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It became clear in the late 2010s that Amherst Colleges science center had aged far past its prime. As the concrete building fell into disrepair, school leaders suspected a demolition was in order. Old, poorly insulated, and inadequate for the technical demands of todays research, it seemed like too steep a challenge to repurpose, says Tom Davies, the schools Executive Director of Planning, Design, and Construction. Especially after a new science center opened on campus in 2020. It was a stranded asset with essentially no value, he says. But what our consultants were able to show is that it does have quite a bit of value. [Rendering: Herzog & de Meuron] In the course of exploring options, engineers and the architectural team at Herzog & de Meuron devised a different future for the building, firmly rooted in its past. They decided that the hefty concrete frame could be stripped down, and two comparatively lightweight floors of mass timber could be added on top to create additional space. This approach, which stays within the schools commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, was approved, and the repurposed building will soon reopen as a new student center in the fall semester of 2026. [Rendering: Herzog & de Meuron] The Amherst project exemplifies the potential of found capacity, a concept advocated by Justin Den Herder, vice president and principal at global engineering firm TYLin, which worked on science center renovation. He believes theres extensive opportunity in this form of mass timber top-off, but theres simply not enough familiarity with this material, or enough examples, to spur additional investment and development. Engineers like Den Herder have concluded that much of the older building stock in big cities, built with solid foundations able to hold additional weight, could easily support a few additional floors, especially if they were constructed of more lightweight material. More modern office projects, value engineered to cut costs, likely wouldnt have this capacity. I would be willing to say the majority of buildings could accept this, said Den Herder. I think the number of buildings that couldn’t accept at least one story in mass timber are probably certainly in the minority. An architectural rendering of the Amherst “Living Room” and study space (left), and an in-progress photo of the construction (right). [Images: Maria Stenzel (photo)/courtesy Amherst News] Mass timberrising in popularity due to its biophilic properties and lower carbon footprintfits this use case perfectly. A number of recent projects utilizing this concept of stacking additional floors on existing buildings suggests a new direction for those seeking added density in our downtowns. Europeans have been doing these designs for years. Theres even a Dutch design concept, optoppen (topping up in Dutch) that describes these kinds of developments. A coalition of industry partners has gathered a portfolio of dozens of existing projects, and created tools to evaluate the potential of such projects in cities like London. The 80M building in Washington, DC.[Photo: Ron Blunt Photography] But its starting to see more recognition in the United States, with a few recent high profile projects. In Washington, D.C., the 80M building, which opened in the fall 2022, added three mass timber floors atop a downtown office, which were quickly leased by BP and the American Trucking Association. The project didnt require costly reinforcement of the existing foundation, says Steve Trapp, executive vice president for Columbia Property Trust, and the wood interiors and 12-foot-tall windows with commanding views of the nations capital offered a compelling, unique office environment for tenants. [Photo: Ron Blunt Photography] Other projects rely ess on mass timber, but take a similar approach to expanding the square footage of an existing building. The Terminal Warehouse renovation in New York City, designed by CookFox, will add six floors of new office space, clad in glass and metal, atop a brick warehouse during renovations set to commence this year. Another recent project in Manhattan, 787 11th Avenue, added additional floors with floor-to-ceiling glass atop a 20s-era building that initially served as an automobile showroom. [Photo: Ron Blunt Photography] Adding floors in this manner can work well, says Trapp, especially for something like a warehouse-to-office conversion, since the original structure has such a solid foundation. Columbia was also behind the Terminal Warehouse project. However, the current office market, with demand down and vacancy rates over 20% in many U.S. cities, means theres little to no appetite at the moment to stack new floors and add space when theres already too much. If we had the right investment conditions, we would absolutely go forward with [similar projects], says Trapp. Mass timber has really taken off since 80M was conceived. We just havent had the right circumstances. But the proof of concept for projects like 80M suggest the idea would work well when the economics become more favorable. And mass timber additions remain ripe for residential projects. Den Herder says that in New York City, for example, the building code allows for adding a few additional stories on many townhomes and brownstones, offering a potential pathway for more densification, especially in the outer reaches of boroughs like Queens and Brooklyn. By changing the lens by which you view a building renovation, this kind of vertical addition with mass timber can help save a building, instead of demolishing it.
