As innovative construction materials enter into the mainstream, some of the July 2021 architecture trends offer stunning examples of sustainable creation in action. Techniques like prefabrication and modular construction allow developers to save time and money while cutting carbon emissions.
The unTower, engineered by Toronto-based B+H Architects, has an adaptable design that consists of stacked modular rings. The skyscraper is meant to lead the move away from monolithic office buildings toward mixed-use developments that can perform a wide variety of functions.
The BROAD Group, a Chinese manufacturing company, launched a similar modular experiment with the construction of the Living Building. Using prefabricated modules, the company significantly reduced costs and construction time. The 10-story apartment complex was completed in under 29 hours, making it one of the shortest construction projects ever.
Top 35 Architecture Trends in July
From Sculptural Spiral Benches to Nest-Inspired Coffee Shops:
Josh Thompson-Persaud — Jul 17, 2021 — Art & Design
35
Use-Neutral Skyscraper Concepts
The unTower is Designed to Adapt to Shifting Space Needs
34
Ecological Co-Housing Units
The Qville is a Co-Housing Compound Boasting Near-Zero Energy
33
Greenery-Accented Retail Spaces
IKEA Copenhagen Employs Dorte Mandrup for a Green Rooftop Park
32
Suspended Cockpit-Inspired Cabins
Thilina Liyanage's Futuristic Ocean Cabins are Adventurous
31
Relaxing Bungalow-Style Beach Resorts
Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort Floats on the Water
30
Sculptural Spiral Benches
Paul Cocksedge Designed the Time Loop Installation in Hong Kong
29
Luxuriously Elevated Condo Interiors
The One Delisle Condo Delivers Contemporary Interior Designs
28
Elongated Holiday Homes
Walker Warner Architects Designed a Property Named Hale Mau’u
27
Nest-Inspired Coffee Shops
The September Cafe Has Nature-Inspired Woven Design Elements
26
Swimming Pool-Inspired Interiors
Italian Food Joint Bun Burgers Features a Swimming Pool Esthetic
25
Secluded Off-Grid Artist Studios
Jordan Ralph's Studio Drop is Sheathed in Seaweed-Shaded Larch
24
Tree-Inspired Solar-Powered Shopping Centers
This Marketplace is Made with Biomimicry Technology
23
Collaborative Workplace Meeting Pods
The Buildup Pods & Pavilions are Made to Facilitate Teamwork
22
Sustainably-Made Basketball Courts
The Shek Lei Grind Court is Constructed With 20,000 Used Shoes
21
Material Reuse-Exploring Pavilions
Japan Stands Out at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale
20
Residential Secret Gardens
CPDA Arquitectos Boasts a Lush Courtyard in a Newly Finished Project
19
Desert Planet-Inspired Skincare Stores
Lialawlab Has Outdone Itself with the Design of Formoral
18
Nostalgic Game Console Museums
The Nintendo Gallery Will Replace the Uji Ogura Plant in Kyoto
17
Flexible Contemporary Office Spaces
dMFK Architects Transformed a Lab into a Workplace
16
Aerially Connected Housing Blocks
The ORCA Project Brings a Set of Nine High-Rise Towers Together
15
Chinese Garden-Inspired Bookstores
Wutopia Lab Created a Garden-Inspired Bookstore in Shanghai
14
Lakeside Chinese Botanical Museums
The Taiyuan Botanical Garden Boasts Domed Greenhouses by a Lake
13
Innovative High-Rise Building Concepts
Nicolas Laisné’s One Open Tower Combines Various Functions
12
Volcanic Ash-Built Coffee Shops
The Blue Bottle Coffee Shop is Designed by Keiji Ashizawa
11
African Diasporic Pavilions
