If AN was to select a Glyph of the Year, 2024s answer would be obvious: The award would go to , the lowly but essential multiplication symbol. It is regularly used to indicate dimensionsand, therefore, to imply spaceand, far too often, is erased, replaced by its common substitute the letter x. These days, signals collaboration. The act seems to be everywhere. The use of to unite two brands together may have gotten its start in fashion circles, where emerging designers were invited to breathe new life into more established houses thirsty for virality. The trend has now spread to all corners of design culture.While past zeitgeists trafficked in the myth of the heroic single author, is a welcome addition to architectural discourse. This is, after all, a profession that relies on the collaboration of dozens (or hundreds, even thousands) of people for a single projectespecially the award winners.If AN was to select a Glyph of the Year, 2024s answer would be obvious: The award would go to , the lowly but essential multiplication symbolVerily: Architects join forces to co-lead practices; offices pair up to deliver co-designed competition entries; project teams include a whole host of professionals and consultants; and companies partner with designers to create new objects, advertisements, showrooms, pop-ups, and experiences. At its worst, the mark, composed of two crossed lines, can obscure the actual dynamics of the exchange, serving as a cheery distraction that masks a calculated business transaction, more like a shotgun marriage than true love. But at its best, the glyphs visibility is a welcome act of recognizing the ways that creative people work together. The results of successful collaborations can be superb, like when architects coordinate with a range of experts to elevate construction quality. This is what happened with the new terminal at the Portland International Airport, designed by ZGF, which secured ANs Project of the Year in addition to winning a Best of Design Award in the Infrastructure category. Beyond offering a pleasant travel experience, the mass timber building comes with an encouraging story about sourcing: According to wood advisor Sustainable Northwest, 100 percent of the wood for the roof and ceiling came from local forests within 300 miles of the airport, and 96 percent of the wood for the roof and ceiling came from sustainably managed forests. Following this recognition (and the four projects that were selected as finalists), be sure to check out the many winners, honorable mentions, and editors picks across our Design, Products, and Practice Awards.Across 2024, ANs coverage and events, often propelled by an interest in addressing the climate crisis, provided reminders about how architects interact with construction. We published stories about start-ups, city agencies, researchers, and designers working on circular economies; reviewed a book by theorist Sergio Ferro, who argues that architectures politics begin on the job site; and raised awareness about worker deaths in Saudi Arabiaall while delivering a near-constant flow of news, reviews, and case studies.Its a lot, but so much is happening so quickly. Stay tuned for more in 2025.