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After an embarrassing pivot to AI content, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti says he's had enough of all the ragebait, clickbait, and fake news.Peretti, who proudly announced in May 2023 that AI will "replace the majority of static content," and gloated that its AI-generated content was outperforming its pesky human employees, has seemingly turned another leaf.In a rambling new blog post, Peretti argued that a "future where AI takes away our human agency, devalues our labor, and creates social discord" is already here, pointing the finger at tech companies who he said coerced the media into producing a flood of what he calls SNARF ("stakes, novelty, anger, retention, fear") content,which he says manipulates readers into sticking around.According to Peretti, the use ofAI has "already shipped the dystopian AI future many people are worried might come in the future.""Theyve already delivered a MAGA President that spews SNARF and a woke counter-culture that celebrates the assassination of a health insurance executive big stakes, lots of novelty, and plenty of anger, retention, and fear!" he wrote.After all those grandiose claims, Peretti announced the launch of a "new social media platform built specifically to spread joy and enable playful creative expression"called we are not kidding "BF Island."Oh, and how will BF Island work? It'll "allow users to use AI to create and share content," per Axios.It all rings very hollow. After surrenderingBuzzFeedto AI, Peretti is complaining that Facebook and TikTok used AI to trap users, and his solution is to build yet another AI-powered social network.And that's without getting into howBuzzFeed has been using AI to fill the internet with insipid slop for years now,fromborderline unintelligible quizzes to incredibly lazy travel guides."This post was enhanced with AI creativity tools," reads a note appended to countless posts published on the site.In other words, BuzzFeed itself has quickly become the epitome of the manipulative media landscape Peretti is claiming to decry.Instead of acknowledging his own role in giving up "human agency" and "devaluing labor" BuzzFeed has lost huge swathes of its workforce over several rounds of layoffs and wiped out most of the company's stock value over the last four years Peretti is blaming the tech sector for his failings."It is hilarious to me that so many people still blame 'The Media' when the behaviors of the media are largely shaped by the much larger tech platforms, who distribute most of the worlds content, despite being mostly disinterested in the content itself," he wrote. "Nevertheless, they love to blame the media and take zero responsibility for the media ecosystem that they were instrumental in creating, almost by accident as a byproduct of the AI wars."To be clear, Peretti is right about a few things. Tech companies do have a long history of coercing the media into tapping into what he's calling SNARF content through the use of algorithms. In simple terms, the loudest piece of content wins, creating a toxic feedback loop.But where Peretti's "anti-SNARF manifesto" falls apart is in his continued pursuit of AI slop.And considering Meta's disastrous attempts to populate its increasingly abandoned social media platforms with fake AI users and AI engagement bait, relying on the same tech may not even be the path to profitability Peretti thinks.More on BuzzFeed: BuzzFeed Sells "Hot Ones" as It Pivots to AI-Generated ContentShare This Article

Days after a Tesla Cybertruck wrapped itself around a pole while the carmaker's infamous "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) feature was turned on, yet another video of a terrifying run-in involving the vehicle and the software is making the rounds on social media.The video shows a Cybertruck driving down a straight country road with the driver assistance feature activated, when an SUV approaches it from the opposite direction. At the very last second, the Cybertruck attempts to turn left into what appears to be a driveway, forcing the driver to seize control and intervene."Oh god, Jesus!" the driver exclaims, yanking the steering yoke to the rightto narrowly avoid a frontal collision. A closeup of the Cybertruck's dash display shows that Tesla's Full Self-Driving software indeed intended to cross the other lane, seemingly ignoring the oncoming vehicle which the software does register completely.The terrifying run-in is yet another indication that Tesla's driver assistance software needs serious work and can easily get somebody hurt or even killed without timely intervention. That's despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterating that a supposedly "unsupervised" version of the software is coming later this year, a foreboding glimpse of what's still in store for anybody who happens to share the road with a Tesla."I got my 2025 dual motor about 2 weeks ago and have LOVED it!" the owner, who goes by chasesmithrel, wrote in a post on