From an extensive line-up of fun indie games to incredible blockbusters, the consistent quality of releases this year is something to behold. If you haven’t gotten lost in the gorgeous world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or discovered the brilliance of Cyrodiil in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, then maybe you experienced the Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5 for the first time. Such is the range of quality that I almost forgot about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Dynasty Warriors Origins, and Steel Seed. The next six weeks will be even more enticing with Elden Ring Nightreign, Mario Kart World (and the Switch 2 launch), and the long-awaited Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. The year’s second half is still TBD, with publishers doubtless scrambling to fill the void after Grand Theft Auto 6’s delay. However, with all the showcases coming in June, we could see several potential release date announcements. Amid all this hype, one game has seemingly slipped under the radar, made all the more bizarre by the time left before its release. We’re talking about MindsEye, an action-adventure title developed by Build a Rocket Boy, founded by Leslie Benzies of Rockstar North fame. It’s out June 10th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, and the initial trailer gave the vibe of a GTA-coded playground with all the explosiveness and action to appeal to the franchise’s fans. Or at least those who only want the explosiveness and action because that’s more or less what the “reveal gameplay trailer” from February showcased. Lots of running around. Lots of blowing up cars with guns. Some driving. Some blowing up of cars while driving. Honestly, the amount of vehicular destruction is borderline concerning. Of course, the developer later clarified that the narrative is more linear than emergent or sandboxy. However, we’re a little over three weeks out from launch, and the only gameplay seen thus far has been that trailer and two recent gameplay teasers. One shows protagonist Jacob Diaz gunning down some enemies in a sequence more than a little reminiscent of Trevor attacking The Lost MC’s hideout in GTA 5. Eventually, he pursues them through the streets while a dust storm is in effect. The second teaser is longer but less exciting, showcasing some driving through Redrock City at night. No overview trailer. No walkthrough of a mission. Not even much by way of what makes the gameplay of MindsEye special or unique. It’s a marketing strategy garnering attention almost exclusively for its lack of marketing. This isn’t to say that Build a Rocket Boy isn’t advertising something different with MindsEye. You may remember the studio’s first announced project, Everywhere, an MMO more geared towards acting as a content platform where users can create and share different experiences. It also consists of a few districts, each with gameplay elements like racing and third-person shooting, while ARCADIA, its editor, lets you create different components. All of this attracted skepticism, especially given the controversy surrounding Metaverse-style games. If you watch its trailer from last year, it’s seemingly going for a Fortnite-style content platform experience. And MindsEye? It’s purportedly an experience within Everywhere developed by the studio, likely to showcase what ARCADIA is capable of. But it can also be modified to create different versions of MindsEye to mess around in. Associate game director Adam Whiting told Edge magazine likened it to Minecraft servers. “There are the official servers, but there are custom servers with wacky stuff. Maybe there’s a zombie apocalypse server you go on or one where they wipe the map of our story and characters and tell their own narrative using our tools.” There’s at least some potential, however small, of a sandbox-like experience kind of, sort of like GTA (but not really). There are also the bonus missions created with ARCADIA included in the Digital Deluxe Edition. So it’s possible, at least based on what Build a Rocket Boy is saying, to infuse MindsEye with more content to keep it going beyond the standard launch experience. How does it all work, at least in layman’s terms? Why isn’t the developer showcasing it in trailers or hyping up the same? It doesn’t seem like you need Everywhere to play MindsEye, seeing as it’s launching as a standalone product, but will that change down the line? To recap then: Not only does MindsEye not have any extensive official gameplay – and what we’ve seen thus far hardly seems all that special – but there’s an entire user-generated content side for it that Build a Rocket Boy hasn’t even touched on. Again, about three weeks out from launch. No pressure and all that, but if you’re charging $60 for an experience, the least you could offer is more extensive details and gameplay. And no, shooting cars and watching them explode isn’t going to cut it. Of course, some would give the benefit of the doubt to Benzies. On top of being the former president of Rockstar North, the core developer behind the Grand Theft Auto titles – including the upcoming GTA 6 – he’s been involved in every single one of Rockstar’s biggest releases. A producer on every title in the series, starting from Grand Theft Auto 3. An executive producer on Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire. A producer and game designer on Grand Theft Auto 5. At one point, Benzies was synonymous with Rockstar North almost as much