Speaking of Livability

The stairs to Sydney’s Opera House invite a social moment. Photo: John J. Parman.

The new issue of Dialogue is designed to be read on any online device that suits you—a transition, 17 years after its debut as a print magazine, that speaks to how ideas and information reach us now. On a recent trip to Europe, I read a book on my iPhone—a necessity in the dimmed cabin of a 787, but one that spares me having to bring six paperbacks along to catch up on my reading.

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A Funny Thing May Happen on the Way to AI

Image: Markus Spiske

When we picture the future of technology, scenes from “The Terminator” or “2001: A Space Odyssey” might first enter our minds, showing us the end of humanity or the rampage of psychotic robots. But regardless of how it’s portrayed in films or the number of industry experts (Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking) warning us of its risks, leading edge technology is growing at an incredible pace and with it, an ever more automated society.

 

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Where Data Centers Meet Design

Image © Gensler

“How do you get excited about designing a space that’s for machines and not for people?”

I’ll never forget being asked that question years ago at the end of a presentation about a data center project. It’s a valid question about what it means to be an architect for data centers – buildings that are typically considered more engineering-focused than design-focused.

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Your Secret Weapon in 2016: The Design of your Data Center

Confidential Software Client, Hillsboro, Ore. Image by Ryan Cook

The data center isn’t back of house business anymore. Long gone are the days when company data centers were out of sight and out of the public consciousness, managed by the proverbial wizards behind the curtain. In the tech-fueled economy, data centers not only ensure the delivery of critical service, they make headlines. There’s Facebook’s wind powered data center in Fortune and Intel’s CTO in The Wall Street Journal standing next to the data center that could rival Google and Facebook. The data center has taken its rightful place as a competitive advantage for the company that does it right.

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Fully Charged: Examining the Pros and Cons of Using Fuel Cell Systems in Large-Scale Applications

Image © Vincenzo Centinaro

The United States is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets for fuel cell technology. In 2012, nearly 80 percent of total investment in the global fuel cell industry was made in U.S. companies.

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