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There only a few absolute truths in life. The two most recognizable are death, and unless youre very rich or politically connected, taxes. There are, however, numerous others just a slight tier below; not the least of which is that nearly everyone has a story of themselves or someone close to them wanting to be an architect at some point in their lives. In our collective societal brains we envision these rarified individuals to be highly creative thinkers and mathematical whizzes who are constantly innovating. Those who study history might even think of the great masters of antiquity such as Imhotep, Vitruvius, Brunelleschi, or other unknown masters of ancient Rome, Persia, Mesoamerica, or China as prime examples of such great genius at work. Folks may even recall the more recent genius of Buckminster Fuller, Eero Saarinen, or Frank Lloyd Wright. The modern reality of our profession, however, could not possibly be further from this perceived history, even in its most romanticized version. The death of architecture as we know it With the rise of technology there are radical changes headed our way and the architecture/design industry as we know it (and have known it for generations) will soon cease to exist as a result. This is not necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, it has the very real chance to be an incredible opportunity, if we let it. This is not to say that the architects of today arent highly creative or have a desire to innovate. Its simply that the industry (especially in the U.S.) has severely and intentionally limited this creativity to a fault for a wide variety of reasons: consistency, profitability, and liability are chief amongst them. Like any technology, AIs rise poses as many potential benefits as it does challenges. Its all in the nuance of how we use it and adapt (or not). Those who do will thrive, those stuck in the ways of the past will count their days numbered (or look for other careers). Our roles as human producers of documents will rapidly morph into something much more resembling creative direction as many drawings become automated. While some will certainly still need to remain deeply involved to check drawings and provide overall concept direction (similar to what many senior designers and firm principals already do now) many other positions will simply no longer be needed as work that historically took teams of people days/weeks to produce will be accomplished in a matter of minutes. This will drastically reduce firm overhead and billing rates will likely soon follow as a result. Once this occurs, large scale firms that historically leveraged their numbers and resources will lose their competitive advantage and we will see the fast rise of micro studios taking on challenges and being competitive on projects previously thought impossible for all but the largest of companies. This will result in the typical business model being flipped on its head causing the industry to reappraise its value and focus on the more creative side of the profession. As is the case with any radical and fast-moving change, this is both deeply exciting and absolutely terrifying at the same time. The future of architecture This can and will be a golden age of exploration and possibilities if approached correctly. Do we dare to live up to the challenge? For a many reasons, the business of architecture has been profoundly broken for decades. It is often abusive and thrives off a hustle culture of overworking for nominal gainin many cases simply to perpetuate the grandiose myth of a sole genius architect. As an industry we do a terrible job of educating the public, our clients, and to some degree even ourselves, as to what architects actually do. If we cant define that and communicate our value, how can we ever expect things to ever change? This is not a shock to anyone paying the least bit of attention. Its far past time that we burned it all down and started from scratch. Whether we like it or not, a sea change is coming. Circumstance will force our evolution and test our creativity in ways never before imaginedunlocking new practices, potential and possibilities. Lets just all make sure to do this better next time. Our professions culture is trapped in a doom loop and its up to us to change it, said Evelyn Lee, president of the American Institute of Architects. I once told a friend when I was about to go out on my own, rethinking the future of the practice and my place within it, I dont want to be an architect. I just want to do really incredible architecture and theres a really big difference. William Dodge is founder and design principal at p-u-b-l-i-c and cofounder and artist at A Gang of Three.