as Dan Houser was with Rockstar as a whole. Maybe he’s earned some reprieve, given his illustrious history. However, remember that Grand Theft Auto 5, his last project, was released in 2013. Everywhere was announced in January 2017, starting development on Amazon’s Lumberyard engine before switching to Unreal Engine in 2020. It was slated to launch in 2023 but saw delays – in 2024, Build a Rocket Boy laid off an unknown number of employees. Though it began in Edinburgh, the developer has two other studios in Montpelier and Budapest. This isn’t implying that either project has seen development troubles, but with the long development cycle for Everywhere, you would expect a more concrete release window or assurance at this point. As for MindsEye, it was first teased in 2022, making it almost three years since. It’s possible that the developer won’t share anything until the final polishing stage. It could be going down to the wire, maybe announcing a last-minute delay if things don’t work out. The problem is that aside from these gameplay teasers and “narrative” trailers, which haven’t given us a reason to care about any of the characters, aside from that one dancing robot, there’s been very little communication from the studio this close to launch. It’s ironic considering how it touted this as a “meaningful, well-crafted story” or how the camera during high-speed driving would make you feel like you were in a Fast and Furious film. If that’s a tease for going into space at some point, it would be one of the few intriguing things in MindsEye. Finally, and I can’t emphasize this enough, not everyone sets out from the studio where they made their name to become a success. With all the talk around user-generated content, the launch of MindsEye may not be what defines it down the line. However, Build a Rocket Boy needs to detail what makes this a worthwhile experience on its own and fast. Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Architizer is excited to announce that Daniel Libeskind, one of the most visionary figures in global architecture, has joined the jury for the 2025 Vision Awards. Known for his emotive, idea-driven architecture and deeply symbolic design language, Libeskind’s presence brings immense creative weight to a program that celebrates the most powerful architectural images and concepts shaping the future of the built environment. Libeskind will review entries submitted in an expanded Vision Awards program, which invites architects, designers, photographers, videographers, rendering artists, model makers and students to enter their work for global recognition and publication in print. The Main Entry Deadline is June 6th, 2025, so get started on your entry today: Enter the Vision Awards Over the course of his storied career, Libeskind has built a portfolio that transcends typology and geography. His seminal project, the Jewish Museum Berlin, redefined the relationship between architecture and memory, setting a new standard for how buildings can engage with history and human experience. Since then, he has completed groundbreaking cultural landmarks around the world — from the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, to the Denver Art Museum, to the Military History Museum in Dresden — each one a testament to his ability to turn abstract concepts into built form. In 2003, Libeskind was selected to design the master plan for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, a project that required not only architectural vision, but deep emotional sensitivity. His design emphasized resilience, remembrance, and rebirth — values that continue to define his work today. Studio Libeskind also has notable conceptual or planned projects that form powerful cases studies in architectural ideation, including the Kurdistan Museum, designed as “the first major center in the Kurdistan Region for the history and culture of the Kurdish people.” Start My Entry Early sketches for the Kurdistan Museum by Studio Libeskind, Iraq This lifelong pursuit of the profound makes Libeskind is an ideal fit to judge the Vision Awards. A passionate advocate for architectural representation as a creative act, Libeskind’s design process is rooted in drawing, sketching, and conceptual storytelling. “My mother told me if I were an artist, I’d be so poor I wouldn’t even be able to afford a pencil,” said Libeskind in conversation with Architizer at his studio in Lower Manhattan. “‘You should become an architect,’ she said, ‘because you can always be an artist in architecture.’” As a juror for the 2025 Vision Awards, Libeskind will bring a critical eye to 50+ award categories that explore visual storytelling, conceptual clarity, and emotional impact — from architectural drawings and models to unbuilt projects that speculate on the future of cities, culture, and the human condition. Enter the Vision Awards National Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names by Studio Libeskind, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Popular Choice Winner, Religious Buildings and Memorials, 10th Annual  A+Awards Joining Libeskind on the 2025 Vision Awards jury is a distinguished panel of professionals from various disciplines, including: Steven Holl, Founding Principal, Steven Holl Architects. Winka Dubbeldam, Founding Principal, Archi-Tectonics and Director & CEO, SCI-Arc. Sanjay Puri, Founding Principal, Sanjay Puri Architects. Suchi Reddy, Founding Principal, ReddyMade. Arjun Desai and Katherine Chia, Founding Principals, Desai Chia Architecture. This