01
Pop superstars ABBA returned to the stage after 40 years—this time as a virtual sensation. The ABBA Voyage concert experience in London bridged the gap between the physical and digital by showcasing digital avatars of the Swedish musical group (so-called Abbatars) dancing and singing alongside a 10-piece live band. The six-year, US$175 million project involved Stufish Entertainment Architects creating a purpose-built ABBA Arena and visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic making digital twins of the Super Trouper singers. As Abba’s Benny Andersson says: “It’s a bloody good concert—that’s what it is.”
5th Most Influential Project of 2022
04
European drivers snapped up 2.3 million electrical vehicles last year, and rising fuel prices and environmental targets mean that appetite for electric isn’t expected to wane anytime soon. To help power all those EVs, French industrial startup Verkor revealed plans to build its first “gigafactory,” with capacity to equip 300,000 vehicles with batteries annually. The project could turn the country into a hotspot for EV battery cell production, as well as jumpstart the sagging manufacturing sector.
17th Most Influential Project of 2022
07
What will the metaverse mean for banking clients? How can AI and machine learning fuel financial operations in more powerful and unexpected ways? Looking to answer such questions, Microsoft and Spain’s CaixaBank announced in June the joint creation of an AI Innovation Lab in Barcelona—essentially a safe sandbox for a collaborative team of data scientists, AI experts and software developers to test prototypes and use cases in the metaverse and other immersive virtual environments. Among the earliest projects already identified: creating a “cyber assistant” to help with back-office finance tasks. Another is a training program (dubbed “AI Business School for Financial Services”) aimed at helping banking professionals hone their strategic AI chops and fine-tune their technical skills. The larger goal? “Transform the experience of financial services customers,” says Microsoft Spain president Alberto Granados.
10
Designed by Bennetts Associates, TP Bennett and Gehry Partners, Meta’s 11-21 Canal Reach is the largest office building on London’s Kings Cross Estate. The open, airy, artfully landscaped office, which opened in March, invites employees to revel in the joy of nature. Think: expansive rooftop gardens, communal terrace spaces, lush interior gardens, and a design that maximizes natural views from as many desks as possible.
02
After four decades of disrepair, London’s iconic Battersea Power Station is getting a second chance at life. The £9 billion mixed-use development project—led by Battersea Power Station Development Company, working with Malaysian site owners PNB, Sime Darby Property, S P Setia and the Employees Provident Fund—will transform the decommissioned power plant into a dynamic community destination that’s expected to draw 40 million visits annually once fully completed in 2030.
8th Most Influential Project of 2022
05
The Belgian government is rewarding its country’s COVID-weary globetrotters with a new version of its national passport that marries trusted technology (including 48 distinct security features) with whimsical nods to Belgian pop culture. To turn that idea into reality, the project brought together more than 20 people across several organizations, including anti-fraud experts from the Belgium Federal Police, as well as French design firm Thales Group and Belgian tech company Zetes. The result? Travel documents that are way more secure—and way more fun.
28th Most Influential Project of 2022
08
Can technology help hold those who commit war crimes accountable? That’s the aim of Project Dokaz Alliance, which brings together the international criminal law community with pioneers in the Web3 ecosystem to develop secure and resilient solutions for accountability in Ukraine. The group’s game-changing debut deliverable? The world’s first decentralized digital evidence package presented to the International Criminal Court. Submitted in June, it documents Russia’s bombing of five schools in Ukraine. Finding digital evidence of the bombings was easy—the web was awash in images, videos and social media posts. And the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine also launched an online portal to collect evidence. But to use those assets in court, the alliance had to rely on blockchain and provenance tech to securely preserve each digital file while also maintaining its integrity. The alliance includes Starling Lab for Data Integrity, U.S. asset protection firm Hala Systems and the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.
