Good afternoon and welcome back to yet another survey of what’s going on today.

Here’s what you need to know:

Germany closes three of its six nuclear power plants for good

Germany is continuing the transition away from nuclear power. The country has initiated the process to decommission three of its six remaining plants—specifically, the plants in Brokdorf, Schleswig-Holstein; Grohnde, Lower Saxony; and Bavaria. The timeline for decommissioning will span 20 years and cost an estimated $1.25 billion per plant.

H/t to DW

Pantone’s color of 2022 is Very Peri

Pantone has named its color of 2022, predicting that the hot new trend in interior design, fashion, and furniture will be Very Peri, a deep shade of periwinkle similar to lavender. According to Pantone, the shade combines “blue and reddish violet, thus creating a new color that has never existed before.” (In the same statement, the company claimed that lavender flowers were not, in fact, lavender, but Very Peri.) More than just the hue itself, Very Peri, in Pantone’s words, is about transformation and the before/after of life and global culture during the pandemic.

A Bay Area battle pits a school district against a community garden

The Jefferson Union High School District is looking to boost revenue after being battered by the pandemic, but plans to develop a massive mixed-use complex in Daly City, California, is running into opposition. The problem? Residents are petitioning to prevent the destruction of the two-decade-old community garden that currently marks the site.

The school district wants to bring office space, retail, market-rate apartments, and subsidized housing for teachers on the plot, which it owns. The Mercury News reports that the city council is likely to approve the project, as it addresses the housing shortage (especially for educators) facing the Bay Area. Opponents have vowed to fight on.

H/t to The Mercury News

Little Rock, Arkansas, will get a new home for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will get a new 20,000-square-foot headquarters in Little Rock. The Stella Boyle Smith Music Center, slated to rise in the city’s East Village neighborhood, has already raised $5.4 in private donations and hopes to obtain an additional $3.6 million through public funding. Pending those funds, construction is expected to take 18 months, with completion set for July 2023. The new center will include offices, a music library and other educational facilities, a streaming studio, and rehearsal spaces.

H/t to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

In Liverpool, a design competition for a Slave Museum overhaul seeks bold proposals

It’s been a big week for high-profile English design competitions. RIBA launched a competition to revamp its London headquarters, and the City of London Corporation unveiled shortlisted firms to overhaul the Barbican Centre. Now, you can add another to the list, this time in Liverpool. The International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum, which are both located within the Grade I–listed Hartley Pavilion, are searching for a team to transform their events, education, and gallery spaces. The brief also stipulates the creation of a new community space and a pedestrian bridge that would link the Hartley Pavilion to the neighboring Martin Luther King Jr. Building.

Interested parties have until February 7 to apply.

H/t to the Architects’ Journal

The Louvre and Grand Palais team up for an immersive Mona Lisa exhibition

Paris isn’t immune to the wave of immersive art experiences that have swept the globe in recent months. The Louvre and Grand Palais have teamed up to present an immersive Mona Lisa room at Palais de la Bourse in Marseille from March 10 through August 21. The two institutions are hoping to cash in on the immense popularity of similar, Van Gogh–themed rooms, with rival companies battling for market share.

H/t to Artnet News