multidisciplinary jury reflects the Vision Awards’ commitment to honoring a broad spectrum of architectural creativity and innovation. View the complete Vision Awards jury here. Start My Entry Early sketch and photograph of the Imperial War Museum North by Studio Libeskind, Manchester, United Kingdom “I remember when there were all these people in the studio, like draftsmen, doing chores,” Libeskind recalled in his interview with Architizer. “Now, creating architecture is like a performance. It’s beautiful at every stage.” It is these ‘stages’ that will be given the spotlight in the Vision Awards, as the art of creative iteration — whether through drawing, rendering, model making, video or photography — is celebrated on a global stage. Libeskind’s presence underscores the Vision Awards’ mission to elevate not only how architecture is built, but how it is imagined, represented, and shared. With his guidance, this year’s jury will recognize submissions that embody bold thinking, narrative depth, and artistic rigor. Enter the 2025 Vision Awards today for the opportunity to have your work seen by Daniel Libeskind and other global design leaders. The Main Entry Deadline is June 6th, 2025. Start Submission The post Daniel Libeskind Joins the Vision Awards Jury, Bringing Emotive Design to the Fore appeared first on Journal.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Windows 10 emergency update KB5061768 fixes BitLocker boot loops Taras Buria Neowin @TarasBuria · May 19, 2025 15:10 EDT As promised, Microsoft is rolling out an out-of-band emergency update for Windows 10 to address problems with Intel-based systems booting into BitLocker recovery due to LSASS issues caused by KB5058379. The company recently acknowledged a known issue on devices with Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) on 10th-gen and later systems and promised to release a fix as soon as possible. The company did not take too long to address the issue, and the necessary fix is now available on the Microsoft Update Catalog as KB5061768, with build numbers 19044.5853 (Windows 10 version 21H2) and 19045.5853 (Windows 10 version 22H2). Here is the changelog with a single fix: [OS Security (Known Issue)] Fixed: A known issue on devices with Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) enabled on 10th generation or later Intel vPro processors. On these systems, installing the May 13, 2025, Windows security update (KB5058379) might cause the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process to terminate unexpectedly, triggering an Automatic Repair prompting for the BitLocker recovery key to continue. In the updated post on the Windows Health Dashboard website, Microsoft says that KB5061768 is recommended for those who use affected systems and have not yet deployed KB5058379 (May 2025 security update). It will prevent BitLocker problems from happening. As for systems that already cannot boot due to BitLocker loops, Microsoft suggests the following: To start Windows, temporarily disable Intel VT for Direct I/O (also known as VTD or VTX) and Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) in your BIOS / UEFI settings. This step will require entering your BitLocker recovery key. Install update KB5061768 via the Microsoft Update Catalog. After restarting Windows, return to your BIOS / UEFI settings and re-enable Intel VT for Direct I/O (also known as VTD or VTX) and TXT. (This step will require entering your BitLocker recovery key.) As for known bugs, there is one issue with the Noto font (introduced in the recent preview update as a fallback font): text can appear blurry or unclear in Chrome, Edge, and other Chromium-based browsers in certain languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean when the display scaling is set to 100% (96 DPI). Microsoft is investigating this problem, and users can mitigate it by setting the display scaling to 125% or higher. KB5061768, which fixes BitLocker boot loop issues, is only available in the Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft is not rolling it out via Windows Update, so grab it using this link. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Skillige Isles Fancy a Witcher 3 10th anniversary playthrough with extra "classic RPG feel"? Well, this new mod gives it a totally revamped Witcher 1-style skill system Yo, I heard you like games that are getting a bit old, so I added something even more old school into your kinda old game. Image credit: CD Projekt News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on May 19, 2025 In case you missed it, The Witcher 3 is now a decade old. We’re all knee-deep in replays of old games right now, but if all the TW3 anniversary chat has you thinking about firing it up again, a new mod looks like it'll offer an interesting twist for folks looking forward to The Witcher Remake. After all, how best to switcher up your Witcher experience than swapping one Witcher skill system for a different Witcher skill system from an older Witcher game. That way, you can see Witcher is better. All right, I’ll stop mucking about. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The mod is Gerwant30’s Witcher 1 talent trees remake for The Witcher 3, with its creator having previously scored second place on one of CD Projekt’s REDkit modding contests with a work that lets you explore a bit of Cintra. Now, as part of their ongoing “Tales of the Witcher” project, they’ve had a go at adding their own version of first Witcher game’s skill system into TW3, with the goal of giving you “a lot more control” over Geralt’s development via “13 new talent trees and over 200 new skills”. “This mod attempts to recreate that feeling and philosophy within The Witcher 3,” Gerwant30 explained, “replacing the standard skill trees with a more layered and, hopefully, rewarding progression system.” Watch on YouTube As you can see in the showcase video above, the mod sees you work up and earn bronze, silver, and gold talents across trees dedicated to the likes of strength and dexterity as you level up. You’ll start off by earning bronzes early-game, then gradually move on the silvers and golds as you get more proficient and gradually morph into a master witcher. There are four main skill trees including the two mentioned earlier, each with 17 skills, but that’s far from it. The five Witcher signs each have their own 18 skill strong tree “allowing for deep specialization”, and there are four combat skill trees aimed at “strong” and “fast” attacks with your steel and silver blades. “Your power comes mostly from how you build your character,” the modder writes, “Skills, talents, and preparation define your strength, equipment statistics are less important.” Certainly a lot to tweak if you’re a fan of in-depth build engineering, though it’s worth noting that this being a beta, a fair amount of the skills and features are still very much a work-in-progress. It’s also worth noting that Gerwant30’s designed the mod to work exclusively with “a fresh new game in the base version of The Witcher 3 only”, with them being very clear that existing saves and standalone playthroughs of the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine DLC won’t work as intended. They also intend for it to be used with another mod, SkylineR390’s ‘Alchemy’, so you’ll need to grab that if you fancy giving this skill tree mod a go. PsychoCaki’s ‘SCAAR’ and a camera mod like TheMenxceX and ElementaryLewis’ ‘Immersive Camera for Next Gen’ are also on Gerwant30’s recommended list. Did you prefer the first Witcher game’s more old-school approach to skills, or is how TW3 does things second nature at this point and not something you’d want to tweak? Let us know below!

Image: NintendoSwitch 2's release date is just a few weeks away, and its proximity has driven the purchase of Switch 1 games into a real rut (in the UK, at least). The latest look at the UK physical charts will be a familiar sight for those who tune in weekly, with Switch sales not being remotely close to what they used to be. New releases DOOM: The Dark Ages and The Precinct take the gold and silver, while the recent strong showing from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has weakened slightly, with the title dropping to eighth.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube813kWatch on YouTube "But wait, none of those are on Switch," you may be saying, and you're right. You have to go all the way down to 10th this week to find Nintendo's first entry (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, no surprises there), and then down to 15th for the other familiar faces. We can only assume that next month will see the return of a much more Nintendo-dominated picture, but expect more of the same until then. Here's a look at the full top 40 for this week, with platform breakdowns for all of the titles available on other consoles as well as the Switch: Last Week This Week Game Platform Split NEW 1 DOOM: The Dark Ages NEW 2 The Precinct 6 3 EA Sports FC 25 PS5 47%, Switch 23%, PS4 21%, Xbox Series 9% 2 4 Minecraft 5 5 Grand Theft Auto V 4 6 Assassin's Creed Shadows 15 7 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt GOTY Edition 1 8 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 3 9 Astro Bot 7 10 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 8 11 Monster Hunter Wilds 9 12 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle 13 13 Hogwarts Legacy Switch 43%, PS4 20%, Xbox 15%, PS5 15% 22 14 Batman Arkham Collection 16 15 Nintendo Switch Sports 11 16 Super Mario Party Jamboree 17 17 Animal Crossing: New Horizons 10 18 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Complete Edition 19 19 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 18 20 Split Fiction 26 21 Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Switch 39%, PS5 38%, PS4 15%, Xbox Series 8% 24 22 Super Mario Bros. Wonder 32 23 Mad Max 23 24 Red Dead Redemption 2 14 25 Mortal Combat X 25 26 Minecraft: PlayStation Edition 33 27 Batman: Arkham Knight 12 28 Elden Ring 29 29 Just Dance 2025 Edition Switch 97%, PS5 3% 37 30 Red Dead Redemption PS4 67%, Switch 33% 27 31 The Last of Us Part II: Remastered 38 32 Dog Man: Mission Impawsible Switch 83%, PS5 17% 35 33 WWE 2K25 - 34 Resident Evil 3 34 35 Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite - 36 NBA 2K25 PS5 71%, Switch 14%, PS4 10%, Xbox Series 6% - 37 Stray Switch 60%, PS5 27%, PS4 13% 36 38 Pokémon Legends: Arceus - 39 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition PS4 53%, Switch 26%, Xbox Series 21% 34 40 Super Mario Odyssey [Compiled by GfK] < Last week's charts Did you pick up anything new this week? Let us know what you think of the latest charts in the comments below.