03
When it comes to the metaverse, Gucci is not playing around. The 101-year-old brand best known for its high-priced handbags is staking a serious claim in the immersive, online worlds that are quickly becoming a hot spot for retail sales. Gucci Town, the brand’s permanent presence on Roblox, threw open its virtual doors to avatar fans in May and racked up more than 34.6 million visitors in a matter of months. Features include Gucci-inspired games, a showcase for the latest product drops and collaborations, and limited edition and archive-inspired virtual accessories available for purchase. In August, Miley Cyrus joined Gucci Town as the brand’s first celebrity avatar persona, a move that underscores Gucci’s digital playground isn’t going anywhere.
16th Most Influential Project of 2022
06
The city of Amsterdam unveiled plans in February to build an entire neighborhood out of a once familiar but now greatly underused construction material: wood. Named for nearby Nelson Mandela Park, the buurt (Dutch for “neighborhood”) will house a school, community facilities and enough apartment space to house 2,100 residents—a boon for a city in which affordable housing grows ever scarcer. Why wood? Using this renewable resource speeds construction, since structural-grade timber doesn’t require a masonry exterior, thereby simplifying the building process. Plus, wooden buildings don’t just reduce carbon emissions, they actually store carbon within their beams. One study estimates if 80 percent of Europe switched to primarily wood construction, the amount of carbon those buildings would absorb from the atmosphere would equal 47 percent of the continent’s concrete industry emissions. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.
09
The edible plant visionaries at Berlin’s InFarm have established themselves as forward-thinking food producers, using machine learning and Internet of Things sensors to increase crop yields at their vertical urban farms. But last year, the company announced an ambitious goal: Create 100 sustainable, climate-resistant growing centers for restaurants and grocery stores around the world by 2030. This global megaproject is already well underway, with facilities in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Toronto, Seattle and Tokyo. The compact operations aren’t just high tech, but high yield. And thanks to the data they generate—on everything from crop health and water use to cost per plant—they’re also high efficiency. The result? Lower-cost, supremely sustainable crops that can be grown within walking distance of urban eateries and grocers.
01
Pop superstars ABBA returned to the stage after 40 years—this time as a virtual sensation. The ABBA Voyage concert experience in London bridged the gap between the physical and digital by showcasing digital avatars of the Swedish musical group (so-called Abbatars) dancing and singing alongside a 10-piece live band. The six-year, US$175 million project involved Stufish Entertainment Architects creating a purpose-built ABBA Arena and visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic making digital twins of the Super Trouper singers. As Abba’s Benny Andersson says: “It’s a bloody good concert—that’s what it is.”
5th Most Influential Project of 2022
02
After four decades of disrepair, London’s iconic Battersea Power Station is getting a second chance at life. The £9 billion mixed-use development project—led by Battersea Power Station Development Company, working with Malaysian site owners PNB, Sime Darby Property, S P Setia and the Employees Provident Fund—will transform the decommissioned power plant into a dynamic community destination that’s expected to draw 40 million visits annually once fully completed in 2030.
8th Most Influential Project of 2022
03
When it comes to the metaverse, Gucci is not playing around. The 101-year-old brand best known for its high-priced handbags is staking a serious claim in the immersive, online worlds that are quickly becoming a hot spot for retail sales. Gucci Town, the brand’s permanent presence on Roblox, threw open its virtual doors to avatar fans in May and racked up more than 34.6 million visitors in a matter of months. Features include Gucci-inspired games, a showcase for the latest product drops and collaborations, and limited edition and archive-inspired virtual accessories available for purchase. In August, Miley Cyrus joined Gucci Town as the brand’s first celebrity avatar persona, a move that underscores Gucci’s digital playground isn’t going anywhere.
16th Most Influential Project of 2022
04
European drivers snapped up 2.3 million electrical vehicles last year, and rising fuel prices and environmental targets mean that appetite for electric isn’t expected to wane anytime soon. To help power all those EVs, French industrial startup Verkor revealed plans to build its first “gigafactory,” with capacity to equip 300,000 vehicles with batteries annually. The project could turn the country into a hotspot for EV battery cell production, as well as jumpstart the sagging manufacturing sector.
