The way of life and the demands of modern people towards the environment they live in are changing extremely quickly. Trends in architecture usually provide answers to the problems we face. Today, they are linked to the emerging needs for more space, storage and flexibility, as well as for lower rents, higher resilience to climate change and cheaper construction costs. All this stands as a starting point for the architects who are designing the properties of the future today.
Traditionally, changes in the way buildings are constructed happen more slowly than trends in interior design take shape. It takes years to develop new technologies and materials or to find more innovative approaches to using traditional materials in construction. Moving beyond the boundaries of the built environment, these bold new ideas are shaping the future of architecture today.
As the biggest issues people are facing today, experts point out sustainability and space – or how buildings can be built more efficiently to be more sustainable and provide more square footage for their occupants. Fortunately, the most exciting architectural trends defining next year take both issues into account, changing the way we'll all live. Here are the leading ones:
Much of the waste associated with the construction of new buildings results from the fragmented construction process. The conventional approach in construction involves too many steps that need to happen in too little time. Therefore, architects are looking at 3D printed structures as a new way to optimize construction with minimal waste. In addition to shortening the workflow and streamlining logistics, 3D-printed designs allow all kinds of curved, textured shapes to be created perfectly by a machine, while enabling architects to come up with highly accurate architectural models from the very beginning of the design process. The bigger bonus here is the ease with which these designs can be replicated around the world, with the hope of creating a streamlined and sustainable approach to architecture that makes it accessible to the masses.
Returning to nature, architects pay tribute to "biomaterials". New building materials such as hemp concrete, a biocomposite long popular in Europe and recently approved for use in the United States, are bringing promising returns. Hemp has the ability to capture large amounts of CO2 and, compared to trees, grows faster in a smaller space. In this way, an increase in thermal capacity and a reduction in the ecological footprint of buildings is achieved.
Other plant-based materials such as bamboo and even seaweed are proof that architecture can blur the lines between nature and man-made structures.
Cork, a renewable and biodegradable material that has long been used in interiors, is now coming outside in the form of sustainable cladding. Cork panels are valued for being resistant to atmospheric influences and excellent insulation of buildings, thereby increasing their thermal capacity.
The houses made of clay and soil have a similar idea - the concept was born from the desire to create a solid, easily reproduced prototype for sustainable housing construction using natural materials.
All of this is definitely a step in the right direction.
This trend is linked to the growing interest in developing buildings that are environmentally friendly and resource efficient. This includes the use of energy-efficient materials and practices such as passive solar architecture and green roofs. Adding green space to high-rise cities benefits people and the environment. An abundance of living plants improves air quality, keeps the natural environment and climate stable and healthy.
When it comes to pioneering architecture, there may be no more enticing place to build than in water. A raft of floating modern homes, created with innovative materials and technologies that allow the constructions we already know to be realized in another context.
There are already plenty of examples of this, from floating public saunas in Seattle, to entire floating cities in South Korea, often with an added dose of sustainable design - green roofs and self-generated energy.
Faced with the threat of hurricanes and floods that future climate change scenarios portend, these projects are proving to be a good response and a sustainable solution.
Copenhagen-based company MAST has taken its first steps with Land on Water, a new system that promises flexible design for floating buildings. The modular structures, created from recycled reinforced plastic, are designed to allow easy transportation and be used all over the world.
The concept of mobile homes is not new. Renewed interest in elegant prefabs has been spurred by the rising rent and mortgage costs that modern people face. Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has resurrected the nomadic dreams of most of us. In response to these needs, architects create portable structures like Moliving. Thanks to these mobile "capsules", which are suddenly popular in the United States, mobile homes take on the appearance of a luxury hotel room, designed with separate areas for living, sleeping and working. Billed as the world's first nomadic hotel concept, the prefab pods can be moved with ease – perfect for anyone dreaming of opening an Airbnb.