The duo will create a ball sports arena for local teams and the wider community, providing a new public square and gateway to an exhibition park in České Budějovice, a city 120km south of Prague. Inspired by the Möbius strip – a continuous surface with only one side and one edge – the winning design aims to reflect ‘energy, unity, and perpetual motion’ and serve as a catalyst for positive transformation in České Budějovice. WilkinsonEyre board director Sam Wright said: ‘We are thrilled to have been selected for this exciting project, which presents a unique opportunity to build on our design expertise and passion for sports architecture.Advertisement ‘We look forward to collaborating with our partners to create a world-class venue that inspires both athletes and spectators alike.’ Boele founding director Petr Suma, who has worked at both WilkinsonEyre and London-based William Matthews Architects, said: ‘By revitalising and redefining the southern entrance to the České Budějovice Exhibition Grounds, this project creates a catalyst for new development on the left bank of České Budějovice.’ Though the arena is primarily for volleyball, it will also host a range of ball sports, including handball, floorball, basketball and futsal, as well as concerts and conferences. The winning proposal was selected unanimously from 29 entries, and construction is expected to begin next year. České Budějovice is a major industrial centre with around 96,000 residents. Local landmarks include the Budweiser Budvar Brewery, the Baroque-style Museum of South Bohemia and the Neo-Gothic Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.Advertisement A separate contest to remasterplan České Budějovice was launched early last year.

Ballerina is what happens when a studio wants to extend a franchise but really has no reason to do so except a financial one. Subtitled From The World of John Wick, this action thriller contains too much action and precious little thrills. Directed (maybe) by Len Wiseman of Underworld fame, Ballerina is set in the same universe as the four majestic adrenaline epics starring Keanu Reeves, and incorporates as many elements from those films as possible, including the Continental Hotel and the Ruska Roma, not to mention appearances from Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, the late, great Lance Reddick, and Mr. Reeves himself. But what is also found in ample supply in the John Wick movies and sadly missing in Ballerina is heart, character, and a sense of conviction. At the center of the movie is a miscast, utterly bland Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, whose father’s death sent her as a little girl into the custody of McShane’s Winston Scott and, eventually, the tutelage of the Director (Huston) of the Ruska Roma ballet/assassin school. It’s there that Eve goes through the usual training montage, with her inability to dance only matched by her evident aptitude at killing and fighting. Once her training is complete, Eve is sent out into the world on Ruska Roma business, but of course her main goal is avenging her dad, who was killed by members of a mysterious cult led by the enigmatic Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). No sooner can you say “she’s gone rogue” than she does just that, jetting off to Prague in pursuit of a cult member (Norman Reedus) who’s trying to get himself and his own little daughter out from under the Chancellor’s thumb, while finding herself at odds with the Director and pursued by the Chancellor’s minions at every turn. The movie’s thin “lady vengeance” premise, which we’ve seen countless times before, is reheated once again by screenwriter Shay Hatten, who has co-written the last two John Wick entries but seems lost here. Unlike John Wick himself, whose single-minded quest for revenge over the death of his dog took on mythic overtones as more layers to both John and the surreal world of elegant criminality in which he moved were revealed, Eve has nothing to define her that hasn’t been done or said before. It doesn’t help that Armas, while up to the role’s physicality, offers nothing in terms of personality—she’s an empty vessel. Which is a shame, since she’s displayed earthiness (Knives Out), complexity (Blonde), and a sexy playfulness (No Time to Die) in previous work. The rest of the non-Wick cast is forgettable as well, with Byrne’s Chancellor and his entire regime badly underdeveloped, and Reedus completely wasted in what amounts to maybe two scenes. McShane, Reddick, and Huston just go through their paces, spouting lots of portentous lines about “choice” and “fate” that ring mostly hollow, as does a late-stage twist that carries no weight because one of the characters involved barely registers. As for the Baba Yaga himself, the largely non-verbal Reeves is the “Chekhov’s gun” of the film: introduced briefly in the first act, he inevitably turns up again in the third act, parachuted in by the magic of rumored reshoots even though his contribution to the narrative amounts to absolutely nothing. It’s always nice to see him, but if you took him out, it wouldn’t drastically change the picture. Speaking of reshoots, there’s a Frankenstein nature to the proceedings that provides evidence for the reports that Wick director (and franchise torch-bearer) Chad Stahelski refilmed much of the movie after Wiseman’s first draft came up short. While the first act is a murky, enervated slog, things seem to pick up in the middle, with a more eye-catching color scheme (such as a sequence in a neon-lit club reminiscent of a similar scene in the magnificent John Wick: Chapter 4), a creative, free-flowing use of the camera, and some of the more inventive, oddball action that has become part and parcel of the franchise—most notably in a scene where de Armas and an enemy smash a pile of dinner plates over each other’s heads with manic Three Stooges-like energy. Unfortunately, there’s also a sadistic edge to a lot of the action this time as well, particularly in a climactic fight involving flamethrowers that badly wants to emulate the famous overhead apartment shot from John Wick: Chapter 4 but goes on for far too long and ultimately becomes actively unpleasant. That’s a problem with even the better action on hand in Ballerina, as if the filmmakers want to make up for the film’s deficiencies by overdoing what the series is best known for. Hatten’s script was an original piece that was rewritten to fit into the John Wick universe, with elements introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum to pave the way for the arrival of Eve and Ballerina. But this reverse engineering highlights the pitfalls of trying to create a cinematic universe without stopping to wonder whether it’s a good idea. Watching John Wick stonily fight and slaughter his way through his off-center world and its population of funky, eccentric weirdos has been fantastic fun (the threat of an arc-undermining John Wick 5 notwithstanding) because of the unique nature of the character and that world. But dropping the more conventional, cliched tropes of Ballerina into the mix, along with a protagonist (and actor) not nearly as compelling, only exemplifies that the John Wick movies are character-driven first and foremost. All the brutal action, heavy-handed callbacks, and predictable cameos in the world can’t make this Ballerina into a better dancer. Ballerina opens in theaters in the U.S. on Friday, June 6. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