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E-Commerce
A lifelong Manchester City fan stands in front of a 3D virtual avatar of the teams star player, Erling Haaland, at an EA Sports FC prelaunch event. Towering and lifelike, the avatars every grin, gesture, and movement is perfectly synced to Haaland himself. The fan plays, interacts, and even shares a laugh during a spontaneous dance battle with the digital Haaland in real time. For a few electrifying moments, its as if their football hero has come to life in front of their eyes, blurring the line between reality, fandom, and technology. This isnt a far-off sci-fi scenario; it already happened. 3D digital avatars are starting to transform how humans connect in virtual spaces, offering a level of immediacy, responsiveness, and personalization that was once impossible. For brands, this represents a massive opportunity to engage audiences in ways that feel human, scalable, and alive. The shift is already underway According to Gartner, 54% of brands are using some form of chatbot or conversational AI platform for customer-facing interactions. But while 2D avatars and text-based chatbots have paved the way, 3D digital avatars are poised to take this evolution to the next level. With advancements in AI, real-time animation, and emotional modeling, brands can now create avatars that move, react, and even emote like humans, making digital encounters feel as authentic as real ones. And audiences are ready. Gen Z, in particular, is primed for animated interactions. Nearly half (48%) of this generation prefers animation to live-action, and adults aged 18 to 34 are now the biggest fans of animated content. From Roblox to VTubers, the language of animation has become the language of self-expression. For a generation that socializes online and personalizes digital avatars, interacting with 3D animated identities feels naturalan extension of how they already live and connect. The opportunity for brands The challenge for brands has always been how to create meaningful connections at scale. Brand ambassadors are one way, but talent isnt scalable. A celebrity ambassador cant record personal videos for every fan, and a top athlete cant be in three cities at once. 3D digital avatars are changing the equation. With real-time animation tools and AI modeling, brands can create content that feels live-action in quality but is lightning-fast to produce. This allows brands to be reactive, spontaneous, and human, without waiting for a shoot day or a gap in a busy brand ambassadors schedule. Picture Shaquille ONeals digital twin welcoming customers to multiple Home Depot events simultaneously, each interaction tailored to the audience; Lionel Messis 3D avatar hosting a live Q&A with fans after a big game; or Wendys iconic mascot bantering with fans in real time, trained on years of the brands famously sassy tweets. Why just use words on X when you can connect visually in real time? Why 3D digital avatars feel real A common question is, how can a digital avatar feel “real?” The answer lies in expressiveness. The difference between a 3D character and a 3D avatar is emotion. Characters like the M&Ms mascots communicate through jokes and dialogue. Avatars, on the other hand, mirror the subtlety of human interactionan idiosyncratic smirk, a pause, or a glance that creates genuine emotional resonance. Early prototypes already show how users can pose questions to a digital avatar and receive individualized, emotionally attuned responses. This glimpse into avatar-based interaction hints at transformative potential, not just in marketing but in education, customer service, and healthcare. Imagine a child preparing for intensive medical treatment, comforted by a 3D animated character that brings warmth and understanding to the daunting journey ahead. Pediatric personas would be able to respond to the childs questions and concerns in a calm, reassuring manner, reaching them in the familiar environment of their own home. Building empathy into the system To make avatars feel authentic, AI models are trained on everything from a persons interviews to their mannerisms and speech patterns. If someone has a signature laugh, gesture, or way of speaking, the avatar learns it too. This ensures interactions feel personal, not mass-produced. What excites me most is the scalability of empathy. Two people can have completely different, yet equally real, experiences with the same avatar, each interaction tailored to their interests, questions, and emotional tone. This level of personalization is a game changer for brands looking to deepen their connection with audiences. How brands can get ahead now Technically, this ecosystem relies on real-time animation engines like Unreal, AI-driven facial and voice modeling, and cloud-based data storage. The human layer is just as critical. This isnt plug-and-play software; it takes creative producers, animators, and AI engineers to make an avatar feel alive. For brands to truly own this technology, theyll need to find experienced partners or build small internal avatar studios that blend storytelling with tech fluency. Its an investment in people as much as in infrastructure. If youre a brand leader, heres how to prepare for this shift: Identify your expressive assets. Who in your ecosystemmascots, ambassadors, talentbest represents your brands values and story? Start gathering inputs. Video, voice, and movement data are the raw materials that power authenticity. Establish creative guardrails. Set clear boundaries for what your avatar can and cant do, ensuring alignment with your brand values. Build hybrid teams. Youll need a mix of creativity and AI literacy to bring avatars to life. Experiment. Start small. Let an avatar greet fans, appear at an event, or respond to a limited set of questions. The goal is to learn how people connect. The next phase of human connection To understand where this space is headed, consider how far virtual representation has already come. When I played Madden NFL in college, the players were pixels. Today, they look like real athletes. In two years, our digital avatars could look and sound exactly like us, in 3D, and be fully trained to interact on our behalf. The next frontier of digital experience isnt about technology aloneits about emotional presence. Brands that learn to speak this new language of presence have a distinct advantage.