We’re seeing big deals this weekend since Amazon decided to drop its Memorial Day sale a week early. Given the holiday is the unofficial start to summer, we’re seeing deep discounts on portable speakers and backup power, which are great for outdoor gatherings and camping trips. Other home essentials like lawn mowers, routers, and TVs are also hitting some of the lowest prices this year. So, it’s time to get shopping. TL;DR: Deals for Today Lowest Price This YearPJU 200 Card Sleeves Top Loaders for CardsLowest Price EverBeats PillSee it at WalmartLowest Price EverJackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300Lowest Price EverAnker 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K)Lowest Price Everroborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop ComboAmazon Fire TV 55" 4-Series 4K UHD smart TVLEGO Star Wars R2-D2 Building Toy SetAmazon Fire HD 10Xbox Core Wireless Gaming Controller – Velocity GreenGreenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn MowerTP-Link Deco AXE5400 Tri-Band WiFi 6E Mesh SystemJSAUX 3-Pack Tempered Glass Screen Protector for Nintendo Switch 2 (2025)ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming Monitor (VG27AQ)While you’ll probably want to spend lots of time outside in the coming months, we’ve also found some tablets, LEGO sets, and puzzles on sale for those rainy days. And if you’re anticipating Magic: The Gathering’s epic Final Fantasy TCG crossover drop in June, the pre-orders are still live for the latest sets and single cards. Be sure to grab them before they sell out or prices skyrocket. You’ll probably want to keep your latest TCG investment protected, and luckily, PJU has a great deal on sleeves and toploaders, too. PJU 200 Card Sleeves and ToploadersLowest Price This YearPJU 200 Card Sleeves Top Loaders for CardsIf you’re spending some serious dough on the new MTG Final Fantasy release, or want to be ready for May 30th when Pokémon Destined Rivals drops, grabbing a set of card sleeves is a must. PJU has a great deal on a pack of 100 sleeves and 100 toploaders to keep your investment safe. Costing just $13.99, it’s the lowest price we’ve seen this year. The toploaders are acid-free, anti-scratch, and durable to prevent trading cards from bending while maintaining a clear view for displaying and storing. Portable Speaker DealsLowest Price EverBeats PillSee it at WalmartWith the weather finally getting nice, many outdoor gatherings are to come, and a great portable speaker can amplify the experience. The Beats Pill is a brilliant Bluetooth speaker offering up to 24 hours of battery life, water resistance, and booming audio with crisp highs and rich mids. There’s even a handy strap attached for easier carrying. But perhaps best of all, the Beats Pill is on sale for the lowest price ever. Check these other great portable speaker deals: JBL Clip 5Anker Soundcore 2JBL Go 4Sony ULT Field 5Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300Lowest Price EverJackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300Given the wild storms that come with the summer humidity, it’s a good idea to have some backup power to keep the essentials juiced up in case of an emergency. The Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 300 is currently on sale for its lowest price ever. This 293Wh lithium battery generator can deliver up to 300W of power to keep all your devices charged. Weighing only 7.1 pounds, it’s also a great option for those who want to go off the grid for a bit on a camping trip but still want to power drones and cameras for some epic nature shots. Anker 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K) Lowest Price EverAnker 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K)Anker is the king of portable chargers, and you can grab the 325 Power Bank (PowerCore Essential 20K) for the best price ever. With a 20,000 mAh battery and 15W of max charging power, this battery bank can top up phones and even some tablets multiple times. Dual charging is available to charge two devices simultaneously, while trickle mode optimizes charging for lower power devices like earbuds. It does all this while keeping things compact, weighing just 11.9 ounces. 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Grabbing a new case is an absolute must, and the TZGZT carrying case is already on sale, has an EVA hard shell, and offers space to hold tons of accessories. There’s even a screen protector included in the package. However, if you’re just looking to keep that display safe, JSAUX has a 3-pack of screen protectors at 20% off right now. The screen protector features a 9H hardness and smudge resistance, while still keeping the touch controls ultra-responsive.Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn MowerGreenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn MowerSpring is finally here, with summer just around the corner, and that means it’s prime mowing season. The Greenworks 40V 16" Cordless (Push) Lawn Mower is a great option for keeping your lawn on point and is on sale for 30% off. Rather than gas, this mower features a 40-volt battery for about 40 minutes of runtime and starts with just the push of a button. It offers the same power as your typical gas mower but with less hassle (and emissions). 