I was, then there are additional hurdles before you are considered for tenure. If you are granted tenure, the rewards are significant: Your job security increases dramatically, and you have more academic freedom in how you study and teach.For years, that's what I was working towards: job security and freedom. But when I finally achieved it all, something felt off.Receiving tenure first felt like winning the lotteryWhen I was granted tenure after a months-long application review process, I was euphoric. I truly felt like I had won the lottery and that I had finally "made it."But, like for many who have actually won the lottery, the high subsided after a few months.This alone was not unexpected. I knew the feeling would fade, as all feelings eventually do. What I could not make sense of was the experience of looking at my life and wondering, "Is this it? Is this everything?"I followed the formula: Study hard, get good grades, work hard, get promoted, keep working hard, get tenure, and live happily ever after. I had a stable career, a loving husband, and a full life by any measure.What was still missing?When the euphoria faded, I thought something was wrong with meI had experienced periods of depression in my life before, and so that was my first hypothesis, but I wasn't actually depressed. I still derived meaning and enjoyment from my role as a professor, so I wasn't disillusioned with the job.It took months of exploration in therapy and honest self-reflection for me to acknowledge that for most of my adult life, I had been on one track or another, striving toward the next stop and barely pausing before moving to the next.The tenure track was no different from any other track in the sense that it was predetermined and clearly demarcated. My particular gender and cultural conditioning had primed me to choose tracks over off-roading, and so I believed that if I just stayed the course and completed it well, fulfillment and contentment would be my rewards.Except, when I finally got there, I still had a nagging sense of incompleteness.I was so focused on my career that I didn't realize what I really wantedAll those years of striving overshadowed the parts of me that have no interest in tracks, achievements, or successes. My capacity to enjoy being for the sake of being and not having to earn or prove anything, was diminishing as I accrued more accomplishments and accolades.Once I decided to pay more attention to my need to just "be" and not "do," I opened myself to other realizations the most shocking of which was my growing desire to have a child.The younger me would have shuddered at a future in which I finally earned tenure, voluntarily closed my private practice, and stepped down from a dean-level position so that I could spend more time with my child. But that's just what I did.Parenting is meaningful, yes, but it's not a strategy for fulfillment. Indeed, I still have some unresolved dissonance about my trajectory, and becoming a parent has involved a whole lot of "doing" at the expense of "being," especially as a working mom.On the other hand, despite the challenges, I do feel a greater sense of completeness in our family. I'm glad I eventually paid attention to the voice inside me that led me here, and I wish I had tuned in sooner.

A Spotify layoff in December 2023 affected 17% of employees, including Sophia Omarji, a UX researcher.Omarji faced visa issues and a competitive job market before being forced to leave for Dubai.Still looking for her next role a year later, she's focused on skill development and networking.In January 2023, I moved from the UK to Sweden for my dream job at Spotify. I had been at the company since July 2022, when I joined as a UX research intern and secured a full-time associate role and later a promotion.As a music psychology graduate, joining Spotify was a dream come true. I never expected to reach that point in my career fresh out of college I assumed it would take years.At the end of 2023, I was among the 17% affected by layoffs at the company I had dreamed of joining. Since then, I've processed the reality of being laid off and navigated the emotional and professional challenges that come with it.The year since has been anything but straightforward, from grappling with visa issues to navigating Sweden's competitive job market. It has also been a time of profound learning