Search Results for: technology

World Architecture Festival announces Special Prize shortlist

World Architecture Festival announces Special Prize shortlist

World Architecture FestivalThe World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the 2022 Special Prize shortlist, ahead of this year’s festival which takes place in Lisbon from 30 November – 2 December. The projects shortlisted for the Special Prizes are selected from across the greater WAF Awards shortlist to shine a light on the submissions that exhibit an outstanding use of Engineering, Colour, Natural Light and Certified Timber, as well as the best Small Project of the Year Prize. This year sees two inaugural new prizes, The Futureglass Prize supported by Aestech and The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize supported by Ballymore. (more…)

Data centre design is entering a new era

Data centre design is entering a new era

data centre designA new exhibition has shone a light on the often overlooked building typology of the data centre. The show, entitled Power House running to 28 February and curated by design journalist Clare Dowdy looks at the architecture of data centres, showcasing proposals and existing designs by architecture practices around the globe, from vast complexes in remote locations, to retrofitted buildings in urban centres. (more…)

Digital infrastructure is the key to achieving net zero

Digital infrastructure is the key to achieving net zero

digital infrastructureA net zero future hinges on the creation of the right digital infrastructure, although doubts remain about our preparedness, claims a new report from Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and Worley. The report, From Ambition to Reality: Measuring change in the race to deliver net zero is part of a series that the firm claims examines the infrastructure delivery challenge of reaching mid-century net-zero. (more…)

Two-thirds of European SMEs are unprepared for hybrid working

Two-thirds of European SMEs are unprepared for hybrid working

hybrid workingA new poll from Dynabook Europe claims that many European small and medium sized enterprises are still grappling with the challenges of hybrid working, with two-thirds (67 percent) yet to fully optimise their IT solutions for this. The study, commissioned by Dynabook in partnership with Walnut Unlimited, surveyed 1,202 IT decision-makers at SMEs across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. (more…)

Established businesses must do more to support local entrepreneurs and startups

Established businesses must do more to support local entrepreneurs and startups

With SME’s accounting for the employment of more than half of the UK’s workforce, supporting these businesses is of benefit to everyone while geopolitical events and the impact of the pandemic continue to cause economic uncertainty.  Entrepreneurs and small businesses are vital for spurring on evolutions in our technology and creating new markets for services and products, therefore bringing about competition which in turn boosts productivity that benefits our own and other economies, helping them withstand and recover faster from financial downturns. (more…)

Skills gap is the most prominent hiring challenge facing HR leaders

Skills gap is the most prominent hiring challenge facing HR leaders

skills gapNew research from ECI Partners, a private equity firm, suggests that HR leaders believe the most prominent hiring challenge they currently face is a lack of technical skills and knowledge. Nearly a fifth (18.3 percent) of managers said this was their single biggest obstacle, highlighting the growing concern over the UK’s skills gap. The current labour shortages prompted by a range of factors including Brexit and Covid-19, appear to have further widened the skills gap for recruiters. (more…)

Automation presents some legal risks you really need to address

Automation presents some legal risks you really need to address

automation Many think that robots making deliveries, ‘waitering’ in restaurants or working at hospitals is a long way off. However, breakthroughs in robotics, machine learning and other technologies are making automation a reality in many industries. This will accelerate in upcoming years. Indeed, the smart technologies are forecast to add a whopping $15 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Among their many advantages for businesses are increased, faster output and slashed error rates. They also give employees the time to concentrate on people processes, such as sales and marketing or client relationships. (more…)

New Material Matters event offers a transformative insight into sustainable design trends

New Material Matters event offers a transformative insight into sustainable design trends

Material Matters RagnarsMaterial Matters 2022 is a new fixture on the London design calendar. Based on the critically acclaimed podcast of the same name, the event will see its inaugural edition take place during this year’s London Design Festival, from 22-25 September on the capital’s Southbank. The event, which is part of the Bankside Design District, promises to bring together over 40 world-leading brands, designers, makers and organisations to celebrate the importance of materials and their ability to shape our lives. (more…)

How Microsoft’s social listening research highlighted changing attitudes to work

How Microsoft’s social listening research highlighted changing attitudes to work

The current state of the talent market is putting significant pressure on business. Employers are experiencing an acute skills gap, with average vacancies across industries per 100 jobs ranging between 5 and 8, according to data compiled by the Office for National Statistics in June 2022 – the highest average since records began. As more and more roles require digital skills, businesses are looking to younger generations whose upbringing may have been organically framed by digital tools, platforms and devices. (more…)

Hybrid working could be doomed by a failure to protect organisational culture

Hybrid working could be doomed by a failure to protect organisational culture

hybrid working return to officeA new report from Poly warns that hybrid working policies could be destined to fail if organisations do not protect company culture while facilitating “a return to office”. The report claims that getting employees back to the office is a challenge being fuelled by a reluctance to return, with employees citing concerns over work-life balance and productivity. This reluctance is exacerbated by rising bills and spiralling inflation, with the cost of living putting increased pressure on employee finances, causing them to potentially choose between traveling to work or spending that money elsewhere.  (more…)

Zumtobel create a consistent corporate identity with light

Zumtobel create a consistent corporate identity with light

Zumtobel The Zumtobel MIREL and PANOS infinity luminaires have been chosen for the latest FinTrU office refurbishment. A good brand provides a distinct experience and evokes emotion from its customers, which is why a business needs to care about branding all the way through to its interior spaces. Extending branding to the working environment helps staff and customers understand who the company is and what makes them unique. FinTrU, a multi-award-winning company specialising in the areas of KYC, Compliance, Legal, Risk & Controls, and Operations, works with Investment Banks around the globe designing technology-enabled solutions to help its clients meet their regulatory obligations. (more…)

We can re-imagine the future of human resources

We can re-imagine the future of human resources

human resourcesThe world of work is changing rapidly. Businesses are having to make fundamental shifts to adjust to the emergence of new business models, technologies and the changing expectations of the workforce. This has left human resources teams all over the world needing to efficiently adapt the way they hire, develop and take care of their staff, with the most significant challenge being managing the needs of the current workforce, and addressing their future demands. (more…)