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These annual rankings were last updated on May 16, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Land of breathtaking terrains and jarring winds, Iceland is known for its magical landscapes filled with lava fields, fjords and verdant hills. Located south of the Arctic Circle, Iceland’s rugged landscape is firmly tied to its built environment, which is fused with a deeply functional architectural language. One of the nation’s earlier building traditions is the turf home. Covered with an exterior turf shell, they simultaneously insulate the home and camouflage into the environment. The nation’s architecture is equally attributed to its Scandinavian neighbors. In the 18th century, Danish architects introduced gable-fronted structures and stone construction to Iceland, which led to a boom in masonry craft and stone creations. Other foreign influences, such as Classical ideas and Swiss designs, were also imported. Notwithstanding, Icelandic design remained practical. In the 30s, functionalism found its way north and found fertile soil in Iceland. Following Iceland’s independence from Denmark, modernism began to inform the nation’s architecture. Today’s Icelandic designers admirably balance past and present. Fusing past traditions with modern innovations, contemporary Icelandic architecture remains beautiful, functional and deeply connected to its unrestrained climatic conditions. With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Iceland based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge. How are these architecture firms ranked? The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority: The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2025) The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2025) Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Iceland architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 10 best architecture firms in Iceland: 10. Studio Granda © Studio Granda Studio Granda was established in Reykjavík by Margret Harðardóttir and Steve Christer in 1987. The practice is based in Reykjavik and works on wide range of commercial and private projects. Some of Studio Granda’s most prominent projects include: B14, Iceland H71a, Hverfisgata, Reykjavík, Iceland The following statistics helped Studio Granda achieve 10th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 2 9. Teiknistofan Tröð © Teiknistofan Tröð Beauty | Permanence | Utility are the main values of the company, which operates in the spirit of sustainable development. Each project is one of a kind where local conditions and activities play a key role in the design process. Emphasis is placed on the architecture and technical aspects, utility and efficiency in implementation and operation. Teiknistofan Tröð provides services and consultation on architecture and planning to public authorities, businesses and individuals. Some of Teiknistofan Tröð’s most prominent projects include: The Salvation Army´s headquarters in Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland Félagsheimilið Bolungarvík, Bolungarvik, Iceland Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridges, Reykjavík, Iceland The following statistics helped Teiknistofan Tröð achieve 9th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 3 8. ARKÍS Arkitektar photo: Mirra Arnardottir - © ARKÍS Arkitektar ARKÍS is an awarded, progressive architecture firm that has been in operation since 1997. ARKÍS’ works and projects span all levels of architecture, planning and design. ARKÍS has extensive experience with projects in planning and architecture, and from the firm’s founding, ARKÍS has executed numerous large and complex projects, both in Iceland and internationally. That experience, in addition to cross-disciplinary specializations, international high level education and experience of the office’s employees make the firm well equipped to address all projects in architecture, planning and design. Some of ARKÍS Arkitektar’s most prominent projects include: Selhæd Water Retention Tank, Egilsstaðir, Iceland Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Gardabaer, Iceland Snæfellsstofa Visitor’s Center Blágil Park Ranger’s Cabins Villa Lóla The following statistics helped ARKÍS Arkitektar achieve 8th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 7 7. Yrki architects © Yrki architects Yrki was founded in 1997 by Ásdís Helga Ágústsdóttir and Sólveig Berg after they had won the 1st prize in an invited competition for Nesstofa, a museum of medical heritage in Seltjarnarnes. Today, a cohesive team of talented designers in the fields of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture works at Yrki architects. We put our emphasis on meeting our clients’ requests in a professional and viable manner. Yrki architects offer a wide range of services in the fields of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. Our wide expertise of architecture and design reflects in a holistic approach to all our projects where the environment, context and scale shape the design. The name Yrki has a specific meaning in Icelandic. Some of Yrki architects’ most prominent projects include: Six ticket houses at the old harbour, Reykjavík, Iceland The following statistics helped Yrki architects achieve 7th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 6. BASALT Architects © Rafn Sigurbjörnsson Basalt Architects is an architectural office established in 2009 in Reykjavik. Led by partners Sigríður Sigþórsdóttir, Hrólfur Karl Cela and Marcos Zotes, Basalt’s dynamic team of architects and designers bring together a rich and extensive architectural design and construction experience in Iceland and abroad. Committed to architecture in concept, design and execution, Basalt provides high quality work and services on projects of different content, expression and scale. Basalt Architects cover a broad spectrum of architectural design services including wellness, office, commercial, residential, leisure, heritage, retail, cultural, exhibition and urban design projects. Extracting what