 |
|
|
|||||
For designers of the built environment, it’s necessary to take a long view. Years or even decades can go into the design and construction of a single project, and the best built projects can stand for centuries. But the business of designing buildings is also subject to the upheavals and uncertainty of any given moment, including this very tumultuous one. Looking ahead to the (relatively) short-term future of the next year, Fast Company asked architects from some of the top firms working in the U.S. and around the world to predict the biggest forces shaping the industry this year, and the potential bright spots they might see. Here’s the question we put to a panel of designers and leaders in architecture: What challenges do you see architects tasked with solving in 2026, and what are potential new opportunity areas? Collaboration is key Affordable housing and supporting community resources are in crisisprojects that deliver proximity to public transportation, social infrastructure, and offer cultural resources such as restaurants and entertainment will be in high demand. Understanding the role a building plays within a broader community is a vital part of the design process that is often lacking. Collaboration needs to extend beyond cities and design teams to integrate community needs. This year will bring many of the same challenges we have already seen: more pressure to deliver projects faster while maintaining the quality of the work, understanding what a high-performance building actually means, and streamlining public agency approvals. The latter is an area where AI would be a valuable tool to support innovation and efficiency. There is also a growing opportunity for greater partnership and collaboration with academia and architectural practice. It is important that there is heightened collaboration between the two, particularly because the skill sets of architects are expanding [to include] different job descriptions and needs.Nick Leahy, co-CEO and executive director, Perkins Eastman Resilience is a given 2026 is the year when designing for resilience becomes a given. Innovation will be as much about systems as function, form, and aesthetics. We will think more about embodied carbon, and derive ways to deliver low-carbon buildings without cost premiums. Clients will no longer accept “green is more expensive.” Opportunities: Reuse and reinventionthe second life of a building or district. Conversion of outmoded office buildings to residential and hotels where practical and possible, particularly with older, charming office stock in places where people want to live. Meanwhile, new office buildings will be A++ “luxury,” designed with new forms of amenities centered on wellness and socialization. In the suburbs, malls can become places where mixed-used districts arise, transformed into incubator or civic spaces, designed around health and wellness. Parking lots can be filled with characterful streets and special 24/7 precincts. Workforce housing will also be a big opportunity that fills the gap between luxury and market rate, while data and energy projects will be relevant and exciting for architects not for their novelty but rather for the spatial intelligence and thoughtful planning required in their successful realization.Trent Tesch, principal, KPF Sustainable design is harder than ever One of the most significant challenges facing the U.S. building market in 2026 will be maintaining momentum for sustainable and regenerative design solutions amid economic and policy headwinds. The U.S. construction market has always been driven by a first-cost first mentality, while sustainable design has held its promise of return on investment in the long life cycle of buildings. The hurdle has always been there, but now the bar is even higher with changes to the Energy Star program, the cutting of federal grants for clean energy, reductions to climate resilience programs, and more. So, architects and designers must move beyond purely ROI and well-being conversations to demonstrate how sustainability mitigates risk, ensures compliance, and drives long-term financial resilience.David Polzin, executive director of design, CannonDesign Economic headwinds At PAU we are continuing to incorporate artificial intelligence in aspects of our workflow, but only to augmentnever to replaceour teams talent and judgment. In 2026, architects will probably continue to face economic headwinds. The strong pace of firm consolidation through mergers and acquisitions continues, leaving the question of whether someday it will largely be a discipline split between boutique practices and behemoth corporations.Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder, PAU More than just buildings In 2026 climate volatility, housing inequity, infrastructural breakdown, and economic uncertainty will no longer be background conditions but active forces shaping every decision an architect makes. We will be asked to do more than deliver buildings; we will be expected to repair trust in systemspolitical and economicthat have too often failed communities and the environment. We must navigate these higher expectations, delivering projects with tangible social, environmental, and economic benefits while grappling with tighter timelines and fewer resources. The central challenge will be remaining responsible to both environmental and civic ideals within delivery models that are not designed to reward either.Claire Weisz, founding principal, WXY architecture + urban design Better decisions, earlier Architects are working in a moment where pressure is coming from all sides; climate risks are intensifying, housing affordability remains unresolved, and the industry is still constrained by limited labor and capacity. At the same time, clients increasingly expect early, data-backed answers that show how a design will meet sustainability goals and deliver on long-term building performance outcomes. The challenge is no longer just designing well but navigating increasing complexity and trade-offs without slowing projects down. This is driving the need to remove fragmentation of information across teams and project phases. The defining challenge that architects and designers will need to solve for in 2026 is making confident, defensible decisions early, when they have the biggest impact on [how] a projects environmental, cost, schedule, and performance outcomes are determined.Amy Bunszel, EVP of architecture, engineering, and construction solutions, Autodesk