and unexpected growth.On Monday, December 4, 2023, I received the email that changed everythingI woke up and rolled over to see two emails from work. One was sent to the whole company from Spotify's CEO, Daniel Ek, and another from HR a 15-minute individual meeting invite to discuss my role. Having been present for another round of layoffs earlier that year, I knew that I was about to be let go.Every day at work felt surreal and confirmed I was living out my aspirations. I loved the culture, people, and projects the role excited me and built my passion further. I had envisioned a long career at the company.In the call, they told me my role was being made redundant, and they couldn't find me another position due to the scale of the reduction. I was given a three-month notice period but was not required to work from then on.I felt a mix of disbelief, frustration, and pure heartbreakIt wasn't just about the job loss but the upheaval of everything I had planned for the coming years. The uncertainty was further amplified by my work visa situation, being in Sweden as a British citizen, forcing me to navigate emotional turmoil and the post-Brexit bureaucratic maze.With a ticking clock and no clear path forward, I felt paralyzed. I quickly realized that the emotional aftermath of losing a job was more complex than I had anticipated.I had to give myself the space to experience the stages of grief, mourning the loss of my sense of identity and future certainty alongside the feelings of rejection that accompanied it. Over time, I began to appreciate the value of giving myself time to adjust rather than rushing to fill the void.One key lesson I've learned is how to embrace the discomfort of not having everything figured out immediatelyIt's easy to feel like you're falling behind when you have no clear direction or routine, but I soon realized that growth often arises in moments of uncertainty.I decided to focus on what I could still control. I leaned into the skills I had developed at Spotify, like data analysis, storytelling, and working with different stakeholders, and explored new avenues for applying them.I couldn't find part-time work in Sweden because my work visa was revoked, leaving me in a sticky situation. Over the past year, I've focused on networking, attending conferences, and expanding my skill set through courses.I've also honed my background in music psychology, searching for opportunities to share that expertise through workshops, speaking engagements, my blog, and my podcast.Early career professionals in the current job market face unique challengesThe pressure to progress quickly, build experience, and establish ourselves can feel overwhelming, especially in industries like tech, where expertise is highly valued.I've learned being junior doesn't mean being less capable it's an opportunity to build a foundation of skills and knowledge that will support long-term growth. Young people bring fresh perspectives, adaptability, and a willingness to learn, and adaptability isn't just about adjusting to changes within your current role or industry it's about being open to geographical and professional shifts that push you out of your comfort zone.After my layoff, I could stay in Sweden for six months before ultimately having no choice but to leave Stockholm. I relocated to Dubai to be with my family.The transition was difficult I had to leave behind my partner, friends, and the life I had built. Adjusting to a long-distance relationship added another layer of complexity, but I learned that a new location doesn't have to limit opportunities.I now see myself as a citizen of the worldI'm navigating life on the move and juggling pursuing my next job with quality time spent with family and friends, exploring new places, and focusing on personal and professional projects. My ultimate goal is to return to Sweden or wherever the best opportunity takes me so my partner and I can reunite and build the best life possible.My goal for the year ahead is to find professional success. I'm open to similar roles and new directions if they align with my values. Whether it's in music psychology, UX research, or the broader tech industry, my focus is on meaningful and impactful work. As the world evolves, so will my career.Do you want to share how your layoff affected you? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.