Ini Archibong' Pavilion of the African Diaspora is called The Sail
10
Rapidly Assembled Modular Apartments
The BROAD Group Constructed the Living Building in 28 Hours
9
Artistic Lantern-Inspired Installations
Ma Yansong's Art Sculpture Installation is called 'Light'
8
Restored Stock Exchange Buildings
Tadao Ando Restores & Redesigns the Bourse De Commerce Building
7
Irregularly Stacked Exhibition Spaces
The Harbour Experience Center is Designed by the MVRDV Firm
6
Straw-Like Pavilion Designs
MIA Design Studio Created a Pavilion in Thủ Đức in Vietnam
5
Flatpack A-Frame Cabin Kits
The Den DIY Cabin Kit Comes Ready to Be Assembled Anywhere
4
Repurposed Air-Raid Shelter Daycares
Birk Heilmeyer and Frenzel Architekten's Daycare is Playful
3
Rectangular Red Daycare Centers
Birk Heilmeyer Und Frenzel Architekten Revamp an Air-Raid Shelter
2
Earthquake-Proof Community Centers
Unemori Architects' Community Center is Built in Fukushima
1
Revamped Art Deco Buildings
Toshiko Mori Revitalizes Brooklyn’s Central Library
Related Ideas
Ultra-Modern Apartment Designs
No Architects Created a Multi-Functional Modern Apartment
Sculptural Refugee Shelters
This Refugee Shelter Design Focuses on Flexibility and Airflow
3D-Printed House Neighborhoods
EYRC and Mighty Buildings Develop the Suburbs of the Future
Minimalist Concrete Homes
FRG Architects Designs the Courtyard Residence in Melbourne
Cube-Combining Tiny Homes
This Unique Tiny Home Uses Modular Spaces to Enable Flexible Use
Displaced Persons House Designs
The Essential Homes Research Project Has a Bunker-Like Form
Greenery-Sheathed Architecture Offices
This Building Will House the Offices Of 'VTN Architects'
Future Building Material Exhibitions
The Farrell Centre Debuts Its Inaugural Exhibition
Supermarket-Style Pavilions
Venice Architecture Biennale's Latvian Pavilion Has a Familiar Form
Serenely Stilted Houses
This Sustainable Tiny Home is Situated On An Elevated Platform
3D-Printed Hotels
A First-of-Its-Kind Hotel is Coming to Marfa, Texas
Prefabricated Miniature Home Concepts
i29 Creates the Câpsula Concept for Dutch Design Week
Futuristic Auto Micro Factories
Most Architecture Unveils a Modern Factory for Charge Cars
Low-Cost Modular Prototype Housing
The Industrialized Building System Prototype Can Be Configured
Modular Timeless Outdoor Furniture
Todd Bracher and GANDIABLASCO Join on the MASS Series
Modular Flat-Pack Side Tables
SUNRIU Design's Tai Side Table is Sustainability-Conscious
Rurally-Inspired City Buildings
The 'Ziel' High-Rise Building Brings the Country to the Cityscape
Tranquil Elevated Tiny Homes
Jan Tyrpekl Designs the Cozy Zen House in Austria
Mockup-Inspired Garden Structures
New Affiliates & Samuel Stewart-Halevy Create Testbeds
Backyard-Transformed Dwelling Units
Catch Architecture and Obreval Design the ADU Carpintaria
Bendable Bio-Inspired Materials
The HygroShell is a Self-Constructing Timber Building System
Sculptural Furniture Lines
Unform Studio's SaloneSatellite Milan Debut Features 2 New Collections
Modern Multi-Purpose Japanese Buildings
Akio Isshiki Architect Overhauls an Old Wooden Building
Plant-Covered Concrete Homes
Studio Symbiosis Designs the Villa KD45 in Delhi with a Terraced Roof
Bauhaus-Inspired Pattern Collections
Design En Rogue Architecture Recently Debuted Its New Line
Timber Nature Reserve Towers
The 'Lookout Tower' from Robert Gutowski Architects is Sculptural
Ultra-Compact Bungalow Designs
Satish Jassal Architects Completes the Haringey Brick Bungalow