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Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start. “That’s the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life, said the Smithsonian Institutions Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors. NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned 122 grams (4 ounces) of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, delivering the sample canister to the Utah desert in 2023 before swooping off after another space rock. It remains the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon. The two previous asteroid sample missions, by Japan, yielded considerably less material. Small amounts of Bennus precious black grains leftovers from the solar system’s formation 4.5 billion years ago were doled out to the two separate research teams whose studies appeared in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. But it was more than enough to tease out the sodium-rich minerals and confirm the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code. Some if not all of the delicate salts found at Bennu similar to whats in the dry lakebeds of Californias Mojave Desert and Africas Sahara would be stripped away if present in falling meteorites. This discovery was only possible by analyzing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth,” the Institute of Science Tokyos Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial. Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, thats really the pathway to life, said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History’s curator of meteorites. These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before.” NASAs Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia. While all of the organic molecules found in the Bennu samples have been identified before in meteorites, Glavin said the ones from Bennu are valid real extraterrestrial organic material formed in space and not a result of contamination from Earth. Bennu a rubble pile just one-third of a mile (one-half of a kilometer) across was originally part of a much larger asteroid that got clobbered by other space rocks. The latest results suggest this parent body had an extensive underground network of lakes or even oceans, and that the water evaporated away, leaving behind the salty clues. Sixty labs around the world are analyzing bits of Bennu as part of initial studies, said the University of Arizonas Dante Lauretta, the missions chief scientist who took part in both studies. Most of the $1 billion mission’s cache has been set aside for future analysis. Scientists stress more testing is needed to better understand the Bennu samples, as well as more asteroid and comet sample returns. China plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission this year. Many are pushing for a mission to collect rocks and dirt from the potentially waterlogged dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. Jupiters moon Europa and Saturns moon Enceladus also beckon as enticing water worlds. Meanwhile, NASA has core samples awaiting pickup at Mars, but their delivery is on hold while the space agency studies the quickest and cheapest way to get them here. Are we alone?” McCoy said. “Thats one of the questions were trying to answer. Marcia Dunn, AP aerospace writer The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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Get ready for an onslaught of ads full of celebrities, cute animals and snack brands during breaks in the action at Super Bowl 59 on Feb. 9, when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Anheuser-Busch, Meta, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Taco Bell, Uber Eats and others will vie to win over the more than 120 million viewers expected to tune in for the broadcast on Fox and via the free livestream on Tubi. Demand for ad space was robust this year, said Mark Evans, executive vice president of ad sales for Fox Sports, with ad space selling out in November and a waitlist for marketers ready to take the space of anyone who pulled out. The high demand seems to have pushed prices to a record, with a few ad spots reportedly selling for a record $8 million and even $8 million-plus for 30 seconds. Fox declined to comment on the specific price tag for 30 seconds, which can vary depending on placement and other factors. But in an earnings call in November, CEO Lachlan Murdoch said ad space had sold out at record pricing. Last year, a 30-second spot went for around a reported $7 million. The Super Bowl is a hot ticket for advertisers because the live viewing audience is so large. Last year, an estimated 123.7 million viewers tuned into the game, according to Nielsen. Evans said the mix of ad categories for the most part includes the usual suspects: beverages, snacks, tech companies and telcos. There will be a focus on AI in more commercials, he said, and slightly more pharmaceutical companies advertising this year. One category that’s down is movie promos and streamers. Another traditionally big category for the Super Bowl, automakers, are mainly sitting it out after a tough year in the sector, with only Stellantis’ Jeep and Ram brands having announced an appearance. The California wildfires in January made the lead up to the game less predictable than usual. State Farm pulled out of its planned advertising to focus on the fires. And some other advertisers faced production delays. But Evans said accommodations were made wherever possible. These are unique circumstances. … So were being as accommodating as possible to try to make sure that everybody can get done what they need to get done, he said. But more importantly, you know, dont put themselves or anybody else in harms way because of it. Advertisers are expected to begin releasing their ads in the days ahead of the game. One of the first ads to debut was an ad for Budweiser, featuring a Clydesdale foal that helps make a beer delivery. Another Anheuser-Busch brand, Michelob Ultra, also released its ad, which shows Willem Dafoe and Catherine O’Hara as pickleball hustlers. Hellmann’s ad brings Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal back together for a reprise of the Katz’s Deli scene in When Harry Met Sally. Teasers have abounded this year, from an Uber Eats teaser starring Charli XCX and Martha Stewart to Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt touting Metas Smart Glasses. Mae Anderson, AP business writer
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