I have played many games that have great openings. Final Fantasy VII puts you in the middle of a raid. Mass Effect 2 introduces you to a world, then immediately destroys it. Sonic the Hedgehog bombards you with impossibly fast objects hurtling through a world of colourful danger.I have never played a game in my life that starts by telling you not to be a Nazi. But thats what greeted me when I played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Before a single artefact was raided, before a whip was cracked, before you even see lead actor Troy Baker doing his best Harrison Ford impression in next generation graphics (amazing!), comes this warning:The story and contents of this game are not intended to and should not be construed in any way to condone, glorify or endorse the beliefs, ideologies, events, actions, persons or behaviour of the Nazi and fascist regimes Its difficult to see how anyone could possibly construe the fascists in this game as something worthy of imitation. Quite apart from their moral repugnancy, they are super dumb. Whether in Vatican City or in Thailand, they are terrible fighters, and so deaf you can crawl right past them. They make very bad decisions in what is, according to some well written dialogue, clearly a toxic workplace environment where their young male insecurity is weaponised by a few charismatic older leaders who dont care about them. Who would want to join that system?The games comically, brilliantly detestable uber-villain, Herr Voss. Photograph: BethesdaBut then, in the middle of playing this, the Trump cult retook the US. A load of real Nazis were immediately released from jail, because they were fashing for Donald. And the worlds richest man apparently sieg-heiled live on stage in front of a televised audience of millions, and is actively promoting far right parties in Germany and the UK. This was on day one! Across the globe, dumb young men suckled on Joe Rogans raw milk lapped it up.I was so happy escaping into the virtual world of Indiana Jones. Its crazy that a game featuring Hitler and Mussolini on their rise to power feels comforting, but here at least it is entirely permitted indeed encouraged to punch the Nazis. The more I played the game, the more it became about getting one over them, as I lured them one by one into a corner and punched the hell out of them. The joy of creeping through an encampment of fash and nicking stuff from their safes right under their noses was only matched by the euphoria I felt shoving one of them off the edge of a battleship stuck at the top of a Himalayan mountain.Actually, I had so much fun knocking Nazis out with candlesticks that the rest of the game became a bit of a drag. Maybe Ive played too much Uncharted and Tomb Raider, but I no longer find it exciting to wander around caves looking for ropes to swing off while solving puzzles. Thats the boring side of archaeology. That is why nobody wanted to be one, before Indiana Jones added Nazi-punching to the job description. The archaeological sections feel as if they take for ever (though I am sure Elon Musk completes them in minutes, having paid someone else to do it for him).I no longer find it exciting to wander around caves Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Photograph: BethesdaI also keep getting stuck halfway through opening doors, thanks to the clunky controls. I am at an age where I get bored by any kind of mundane activity in games. Turning keys in locks, searching for objects, eating food Id do away with all of it. I want locked doors to fly open and every object within to magically fly into my infinite-sized backpack and stomach. I have spent nearly 30 years as a dad searching rooms for things that are lost. I want a break from that.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionThankfully theres a LOT of action. One part where you go from sliding down a mountain in the Himalayas to running around Shanghai under bomber attack before flying your own plane out of there is the most fun section of a game I can remember. It was so immersive that the day after I completed it, I felt the same sadness I feel when I finish binge-watching a brilliant TV series.There are still people out there who think video games have nothing to do with real life. Well, I have just spent three weeks surrounded by fascists hellbent on world domination. The only thing that told me I was in a game rather than real life was that I was personally able to stop them. With my fists.

Its good to be back in this far-flung future world. Like the game that preceded it, Citizen Sleeper 2 is packed with evocative portrayals of everyday life in outer space, from farmers tending zero-G crops in an asteroid greenhouse to water miners rising up against the cartel that controls them, everyone eking out a meagre existence in crumbling space stations left to rot by a long-dead mega corporation.Once again youre cast as a Sleeper, a robot with a digitised human mind shorn of the memories of the person it was copied from. In the first game you were on the run from the firm that made you, attempting to wean your robot off its reliance on a stabilising drug. In the sequel you play a different Sleeper who has successfully managed to ditch Stabilizer, but at the cost of being enslaved to a gang boss called Laine.Whereas before the action was confined to a single space station, Erlins Eye, the second game roves much more widely across a sector of space called the Belt. Your