Architecture Today

Architecture Today
Name	Architecture Today
Caption	Contemporary skyline with mixed-use towers
Established	21st century
Focus	Contemporary architecture, urban design, technology, sustainability

Architecture Today is the global practice and discourse of designing buildings, landscapes, and cities in the 21st century, encompassing firms, projects, regulations, exhibitions, and academic programs. It occupies a nexus linking the work of Zaha Hadid, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster, OMA, and BIG with institutions such as the Royal Institute of British Architects, AIA, and ICOMOS. Contemporary debates connect professional practice to events like the Venice Biennale, the Pritzker Prize, and the UN Climate Change Conference.

Overview and Contemporary Context

The contemporary field draws from histories including Modernism, Postmodernism, Deconstructivism, and Brutalism, while engaging with policy frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal, and national codes like the International Building Code. Major commissions by corporations like Google, Apple, and Amazon (company) interact with civic projects led by municipalities such as New York City, London, Shanghai, Dubai, and Singapore. Media outlets and awards—Dezeen, Architectural Review, World Architecture Festival, and the RIBA Stirling Prize—mediate public perception alongside universities including Harvard Graduate School of Design, ETH Zurich, Architectural Association School of Architecture, and TU Delft.

Styles, Movements, and Trends

Current stylistic trends reference practitioners and movements such as Tadao Ando, Santiago Calatrava, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright, while also evolving regional vocabularies in cities like Mumbai, São Paulo, Mexico City, and Istanbul. Recoveries of Vernacular architecture intersect with adaptive reuse exemplified in projects like the Tate Modern conversion and the revitalization of districts such as Meatpacking District (Manhattan), Docklands (London), and Shenzhen Bay. Trends in mixed-use development, parametric design promoted by studios like Zaha Hadid Architects and Snøhetta, and monumentality in cultural commissions such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao coexist with small-scale interventions championed by collectives like Superstudio and practices associated with the New Urbanism debate around Seaside (Florida).

Technology and Materials

Advances in computational design, building information modeling from companies like Autodesk, and digital fabrication used by labs at MIT Media Lab and ETH Zurich reshape form-finding alongside construction innovations by contractors such as Skanska and Turner Construction Company. Materials research driven by manufacturers like Saint-Gobain and ArcelorMittal intersects with structural engineering by firms such as Arup and Buro Happold. Robotics, 3D printing explored by ICON (company), and glazing systems developed by Pilkington enable façades seen on projects like The Shard and Hearst Tower. Codes and standards from organizations like ISO and ASTM International regulate performance, while patents and platforms from Google X and Microsoft Research influence smart building systems adopted by estates like Canary Wharf.

Sustainability and Resilience

Sustainable practice links to certification schemes such as LEED, BREEAM, and WELL Building Standard and to case studies in cities participating in initiatives by C40 Cities and the European Investment Bank. Climate adaptation projects in deltas like Netherlands’s Room for the River program and flood defenses exemplified by Maeslantkering engage water management research at institutes like Deltares and Wageningen University. Energy strategies reference technologies from Tesla, Inc. and Siemens and policy programs like the Green New Deal and EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Resilient design also responds to disasters documented in reports by UN-Habitat and World Bank, informing reconstruction seen after events such as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Urbanism and Public Space

Contemporary urbanism involves planners and theorists associated with Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch, Rem Koolhaas, and Jan Gehl, and is shaped by projects in metropolises including Paris, Beijing, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Cairo. Public space interventions reference plazas like Piazza del Campo, waterfronts such as Dubai Creek Harbour, and transit-oriented developments exemplified by Crossrail and High Speed 2. Community-led placemaking draws on nongovernmental groups like The Trust for Public Land and Habitat for Humanity, while municipal programs such as PlaNYC and Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority orchestrate regeneration. Debates over densification, equity, and mobility involve actors like World Economic Forum and funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.

Practice, Education, and Profession

Architectural practice operates through firms ranging from sole practitioners to global networks like Foster + Partners, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Perkins and Will, with governance by professional bodies such as the Royal Institute of British Architects, the American Institute of Architects, and accreditation agencies like the NAAB. Education paths connect studios at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, University of Tokyo, and McGill University to research centers at MIT, ETH Zurich, and TU Delft. Licensing and legal frameworks reference court decisions and regulatory institutions including the European Court of Human Rights and national licensing boards. Collaboration across disciplines includes partnerships with NASA, WHO, UNESCO, and private developers like Hines, while practice is influenced by procurement models such as Design–Build and frameworks like Public–Private Partnership.

Category:Architecture