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E-Commerce
If you are reading this from outside the U.S., you may have already seen the videos. Clouds rolling over the Grand Canyon. Kids screaming down roller coasters. Snowboarders gliding through white forests. America’s latest tourism campaign, America the Beautiful, is out, and it is selling the American dream. But will tourists buy it? According to a May 2025 report from the World Travel and Tourism Council, international visitor spending to the U.S. is projected to fall to just under $169 billion in 2025, down from $181 billion in 2024. Even in 2024, 90% of all tourism spending came from domestic travel, while international travel dipped from many of the countrys key source markets, including the U.K, Germany, South Korea, Spain, Ireland, and the Dominican Republic. The country’s national tourism marketing agency, Brand USA, developed “America the Beautiful” to rebuild confidence in these shrinking markets. The campaign glows with idealism and nostalgia for the great outdoors, the great American road trip, and majestic landscapes that pulse with life in spite of their sovereign’s attempts to turn large swaths of it over to fracking. By choosing a title that is associated with an 1890s poem that has become one of America’s most patriotic songs, Brand USA seems to want tourists to forget about the country’s present issues and travel back to a time, or a place, where patriotism didn’t so often manifest as nationalism. [Image: Brand USA] A campaign with high stakes “America the Beautiful,” first announced in June, launched on October 20months after Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” tax and spending law slashed Brand USA’s federal funding by a staggering 80%. (Travel lobbyists are now fighting with Congress to restore the budget.) The agency laid off 15% of its staff in September, and shut down its ad-supported streaming service GoUSATV, which promoted inbound tourism. By undercutting a national tourism marketing agency that promotes the U.S. internationally, Trump ostensibly flipped the finger to global visitors, reflecting, instead, his America-first priorities. But America needs international tourism. International visitors contributed just over $217 billion in revenue in 2019, supporting nearly 18 million jobs nationwide. The tourism sector more broadly is also a reliable driver of federal, state, and local tax revenue, contributing more than $585 billion annually. The stakes for “America the Beautiful” are high. [Image: Brand USA] The fall of the American Brand Next year will be a big year for the United States. Between America’s 250th anniversary, the 2026 World Cup that will take place across 11 U.S. cities, and the Route 66 centennial, the country is poised for celebration on many fronts. “America the Beautiful” was timed to boost tourism ahead of those big events. Brand USA partnered with AI-powered software Mindtrip, which offers interactive maps and custom itineraries. They also created various video spots highlighting “America the Brave” and “America the Big Hearted.” [Image: Brand USA] “We’re not asking people to simply visit America; we’re inviting them to feel it, taste it, and carry home experiences that become core memories, Leah Chandler, Brand USA’s chief marketing officer, said in a recent press release. What if not enough people don’t want what America has to offer? “My view is that advertising campaigns are useless at persuading people to change their minds about countries,” says Simon Anholt, a leading researcher and advisor on nation brands and national image. “You cant talk yourself out of an image that you behaved yourself into.” According to the 2025 Anholt Nation Brands Index, a systematic survey of international perceptions of countries, the United States has dropped out of the top ten for the first time in 19 years. After topping the index in both 2005 and 2016, the U.S. fell from 1st to 7th place following Trump’s election in 2016. After his re-election in 2025, the U.S. has dropped to what Anholt calls an “unprecedented” 14th place. (Japan and Germany remain at the top of the list.) The fall isn’t just about perception. Anholt says there is a “more than 80% correlation” between a countrys score in the Nation Brands Index and the amount of money it makes from tourism, foreign investment and trade. The exact breakdown remains unclear, “but its a certainty that when image declines, visits decline too,” he says. [Image: Brand USA] Politics or pleasure? Whether some tourists are able to separate the political from the pleasurable will depend on who you ask. For Tom Buncle, the former chief executive of the Scottish Tourist Board and a tourism consultant who helps destinations improve their global competitiveness, the U.S. remains an appealing destination despite geopolitical tensions. “Regardless of all the issues, California is still going to have amazing beaches, Arizona is going to have amazing deserts, Florida is going to have amazing surfing, Colorado is going to have great mountains,” he told me. “Politics aren’t going to change that.” Buncle agrees that many challenges are hard to ignore: Some tourists have said they are afraid to visit for fear of being turned away at the border. Others worry about visa restrictions and higher visa fees. “But as I keep saying, our countries, our cultures, our landscape is bigger than all of us,” says Buncle. “It’s been there for centuries, it’s going to outlast all of us.” Anholt is less optimistic. He brings up the “halo effect,” namely when people start to dislike a countrys policies so much that they unconsciously downgrade many other unconnected aspects of the country. If tourists still want to like America, they’ll overlook the bad stuff. If they no longer want to like America, they might pick another travel destination. “Once they’ve flipped, they tend to stay flipped,” he says. And if enough people stay flipped, he adds, it will be “the beginning of payback time for America First.” [Image: Brand USA] Repairing the image Brand USA, which declined an interview, is aware of the challenges. “So what’s our assignment? At this moment, the U.S. travel industry needs a rallying cry,” Leah Chandler told Travel Weekly in July. “We know that international audiences still love many things about the U.S. and are connected to the people through our culture and our stories. And while right now might not feel like it’s the right time for some, there are others who have the means and desire to visit the United States, and those people will prioritize a visit here.” As an American resident (admittedly, not the target demo) I can’t help but cringe at the tone-deafness of the campaign. On the one hand is an agency promoting “connection,” “boundless adventures,” and the kind of open-armed welcome that has made what America is today. On the other hand is a president who has willfully stoked violence, torpedoed America’s global standing, and slashed refugee allotment (unless they’re white). The dissonance is deafening, and it likely won’t be lost to those who get their news abroad. But perhaps there’s room for hope beyond the cynicism. “Yes, the global news is coming out with not a very pretty picture, but [there is value in] reminding people that the real USA is still there for them to visit to enjoy,” says Buncle. Even if reality is dark, shining a light on the brightest spots doesn’t have to be false advertising. It could be an attempt at repair. Americans deserve that.
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E-Commerce
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