The tower takes shape as two sets of overlapping cylinders, clad with prefabricated panels intended to evoke clouds. PROJECT The Butterfly + First Baptist Church Complex ARCHITECT Revery Architecture PHOTOS Ema Peter When you fly into Vancouver, the most prominent structure in the city’s forest of glass skyscrapers is now a 57-storey edifice known as the Butterfly. Designed by Revery Architecture, the luxury residential tower is the latest in a string of high-rises that pop out of the city’s backdrop of generic window-wall façades.  The Butterfly’s striking form evolved over many years, beginning with studies dating back to 2012. Revery principal Venelin Kokalov imagined several options, most of them suggesting a distinct pair of architectural forms in dialogue. Renderings and models of the early concepts relay a wealth of imagination that is sorely missing from much of the city’s contemporary architecture, as land economics, zoning issues, and the profit motive often compel a default into generic glass-and-steel towers. The earliest concepts look starkly different—some evoke the Ginger and Fred building in Prague (Frank Gehry with Vlado Milunić, 1996); others the Absolute Towers in Mississauga (MAD with Burka Varacalli Architects, 2009). But one consistent theme runs through the design evolution: a sense of two Rilkean solitudes, touching.  On each floor, semi-private sky gardens offer an outdoor place for residents to socialize. Client feedback, engineering studies, and simple pragmatics led to the final form: two sets of overlapping cylinders linked by a common breezeway and flanked by a rental apartment on one side and a restored church doubling as a community centre on the other. The contours of the floorplan are visually organic: evocative of human cells dividing. The roundness of the main massing is complemented by curvilinear balustrades that smoothly transform into the outer walls of each unit. It’s an eye-catching counterpoint to the orthogonality of the city’s built landscape. The two adjacent buildings—built, restored, and expanded as part of a density bonus arrangement with the city—help integrate this gargantuan structure with the lower-rise neighbourhood around it.  The Butterfly is a high-end, high-priced residential tower—one of the few typologies in which clients and communities are now willing to invest big money and resources in creative, visually astonishing architecture. That leads to a fundamental question: what is the public purpose of a luxury condo tower?  A public galleria joins the renovated First Baptist Church to the new building. Serving as a welcoming atrium, it allows for community access to the expanded church, including its daycare, full gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms, overnight emergency shelter, and community dining hall equipped with a commercial kitchen. Whatever one feels about the widening divide between the haves and have-nots in our big cities, this building—like its ilk—does serve several important public purposes. The most direct and quantifiable benefits are the two flanking buildings, also designed by Revery and part of the larger project. The seven-storey rental apartment provides a modest contribution to the city’s dearth of mid-priced housing. The superbly restored and seismically upgraded First Baptist Church has expanded into the area between the new tower and original church, and now offers the public a wider array of programming including a gymnasium, childcare facility, and areas for emergency shelter and counselling services for individuals in need.  The church’s Pinder Hall has been reimagined as a venue for church and community events including concerts, weddings, and cultural programming. The Butterfly’s character is largely defined by undulating precast concrete panels that wrap around the building. The architects describe the swooping lines as being inspired by clouds, but for this writer, the Butterfly evokes a 57-layer frosted cake towering above the city’s boxy skyline. Kokalov winces when he hears that impression, but it’s meant as a sincere compliment. Clouds are not universally welcome, but who doesn’t like cake?  Kokalov argues that its experiential quality is the building’s greatest distinction—most notably, the incorporation of an “outdoors”—not a balcony or deck, but an actual outdoor pathway—at all residential levels. For years the lead form-maker at Bing Thom Architects, Kokalov was responsible for much of the curvilinearity in the firm’s later works, including the 2019 Xiqu Centre opera house in Hong Kong. It’s easy to assume that his forte and focus would be pure aesthetic delight, but he avers that every sinuous curve has a practical rationale.  The breezeways provide residents with outdoor entries to their units—an unusual attribute for high-rise towers—and contribute to natural cooling, ventilation, and daylight in the suites. Defying the local tower-on-podium formula, the building’s façade falls almost straight to the ground. At street level, the building is indented with huge parabolic concavities. It’s an abrupt way to meet the street, but the fall is visually “broken” by a publicly accessible courtyard.   The tower’s layered, undulating volume is echoed in a soaring residential lobby, which includes developer Westbank’s signature—a bespoke Fazioli grand piano designed by the building’s architect. After passing through this courtyard, you enter the building via the usual indoor luxe foyer—complete with developer Westbank’s signature, an over-the-top hand-built grand piano designed by the architect. In this case, the piano’s baroquely sculpted legs are right in keeping with the architecture. But after taking the elevator up to the designated floor, you step out into what is technically “outdoors” and walk to your front door in a brief but bracing open-air transition.  