Latest news with #Calvino
Cision Canada
20-05-2025
- Science
- Cision Canada
HENRIQUEZ PARTNERS EXHIBITS AT THE VENICE BIENNALE "SYMPLASMA"
VANCOUVER, BC, May 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Symplasma is the newest exhibition at the Venice Biennale, by Henriquez Partners Architects, the Canadian architecture firm known for both its complex, mixed-use developments and its advocacy of architects as leaders in the creation of inclusive cities. Presented as part of the European Cultural Centre's exhibition TIME SPACE EXISTENCE at Palazzo Bembo, Symplasma explores resilience, adaptation and sustainability through architecture inspired by one of nature's most enduring animals: the glass sea sponge. Throughout our existence, humans have taken inspiration from the natural world, using technology to mimic what nature has created through millions of years of evolution. In this era of environmental crisis, where our actions directly threaten both the natural world and our own existence, we must also look to nature to build structures and cities that actively address sustainability pragmatically and express it poetically. Drawing from the 2025 Biennale theme " Intelli/Gens", Symplasma is inspired by the rare and ancient Hexactinellid sea sponge – its resilience, function and ability to survive and continue its integral role in our ocean's ecosystem. Glass sea sponge habitats pertain to both Vancouver, where reefs currently adorn the coast of North America's Pacific Northwest, and to Venice during the Paleozoic period around the ancient Tethys Sea. By merging the biological wisdom of glass sea sponges with the historical lessons embedded in Venice's urban fabric, Symplasma envisions new paradigms of resilience: structures that do not resist nature but instead move with it, harnessing energy from the sun, wind, and earth as they adapt. In doing so, it reframes Venice as both a cautionary tale and a beacon of possibility—an evolving city that, like Calvino's imagined worlds, continues to reinvent itself in response to forces beyond its control. Henriquez, in collaboration with ARUP, explore a climate crisis narrative that takes inspiration from the natural, historical and cultural surroundings. The exhibition features monumentally scaled, 3-D printed glass sea sponge sculptures, visual interventions inspired by Canaletto's paintings, and a proposal for Vancouver's first 'supertall' towers. The Vancouver towers take their inspiration aesthetically and functionally from the glass sea sponge by incorporating structural and sustainable strategies that minimizes their carbon footprint and achieves net zero carbon in its operation. A continuous diagrid structure allows the building to address lateral and gravity loads simultaneously and geoexchange, photovoltaics, and air source heat exchange eliminate the need for carbon intensive energy sources. Complementing the Vancouver project is an allegorical project in Venice which proposes to introduce new constructed metaphorical 'glass sponges' or 'Sustainability Machines', to Venice, structures that use nature to sustainably harness, store and distribute energy and are represented in the context of Canaletto's timeless paintings. Venice has been a muse for generations of artists and thinkers - suggesting a city suspended between material reality and dreamlike possibility, a space where history, water, and time intertwine. It also has a history of bold responses to crisis: the great plague churches, such as Santa Maria della Salute, were acts of both spiritual devotion and architectural ingenuity, built as symbols of resilience in the face of catastrophe. Today, as both cities confront the existential threat of climate change, these historical responses take on new meaning. The climate crisis, like the plagues of the past, demands a reckoning, not just with survival, but with transformation. The exhibition is now on display at the European Cultural Centre exhibition TIME SPACE EXISTENCE, at Palazzo Bembo near the Rialto Bridge as part of the Venice Biennale, May 10—November 23, 2025. About Henriquez Partners: Henriquez Partners Architects is a Canadian architectural studio, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Led by Gregory Henriquez and his belief that architecture has the potential to be a poetic expression of social justice, the studio seeks to re-examine the role of ethics, activism, and critical commentary in architectural practice. Henriquez Partners seeks to re-establish the role of the architect as one of leadership in the creation of the collective space that form the fabric of our daily lives and communities. Henriquez is now best known for inclusive zoning within mixed-use projects. The Woodward's redevelopment, completed in 2011, in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, remains unprecedented in Canada due to its scale, humanitarian aspirations and complexity. Since then, the studio's socially, culturally and environmentally sustainable projects continue to have a major impact on shaping local communities. Current large-scale mixed-use projects include the 5.0 million ft² Oakridge Redevelopment in Vancouver, in addition to three major projects in Toronto: 1.0 million ft² Mirvish Village in Toronto, and 800,000 ft² affordable housing with CreateTO at 5207 Dundas St W - both currently under construction, as well as 1.0 million ft² CreateTO & Co-op Federation of Toronto.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
EIB at work on AI, semiconductor investment plan to boost EU competitiveness
The European Investment Bank is working on a new project to enhance European capabilities on artificial intelligence and semiconductors, with the aim of raising 70 billion euros ($78 billion) by 2027, its head said on Saturday. The blueprint is part of the European Union's efforts to increase its competitiveness against China, the United States and other major economies. The new blueprint, named 'Tech EU' aims to attract a total of 250 billion euros in investments over the long term, EIB president Nadia Calvino told Italian daily Corriere della Sera, without giving details. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bank Owned Properties For Sale In Sukorejo (Prices May Surprise You) Foreclosed Homes | Search ads Search Now Undo The 'Tech EU' project will also focus on health technologies and critical commodities, she said. The EU also needs market integration, investment and simplification to strengthen its competitiveness, Calvino said. Live Events
Reuters
04-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EIB to lift limits on defence financing, broaden scope of eligible projects