Box-Like Innovative Apartment Designs
Photon Studio's Designs the Box in the Box Apartment
Glossy Panelled Pentagonal Buildings
JM Architecture Designs the Pinwheel Building in Italy
Vibrant Multi-Level Office Designs
Gensler Reimagines the Accenture Office Space in Chicago
Architecture-Inspired Legos
Brooklyn Studio & Steve Mayes Debut Brooklyn's Architectural History
Curved Concrete Hotels
Atelier d’More Transforms a Two-storey Building into a Contemporary Hotel
Modern Modular Furniture Designs
Virgil Abloh and Cassina Design the Modular Imagination Series
Urban Structural Street Furniture
BLUE Architecture Studio Designs the Symbiotic Urban Furniture
Upcycled Tower Designs
3XN Shows How Sustainable and Cost-Cffective Reuse Can Be
Energy-Efficient Office Buildings
This Czech Office Complex is Outfitted With Eco-Friendly Designs
Playful Public Seating Designs
The London Festival of Architecture Boasts a Series of Seats
Angular Modern Lake Houses
MU Architecture and JS Bourdages Architecture Collaborate
Flexible Modular Nomad Furniture
The Scenes From the Near Future Unveils the 8′ 33″ Collection
Chic Modern-Industrial Buildings
YN Studio Designs a Slick Facade in Gillett Square
Reusable Material Office Buildings
The MVRDV 'Matrix ONE' is Capable of Being Easily Demounted
Pod-Inspired Bulbous Furniture
One Week Presents Its New Pod Collection of Furniture
Architecture-Inspired Furniture Capsules
SeungBum Ma Designs the Form-Functional Archi-Furniture
Wavy Metal Facades
SO-IL's 9 Chapel Residential Tower Offers a Istinctive Architectural Vision
Bio-Based Compact Housing
Woonpioniers Designs the Sustainable Sprout Ruben & Marjolein House
Bamboo-Inspired Cultural Buildings
This Cultural Center Seamlessly Blends Into its Surroundings
Monolithic Concrete-Clad Pavilions
Alberto Campo Baeza Collaborated with Miguel Quismondo
Toy Brick-Inspired Studios
Sukchulmok Designs the Curving Block Photography Studio
Locally-Sourced Home Decor Series
Monolith Unveils its Sanctuary Collection Made from Stone & Wood
Accelerated Modular Housing Construction
David Baker Architects Pushes for Housing in San Fran
Stacked Studio Complexes
This Massive Film & TV Studio Facility Will Comprise Six Stacked Blocks
Caterpillar-Shaped Apartment Buildings
Undecorated Developed an Eye-Catching Metal Building
Economical Modular Wooden Homes
The Cake House Reinvents Housing in the Czech Republic
Cylindrical Cog-Stacking Buildings
This Dutch Building's Eyecatching Design Symbolizes Diversity
Tent-Like Exhibition Pavilions
Buero Wagner Creates the Adaptable Black Pavilion in Rome
Playfully Angular House Designs
Takeshi Hirobe Architects Design the Villa MKZ in Japan
Futuristic Vibrant London Apartments
2LG Studio Designs a Vibrant Apartment in East London
Modular Stacked Furniture Series
MOTO Introduces the Bright STACK Furniture Collection
Skyscraper-Inspired Furniture Collections
Ben Ganz Designed a Series of Cityscape Furniture Pieces
Bright Balcony-Defined Apartments
Austin Maynard Architects Designs the Nightingale Village
Prefabricated Exposed Structural Homes
Workshop Architecture Inc Designs the Unfinished House
Fish Scale-Resembling Facades
Renzo Piano Building Workshop Designs the Istanbul Modern
Viewing Box Cultural Centers
The Center for Arts & Innovation Hosts Events and Education Spaces
70s-Inspired Structural Furniture
Nouveau Standard Creates the Collection 12 of Retro Designs
Sustainable Mass-Timber Offices
Waugh Thistleton Architects Debuts the Black & White Building