The main entrance of every unit is accessed via a breezeway that runs from one side of the building to another. Unglazed and open to the outside, each breezeway is marked at one end with what the architects call (a little ambitiously) a “sky garden,” in most cases consisting of a sapling that will grow into a leafy tree in due course, God and strata maintenance willing. This incorporation of nature and fresh air transforms the condominium units into something akin to townhouses, albeit stacked exceptionally high.  The suites feature a custom counter with a sculptural folded form. Inside each unit, the space can be expanded and contracted and reconfigured visually—not literally—by the fact that the interior wall of the secondary bedroom is completely transparent, floor to ceiling. It’s unusual, and slightly unnerving, but undeniably exciting for any occupants who wish to maximize their views to the mountains and sea. The curved glass wall transforms the room into a private enclave by means of a curtain, futuristically activated by remote control. The visual delight of swooping curves is only tempered when it’s wholly impractical—the offender here being a massive built-in counter that serves to both anchor and divide the living-kitchen areas. It reads as a long, pliable slab that is “folded” into the middle in such a way that the counter itself transforms into its own horseshoe-shaped base, creating a narrow crevice in the middle of the countertop. I marvel at its beauty and uniqueness; I weep for whoever is assigned to clean out the crumbs and other culinary flotsam that will fall into that crevice.  A structure made of high-performance modular precast concrete structural ribs arcs over a swimming pool that bridges between the building’s main amenity space and the podium roof. The building’s high-priced architecture may well bring more to the table than density-bonus amenities. On a broader scale, these luxe dwellings may be just what is needed to help lure the affluent from their mansions. As wealthy residents and investors continue to seek out land-hogging detached homes, the Butterfly offers an alternate concept that maintains the psychological benefit of a dedicated outside entrance and an outrageously flexible interior space. Further over-the-top amenities add to the appeal. Prominent among these is a supremely gorgeous residents-only swimming pool, housed within ribs of concrete columns that curve and dovetail into beams.   The ultimate public purpose for the architecturally spectacular condo tower: its role as public art in the city. The units in any of these buildings are the private side of architecture’s Janus face, but its presence in the skyline and on the street is highly public. By contributing a newly striking visual ballast, the Butterfly has served its purpose as one of the age-old Seven Arts: defining a location, a community, and an era. Adele Weder is a contributing editor to Canadian Architect. Screenshot CLIENT Westbank Corporation, First Baptist Church | ARCHITECT TEAM Venelin Kokalov (MRAIC), Bing Thom (FRAIC, deceased 2016), Amirali Javidan, Nicole Hu, Shinobu Homma MRAIC, Bibi Fehr, Culum Osborne, Dustin Yee, Cody Loeffen, Kailey O’Farrell, Mark Melnichuk, Andrea Flynn, Jennifer Zhang, Daniel Gasser, Zhuoli Yang, Lisa Potopsingh | STRUCTURAL Glotman Simpson | MECHANICAL Introba | ELECTRICAL Nemetz & Associates, Inc. | LANDSCAPE SWA Group (Design) w/ Cornelia Oberlander & G|ALA – Gauthier & Associates Landscape Architecture, Inc. (Landscape Architect of Record) | INTERIORS Revery Architecture | CONTRACTOR Icon West Construction (new construction); The Haebler Group (heritage) | LIGHTING ARUP (Design) & Nemetz (Engineer of Record) | SUSTAINABILITY & ENERGY MODELlING Introba | BUILDING ENVELOPE RDH Building Science, Inc. | HERITAGE CONSERVATION Donald Luxton & Associates, Inc.| ACOUSTICS BKL Consultants Ltd. | TRAFFIC Bunt & Associates, Inc. | POOL Rockingham Pool Consulting, Inc. | FOUNTAIN Vincent Helton & Associates | WIND Gradient Wind Engineering, Inc. | WASTE CONSULTANT Target Zero Waste Consulting, Inc. | AREA 56,206 M2 | BUDGET Withheld | COMPLETION Spring 2025 ENERGY USE INTENSITY (PROJECTED) 106 kWh/m2/year | WATER USE INTENSITY (PROJECTED) 0.72 m3/m2/year As appeared in the June 2025 issue of Canadian Architect magazine The post The Butterfly takes flight: The Butterfly, Vancouver, BC appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Male fertility rates have been plummeting over the past half-century. An analysis from 1992 noted a steady decrease in sperm counts and quality since the 1940s. A more recent study found that male infertility rates increased nearly 80% from 1990 to 2019. The reasons driving this trend remain a mystery, but frequently cited culprits include obesity, poor diet, and environmental toxins. Infectious diseases such as gonorrhea or chlamydia are often overlooked factors that affect fertility in men. Accumulating evidence suggests that a common single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii may also be a contributor: An April 2025 study showed for the first time that “human sperm lose their heads upon direct contact” with the parasite. I am a microbiologist, and my lab studies Toxoplasma. This new study bolsters emerging findings that underscore the importance of preventing this parasitic infection. The many ways you can get toxoplasmosis Infected cats defecate Toxoplasma eggs into the litter box, garden or other places in the environment where they can be picked up by humans or other animals. Water, shellfish and unwashed fruits and vegetables can also harbor infectious parasite eggs. In addition to eggs, tissue cysts present in the meat of warm-blooded animals can spread toxoplasmosis as well if they are not destroyed by cooking to proper temperature. While most hosts of the parasite can control the initial infection with few if any symptoms, Toxoplasma remains in the body for life as dormant cysts in brain, heart and muscle tissue. These cysts can reactivate and cause additional episodes of severe illness that damage critical organ systems. Between 30% and 50% of the world’s population is permanently infected with Toxoplasma due to the many ways the parasite can spread. Toxoplasma can target male reproductive organs Upon infection, Toxoplasma spreads to virtually every organ and skeletal muscle. Evidence that Toxoplasma can also target human male reproductive organs first surfaced during the height of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, when some patients presented with the parasitic infection