17th Most Influential Project of 2022
05
The Belgian government is rewarding its country’s COVID-weary globetrotters with a new version of its national passport that marries trusted technology (including 48 distinct security features) with whimsical nods to Belgian pop culture. To turn that idea into reality, the project brought together more than 20 people across several organizations, including anti-fraud experts from the Belgium Federal Police, as well as French design firm Thales Group and Belgian tech company Zetes. The result? Travel documents that are way more secure—and way more fun.
28th Most Influential Project of 2022
06
The city of Amsterdam unveiled plans in February to build an entire neighborhood out of a once familiar but now greatly underused construction material: wood. Named for nearby Nelson Mandela Park, the buurt (Dutch for “neighborhood”) will house a school, community facilities and enough apartment space to house 2,100 residents—a boon for a city in which affordable housing grows ever scarcer. Why wood? Using this renewable resource speeds construction, since structural-grade timber doesn’t require a masonry exterior, thereby simplifying the building process. Plus, wooden buildings don’t just reduce carbon emissions, they actually store carbon within their beams. One study estimates if 80 percent of Europe switched to primarily wood construction, the amount of carbon those buildings would absorb from the atmosphere would equal 47 percent of the continent’s concrete industry emissions. Construction is slated to begin in 2025.
07
What will the metaverse mean for banking clients? How can AI and machine learning fuel financial operations in more powerful and unexpected ways? Looking to answer such questions, Microsoft and Spain’s CaixaBank announced in June the joint creation of an AI Innovation Lab in Barcelona—essentially a safe sandbox for a collaborative team of data scientists, AI experts and software developers to test prototypes and use cases in the metaverse and other immersive virtual environments. Among the earliest projects already identified: creating a “cyber assistant” to help with back-office finance tasks. Another is a training program (dubbed “AI Business School for Financial Services”) aimed at helping banking professionals hone their strategic AI chops and fine-tune their technical skills. The larger goal? “Transform the experience of financial services customers,” says Microsoft Spain president Alberto Granados.
08
Can technology help hold those who commit war crimes accountable? That’s the aim of Project Dokaz Alliance, which brings together the international criminal law community with pioneers in the Web3 ecosystem to develop secure and resilient solutions for accountability in Ukraine. The group’s game-changing debut deliverable? The world’s first decentralized digital evidence package presented to the International Criminal Court. Submitted in June, it documents Russia’s bombing of five schools in Ukraine. Finding digital evidence of the bombings was easy—the web was awash in images, videos and social media posts. And the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine also launched an online portal to collect evidence. But to use those assets in court, the alliance had to rely on blockchain and provenance tech to securely preserve each digital file while also maintaining its integrity. The alliance includes Starling Lab for Data Integrity, U.S. asset protection firm Hala Systems and the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.
09
The edible plant visionaries at Berlin’s InFarm have established themselves as forward-thinking food producers, using machine learning and Internet of Things sensors to increase crop yields at their vertical urban farms. But last year, the company announced an ambitious goal: Create 100 sustainable, climate-resistant growing centers for restaurants and grocery stores around the world by 2030. This global megaproject is already well underway, with facilities in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Toronto, Seattle and Tokyo. The compact operations aren’t just high tech, but high yield. And thanks to the data they generate—on everything from crop health and water use to cost per plant—they’re also high efficiency. The result? Lower-cost, supremely sustainable crops that can be grown within walking distance of urban eateries and grocers.
10
Designed by Bennetts Associates, TP Bennett and Gehry Partners, Meta’s 11-21 Canal Reach is the largest office building on London’s Kings Cross Estate. The open, airy, artfully landscaped office, which opened in March, invites employees to revel in the joy of nature. Think: expansive rooftop gardens, communal terrace spaces, lush interior gardens, and a design that maximizes natural views from as many desks as possible.