is unique in each project from an environmental, geographic, cultural and historic context is at the core of Basalt’s design approach. Some of BASALT Architects’ most prominent projects include: The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Iceland Hofsós Swimming Pool, Hofsós, Iceland LAVA Centre, Hvolsvöllur, Iceland The following statistics helped BASALT Architects achieve 6th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: A+Awards Winner 1 Total Projects 3 5. Batteriid Archtects © Henning Larsen, Batteriid Archtects Batteríið Architects is a consulting architectural firm, founded in 1988, with a broad range of experience in building design and planning. The company benefits from highly trained and well educated employees that emphasize innovative ideas and creative design solutions. The company’s expertise is a comprehensive knowledge of adjusting buildings to local environment and climate, universal design as well occupational safety and health. Some of Batteriid Archtects’ most prominent projects include: Harpa – Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Center, Reykjavik, Iceland The following statistics helped Batteriid Archtects achieve 5th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 4. Arkibygg Architects © ESJA Architecture, Arkibygg arkitektar, Okkarheima / ANNA Landscape architect, exa nordic . Arkibygg is an architectural firm founded in 2020 by Ástríður Birna Árnadóttir and Stefanía Helga Pálmarsdóttir. The name Arkibygg is a combination of the words architect and construction engineer. When architects and construction engineers work closely together, they use each other’s knowledge to the fullest to achieve practical and creative solutions right from the start of the design process until the design process is completed. Some of Arkibygg arkitektar’s most prominent projects include: Ring of Bjólfur, Seydisfjordur, Iceland The following statistics helped Okkarheima / ANNA Landscape architect achieve 4th place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 3. arkibúllan arkitektar © arkibúllan arkitektar Arkibüllan, which has recently changed its name to A arkitektar, was founded in 1999 by Hólmfríðar Ósmann Jónsdóttir and Hrefna Bjargar Þorsteinsdóttir. The work of A arkitekta / Arkibüllun is often shaped by nature and the surrounding environment. The work on each project begins with a search for clues in as many places as possible: in the landscape, human life and one’s own mind. The clues then become the power generator that leads the work from the first sketch to the fully formed structure. Some of arkibúllan arkitektar’s most prominent projects include: Churchyard Offices and Staff Housing in Gufunes Cemetary, Reykjavik, Iceland Brekkuskógur Cottages, Iceland The following statistics helped arkibúllan arkitektar achieve 3rd place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 2. EON architecture / Architect – Designer © EON architecture / Architect - Designer EON architecture is strongly related to the layers of information connected to each project we design and we build. Each project is a manifesto and a tribute to its site, to its role and to its owner/the client. EON emphasizes the important threads between architecture and environmental issues. The goal is to combine contemporary architecture with environmental issues in relation to style and history. Thus being related to the distinctions and the history in general in our projects is of great importance to us. EON architecture represent the creativity and design of fabulous spaces and built structures and intends to contribute high quality architecture worldwide. Some of EON architecture / Architect – Designer’s most prominent projects include: House of Shapes, Kopavogur, Iceland Top image: Mt.Hekla Volcanic Museum, Rangárþing ytra, Iceland East Street – Offices of Parliament, Reykjavík, Iceland Grandagarður 8, downtown Old Harbour, Reykjavik, Iceland The Pool of Vikings, Iceland The following statistics helped EON architecture / Architect - Designer achieve 2nd place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 11 1. PK Arkitektar © PK Arkitektar PK Arkitektar is an Icelandic architecture and design studio. Its founder, architect Palmar Kristmundsson, draws his inspiration from Iceland’s stunning natural landscape and from his encounters with vernacular Japanese architecture. Over the years, they have developed an exceptional team of architects from around the world. PK’s clients and staff are committed to experimentation and the quest for exciting architectural experiences. Each of PK’s projects is designed to inspire a new sense of place through its clarity of design and unexpected details. Some of PK Arkitektar’s most prominent projects include: Árborg, Selfoss, Iceland Frístundahús, Brekkuskógur, Iceland Turninn, Reykjavík, Iceland BHM, Brekkuskógur, South, Iceland B25, Garðabær, Iceland The following statistics helped PK Arkitektar achieve 1st place in the 10 Best Architecture Firms in Iceland: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 5 Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking? With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year. Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York. An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted A Guide to Project Awards The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award. The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status: Project completed within the last 3 years A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value High quality, in focus photographs At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings Inclusion of construction photographs There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.     We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com. The post 10 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Iceland appeared first on Journal.