in their testes. While immunocompromised patients are most at risk for testicular toxoplasmosis, it can also occur in otherwise healthy individuals. Imaging studies of infected mice confirm that Toxoplasma parasites quickly travel to the testes in addition to the brain and eyes within days of infection. Toxoplasma cysts floating in cat feces. DPDx Image Library/CDC In 2017, my colleagues and I found that Toxoplasma can also form cysts in mouse prostates. Researchers have also observed these parasites in the ejaculate of many animals, including human semen, raising the possibility of sexual transmission. Knowing that Toxoplasma can reside in male reproductive organs has prompted analyses of fertility in infected men. A small 2021 study in Prague of 163 men infected with Toxoplasma found that over 86% had semen anomalies. A 2002 study in China found that infertile couples are more likely to have a Toxoplasma infection than fertile couples, 34.83% versus 12.11%. A 2005 study in China also found that sterile men are more likely to test positive for Toxoplasma than fertile men. Not all studies, however, produce a link between toxoplasmosis and sperm quality. Toxoplasma can directly damage human sperm Toxoplasmosis in animals mirrors infection in humans, which allows researchers to address questions that are not easy to examine in people. Testicular function and sperm production are sharply diminished in Toxoplasma-infected mice, rats and rams. Infected mice have significantly lower sperm counts and a higher proportion of abnormally shaped sperm. In that April 2025 study, researchers from Germany, Uruguay, and Chile observed that Toxoplasma can reach the testes and epididymis, the tube where sperm mature and are stored, two days after infection in mice. This finding prompted the team to test what happens when the parasite comes into direct contact with human sperm in a test tube. After only five minutes of exposure to the parasite, 22.4% of sperm cells were beheaded. The number of decapitated sperm increased the longer they interacted with the parasites. Sperm cells that maintained their head were often twisted and misshapen. Some sperm cells had holes in their head, suggesting the parasites were trying to invade them as it would any other type of cell in the organs it infiltrates. In addition to direct contact, Toxoplasma may also damage sperm because the infection promotes chronic inflammation. Inflammatory conditions in the male reproductive tract are harmful to sperm production and function. The researchers speculate that the harmful effects Toxoplasma may have on sperm could be contributing to large global declines in male fertility over the past decades. Sperm exposed to Toxoplasma. Arrows point to holes and other damage to the sperm; asterisks indicate where the parasite has burrowed. The two nonconfronted controls at the bottom show normal sperm. Rojas-Barón et al/The FEBS Journal, CC BY-SA Preventing toxoplasmosis The evidence that Toxoplasma can infiltrate male reproductive organs in animals is compelling, but whether this produces health issues in people remains unclear. Testicular toxoplasmosis shows that parasites can invade human testes, but symptomatic disease is very rare. Studies to date that show defects in the sperm of infected men are too small to draw firm conclusions at this time. Additionally, some reports suggest that rates of toxoplasmosis in high-income countries have not been increasing over the past few decades while male infertility was rising, so it’s likely to only be one part of the puzzle. Regardless of this parasite’s potential effect on fertility, it is wise to avoid Toxoplasma. An infection can cause miscarriage or birth defects if someone acquires it for the first time during pregnancy, and it can be life-threatening for immunocompromised people. Toxoplasma is also the leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States. Taking proper care of your cat, promptly cleaning the litter box and thoroughly washing your hands after can help reduce your exposure to Toxoplasma. You can also protect yourself from this parasite by washing fruits and vegetables, cooking meat to proper temperatures before consuming and avoiding raw shellfish, raw water and raw milk. Bill Sullivan, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Lead Community Manager (Unannounced Project)WargamingΛευκωσία, Λευκωσία, Cyprus No Mans Area15 seconds agoApplyJob OverviewWe’re excited to soon launch a groundbreaking AAA game project and are looking for passionate, creative individuals to join our talented team. Our studio fosters a collaborative environment where your ideas are valued and your contributions will have a direct impact on the game’s success.Our team is a mix of industry veterans and fresh talent, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what games can be. If you thrive in a dynamic atmosphere and are eager to shape an exciting AAA title from the ground up, we want to hear from you! Join us in creating something truly special in the gaming world. Your next big opportunity awaits!Reports toLive Ops DirectorWhat will you do?Share the team's vision with players and ensure they understand it.Track community trends and provide valuable feedback to the team.Advocate for players’ opinions and concerns within the team and the company.Lead and manage a global team of external moderators.Build and maintain strong relationships with content creators and influencers.Offer player-driven feedback to help shape the game’s development and design.Work closely with other internal teams and external partners to enhance community engagement.Plan and execute exciting community marketing strategies that keep players engaged.What are we looking for?5+ years of professional community management experience in the gaming industry.Excellent writing and communication skills (native or near-native English proficiency).Experience managing large live ops global gaming communities.Passion for shooter games and gaming in general.Skilled at handling tough situations within the community with care and professionalism.Experience managing social media platforms and working with content creators.Able to work independently and make decisions without constant supervision.What additional skills will help you stand out?Comfortable being on camera and interacting with players online and in person.Experience with social media management and business intelligence tools.Knowledge of other marketing disciplines or content creation.Interest or experience in Esports.Work modeHybrid (This role is not eligible for remote work)This role is eligible for relocation & immigration supportBenefitsBenefits and perks are tailored to the local market and culture. Our benefits in Berlin include:5 weeks of Annual Leave per calendar yearAdditional paid time offCareer development and education opportunities within the companyHome internet reimbursementGym membership through Urban Sports Club - Package MMental well-being program (iFeel)Monthly public transportation ticketLanguage classesCompany pension scheme with a company contribution up to 150 EUR per monthPersonal Gaming AccountCoffee, fruits, and snacks in the officeCompany eventsSeniority AwardsReferral program - You can recommend the best talents to the company and receive a rewardPlease submit your CV in English to ensure smooth processing and review.About WargamingWargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 15 offices worldwide, including studios in Chicago, Prague, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Vilnius. Our diverse and multicultural team works together to deliver a top-class experience to millions of players who enjoy Wargaming's titles across all major gaming platforms. Our flagship products include free-to-play hits World of Tanks, World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz.Please see Wargaming Candidate Privacy Policy for details on how Wargaming uses your personal data. Create Your Profile — Game companies can contact you with their relevant job openings. Apply

Submitted by WA Contents Open Call RaumScape: A Unique Piazzetta in Old Town Prague Czech Republic Architecture News - May 26, 2025 - 12:53   html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" An international architectural and urban design competition has been launched through a unique collaboration between private investors, the Capital City of Prague, and the Prague 1 municipality. The goal is to transform a privately owned piazzetta at the end of Pařížská Street—an area known for its high-end retail and positioned between residential calm and a striking mix of architectural styles—into a vibrant, inclusive, and world-class public space. Located directly in front of the recently renovated Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel—formerly the brutalist InterContinental Hotel, now sensitively restored by TaK Architects—the site carries symbolic weight within the historic center of Prague. Despite its extraordinary location, it is technically the roof of an underground car park and incorporates multiple levels of garage-related infrastructure. The first stage of the competition is straightforward and non-design-focused, serving as a portfolio round. Applicants are invited to submit reference projects by June 2, 2025. RaumScape represents a landmark opportunity to reimagine a space in the historic core of one of Europe’s most architecturally and culturally rich capitals. The competition calls for creative ideas that are both visionary and grounded, shaping a public realm fit for Prague’s next century. Entirely privately funded, the project represents a significant investment of approximately €6 million (CZK 150 million), reflecting the long-term commitment of the Czech owners to revitalizing this prominent urban site. Organized by CCEA MOBA, the competition merges the architectural concept of Raumplan with landscape design—embodying a vision for a multi-layered, continuous urban realm where architecture and public space are seamlessly interwoven. It invites architects, landscape architects, and urban designers from around the world to propose bold yet context-sensitive designs that blend public, community, commercial, and social functions into a cohesive civic environment.Previously underutilized and disconnected, the 3,200 m² piazzetta now presents a rare opportunity to extend the prestige and pedestrian rhythm of Pařížská Street toward the Vltava River, introduce greenery, shade, and water features, enable barrier-free movement for pedestrians, cyclists, and families, and create a public space of lasting value that honors its UNESCO-listed heritage context while serving both local life and international visitors. This vision must also thoughtfully integrate the necessary technical infrastructure and commercial space in a way that enhances the public realm.The winning proposal will mark the final phase of Staroměstská brána (Old Town Gate)—a sensitive reconstruction of a Brutalist landmark, and the culmination of a broader urban renewal initiative led by the Hotel’s private Czech owners: Pavel Baudiš, Eduard Kučera, and Oldřich Šlemr.Competition OverviewTitle: RaumScape – International Architectural and Urban Design CompetitionLocation: Miloš Forman Square, Prague, Czech RepublicArea: 3,200 m²Announcers: WIC Prague, City of Prague, Prague 1Organizer: CCEA MOBAEstimated Investment: CZK 150 million (approx. €6 million)Total Prize Money: CZK 2.4 million (approx. €95,900)Eligibility: Open to qualified architecture, landscape, and urban design professionals worldwideTwo-Stage CompetitionStage One – Portfolio SubmissionDeadline: June 2, 2025, no submission feeApplicants are asked to submit reference projects. Stage Two – Design ProposalFinalists will be invited to submit full concept designs.International JuryThe competition jury is chaired by Sarah M. Whiting, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and includes leading Czech and international experts:- Petr Hlaváček (Vice-Chair), 1st Deputy Mayor of the Capital City of Prague- Mette Skjold, CEO and Senior Partner of SLA- Magdaléna Juříková, Director of the Prague City Gallery- Petr Burian, co-Founder of Nextline Architekti- Karel Grabein Procházka - Councillor of the Municipal District of Prague 1- Marek Tichý, founder of TaK Architects, author of the reconstruction of the former InterContinental HotelFor further details, visit the competition website.The top image in the article courtesy of CCEA MOBA.> via CCEA MOBA

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Details. Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles. ↑ Yunomi in Los Angeles, CA by Design Opera Architects; Photo: Taiyo Watanabe ↑ Deer Harbor in Eastsound, WA by Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects; Photo: Andrew Pogue Photography ↑ Grass House in Washington, DC by BLDUS; Photo: Ty Cole ↑ The Crown Coffee Laboratory in Oakland, CA by Studio Terpeluk; Photo: Joe Fletcher ↑ Pine Cove in Harpswell Center, ME by Woodhull ↑ Whidbey Uparati in Whidbey Island, WA by Wittman Estes; Photo: Andrew Pogue ↑ Ningbo Apartment in Ningbo, China by Increments Studio ↑ Villa Sidonius in Prague, Czech Republic by Stempel & Tesar architekti; Photo: Filip Šlapal ↑ PLP City Range mixed-use ...