explosive escape from Laine sees you hot-footing it from station to station, with a timer signalling how close on your tail the gang lord is. In this opening section its a race against time to gather enough fuel and supplies for the next leg of your journey, all the while searching for a way to sever the mysterious link Laine seems to have with your body.Each destination offers a visual backdrop of wherever you happen to be visiting, whether its a long-abandoned space border crossing or a populated asteroid, but mostly youll be reading text descriptions of whats going on and clicking through conversations. As in the previous game you have five dice that are rolled at the start of each day (or cycle), and these can be plugged into various activities at each location, with higher numbers delivering a higher chance of success.The second game roves much more widely through different locations Citizen Sleeper 2. Photograph: Jump Over The AgeBut now, the dice can break. On timed, high-stakes missions, failure accumulates stress, which in turn can damage your dice. If a dies energy reaches zero, its broken, unable to be used until its repaired. If all five dice break on normal difficulty, your character gains a permanent glitch: a die that always gives an 80% chance of failure.Youre joined on these contracts by up to two crew members. Like in Mass Effect 2, you can gather crew for your ship, The Rig, and each comes with two dice that are attuned to their specialities. You can also use a push once per cycle, increasing the number on your lowest die at the cost of raising your stress. All of this makes contracts wonderfully tense and involving, as you decide how far to push your luck at the risk of outright failure. And failure stalks Citizen Sleeper 2: whereas many games promise power fantasies, here each day is a valiant struggle (at least at first). Some missions are locked off if you dont get to them in time. Its a game that encourages repeat plays, to see how things might have turned out differently.Citizen Sleeper 2 is around twice as big as the first game, with many more locations to visit. But this does mean it feels a little stretched thin compared with the previous title. Rather than getting to know one place intimately, we instead have a scattering of space stations with a handful of activities in each. The crew also feel underused: its a shame there isnt a way to upgrade their abilities or integrate them more into gameplay.Yet the characters are also the games greatest strength, and throughout they are expertly drawn, both literally (with comic book artist Guillaume Singelin once again providing some gorgeous portraits) and in terms of their compelling and heartfelt backstories. Despite its bleakness, the world of Citizen Sleeper 2 is full of compassion, and its a joy to return to the universe Gareth Damian Martin has created. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is out on 31 January

One longtime Rockstar insider has suggested GTA 6 could see two different options for players, with a full version including both parts and a separate GTA Online purchase

National Pavilion UAE Highlights Food Security at 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, Led by Azza AboualamSave this picture!Greenhouses in Alzubair, Sharjah. Image Courtesy of National Pavilion UAE La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by Ola AllouzThe National Pavilion UAE has unveiled its upcoming exhibition, Pressure Cooker, for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Emirati architect and scholar Azza Aboualam, the exhibition explores the evolving relationship between architecture and food production in the UAE, proposing innovative solutions for sustainable and self-sufficient food systems. Running from May 10 to November 23, 2025, the exhibition will highlight the intersection of design, sustainability, and resource management in arid environments.Building on extensive archival research and fieldwork, Pressure Cooker examines food-growing infrastructures across the UAE, shedding light on overlooked, resource-rich landscapes. The exhibition reimagines traditional and contemporary food production techniques, from vernacular farming methods to cutting-edge greenhouse technologies, to address the urgent global challenges of food security and climate change. By investigating how architecture can be mobilized to enhance food resilience, the exhibition presents a vision for integrating sustainable food systems into urban and rural environments.Save this picture!Azza Aboualam's research, presented in Venice alongside an accompanying publication, explores the ways architecture can respond to food scarcity, adapting existing infrastructures and pioneering new approaches to food cultivation. The exhibition emphasizes the UAE's historical and contemporary innovations in food production, positioning the country's experience within a broader global discourse on sustainability. Related Article "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective": Carlo Ratti Announces Theme and Title for 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale In addition to her role at Zayed University, Aboualam is the co-founder of Holesum Studio, an interdisciplinary architecture and design practice with operations in New York and Sharjah. Her work focuses on architecture's role in cultural memory and community spaces, and she has contributed to publications such as In Search of Spaces of Coexistence: An Architect's Journey (2019), which reflects her fieldwork and research on the UAE's built environment.Save this picture! The UAE's participation in the Biennale Architettura 2025 reflects our commitment to fostering innovation and addressing global challenges. Pressure Cooker highlights the critical role of architecture in food security and climate resilience, offering sustainable solutions that align with the UAE's leadership in adaptive design. -- His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Culture The UAE's participation at the Biennale has been a recurring platform for promoting the nation's architectural narratives. The UAE Pavilion previously garnered international acclaim, winning the Golden Lion award for best national participation at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition in 2021 for its Wetland exhibition, curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto. Save this picture!In other related news, Carlo Ratti has announced the theme of the 2025 Venice Biennale, "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective." This exhibition will focus on the intersection of natural and artificial intelligence, exploring how these forms can help address global challenges such as climate change. The Austrian Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale will host the Agency for Better Living, an interactive exhibition exploring the political and social dimensions of housing equity and affordability. Finally, the Danish Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale will present Build of Site, curated by Sren Pihlmann, focusing on sustainability, reuse, and resourcefulness in architecture.Editor's Note: This article was originally published on October 21, 2024, and updated on January 31, 2025.We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Venice Biennale.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorNour FakharanyAuthorCite: Nour Fakharany. "National Pavilion UAE Highlights Food Security at 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, Led by Azza Aboualam" 31 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1022590/uae-national-pavilion-appoints-azza-aboualam-as-curator-for-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

Modernism Reconsidered: Revisiting the Movements Complex Relationship with SustainabilitySave this picture!Unite d' Habitation / Le Corbusier Gili Merin. Image Gili MerinModernism emerged in the early 20th century as a revolutionary movement that rejected historical styles, prioritizing functionality, innovation, and rationality. Grounded in the promise of industrial progress, architects like Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe championed using new materials and construction methods, striving for a universal architectural language. Their work introduced radical ideas: open floor plans, expansive glazing for natural light, and pilotis that elevated structures, symbolizing a new architectural era. However, alongside its groundbreaking ideas, modernism's relationship with sustainability has sparked ongoing debates.While modernist architects sought to address social and economic challenges through affordable housing and efficient design, their reliance on energy-intensive materials like concrete and steel created unintended environmental consequences. The large-scale industrialization celebrated by modernists often disregarded local climates and ecological systems, leading to inefficiencies. Yet, the principles of functionality and adaptability embedded in modernist architecture laid the groundwork for what we now recognize as sustainable practices. From Le Corbusier's rooftop gardens to Frank Lloyd Wright's integration of nature, the seeds of environmentally conscious design were undeniably present, albeit limited in their execution.In today's climate-conscious world, architects and scholars revisit the ideals of modernism to address the environmental challenges of the 21st century, reinterpreting its principles in the context of sustainability. Exploring the complexities of Modernism's relationship with sustainability its successes, controversies, and ongoing influence reveals how its original ideals are being adapted to shape contemporary architecture. Understanding this evolution makes it evident how modernism continues to guide efforts to balance aesthetics, function, and ecological responsibility. Related Article Exploring the Legacy of Modernism in Landscape Architecture Modernism and Sustainability: Foundations and ControversiesModernism is often celebrated for its functional principles and innovative designs, but its connection to sustainability remains a point of contention. On one hand, the movement introduced concepts like efficiency, adaptability, and integration with nature, which align with contemporary sustainable practices. On the other, its reliance on industrial processes and energy-intensive materials, like the innovative use of steel, glass, and concrete, has drawn criticism, raising questions about whether modernism was inherently sustainable or merely a product of its time.Save this picture!The foundations of modernist architecture include notable gestures toward environmental responsibility. As the Docomomo Journal 44 highlighted, early modernist buildings often prioritized functional layouts, maximizing natural light and ventilation. Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture championed pilotis to minimize ground disruption, ribbon windows for daylighting, and rooftop gardens to integrate greenery a precursor to today's green roofs. Projects like the Unit d'Habitationimprove air quality, and provide communal areas, reflecting a commitment to holistic design.Save this picture!Similarly, Frank Lloyd Wright'sFallingwater (19361939) seamlessly integrated architecture with its natural surroundings, highlighting harmony with the landscape. Wright's principles of organic architecture inspired a generation of architects to consider the ecological context of their designs. Likewise, Alvar Aalto'sPaimio Sanatorium (19291933) employed design strategies that prioritized patient comfort and natural ventilation, demonstrating a sensitivity to both environmental and human needs. These examples illustrate that while not explicitly sustainable, modernism established a foundation for eco-conscious design.Save this picture!Yet, these examples stand alongside modernism's less sustainable aspects. The widespread use of concrete and steel, celebrated for their strength and versatility, required significant energy to produce and often neglected the embodied carbon they carried. These concepts were rarely executed to their full ecological potential, as the focus remained on aesthetics and industrial advancement rather than environmental impact. Structures like Mies van der Rohe'sFarnsworth House (1945-1951), while aesthetically striking, relied on large expanses of single-pane glass, leading to poor thermal performance and high energy consumption.Save this picture!Another example is Mies van der Rohe'sSeagram Building (1958), with its sleek glass faade offering minimal insulation, which results in significant heating and cooling demands. Though groundbreaking, these material and design choices were frequently ill-suited to regional climates, prioritizing universal aesthetics over environmental responsiveness.Save this picture!Save this picture!The controversies surrounding modernism and sustainability are further complicated by its global reach. As modernist principles spread across continents, particularly to post-colonial regions, their adaptation often overlooked local climates and resources. In regions like Africa and South Asia, modernist designs imposed by colonial powers frequently failed to address the realities of extreme heat or humidity, leading to energy inefficiencies. TheInternational Style, with its emphasis on uniformity, was critiqued for imposing a Western architectural language on diverse cultural contexts. This homogenization sometimes led to designs that were both culturally and environmentally unsuitable, undermining modernism's potential to engage meaningfully with its surroundings.Save this picture!Despite these shortcomings, the movement's focus on efficiency and rationality has influenced sustainable architecture today. Modernism's emphasis on modular construction and prefabrication anticipated current approaches to reducing waste and material use. The work of architects like Jean Prouv, who designedmodular housing systems, demonstrated the potential of prefabrication to address housing shortages while minimizing resources. Contemporary architects build upon these ideas, merging modernist methods with advancements in green technology and materials.Save this picture!Modernism in Landscape Architecture: A Sustainable Legacy?Modernism in landscape architecture emerged alongside the architectural movement, driven by the belief that design could improve human interaction with the environment. Architects and landscape designers embraced modernist principles such as simplicity, functionality, and integration with nature. This approach sought to harmonize human needs with the surrounding landscape, fostering a sense of ecological awareness even before "sustainability" became a mainstream concept. Designers like Garrett Eckbo and Roberto Burle Marx championed spaces that embraced local contexts, used native vegetation, and explored water management techniques that echoed modernism's pragmatic and resource-efficient ethos.Save this picture!Roberto Burle Marx, often referred to as the pioneer of sustainable landscape design, exemplified this ideology in projects like the Copacabana Beach promenade and Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro, integrating biodiversity with human recreation to create adaptable spaces for evolving cityscapes. Burle Marx advocated for native plants and resilient ecosystems, showcasing how landscape design could both preserve ecological balance and meet urban needs.Save this picture!Another notable figure, Dan Kiley, brought modernist ideals to North America, designing public and private spaces that exemplified clarity and order. Projects like the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis represent Kiley's commitment to functional simplicity and the seamless blending of built and natural environments. The Gateway grounds, with their geometric patterns and sweeping vistas, embody modernism's emphasis on abstraction and its potential to enhance spatial awareness. Furthermore, the park's ability to adapt to climate-resilient strategies over the years underscores its role as a forward-looking design, aligning with contemporary sustainability practices.Save this picture!However, the sustainable aspirations of modernist landscape architecture were often constrained by the tools and knowledge of their time. While figures like Burle Marx and Kiley demonstrated the potential for