Search Results for: environmental

US and UK sign agreement on AI safety

US and UK sign agreement on AI safety

In a landmark agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom have pledged to collaborate on testing advanced AI safetyIn a landmark agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom have pledged to collaborate on testing advanced artificial intelligence (AI). This is the first-ever bilateral deal of its kind focused on AI safety. This agreement builds on commitments made at the AI Safety Summit last year, where both countries established AI Safety Institutes. These institutes will work together to develop robust methods for evaluating the safety of AI tools and systems. More →

Logitech unveils signature slim keyboard and combo

Logitech unveils signature slim keyboard and combo

Logitech has launched its the Signature Slim K950 Wireless Keyboard, Signature Slim Combo, and Signature Slim Combo for Business, designed to simplify the experience across personal and work computersLogitech has launched its the Signature Slim K950 Wireless Keyboard, Signature Slim Combo, and Signature Slim Combo for Business, designed to simplify the experience across personal and work computers. For people with a single workspace for both professional and personal tasks, the Signature Slim products are beautifully designed solutions that look good in the home or office. With more features than typical entry-level keyboards and time-saving software customisation, this keyboard creates a seamless, magical experience to manage work and life at the desk. More →

British workers now entirely unproductive, claims report

British workers now entirely unproductive, claims report

The overwhelming majority of UK workers don’t do anything productive at all, according to a new report published today. The study of available research into the illnesses, injuries, distractions, wastes of time, procrastinations, productivity drains and paralyses that afflict British workers found that the annual cost to the British economy is around £1.8 trillion, equivalent to 98.9 percent of GDP.

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Biophilic design has a long history and an even bigger future

Biophilic design has a long history and an even bigger future

biophilic design at the new Amazon HQ2There are plenty of definitions of the modish concept of biophilic design around right now. But perhaps nobody can top that of Erich Fromm, the sociologist and psychoanalyst who first described it in his 1973 book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness as “The passionate love of life and all that is alive”. More →

Can commercial buildings shift from Carbon Conundrum to Carbon Control?

Can commercial buildings shift from Carbon Conundrum to Carbon Control?

A white paper challenging the building sector to consider what is really impeding the move to greater carbon control has been launched at an event in London by Artus. The heating and cooling experts have produced  From carbon conundrum to carbon control – how will the building sector get to net zero? to amplify the debate on whole-life carbon, design and the industry’s ability to move forward together to find solutions. More →

Reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel could be game changer for built environment

Reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel could be game changer for built environment

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have now developed a method that makes it easier to scale up and facilitate the construction of more environmentally friendly built environmentBy reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel, it is possible to use less material and create slender, lightweight structures with a significantly lower environmental impact. The technology to utilise carbon fibre textiles already exists, but it has been challenging to produce a basis for reliable calculations for complex and vaulted structures. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have now developed a method that makes it easier to scale up and facilitate the construction of more environmentally friendly bridges, tunnels and buildings. They say the technology has the potential to transform the built environment. More →

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

The most significant actions the architecture profession can take to help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, adapt buildings to withstand weather extremes, promote biodiversity and scale up engagement and activismThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched a new horizon-scanning programme with a set of scans that identify the most pertinent environmental issues facing the built environment over the next ten years. Developed by leading academics, The Environmental Challenge themed horizon scans provide foresight into the most significant actions the architecture profession can take to help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, adapt buildings to withstand weather extremes, promote biodiversity and scale up engagement and activism. More →

Millions of people are living with poor air quality, placing their health and lives at risk

Millions of people are living with poor air quality, placing their health and lives at risk

IQAir has published its sixth Annual World Air Quality Report, which reveals troubling details of worldwide pollution in 2023IQAir has published its sixth Annual World Air Quality Report, which reveals troubling details of worldwide pollution in 2023. The report is an annual air quality analysis that tracks worldwide exposure to harmful levels of PM2.5 pollution. The report ranks 134 countries, territories, and regions across 7,748 locations using data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring stations around the globe. More →

Employees increasingly want to work for firms with a clear sense of purpose

Employees increasingly want to work for firms with a clear sense of purpose

In the face of climate change, social justice movements, and recession, employees are seeking alternative commitments from employers. A new poll from Sparta Global claims that for job seekers in 2024, a company’s contributions to environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, and community well-being are of growing importance. More →

Potential of AI is putting a smile on the faces of optimistic CEOs

Potential of AI is putting a smile on the faces of optimistic CEOs

CEOs are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and investing in reskilling their people to ensure they have the capabilities to successfully exploit new technologies. The CEOs of the world’s largest companies are increasingly optimistic about future growth, with 66 percent highly positive about the global outlook over the next three to five years. This is the headline finding of the second annual Arthur D. Little (ADL) CEO Insights Study, which was launched today. The study found that whatever their strategy or sector, global CEOs are increasing their growth investments. Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as crucial to growth, with 96 percent of CEOs having already deployed AI in some form, although, demonstrating the early stages of its adoption, just 13 percent have a compelling, enterprise-wide AI strategy in place. More →

No more zero sum games … the Workplace Cocktail Hour with Joe Croft

No more zero sum games … the Workplace Cocktail Hour with Joe Croft

For the second week running, the football talk takes place off mike. Joe Croft shares a coffee and a chat with Mark Eltringham. Instead of the mixed fortunes of Middlesbrough and Stoke City, they talk about everything to do with sustainability in office fitout and construction. They discuss the limit of accreditations and standards, the need to get beyond box ticking and greenwash and what best practice really looks like. They also discuss what might happen when our favoured recycled materials become scarce, and also how resource hungry the online and digital world is. More →

Real estate sector is at a pivot point worldwide, report claims

Real estate sector is at a pivot point worldwide, report claims

Despite continued economic uncertainty around the world, there is a strong belief that the global real estate industry is at a ‘pivot point’, with improving prospects ahead for renewed investment activity, according to the latest Emerging Trends in Real Estate Global Outlook 2024 from PwC and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The report amalgamates three regional reports, which canvassed thousands of real estate leaders across Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific, and is a key indicator of sentiment towards the global real estate investment and development outlook across the globe. More →