Prague-based startup Additive Appearance, a spin-off from Charles University, has released PrismSlicer, a slicing and design-for-additive-manufacturing (DfAM) software developed specifically for multi-material inkjet 3D printing. PrismSlicer focuses on delivering high-fidelity color accuracy, precise volumetric control, and efficient material use, addressing needs across sectors such as industrial design, healthcare, dental, model making, education, and rapid prototyping. To address limitations found in traditional slicing software, PrismSlicer incorporates a photorealistic rendering engine, material-aware slicing algorithms, and voxel-level volumetric authoring. These capabilities aim to reduce trial-and-error, decrease print failures, and accelerate production workflows. “Many users struggle to anticipate how a print will turn out, especially with complex gradients and intricate color textures, ” said Tobias Rittig, Ph.D., CTO at Additive Appearance. “We built PrismSlicer to eliminate that uncertainty. With precise previews and interactive controls, it becomes much easier to get it right on the first print.” PrismSlicer Software. Image via Additive Appearance. Key Differentiators Distinct from conventional surface-based slicers, PrismSlicer adopts a volumetric approach that supports native 3D gradients, material property interpolation, and adaptive color mixing. This approach enables precise spatial distribution of visual and functional features, maximizing the utilization of hardware capabilities. Core features include photorealistic visualization with realistic translucency effects, automated color and texture optimization through device-specific material profiles, and volumetric design tools allowing integration of pre-sliced models with 3D gradients and digital materials. The software supports widely used platforms such as Stratasys PolyJet, Quantica NovoJet, and various custom inkjet printing systems, running across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. Printout 3. Image via Additive Appearance. “The early version released in collaboration with Quantica validated our core technology, ” noted Rittig. “Now, the full-featured PrismSlicer is here and it’s ready to support a much wider user base across multiple ecosystems.” Designed to meet the evolving needs of industries dependent on multi-material, full-color 3D printing, PrismSlicer combines speed, accuracy, and intuitive workflows—including guided steps to simplify complex processes. For users without direct access to printers, its predictive preview capability provides a cost-effective way to test designs digitally before production. PrismSlicer Photorealistic Preview. Image via Additive Appearance. In addition, PrismSlicer supports sustainability by significantly reducing the need for physical test prints, thereby cutting material waste, saving time, and lowering costs. This digital print verification aligns with broader efforts to promote environmentally responsible manufacturing. Offered through a subscription licensing model, PrismSlicer benefits from regular quarterly updates and feature enhancements. Future development plans include expanding support for additional printer models, refining design tools, and further improving visualization accuracy. Additive Appearance is also actively growing partnerships across sectors such as medical prosthetics and dentistry, commercial printing, industrial prototyping, toy and figurine production, and visual effects. Developments in Multi-Material 3D Printing  Multi-material 3D printing is a growing area throughout the additive manufacturing industry. In 2024, a team from the University of Colorado Boulder conducted a study that developed a “Pantone system for material properties.” Their findings outline how repeatable 3D printed properties can be achieved by mixing three “primary” materials – a soft elastomer, a rigid plastic, and liquid constituents. Custom software was used to design hundreds of digital composite material samples. The mechanical properties of the 3D printed samples were then tested, characterized, and mapped. This ultimately allowed users to find the perfect material mixture to achieve the desired properties of their 3D printed part.  Elsewhere, researchers from the MIT Media Lab, Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute used multi-material inkjet 3D printing to fabricate hybrid living materials.  Called the Hybrid Living Material (HLM) fabrication platform, the team created customized material recipes to combine resins and chemical signals. These signals can activate certain responses in biologically engineered microbes, offering the potential for producing 3D printed medical devices with therapeutic agents.       Take the 3DPIReader Survey — shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content. Featured image shows PrismSlicer Software. Image via Additive Appearance.

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Rooftop Spaces. Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles. ↑ J.G. Whittier Apartments in Seattle, WA by Johnston Architects; Landscape Design: Karen Kiest; Photo: Andrew Nam, ANAM Media ↑ Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston, MA by HMFH Architects; Landscape Design: Arcadis IBI Group; Photo: Ed Wonsek ↑ HILL House in Connecticut by Joeb Moore & Partners; Landscape Design: Reed Hilderbrand; Photo: David Sundberg / Esto ↑ J+K Residence in New York, NY by STUDIO V Architecture; Photo: David Rahr ↑ Neugraf in Prague, Czech Republic by Chmelar architekti; Photo: alex shoots buildings, CRESTYL real estate ↑ Westgate1515 in Los Angeles, CA by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects [LOHA]; Phot...