the Cybetruck Owners Club forum. "Ive been enjoying FSD and all its cool features.""I did have a big scare the other day and wanted to share/get advice," the owner recalled. "Backstory to the video, it has trouble turning into my driveway, it always wants to turn into the plant nursery beside my driveway (even though it has it right in the map) and I was recording it to show my dad the issue.""There was a truck coming from the other direction and it tried to turn right as the the [sic] truck was passing," the post reads. "If I wouldnt have snatched the wheel it could have been a head on collision.""This is my first Tesla and Im worried about using FSD again," chasesmithrel wrote.Other users on the Cybertruck Owners Club forum quickly chimed in, arguing that FSD was more of a party trick to show off to friends."I love this tech, but I'm still a bit paranoid to place too much trust in it for the moment," one user wrote.Tesla owners have been testing the controversial feature on public roads for several years now. We've come across plenty of close calls and collisions involving the feature.Regulators are also investigatinghundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths involving FSD and its overarching Autopilot suite. There have also been countless lawsuits filed against Tesla by surviving family members.But now that Musk has assumed control over swathes of the US government, he could be in a position to strongarm regulators into submission, clearing the path for future and potentially even more dangerous iterations of Tesla's driver assistance software.Experts warn that it's only a matter of time until Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency come after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has been investigating Tesla for many years now. According to the Associated Press, the agency currently has six pending investigations into the carmaker's self-driving software."NHTSA has been a thorn in Musks side for over the last decade and hes grappled with almost every three-letter agency in the Beltway," Wall Street automotive analyst Daniel Ives told the AP. "Thats all created what looks to be a really big soap opera in 2025."Apart from questionable driver assistance features, the Cybertruck has turned out to be a real lemon for many owners. In December, the Cybertruck faced its seventh recall by the NHTSA, despite only having hit the streets a year prior and one new analysis found that it's been involved in more deadly fires per unit sold than the infamous Ford Pinto.More on the Cybertruck: Tesla Driver Issues Warning After His Cybertruck Totals Itself on "Full Self-Driving" ModeShare This Article

Feb 12, 2025Ravie LakshmananCyber Espionage / CybercrimeA subgroup within the infamous Russian state-sponsored hacking group known as Sandworm has been attributed to a multi-year initial access operation dubbed BadPilot that stretched across the globe."This subgroup has conducted globally diverse compromises of Internet-facing infrastructure to enable Seashell Blizzard to persist on high-value targets and support tailored network operations," the Microsoft Threat Intelligence team said in a new report shared with The Hacker News ahead of publication.The geographical spread of the initial access subgroup's targets include the whole of North America, several countries in Europe, as well as others, including Angola, Argentina, Australia, China, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.The development marks a significant expansion of the hacking group's victimology footprint over the past three years, which is otherwise known to be concentrated around Eastern Europe -2022: Energy, retail, education, consulting, and agriculture sectors in Ukraine2023: Sectors in the United States, Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East that provided material support to the war in Ukraine or were geopolitically significant2024: Entities in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United KingdomSandworm is tracked by Microsoft under the moniker Seashell Blizzard (formerly Iridium), and by the broader cybersecurity community under the names APT44, Blue Echidna, FROZENBARENTS, Grey Tornado, Iron Viking, Razing Ursa, Telebots, UAC-0002, and Voodoo Bear. Active since at least 2013, the group is assessed to be affiliated with Unit 74455 within the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU).The adversarial collective has been described by Google-owned Mandiant as an "highly adaptive" and "operationally mature" threat actor that engages in espionage, attack, and influence operations. It also has a track record of mounting disruptive and destructive attacks against Ukraine over the past decade.Campaigns mounted by Sandworm in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war have leveraged data wipers (KillDisk aka HermeticWiper), pseudo-ransomware (Prestige aka PRESSTEA), and backdoors (Kapeka), in addition to malware families that allow the threat actors to maintain persistent remote access to infected hosts via DarkCrystal RAT (aka DCRat).It has also been observed relying on a variety of Russian companies and criminal marketplaces to source and sustain its offensive capabilities, highlighting a growing trend of cybercrime facilitating state-backed hacking."The group has used criminally sourced tools and infrastructure as a source of disposable capabilities that can be operationalized on short notice without immediate links to its past operations," the Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) said in an analysis."Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, APT44 has increased its use of such tooling, including malware such as DarkCrystal RAT (DCRat), Warzone, and RADTHIEF ('Rhadamanthys Stealer'), and bulletproof hosting infrastructure such as that provided by the Russian-speaking actor 'yalishanda,' who advertises in cybercriminal underground communities."Microsoft said the Sandworm subgroup has been operational since at least late 2021, exploiting various known security flaws to obtain initial access, followed by a series of post-exploitation actions aimed at collecting credentials, achieving command execution, and supporting lateral movement."Observed operations following initial access indicate that this campaign enabled Seashell Blizzard to obtain access to global targets across sensitive sectors including energy, oil and gas, telecommunications, shipping, arms manufacturing, in addition to international governments," the tech giant noted."This subgroup has been enabled by a horizontally scalable capability bolstered by published exploits that allowed Seashell Blizzard to discover and compromise numerous Internet-facing systems across a wide range of geographical regions and sectors."Since early last year, the sub-cluster is said to have weaponized vulnerabilities in ConnectWise ScreenConnect (CVE-2024-1709) and Fortinet FortiClient EMS (CVE-2023-48788) to infiltrate targets in the United Kingdom and the United States.Attacks carried out by the subgroup involve a combination of both opportunistic "spray and pray" attacks and targeted intrusions that are designed to maintain indiscriminate access and perform follow-on actions to either expand network access or obtain confidential information.It's believed that the wide array of compromises offer Seashell Blizzard a way to meet Kremlin's ever-evolving strategic objectives, permitting the hacking outfit to horizontally scale their operations across diverse sectors as new exploits are disclosed.As many as eight different known security vulnerabilities have been exploited by the subgroup to date, Microsoft Exchange Server (CVE-2021-34473 aka ProxyShell)Zimbra Collaboration (CVE-2022-41352)Openfire (CVE-2023-32315)JetBrains TeamCity (CVE-2023-42793)Microsoft Outlook (CVE-2023-23397)Fortinet FortiClient EMS (CVE-2023-48788)Connectwise ScreenConnect (CVE-2024-1709)JBOSS (Unknown CVE)A successful foothold is succeeded by the threat actor establishing persistence through three different methods -February 24, 2024 present: Deployment of legitimate remote access software such as Atera Agent and Splashtop Remote Services, in some cases abusing the access to drop additional payloads for credential acquisition, data exfiltration, and other tools for maintaining access like OpenSSH and a bespoke utility dubbed ShadowLink that allows the compromised system to be accessible via the TOR anonymity networkLate 2021 present: Deployment of a web shell named LocalOlive that allows for command-and-control and serves as a conduit for more payloads, such as tunneling utilities (e.g., Chisel, plink, and rsockstun)Late 2021 2024: Malicious modifications to Outlook Web Access (OWA) sign-in pages to inject JavaScript code that can harvest and exfiltrate credentials back to the threat actor in real-time, and alter DNS A-record configurations likely in an effort to intercept credentials from critical authentication services"This subgroup, which is characterized within the broader Seashell Blizzard organization by its near-global reach, represents an expansion in both the geographical targeting conducted by Seashell Blizzard and the scope of its operations," Microsoft said."At the same time, Seashell Blizzard's far-reaching, opportunistic access methods likely offer Russia expansive opportunities for niche operations and activities that will continue to be valuable over the medium term."The development comes as Dutch cybersecurity company EclecticIQ linked the Sandworm group to another campaign that leverages pirated Microsoft Key Management Service (KMS) activators and fake Windows updates to deliver a new version of BACKORDER, a Go-based downloader that's responsible for fetching and executing a second-stage payload from a remote server.BACKORDER, per Mandiant, is usually delivered within trojanized installer files and is hard-coded to execute the original setup executable. The end goal of the campaign is to deliver DarkCrystal RAT."Ukraine's heavy reliance on cracked software, including in government