Category:
E-Commerce
Is drinking coffee good for your health? The answer appears to be yes. Quite a lot of research shows that coffee drinkers stay mentally sharper and may live longer than those who dont. Thats welcome news to many entrepreneurs and business leaders who depend on coffee to stay alert and productive. More recent research adds a twist to the welcome news that coffee is good for you. To get coffees life-extending benefits, make sure to drink it in the morning. Dont keep on guzzling the stuff all day long. Thats the finding of a massive study from Tulane University in New Orleans. Researchers examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which had 40,725 U.S. adult participants and ran from 1999 to 2018. They wanted to know whether the timing of coffee consumption affected its health benefits. So they divided the cohort into three groups. Thirty-six percent were morning-type coffee drinkers. They did most of their coffee drinking between 4 a.m. and noon, and barely drank any coffee after that. Fourteen percent were all-day-type coffee drinkers who drank coffee throughout the day. And 48 percent were defined as non-coffee drinkers. The researchers did statistical analysis to determine the mortality rates for each of these groups after about 10 years. Morning coffee drinkers live longer Because the NHANES study collected very detailed information on its subjects, the Tulane research team was able to adjust for a wide range of other lifestyle and health factors that could affect longevity. These included everything from body-mass index, to healthy or unhealthy eating habits, to cholesterol levels, and even whether people had trouble sleeping. After accounting for all of these other factors, the researchers consistently found that the morning coffee drinkers had lower mortality than those who drank coffee all day, or not at all. Taking a closer look, they found that morning coffee drinking particularly seemed to lower the risk from cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death for study participants, and is the leading cause of death for Americans overall. Why should time of day matter so much to getting the benefits of coffee consumption? The researchers found two possible explanations. First, consuming coffee in the afternoon or evening may disrupt circadian rhythms, they wrote. An earlier study had found that heavy coffee drinking in the afternoon or evening interferes with melatonin production at nighttime. Some evidence suggests that low levels of melatonin are associated with higher oxidative stress levels, blood pressure levels, and [cardiovascular disease] risk. Research has repeatedly shown that not getting enough high-quality sleep is bad for both your health and cognitive function, and even for your leadership abilities. So it seems highly plausible that if drinking coffee later in the day affects the quality or quantity of your sleep, those ill effects could outweigh any benefits you get from coffee drinking. Coffee is anti-inflammatory The second possible explanation is that coffees benefits mostly come from its anti-inflammatory properties. Again, this would make sense because many of the worst human ailments, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, are associated with inflammation. The researchers note that inflammation within the body seems to have its own circadian rhythm. Its highest in the morning and lowest around 5 p.m. According to this theory, morning coffee drinking brings the most benefits because it attacks inflammation when its at its worst. Whatever the explanation, the takeaway is clear. If you love coffee, then great! Drink all you want. But if you want to enjoy coffees health benefits, drink it from when you wake up until noon. After that, consider switching to water, sparkling water, or tea. Minda Zetlin This article originally appeared on Fast Company‘s sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
Category:
E-Commerce
Last March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the government would launch a strategic reserve of Bitcoin. For the crypto industry, the move was a major win, the next step in its quest to normalize digital assets. Now, nearly a year later, the amount of Bitcoin held by the U.S. government does seem to be growing, but the federal government also seems somewhat reluctant to talk about about if, and how, the stockpile will actually be set up. As of January, the U.S. government appears to have amassed about $29 billion worth of Bitcoin, many from seizures that follow criminal investigations, according to a new analysis by Chainalysis, a blockchain data firm. Thats up nearly 50% from May of last year, when the group last conducted a study of government-linked crypto wallets. Those [BTC] numbers continue to go up over time, Eric Jardine, Chainalysiss head of research, told Fast Company. That stockpile is smaller than some private firms also amassing crypto, he explained, but the current total for the U.S. government is quite sizableas big, if not bigger, than every other government. The growing reserves align with Trumps executive order, which stated there was a strategic advantage to building up the American governments cryptocurrency troves because, like gold, theres a fixed supply. The White House suggests that building up a supply of Bitcoin, like any “resource,” is good for the national interest, though there are forceful criticisms of that notion. Still, for all the initial fanfare, the Treasury Department has since been relatively quiet about its progress on moving forward with the reserve. While the government does seem to have begun to holdrather than sell offseized Bitcoin, federal agencies mostly ignored Fast Companys requests for comment on how theyre actually enacting the terms of the order. One source in Treasury