The cobbled streets and centuries-old university halls of Leuven recently served as a picturesque backdrop for the Materialise 3D Printing in Hospitals Forum 2025. Belgium’s Flemish Brabant capital hosted the annual meeting, which has become a key gathering for the medical 3D printing community since its launch in 2017. This year, 140 international healthcare professionals convened for two days of talks, workshops, and lively discussion on how Materialise’s software enhances patient care. The Forum’s opening day, hosted at Leuven’s historic Irish College, featured 16 presentations by 18 healthcare clinicians and medical 3D printing experts.  While often described as the future of medicine, personalized healthcare has already become routine in many clinical settings. Speakers emphasized that 3D printing is no longer merely a “cool” innovation, but an essential tool that improves patient outcomes. “Personalized treatment is not just a vision for the future,” said Koen Peters, Executive Vice President Medical at Materialise. “It’s a reality we’re building together every day.” During the forum, practitioners and clinical engineers demonstrated the critical role of Materialise’s software in medical workflows. Presentations highlighted value across a wide range of procedures, from brain tumour removal and organ transplantation to the separation of conjoined twins and maxillofacial implant surgeries. Several use cases demonstrated how 3D technology can reduce surgery times by up to four times, enhance patient recovery, and cut hospital costs by almost £6,000 per case.      140 visitors attended the Materialise 3D Printing in Hospitals Forum 2025. Photo via Materialise. Digital simulation and 3D printing slash operating times  Headquartered a few miles outside Leuven’s medieval center, Materialise is a global leader in medical 3D printing and digital planning. Its Mimics software suite automatically converts CT and MRI scans into detailed 3D models. Clinicians use these tools to prepare for procedures, analyse anatomy, and create patient-specific models that enhance surgical planning. So far, Materialise software has supported more than 500,000 patients and analysed over 6 million medical scans. One case that generated notable interest among the Forum’s attendees was that of Lisa Ferrie and Jiten Parmar from Leeds General Infirmary. The pair worked alongside Asim Sheikh, a Consultant Skullbase and Neurovascular Neurosurgeon, to conduct the UK’s first “coach door osteotomy” on Ruvimbo Kaviya, a 40-year-old nurse from Leeds.  This novel keyhole surgery successfully removed a brain tumor from Kaviya’s cavernous sinus, a hard-to-reach area behind the eyes. Most surgeries of this kind require large incisions and the removal of substantial skull sections, resulting in extended recovery time and the risk of postoperative complications. Such an approach would have presented serious risks for removing Kaviya’s tumor, which “was in a complex area surrounded by a lot of nerves,” explained Parmar, a Consultant in Maxillofacial Surgery.    Instead, the Leeds-based team uses a minimally invasive technique that requires only a 1.5 cm incision near the side of Ravimbo’s eyelid. A small section of skull bone was then shifted sideways and backward, much like a coach door sliding open, to create an access point for tumor removal. Following the procedure, Ravimbo recovered in a matter of days and was left with only a 6 mm scar at the incision point.  Materialise software played a vital role in facilitating this novel procedure. Ferrie is a Biomedical Engineer and 3D Planning Service Lead at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She used mimics to convert medical scans into digital 3D models of Ravimbo’s skull. This allowed her team to conduct “virtual surgical planning” and practice the procedure in three dimensions, “to see if it’s going to work as we expect.”  Ferrie also fabricated life-sized, polyjet 3D printed anatomical models of Ravimbo’s skull for more hands-on surgical preparation. Sheikh and Parmar used these models in the hospital’s cadaver lab to rehearse the procedure until they were confident of a successful outcome. This 3D printing-enabled approach has since been repeated for additional cases, unlocking a new standard of care for patients with previously inoperable brain tumors.  The impact of 3D planning is striking. Average operating times fell from 8-12 hours to just 2-3 hours, and average patient discharge times dropped from 7-10 days to 2-3 days. These efficiencies translated into cost savings of £1,780 to £5,758 per case, while additional surgical capacity generated an average of £11,226 in income per operating list. Jiten Parmar (right) and Lisa Ferrie (left) presenting at the Materialise 3D Printing in Hospitals Forum 2025. Photo via Materialise. Dr. Davide Curione also discussed the value of virtual planning and 3D printing for surgical procedures. Based at Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, the radiologist’s team conducts 3D modeling, visualization, simulation, and 3D printing.  One case involved thoraco-omphalopagus twins joined at the chest and abdomen. Curione’s team 3D printed a multi-color anatomical model of the twins’ anatomy, which he called “the first of its kind for complexity in Italy.” Fabricated in transparent resin, the model offered a detailed view of the twins’ internal anatomy, including the rib cage, lungs, and cardiovascular system. Attention then turned to the liver. The team built a digital reconstruction to simulate the optimal resection planes for the general separation and the hepatic splitting procedure. This was followed by a second multi-colour 3D printed model highlighting the organ’s vascularisation. These resources improved surgical planning, cutting operating time by 30%, and enabled a successful separation, with no major complications reported two years post-operation. Dr. Davide Curione’s workflow for creating a 3D printed model of thoraco-omphalopagus twins using Mimics. Image via Frontiers in Physiology. VR-enabled surgery enhances organ transplants   Materialise’s Mimics software can also be used in extended reality (XR), allowing clinicians to interact more intuitively with 3D anatomical models and medical images. By using off-the-shelf virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets, healthcare professionals can more closely examine complex structures in an immersive environment. Dr. David Sibřina is a Principal Researcher and Developer for the VRLab team at Prague’s Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM). He leads efforts to accelerate the clinical adoption of VR and AR in organ transplantation, surgical planning, and surgical guidance.  The former Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree explained that since 2016, IKEM’s 3D printing lab has focused on producing anatomical models to support liver and kidney donor programmes. His lab also fabricates 3D printed anatomical models of ventricles and aneurysms for clinical use.  