Thursday was Rust's 10-year anniversary for its first stable release. "To say I'm surprised by its trajectory would be a vast understatement," writes Rust's original creator Graydon Hoare. "I can only thank, congratulate, and celebrate everyone involved... In my view, Rust is a story about a large community of stakeholders coming together to design, build, maintain, and expand shared technical infrastructure." It's a story with many actors: - The population of developers the language serves who express their needs and constraints through discussion, debate, testing, and bug reports arising from their experience writing libraries and applications. - The language designers and implementers who work to satisfy those needs and constraints while wrestling with the unexpected consequences of each decision. - The authors, educators, speakers, translators, illustrators, and others who work to expand the set of people able to use the infrastructure and work on the infrastructure. - The institutions investing in the project who provide the long-term funding and support necessary to sustain all this work over decades. All these actors have a common interest in infrastructure. Rather than just "systems programming", Hoare sees Rust as a tool for building infrastructure itself, "the robust and reliable necessities that enable us to get our work done" — a wide range that includes everything from embedded and IoT systems to multi-core systems. So the story of "Rust's initial implementation, its sustained investment, and its remarkable resonance and uptake all happened because the world needs robust and reliable infrastructure, and the infrastructure we had was not up to the task." Put simply: it failed too often, in spectacular and expensive ways. Crashes and downtime in the best cases, and security vulnerabilities in the worst. Efficient "infrastructure-building" languages existed but they were very hard to use, and nearly impossible to use safely, especially when writing concurrent code. This produced an infrastructure deficit many people felt, if not everyone could name, and it was growing worse by the year as we placed ever-greater demands on computers to work in ever more challenging environments... We were stuck with the tools we had because building better tools like Rust was going to require an extraordinary investment of time, effort, and money. The bootstrap Rust compiler I initially wrote was just a few tens of thousands of lines of code; that was nearing the limits of what an unfunded solo hobby project can typically accomplish. Mozilla's decision to invest in Rust in 2009 immediately quadrupled the size of the team — it created a team in the first place — and then doubled it again, and again in subsequent years. Mozilla sustained this very unusual, very improbable investment in Rust from 2009-2020, as well as funding an entire browser engine written in Rust — Servo — from 2012 onwards, which served as a crucial testbed for Rust language features. Rust and Servo had multiple contributors at Samsung, Hoare acknowledges, and Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Huawei, and others "hired key developers and contributed hardware and management resources to its ongoing development." Rust itself "sits atop LLVM" (developed by researchers at UIUC and later funded by Apple, Qualcomm, Google, ARM, Huawei, and many other organizations), while Rust's safe memory model "derives directly from decades of research in academia, as well as academic-industrial projects like Cyclone, built by AT&T Bell Labs and Cornell." And there were contributions from "interns, researchers, and professors at top academic research programming-language departments, including CMU, NEU, IU, MPI-SWS, and many others." JetBrains and the Rust-Analyzer OpenCollective essentially paid for two additional interactive-incremental reimplementations of the Rust frontend to provide language services to IDEs — critical tools for productive, day-to-day programming. Hundreds of companies and other institutions contributed time and money to evaluate Rust for production, write Rust programs, test them, file bugs related to them, and pay their staff to fix or improve any shortcomings they found. Last but very much not least: Rust has had thousands and thousands of volunteers donating years of their labor to the project. While it might seem tempting to think this is all "free", it's being paid for! Just less visibly than if it were part of a corporate budget. All this investment, despite the long time horizon, paid off. We're all better for it. He looks ahead with hope for a future with new contributors, "steady and diversified streams of support," and continued reliability and compatability (including "investment in ever-greater reliability technology, including the many emerging formal methods projects built on Rust.") And he closes by saying Rust's "sustained, controlled, and frankly astonishing throughput of work" has "set a new standard for what good tools, good processes, and reliable infrastructure software should be like. "Everyone involved should be proud of what they've built." Read more of this story at Slashdot.