ecological awareness in design, other projects prioritized formal innovation over ecological balance, revealing a tension between aesthetics and environmental stewardship. Revisiting these landscapes today offers an opportunity to rethink modernism's legacy, applying its principles of simplicity and functionality to contemporary challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate resilience. These historic projects serve as both inspiration and cautionary tales, reminding us that design must continually evolve to address the complexities of the natural world.Save this picture!From Modernism to Modernity: Contemporary Sustainability and Its LessonsModernism's influence on contemporary architecture extends beyond its aesthetic and functional innovations. While its principles of simplicity, openness, and technological progress remain celebrated, its limitations such as a lack of adaptability to diverse climates and insufficient consideration of ecological systems have shaped the ways architects today approach sustainability.Save this picture!Take Bjarke Ingels Group's (BIG) and Landscape Architects SLA, CopenHill (Amager Bakke) in Copenhagen, for instance. The project embodies modernism's technological ambition and sculptural clarity while addressing ecological shortcomings. A waste-to-energy plant topped with a fully accessible green rooftop, CopenHill functions as both infrastructure and public space. This project recalls Modernist ideals of integrating utility and design, akin to the Bauhaus principle of uniting form and function. However, CopenHill goes further, actively mitigating environmental impact by converting waste into clean energy while promoting urban biodiversity through its rooftop park and ski slope.Save this picture!Bosco Verticale, designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti and Studio Laura Gatti reinterprets modernism's integration with nature in a thoroughly contemporary manner. While Le Corbusier's vision for Villa Savoye sought harmony with its rural surroundings, it relied on mechanical systems for comfort and neglected ecological sustainability. Bosco Verticale, in contrast, transforms the concept of living in harmony with nature into a performative architectural feature. Its faade incorporates over 800 trees and 20,000 plants, improving urban air quality and reducing energy consumption, merging Modernist clarity of design with environmental responsibility.Save this picture!Adaptive reuse projects also highlight how contemporary sustainability builds upon modernist ideals. The High Line in New York City, by James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, exemplifies the transformation of an abandoned railway into a lush urban park that echoes modernism's focus on rethinking spatial possibilities. Yet, unlike modernism's tendency to impose rigid order, the High Line embraces ecological restoration and community engagement. It fosters biodiversity and promotes organic growth, integrating sustainability into an adaptive model of urban renewal.Save this picture!Save this picture!Francis Kr's architectural approach embodies modernism's core principles of functional design, modularity, and efficiency while addressing its historical blind spots regarding local contexts and environmental limitations. By prioritizing the use of local materials and integrating passive cooling systems, Kr achieves designs that are both sustainable and deeply rooted in their surroundings. His projects minimize carbon footprints and foster community empowerment through participatory construction processes. A prime example is the Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso, where Kr reimagines modernist innovation by incorporating vernacular techniques and materials to create a climate-responsive, socially inclusive learning environment.Save this picture!Bridging Eras: Modernism's Legacy in Contemporary SustainabilityThe relationship between modernism and sustainability is complex and layered, marked by both forward-thinking principles and critical shortcomings. Modernism's focus on efficiency, innovation, and universal design planted the seeds for many of today's sustainable practices, even as its limitations revealed the necessity of deeper ecological and contextual sensitivity. Contemporary architecture has learned from these lessons, evolving to prioritize adaptability, equity, and environmental stewardship without losing sight of the creativity and optimism that defined the movement.By revisiting and reinterpreting modernist ideals, architects today are forging a path where sustainability is not an afterthought but an integral part of the design process. This ongoing dialogue between past and present reminds us that architecture's role is to reflect the needs of its time, anticipating and shaping a better future.Save this picture!This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: 100 Years of Modernism. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and architecture projects. We invite you to learn more about our ArchDaily Topics. And, as always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorDiogo Borges FerreiraAuthorCite: Diogo Borges Ferreira. "Modernism Reconsidered: Revisiting the Movements Complex Relationship with Sustainability" 31 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025961/modernism-reconsidered-revisiting-modernisms-complex-relationship-with-sustainability&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