BRUSSELS, March 4 (Reuters) - The European Investment Bank, the bank of EU governments, said it would lift existing limits on financing for defence projects and broaden the scope of what is eligible, although a ban on financing weapons and ammunition would remain. In a letter to European Union leaders ahead of a defence summit on Thursday, EIB head Nadia Calvino said the EIB measures would be part of a wider EU push to boost defence financing as the 27-nation bloc seeks to deter any future Russian attack. "We intend to propose at the upcoming March meeting of the EIB Board of Directors a further adjustment of the Group's eligibility criteria, to ensure that excluded activities are more precisely defined and as limited as possible," Calvino said in the letter, seen by Reuters. "Furthermore, we intend to propose a revision of our operational framework ... with an ambitious financial and capital allocation to be determined annually," the letter said. "This will enable the EIB Group to increase the volume of available funding to respond to the needs, while safeguarding its financial position and effective financing of the Union's other strategic priorities." The EIB, with a balance sheet total of 600 billion euros ($633 billion), was earlier planning to double its financing for defence projects to 2 billion euros in 2025, with a top limit of 8 billion euros by 2027. With the new approach, the EIB will be able to lend for large-scale strategic projects like land border protection, military mobility, critical infrastructures, de-mining and de-contamination, space, cybersecurity, anti-jamming technologies, military equipment and facilities, drones, bio-hazard and seabed infrastructure protection, critical raw materials, and research. The change means defence and security will become part of the bank's core public policy goals, alongside cohesion and sustainability, according to EU officials. "So the EIB can finance helicopters, barracks, radars, and other things that are without plausible civilian use, but the bank will still not lend for weapons and ammunition," one EU official said. Officials said the new EIB approach was also a signal to investors and other banks that security and defence were public goods worth supporting, and not in the same category as excluded activities like gambling, or tobacco or pornography - a "signalling effect" many EU governments were keen on.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
As US cuts Ukraine funding, EU's lending arm steps in with nearly 1 billion euros in investments
The European Union's lending arm, the European Investment Bank (EIB), has signed agreements to mobilize close to 1 billion euros ($1.03 billion) in investments into Ukraine's public and private sectors as the U.S. moves to cut funding to development projects in the country. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to freeze all foreign assistance has cast uncertainty on the future of projects in Ukraine in nearly every sector, from critical infrastructure to civil society development. Nadia Calvino, the EIB's president, said at a press briefing on Feb. 10 that she had discussed Ukraine's urgent funding needs with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to see where the bank could fill the gaps if international partners withdraw their support. "We discussed the priority areas where the EIB could step up its support — for example, in the areas of border management, transport, energy, and municipalities," Calvino said in Kyiv during her first visit to the country since taking up office as head of the EIB a year ago. "We're working very closely with the government to finance the necessary investments to rebuild, repair, and make national infrastructure more resilient," she said. The investment announced on Feb. 10 includes 420 million euros ($433 million) in Ukraine's public sector to help restore critical infrastructure such as energy, heating, water supply, hospitals, schools, and social housing. On the private sector side, the bank has signed an agreement to mobilize close to 500 million euros ($515 million) in financing for small and medium-sized businesses throughout the whole country, including in front-line regions, Calvino said. The bank also announced the German Economy Ministry is providing a 16.5-million-euro ($17 million) loan through the EIB's climate initiative fund to finance renewable energy projects in Ukraine. The EIB is a key lender in funding Europe's green transition. Calvino said the EIB has been working with the Ukrainian government to speed up the implementation of projects on the ground over the last year. The bank signed a pledge with Ukraine's government last year to accelerate the deployment of 560 million euros ($596 million) it had ready to help rebuild Ukraine in 2024. "Municipalities and small and medium-sized businesses can start already approaching their banks to see about this financing and we hope that it will be mobilized as soon as possible," she said at the press briefing. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the EIB has delivered over 2.2 billion euros ($2.26 billion) in financing mainly dedicated to repairing and modernizing Ukraine's municipal infrastructure. This latest round of investment announcements are part of the bank's 2-billion-euro ($2.06 billion) contribution to the EU's 50-billion-euro ($51 billion) Ukraine Facility loan and grant program. As Trump's team looks to negotiate an end to Russia's nearly-three year full-scale invasion of Ukraine, talks of reconstruction in Ukraine have returned to front and center. Russia's constant missile and drone attacks since 2022 have seriously damaged Ukraine's housing, water and energy systems. Costs to rebuild are approaching the $500 billion mark. Calvino said she is sure the EIB will play an important role in supporting the reconstruction of the country "not only because of our direct investment but because of our ability to mobilize public and private investment to support the public and private sector in Ukraine, and beyond." Meanwhile, European member states recently called on the EIB to increase its lending to the bloc's defense industry and beef up its defenses against any possible Russian attack in the future. The president said she welcomes the support the bank has received from European membes states on stepping up the EIB's role in supporting Europe's defense and security sectors "while safeguarding our financing capacity and AAA rating." The bank already invested 1 billion euros ($1.03 billion) into the sector last year and plans to double it to 2 billion euros ($2.06 billion) in 2025, she added. Read also: Euroclear to send 2-billion-euro tranche of Russian assets profits for Kyiv We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