institutions, creates a major attack surface," security researcher Arda Bykkaya said. "Many users, including businesses and critical entities, have turned to pirated software from untrusted sources, giving adversaries like Sandworm (APT44) a prime opportunity to embed malware in widely used programs."Further infrastructure analysis has uncovered a previously undocumented RDP backdoor codenamed Kalambur that's disguised as a Windows update, and which utilizes the TOR network for command-and-control, as well as to deploy OpenSSH and enable remote access via the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) on port 3389."By leveraging trojanized software to infiltrate ICS environments, Sandworm (APT44) continues to demonstrate its strategic objective of destabilizing Ukraine's critical infrastructure in support of Russian geopolitical ambitions," Bykkaya said.Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

There was an ideato bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to. To fight the battles that we never could.Thats Nick Fury talking about the Avengers. But he could also be talking about the movieThe Avengers and the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.After15 years and dozens of movies, look at what became of this idea; bringing together all these remarkable people and seeing that, yes, theycould be something more when they worked together, when their films were interwoven together until a giant meta-narrative.Fifteenyears ago, the whole notion seemed crazy. An Iron Man movie? Whocares about Iron Man? Starring Robert Downey Jr.?Didnt he have a drug problem? And then theyre going to make anAnt-Man movie?Itll never work.MarvelMarvelloading...READ MORE: The Worst Marvel Comics EverAnd yet here we sit way more than a decade later and we can say, quite conclusively that it worked.Iron Manbegat a sequel, plusThe Incredible Hulk,Thor,Captain America, andThe Avengers. Then six more movies. Then seven more after that. (Ant-Man showed up eventually, but it took a little while.)15 years later, werein the midst of PhaseFive of the Marvel Cinematic Universe withCaptain America: Brave New World.What better timethannow to rank them all?Afterwatching Brave New Worldmypersonal references. Come back in a few months when we do this all over again for ... whatever Marvel releases next.Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked From Worst to BestIt started with Iron Man and its continued and expanded ever since. Its the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 35 movies and counting. But whats the best and the worst? We ranked them all.Get our free mobile appREAD MORE: Every Fox X-Men Movie, Ranked From Worst to BestWhat One Man Learned Reading All 27,000 Marvel Comics

Searching for a word to best describeCaptain America: Brave New World, the one that keeps coming to mind isinconsistent.Some of the hand-to-hand fighting is way above average for a Marvel film; some of the green screen backgrounds and visual effects are about as clunky as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever produced. Sometimes characters from elsewhere in the MCU pop up in unexpected places, and the film makes no attempt to explain who they are or what they are doing; at other times the dialogue is so expository and blunt it feels like theverbal equivalent of getting pummeled in the face by a Red Hulk. For every goodmoment, theres a bad one. Or two.Pretty much all of the good momentsfeatureAnthony Mackie as Marvels new Captain America. Following the events ofAvengers: EndgameandThe Falcon & the Winter Soldier, Mackies paratrooper turned social worker turned superhero Sam Wilson has been promoted to captain (of America), which puts him into conflict with another longtime Marvel charactersporting a new job title. Thunderbolt Ross,previously known as the obsessive general who hunted the Hulk, is now the MCUs President of the United States (and played by Harrison Ford, replacing the late William Hurt in the role).CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLDMarvelloading...READ MORE: What One Man Learned Reading Every Marvel Comic Ever MadeAs Marvel fans know, Ross and Captain America have clashed in the past. (As Marvel fansalso know, the comic-book version of Ross has a nasty habit of occasionally turning into a rampaging monster.) AsPresident, Ross wants Sams help topreserve an all-important international treaty over the rights to the Celestial that emerged from beneath the Indian Ocean inEternalsand apparently contains priceless minerals.Brave New World.)No sooner has Ross recruited Captain America thanthe President is attacked in the White House no less under circumstances that suggest a massive conspiracy. Its up to Sam and his partner, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), who has adopted Sams old costumed alter ego as the Falcon, to find the mastermind behind the assassination attempt beforehe can destabilize the treaty and possibly the entire world.That setup (which is credited to five