Department circles said that theres been radio silence when it comes to the stockpile. In fact, it seems like the reserve may be facing some legal hurdles. As Fast Company reported the story, Patrick Witt, a White House staffer working on crypto issues, indicated on a crypto-friendly podcast that legal conversations about setting up the reserve were still ongoing. That one isit’s interesting, he said. It seems straightforward, but then you get into some obscure legal provisions, and why this agency can’t do it, but actually, this agency could. We’re continuing to push on that. It is certainly still on the priority list right now. Making the executive order a reality Executive Order 14233 instructed the Treasury Department to set up offices to manage both a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a United States Digital Asset Stockpile, an office to handle blockchain-based assets other than Bitcoin. According to the order, the Treasury Department was supposed to manage both stockpiles and begin looking for ways the government could potentially acquire more Bitcoin without increasing costs for taxpayers. The order also restricted government agencies from selling or getting rid of digital assets, except in a limited set of circumstances. In June, Tyler Williams, the Treasury Department’s counselor for digital assets, briefly mentioned the stockpileaccording to minute meetings from the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which is housed within the departmentbut provided few details. A policy report from June also discussed the reserve and noted that the Treasury Department had sent considerations to the White House about the reserve and would move forward with the next steps, including looking at ways to actually hold crypto in custody. Chainalysis looked at crypto addresses that seem to be associated with the government, calculating they held about $29 billion worth of crypto. The company noted there might be some consolidation of Bitcoin accounts, but didnt say which agencies might be currently holding them. Its not clear if further progress has been made on developing a Treasury-operated stockpile. Earlier this month, Bitcoin Magazine suggested that the U.S. Marshals Service may have even sold government-seized crypto, prompting an outraged post on X from Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), one of the most pro-Bitcoin legislators in Congress. Witt, from the presidents council of advisers for digital assets, later said on X that hed confirmed that the wallet in play had not been liquidated, as per the executive order. A U.S. Marshals spokesperson told Fast Company: The reporting about the sale of that wallet was in error. They did not fact-check. The Bitcoin is still being held, as per direction of the executive order.” The reserve no one will talk about Still, the government seems otherwise reluctant to discuss the reserve. When asked about the state of the stockpile at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, held a week ago in Davos, Switzerland, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent only told reporters: The policy of this government is to add seized Bitcoin to our digital asset reserve after the damages are done. … Our view was first you have to stop sellingwhich we have doneand then we can add the assets and asset forfeitures. The Treasury Department has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Fast Company regarding more details on the stockpiles operations, and its not clear if the department has actually set up any offices, as the order stipulates. Witt, meanwhile, has recently hinted that there are still ongoing discussions on how to, legally, make the reserve actually work. During a podcast interview, he mentioned good engagement with a team led by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy. I think with some of the latest kind of developments and things that we’ve learned, and engagement from general counsels and different agencies, he said, [they have] some good guidance on where we can move out on this executive order of the president, and can do so in a legally sound way. So more to come on that. Notably, the executive order also established responsibilities for various federal agencies, which are supposed to communicate with the Treasury Department about Bitcoin and other digital assets they might have on hand. Deadlines for those updates have long passed. Stil, only one of more than a dozen federal agencies contacted by Fast Company commented on what they specifically had done to meet the executive orders requirements. That was the Secret Service, which, in addition to protecting the president and foreign diplomats, has a cybercrime team. The U.S. Secret Service is compliant with the reporting standards set forth in the executive order, said Alexandria Worley, a USSS spokesperson. A majority of the U.S. Secret Services forfeited digital assets belong to victims of criminal activity, and one of the agencys primary investigative goals is to recover and return those assets to their rightful owners. Worley said that the amount of crypto retained by the government is nominal. Coinbase, which currently has a contract to hold crypto for the U.S. Marshals Service, did not respond to a request for comment about whether its also holding a U.S. stockpile. Neither did Kraken or Gemini, which also offer services for maintaining crypto. Fast Company was not able to identify any solicitations from the Treasury Department that mention the strategic Bitcoin stockpile, and Sen. Lummiss office also ignored multiple requests for comment. Pro-crypto groups are still rooting for the stockpile, though, and the validation it offers. Hailey Miller, an executive director for the Digital Chambers policy group, said that the reserve can become not just a balance sheet item, but a pillar of U.S. economic and technological competitiveness.” Ji Hun Kim, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, similarly told Fast Company that the digital asset reserve showcases policymakers understanding that digital assets have a crucial place.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||