Minimalist Aluminum Furniture Collections
URBANCRAFT Debuts the Monochrome Basics Collection
Sustainable Modular Desk Trays
A Team of Designers Join on a Minimal Tray Collection
Sleek Steel Structural Chairs
Jeremy Le Chatelier Joins Ravi Handa on the Combchair
Mirrored-Detailed Garden Cafes
IDIN Architects Designs Structures for Nana Coffee Roasters
Concrete-Glass Contrasting Pavilions
Jenny Peysin Architecture Designs a New Home in the Hamptons
Modern Concrete Hayfield Homes
Omer Arbel Designs the 75.9 House in the Canadian Pacific Northwest
Generously Glazed Spiral Buildings
This Building is Inspired By Czech Glassmaking Tradition
Industrial Concrete Structural Offices
Diez + Muller Arquitectos Designs a New Office for Novopan
Welcoming Skyscraperes
RSHP Unveils Its Design for a 212 Meters Tall Tower in Shenzhen, China
Welcoming Prefabricated Student Housing
Ignacio Prego Architectures Designs New Student Housing
Local Craft-Shown Bamboo Pavilions
AtArchitecture Designs the Northeast Pavilion for an Art Fair
Sustainable Tall Japanese Skyscrapers
Pelli Clarke & Partners Designs the Mori JP Tower
Wooden Cubic University Buildings
BIG Designs the Makers' KUbe at the University of Kansas
Self-Cooling Exterior Buildings
Modu Creates the Promenade Building to Control Air Temperature
Floating-Style Classroom Designs
Ennead Architects & Rockwell Group Completes the Bloomberg Center
Metal-Wrapped Exhibition Spaces
Trace Architecture Office Creates a Structural Steel Wrap
Community Hub Timber Pavilions
The Craft Not Carbon Pavilion Raises in London's Park
Textured Brick London Homes
Platform 5 Architects Design the NW10 House in London on a Former Yard
Wave-Like Structural Art Centers
Studio Zhu-Pei Designs the Zibo OCT Art Center in Shandong
Monolithic Sleek Summer Homes
Jan Henrik Jansen Arkitekter Creates the Vollerup Atrium Home
Modular Beam-Themed Furniture
The Beam Collection by Adam Weir has a Harmonious Structure
Vibrant Apartment Showrooms
&Tradition Designs the Under One Roof Apartment Showroom
Demountable Events Space
Andblack Design Studio Creates the Darwin Bucky Structure
Compact Calming Homes
Batay-Csorba Architects Masterfully Designed a Modern Brick Home in Toronto
Carbon Concrete Cubic Buildings
Henn and the Technical University of Dresden Design the Cube
Stepped Office Blocky Buildings
BIG Develops a New 10-Storey Office in London for Landsec
Modern Water Tower Apartments
Zecc Architecten Creates a Series of Elevated Apartments
Brutalist Concrete Tower Apartments
Studio Noju Renovates the Torres Blancas Tower in Madrid
Staggered Tower Texan Skyscrapers
BIG Introduces the 1550 on the Green Building in Texas
Art Deco-Tower Angular Extensions
Studio Libeskind Designs an Extension of the Boerentoren Tower
Sustainable Flat-Packable Hotel Furniture
Fritz Hansen Recently Debuted Its First Outdoor
Wood-Clad Relaxing Housing Blocks
Shigeru Ban Designs a New Range of Housing Along Nieuw Zuid
Sustainable Cubic Homes
Appels Architekten Designs a New Wooden Home in Germany
Log Cabin-Inspired Modern Homes
Balbek Bureau Renovates a Home in Ukraine with Steel and Concrete
Waved Metal-Wrapped Buildings
SO-IL Designs the 9 Chapel Residences Located in Brooklyn
Live Self-Construction Projects
Dropcity Initiates Live Self-Construction in Milan Central Station
3D-Printed Public Pavilion Prototypes
Hassell Works with Nagami on a New Public Pavilion
Minimal Urban City Apartments
GRT Architects Designs the East Village Apartment in NY