different writers) sends the heroesCaptain America:The Winter Soldierin its vague mimicry of 70sparanoid thrillers, butBrave New Worlds insistence on avoiding anypossible hot-button political issue or real-worldresonance meanits mystery and ultimate villain cant have any satirical bite whatsoever. That villain is largely a dramatic bust,and boasts powers that are seemingly limitless, which means he is often impossible to stop until, of course, the script demands they become impossibly easy to stop.MarvelMarvelloading...Some of my frustrations with Brave New Worlds murky plotwere mitigated by the fact that I liked watching Anthony Mackietry to fly and punch his way through it. Hemakes a very good Captain America: Charming, charismatic, strong, yet empathetic. (The film makessmartuse of Sams background as atrauma counselor.) Hes witty when he needs to be and convincingly stoic at other points. He carries himself like a hero.Sam does not get much of a character arc or a goal beyond exonerating an imprisoned friend, but there is a small but valuable subplot about the fact that unlikeChris Evans Captain America, Anthony Mackies doesnot have super powers. Hes got Caps shield and an impressive jetpack and wings, but strip those things away from him and hes a vulnerable, flesh-and-blood human being. In Brave New World he gets stabbed, shot, and pummeled. He always gets back up. Although he doesnt use Steve Rogers old I could do this all day catchphrase, he shares his spirit of quiet determination.Withoutspecial powers, Sammostlyfights his enemies the old fashioned way; there are some sequences that involve him cutting cars in half with his high-tech wings or zooming away from fighter jets, but most of the action andallbest action involves hand-to-hand fights with solid choreography and elaborate MMA-style throws and takedowns. I suspect some audience members may question whether a dude with a shield and metal wings could go toe-to-toe with a Red Hulk, butIll take a more human hero in my Marvel movie one whoisCAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLDMarvelloading...Fords transformation into the Red Hulk is good for a few chuckles hereallygoes for it, which isfun to watch and the obligatory teases of future Marvel adventures are as promising as theyve been in several years. They alsoallude to movies I would rather have watched thanBrave New World, which is surely the weakestCaptain Americato date, even if its Captain Americashows a lot of promise. Like I said: Inconsistent.Additional Thoughts:-Speaking of the Red Hulk,with his role, along withappearances from Tim Blake Nelson and Liv Tyler,Brave New Worldoften feels more like a sequel toThe Incredible Hulk than toCaptain America: Civil War, or even The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.new world?RATING: 5/10Get our free mobile appEvery Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked From Worst to BestIt started with Iron Man and its continued and expanded ever since. Its the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 34 movies and counting. But whats the best and the worst? We ranked them all.

RIBA warns that the rule change may limit opportunities for students facing financial or personal barriers and reduce flexibility in architectural educationSource: Shutterstock66 Portland PlaceThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has criticised the Architects Registration Board (ARB) for its decision to retain a requirement that accredited masters level qualifications must be awarded by institutions with degree-awarding powers or have a formal agreement with a body that holds them. The rule, which RIBA describes as a barrier to alternative routes into the profession, could affect learning providers offering non-traditional qualifications.The wording change to ARBs Accreditation Rule 4.2 from qualification awarding powers to degree awarding powers means that providers without degree-awarding status or an official partnership will no longer be eligible for accreditation. In response, RIBA, which delivers architectural education through its RIBA Part 3 and RIBA Studio programme, has expressed concern that the decision could restrict alternative learning routes aimed at students facing financial or personal barriers.Jack Pringle, chair of RIBAs board of trustees, stated: ARBs decision is a direct assault on the powers granted to us in our charter. While confirming that RIBAs current arrangement with Oxford Brookes University enables it to meet the accreditation requirements, Pringle warned that the rule fetters our ability to seek further different routes to qualification and could prevent future alternative providers from offering new qualifications.RIBA has previously raised concerns about the rules impact on flexible pathways into architecture, arguing that it could reduce opportunities for those unable to access traditional degree-based education. The institute stated that it would continue to advocate for a more inclusive system of architectural education.