However, Sibřina’s team recently became overwhelmed by high demand for physical models, with surgeons requesting additional 3D model processing options. This led Sibřina to create the IKEM VRLab, offering XR capabilities to help surgeons plan and conduct complex transplantation surgeries and resection procedures.      When turning to XR, Sibřina’s lab opted against adopting a ready-made software solution, instead developing its own from scratch. “The problem with some of the commercial solutions is capability and integration,” he explained. “The devices are incredibly difficult and expensive to integrate within medical systems, particularly in public hospitals.” He also pointed to user interface shortcomings and the lack of alignment with established medical protocols.  According to Sibřina, IKEM VRLab’s offering is a versatile and scalable VR system that is simple to use and customizable to different surgical disciplines. He described it as “Zoom for 3D planning,” enabling live virtual collaboration between medical professionals. It leverages joint CT and MRI acquisition models, developed with IKEM’s medical physicists and radiologists. Data from patient scans is converted into interactive digital reconstructions that can be leveraged for analysis and surgical planning.  IKEM VRLab also offers a virtual “Fitting Room,” which allows surgeons to assess whether a donor’s organ size matches the recipient’s body. A digital model is created for every deceased donor and live recipient’s body, enabling surgeons to perform the size allocation assessments.  Sibřina explained that this capability significantly reduces the number of recipients who would otherwise fail to be matched with a suitable donor. For example, 262 deceased liver donors have been processed for Fitting Room size allocations by IKEM VRLab. In 27 instances, the VR Fitting Room prevented potential recipients from being skipped in the waiting list based on standard biometrics, CT axis measurements, and BMI ratios.                          Overall, 941 patient-specific visualizations have been performed using Sibřina’s technology. 285 (28%) were for liver recipients, 311 (31%) for liver donors, and 299 (23%) for liver resection. Living liver donors account for 59 (6%) cases, and split/reduced donors for 21 (2%).           A forum attendee using Materialise’s Mimics software in augmented reality (AR). Photo via Materialise. Personalized healthcare: 3D printing implants and surgical guides  Beyond surgical planning and 3D visualisation, Materialise Mimics software supports the design and production of patient-specific implants and surgical guides. The company conducts healthcare contract manufacturing at its Leuven HQ and medical 3D printing facility in Plymouth, Michigan.  Hospitals can design patient-specific medical devices in-house or collaborate with Materialise’s clinical engineers to develop custom components. Materialise then 3D prints these devices and ships them for clinical use. The Belgian company, headed by CEO Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, produces around 280,000 custom medical instruments each year, with 160,000 destined for the US market. These include personalised titanium cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) implants for facial reconstruction and colour-coded surgical guides. Poole Hospital’s 3D specialists, Sian Campbell and Poppy Taylor-Crawford, shared how their team has adopted Materialise software to support complex CMF surgeries. Since acquiring the platform in 2022, they have developed digital workflows for planning and 3D printing patient-specific implants and surgical guides in 14 cases, particularly for facial reconstruction.  Campbell and Taylor-Crawford begin their workflow by importing patient CT and MRI data into Materialise’s Mimics Enlight CMF software. Automated tools handle initial segmentation, tumour resection planning, and the creation of cutting planes. For more complex cases involving fibula or scapula grafts, the team adapts these workflows to ensure precise alignment and fit of the bone graft within the defect. Next, the surgical plan and anatomical data are transferred to Materialise 3-matic, where the team designs patient-specific resection guides, reconstruction plates, and implants. These designs are refined through close collaboration with surgeons, incorporating feedback to optimise geometry and fit. Virtual fit checks verify guide accuracy, while further analysis ensures compatibility with surgical instruments and operating constraints. Once validated, the guides and implants are 3D printed for surgery. According to Campbell and Taylor-Crawford, these custom devices enable more accurate resections and implant placements. This improves surgical alignment and reduces theatre time by minimising intraoperative adjustments. An example of the cranio-maxillofacial implants and surgical guides 3D printed by Materialise. Photo by 3D Printing Industry Custom 3D printed implants are also fabricated at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna, Italy. Originally established as a motion analysis lab, the institute has expanded its expertise into surgical planning, biomechanical analysis, and now, personalized 3D printed implant design. Dr. Alberto Leardini, Director of the Movement Analysis Laboratory, described his team’s patient-specific implant workflow. They combine CT and MRI scans to identify bone defects and tumour locations. Clinical engineers then use this data to build digital models and plan resections. They also design cutting guides and custom implants tailored to each patient’s anatomy. These designs are refined in collaboration with surgeons before being outsourced to manufacturing partners for production. Importantly, this workflow internalizes design and planning phases. By hosting engineering and clinical teams together on-site, they aim to streamline decision-making and reduce lead times. Once the digital design is finalised, only the additive manufacturing step is outsourced, ensuring “zero distance” collaboration between teams.  Dr. Leardini emphasised that this approach improves clinical outcomes and promises economic benefits. While custom implants require more imaging and upfront planning, they reduce time in the operating theatre, shorten hospital stays, and minimise patient transfers.  After a full day of presentations inside the Irish College’s eighteenth-century chapel, the consensus was clear. 3D technology is not a niche capability reserved for high-end procedures, but a valuable tool enhancing everyday care for thousands of patients globally. From faster surgeries to cost savings and personalized treatments, hospitals are increasingly embedding 3D technology into routine care. Materialise’s software sits at the heart of this shift, enabling clinicians to deliver safer, smarter, and more efficient healthcare.  Take the 3DPI Reader Survey – shape the future of AM reporting in under 5 minutes. Read all the 3D printing news from RAPID + TCT 2025 Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows 3D printed anatomical models at Materialise HQ in Leuven. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.