Bright Red Timber Buildings
Office ParkScheerbarth Designs the Compact Haus 2+ in Berlin
Italian 4-Story Loft Apartments
lamatilde Designs the Casa MRGT Apartment Project in Turin
Modern Deco Office Designs
Reflect Architecture Designs the NewGen Office with Contemporary Detail
Spine-Based Central Design Buildings
Foster + Partners Designs the Hangzhou Center
Green-Timber Glad Office Spaces
Oslotre Designs the Lumber 4 on an Industrial Foundation
Latticed-Steel Transport Hub Columns
Tremend Designs the Metropolitan Station in Lublin
Pale Yellow Minimal Townhomes
i.B. Archstudio Designs the VVV Townhouse with Pastel Hues
Low-Carbon Student Housing Crescents
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Designs Housing in Cambridge
Sculptural Museum Expansions
Diller Scofidio + Renfro Unveil Images of the Broad's Expansion
Energy-Efficient Headquarter Buildings
The New 'Bench' Building Prioritizes Sustainable Design
Modular Tent Classroom Designs
Zaha Hadid Architects Designs a Series of Classrooms for Refugees
Plastic Waste Textural Benches
The New Raw's Knotty Project Stems from Sustainable Values
Atrium Stacked Toronto Courthouses
Renzo Piano Building Workshop Creates a Justice Building
Curved Brick Rooftop Structures
Sukchulmok Adds New Structure to the Parconido Bakery Cafe
Mass-Timber Transport Hubs
BIG and A+ Architecture Build the Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub
Topography-Inspired Furniture Capsules
Zaha Hadid Architects Designs the TOPOS Collection
Sculptural Concrete Hotel Designs
Atelier d’More Designs the Sleeping Lab Hotel in Beijing
Climate-Friendly Waterfront Homes
From 4 to 1 Creates Three Pavilions in Copenhagen
Renovated Contemporary Industrial Apartments
TENKA ARKITEKTURA Designs the Burgatoi Project
Multifunctional Cross-Disciplinary Buildings
The BLOX Building in Represents Joint Thinking
Lantern-Like Tea House Pavilions
Grau Architects Designs the Tea House Pavilion by the Lake
Industrial Warehouse-Inspired Offices
Carr Designs a New Office Block with Industrial Themes
Sculptural Timber Gathering Spaces
Lina Ghotmeh Designs the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion
Terracotta-Clad University Faculties
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios Completes New Art Faculty
Pre-Fabricated Fire Stations
Wittman Estes Forms the Rapid Assembly Fire Station 67
Reused Skyscraper Furniture Capsules
Niceworkshop Creates the Aged Form Line and New Form Line
Amsterdam-Honoring Dynamic Workspaces
UN Studio Designs the New Headquarters for Booking.com
Curved Sculptural Skyscrapers
Kengo Kuma Designs the Alberni Residential Skyscraper
Dynamic Living Towered Residences
Triptyque Completes a Residential Tower in Onze22
Climate-Sensitive Pavilion Structures
Querkraft Designs the Pavilion Inspired by Wind Towers
Stacked Cylindrical City Towers
Heatherqick Studio and Barcode Architects Design the Oopen Tower
Repurposed Imperfection-Embraced Buildings
Civic Architects & VDNVP Elevate a Series of Workspaces
Bespoke Furnished Industrial Offices
Holloway Li Designs the Mother London Office Interior
Stacked Pebble-Inspired Towers
Atelier 9.81 Designs the Calaid Port Tower Building
Distinctive Airlifted Structures
Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication Design the Karka Tower
Black Terracotta Office Buildings
SOM Creates the New 28&7 Building in Manhattan's Chelsea
Staggered Cubic Skyscrapers
OODA Works on a Rising Geometric Skyscraper in Tirana