Airport plans to submit proposals for a third runway to the government by summer.The investment programme includes expansions to Terminals 2 and 5 to increase capacity and improve passenger experience, alongside a commitment to prioritising UK-made steel in the developmentSource: ShutterstockHeathrowHeathrow Airport has outlined plans for a multi-billion-pound privately funded investment programme, which seeks to upgrade infrastructure, increase capacity, and advance proposals for a third runway. The phased programme follows the UK governments recent support for expansion and will begin this year.In a speech at British Steel Scunthorpe, Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye stated: This privately funded programme will upgrade existing infrastructure while laying the groundwork for a third runway, boosting UK investment and economic growth, with tangible benefits felt this year. Heathrow is proud to answer the Chancellors call to get Britain building.Woldbye also said he was committed to completing the third runway by the end of the next parliament. He added:This is vital investment and will ensure Heathrow remains globally competitive and a jewel in the countrys crown the UKs Gateway to Growth.The investment plans include expansions to Terminal 2 and reconfigurations of Terminal 5, aiming to optimise passenger capacity. Heathrow has also announced improvements to airfield layouts to enhance punctuality and resilience, along with upgrades to public transport connections to encourage sustainable travel. Sustainability measures are intended to align with the airports environmental commitments, with new infrastructure designed to incorporate more sustainable power sources.Woldbye confirmed that Heathrow will submit its third runway proposals to the government this summer, stating: A third runway is critical for the countrys future economic success, and I confirm we will submit our plans for a third runway to Government this summer. He added that the project can only go ahead if we meet the rules on noise, air quality and carbon that the Government sets out in the Airports National Policy Statement.Source:Heathrow Airports LimitedThomas Woldbye (second from right) and Sarah Jones (third from left) in Scunthorpe today. The expansion programme has also been linked to the UK steel industry, with Heathrow signing the UK Steel Charter, committing to prioritising British steel in its developmentThe expansion programme has also been linked to the UK steel industry, with Heathrow signing the UK Steel Charter, committing to prioritising British steel in its development. Industry minister Sarah Jones welcomed the investment, saying: By signing the Steel Charter, Heathrow will give a huge boost to steelmaking communities across the UK and help us kickstart economic growth.According to a Frontier Economics study, a third runway could increase UK GDP by 0.43% by 2050, with 60% of the economic benefits projected to be outside London and the South East. Heathrow will now engage with key stakeholders, including airlines and local communities, as it refines its proposals.Significant opposition has been raised to a third runway, with concerns focused on sustainability and doubts over whether it will deliver the promised economic benefits. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said last month: I remain opposed to a new runway at Heathrow Airport because of the severe impact it will have on noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets.Ryanair CEO Michael OLeary has also questioned the third runway on commercial grounds, stating recently: Please understand that this wont come until 2040 or 2050 at the earliest. This wont deliver growth, not this year, not in the life of the current government and not even in the life of the next government.

The Chicago-based practices plans to demolish the office building at 1 Silk Street replacing it with a 21-storey scheme were unveiled last week as part of a second round of consultation.The project, for developer Lipton Rogers and investor La Salle, will reduce the existing 1982 building to its foundations.The proposal for the 0.57ha site features office space above ground and cultural and retail use on the ground floor. A pedestrian arcade will run through the site connecting Silk Street with Milton Street while apublic space will be created opposite the Silk Street entrance to the Barbican Centre.AdvertisementThe arts centre is due to undergo its own revamp under plans by Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan, which are also at consultation.A scoping opinion submitted to the City of London Corporation late last year described the current 1 Silk Street as a utilitarian office building that does not represent the best work by either firm of well-known architects associated with its construction and refurbishment, according to environmental consultant Trium.The consultant explained: Architecturally, the building is not distinguished, nor does it present an innovative approach to office design; rather, its current condition reflects the office requirements of the time of its refurbishment in the mid-1990s.The existing building is not considered to have any architectural merit, and it detracts from the streetscape as a result of the inactive frontages and lack of permeability.SOM says redevelopment of the site will ensure the new 1 Silk Street meets Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) requirements for commercial buildings due to come into force in 2027, which would have made the current structure unlettable.AdvertisementThe existing 1 Silk Street building currently dominating the site consists of two interlinked towers designed by Fitzroy Robinson Partnership the 17-storey Milton House to the east and 13-storey Shire House to the west featuring heavily glazed faades.Sheppard Robson refurbished the buildings between 1994 and 1996.A full planning application is expected to be submitted soon and, pending approval, completion is scheduled for 2032.The project team was contacted for comment.Current site view

Last year the RIBA launched a stinging attack on the ARB, claiming the regulator had overstepped its current legal powers after tweaking its proposed education reforms.In October 2023, the ARB introduced a new set of accreditation procedures with the latest draft of the rules updating earlier wording from qualification-awarding powers to degree-awarding powers.The change means learning providers without degree-awarding powers or a formal agreement with a body that has such powers would immediately be disqualified from offering ARB-accredited courses.AdvertisementBut the RIBA claimed the amendment could have significant implications, with its RIBA Board of Trustees chair Jack Pringle saying the move was elitist and ill-judged. It warned that the ARB was in danger of overreaching its statutory remit.Its broadside, fired at the ARB last year during a consultation on the change provoked by a challenge against its introduction, warned the new phrasing would potentially close the door to innovative and diverse routes to the required professional qualifications.The institute also said it was concerned the move would tread on the toes of its own historic powers, granted to it by Royal Charter in 1837. The RIBA said these powers enshrine its ability to award our own qualifications, granting us the independence to award certificates and diplomas in our own right.The swipe, which was made in its official response to consultation on Accreditation Rule 4.2: Degree awarding powers, came even though the RIBA is currently partnered with Oxford Brookes University.Through this formal arrangement with Oxford Brookes, the RIBA will still be able to continue to provide architectural education under the new wording through the RIBA Part 3 and programme (equivalent level to a Part 1 bachelors and Part 2 masters degree). AdvertisementPapers put before the ARBs board at a meeting yesterday (11 February), claimed the rule would ensure any education provider would have the necessary additional regulatory assurance and oversight.The document goes on: The alternative option would be to remove the requirement for a learning provider to be regulated by a relevant academic regulator. This would have the benefit of opening the market to alternative providers but remove the additional assurances ARB could rely on as detailed above and would require significant risk mitigation.The papers added: This would require ARB to seek those assurances through its own accreditation procedures in respect of non-regulated organisations. Building such capability and capacity would significant additional resource and effort, the cost of which would need to be passed on to the learning providers or borne by the profession. Furthermore, it would represent a duplication of regulation already in place that would offend the principles of better regulation.The board said that there had been only two objectors to the rule, following the consultation, namely the RIBA and the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA).The papers continued: It has been suggested that there could be an exception in rules for bodies withRoyal Charter status, but while Royal Charter status is an important mark of expertise and learning in a particular sector, it does not provide the assurance around academic regulation as described above.It has also been suggested to us directly by RIBA and was raised in consultation responses, that the rule would limit access to the profession. We have considered this argument, but given there are no current providers impacted by this rule, we do not see this as a significant risk.The board voted to retain the clause as drafted.The ARBs proposed educational reform will see the scrapping of the existing Parts 1 to 3 and switch to a more flexible, outcomes-based system that, it says, recognises what you know, what you can do and how you must behave instead of how you got there.The ARB has been contacted for comment.Reaction - chair of RIBA Board of Trustees Jack PringleSince 1837, our Royal Charter has enshrined our ability to award our own qualifications, granting us the independence to award certificates and diplomas in our own right. Our current RIBA Studio diploma is already recognised as a masters level equivalent qualification and our external examiners recognise this in their reports. ARBs decision is a direct assault on the powers granted to us in our charter.ARBs decision fetters the RIBA's ability to seek further, different routes to qualificationWe are pleased to partner with Oxford Brookes University for the delivery of RIBA Studio, and the terms of our arrangement mean that we continue to satisfy Accreditation Rule 4.2. However, ARBs decision fetters our ability to seek further, different routes to qualification, that we may wish to devise in parallel. This is of great concern.In addition, this ill-advised move could disproportionately affect future alternative learning providers, preventing them from offering new qualifications that could particularly benefit students who face barriers to accessing education due to finances or caring responsibilities.We continue to advocate for an inclusive architecture education system that works for all.