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
Nest-Inspired Urban Houses
This Vietnamese Dwelling Offers Respite From the Concrete Jungle
Nostalgic 70s-Inspired Apartments
The House Special Studio Designs a Compact Apartment
Nature-Connecting Warm Apartments
Baranowitz + Kronenberg Designs the Urban Refuge Apartment
Plant-Based Cabin Constructions
Moontower Design Build Creates the Cross Cabin in Austin
Origami-Inspired Sleek Cabins
A.L.P.S. Designs the Infinity Mobile Architecture System
Self-Shaping Timber Structures
ICD and ITKE Design the Hybrid Flax Pavilion and Wangen Tower
Serenely Stilted Houses
This Sustainable Tiny Home is Situated On An Elevated Platform
Fold-Out Furniture London Flats
Intervention Architecture Designed the Florin Court Flat
Elegant Tonal Table Collections
Studiopepe Designs the Silos Collection of Furniture
Precast Concrete Toronto Skyscrapers
Pei Architects Forms a Building for Tower Hill Development
Eco-Friendly Offices
Office@27 by Sanjay Puri Architects is Enhanced by Ancient Indian Principles
Extreme Space-Saving Architecture
A 74-Square-Foot Apartment is Redefining Urban Living
Sculptural Photocoltaic Theater Designs
BIG Designs the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo
70s-Inspired Structural Furniture
Nouveau Standard Creates the Collection 12 of Retro Designs
Solar-Lined Energy Towers
Foster + Partners Released Designs of Solar Towers for Moon Use
Charred-Wood Tranquil Pavilions
Temp Designs the 3-to-1 Pavilion in a Rocky Shanghai Garden
Flexible Pre-Fabricated Homes
Rabih Hage Introduces His Latest Design — Muudo
Tranquil Elevated Tiny Homes
Jan Tyrpekl Designs the Cozy Zen House in Austria
Modular Configured Office Furniture
SKNYPL Presents the CABINET+ Series of Furniture
Sleek Modern Table Collections
Cosentino and Modular Lighting Instruments Drop a New Capsule
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
H-Shaped Structural Mountain Homes
Studio B Architecture + Interiors Designs the Villa H
Modern Chair Designs
TAKT and Industrial Facility Introduce the Bow Chair
Modern Rounded Treehouse Pods
Antony Gibbon Designed the Burl Treehouse Nestled in Nature
Refreshing Sustainable Modular Homes
Wittman Estes Designs the Whidbey Puzzle Prefab
Everyday Material Colorful Pavilions
Foster + Partners and NEON Create Two Pavilions in London
Paper-Inspired Artful Museums
Bjarke Ingels Group Designed the Museum for Papirkunst
Light-Inviting Renovated Apartments
Estúdio BRA Reconfigures the Copan Apartment in Brazil
Curved Translucent Experimental Apartments
NEUHÄUSL HUNAL Designs the Sculptor's Apartment
Topography-Inspired Furniture Capsules
Zaha Hadid Architects Designs the TOPOS Collection
Cuboidal Primary School Structures
Bernardo Bader Architekten Designed a New School in a Village
Exoskeleton Stepped-Back Skyscrapers
Foster + Partners Constructed the BDO Unibank Inc Towers
Modular Bent-Metal Storage
SF-SO Developed a New Range of Thin Modular Shelving Units
Black-Timber Stealthy Pavilions
Aptdotapt Designs the Drop-Stop Pavilion in the Mountains
Bamboo-Based Dome Pavilions
Shigeru Ban Used Cardboard Tubes to Create the Blue Ocean Dome
Outdoor Kitchen Modern Collections
Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens Drops the Cube Collection
Sculptural Lighting Collections
Unform Studio Presents Two Innovative Collections at Milan
Colorful Rooftop Unified Buildings
Urbanus' Nantou Hybrid Building is Comprised of Five Buildings
Concrete Skyscraper Trio Sets
Valerio Olgiati to Design the Rruga Adem Jashari Set in Tirana
Bio-Based Compact Housing
Woonpioniers Designs the Sustainable Sprout Ruben & Marjolein House
Parking Lot-Transformed Homes
Maritau Arqui Completed the Octa House on a Japanese Island
Modular Retail Product-Designed Homes
The Muji Muji 5.5 House is Filled with Muji Products
Contemporary Modular Furniture Systems
Bujnie's Loopo System Reimagines Living Environments
Architecture-Inspired Furniture Capsules
SeungBum Ma Designs the Form-Functional Archi-Furniture
Prefabricated Exposed Structural Homes
Workshop Architecture Inc Designs the Unfinished House
Swooped Museum Roof Planes
BIG Designs the Waterfront Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art
Bespoke Furnished Industrial Offices
Holloway Li Designs the Mother London Office Interior
Modern Office Environments
The MOL Campus Project Was Designed by Architecture Firm Kinzo
Eco-Conscious Slim Skyscrapers
Muraba and RCR Arquitectes Join to Design the Muraba Veil
Modular Bathroom Solutions
Prefabricated Pods Streamline Construction and Improve Quality
Green Concrete Community Centers
Studios WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza Architects Form a Building
Modular Solid Wood Systems
Foster + Partners Industrial Design Creates the ILE Modular System
Self-Designed Evolving Homes
The Six Columns Home by WIll Burges is Designed to Grow with Him
Sustainable Modular Desk Trays
A Team of Designers Join on a Minimal Tray Collection
Modular Stacked Furniture Series
MOTO Introduces the Bright STACK Furniture Collection
Compact Living Bright Apartments
Natasha Kukresh Designs the Apartment Ann in Minsk
Viewing Box Cultural Centers
The Center for Arts & Innovation Hosts Events and Education Spaces
Sustainable Visitor Pavilions
NU Architectuur Atelier Designs the Green Arc in a Garden
Robust Monolithic Walled Homes
H Arquitectes Completes the Casa 1736 in Barcelona
Converted Mill-Artist Studios
Bench Architecture Renovates the Warehouse at 154 Scott in NYC
Curvaceous Artful Play Pavilions
Peter Cook Designs the Play Pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery
Geometric Prefabricated Pavilions
Heams & Michel Architectes Presents the 7 Kiosks Project
Reusable Framework Systems
Origami-Inspired System 'Unfold Form' Reduces Concrete and Steel Use
Futuristic Curved Islandic Homes
The Collective Studio Co., Ltd Designs the Nest Residence
Pyramidal Concrete Japanese Homes
IGArchitects Completed the Pyramid Hut Concrete Home
Honeycomb-Inspired Terracotta Walls
Ant Studio's Beehive System Naturally Cools Down a Space
Rocky Garden-Nestled Serene Pavilions
Temp Designs the 3-to-1 Pavilion in a Rocky Garden
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
Brutalist Concrete Tower Apartments
Archmongers Renovates the Trellick Tower in London
Minimal Warm Furniture Expansions
Norm Architects Designs the Karimoku Case Collection
Metal-Wrapped Exhibition Spaces
Trace Architecture Office Creates a Structural Steel Wrap
Barrel-Vaulted Roof Parks
Bear Architects Designs the Zubitegi Park in Spain
Architecture-Inspired Building Blocks
James Paulius Designs the Blockitecture® Frank Lloyd Wright
Woodland-Inspired Timber Office Spaces
Atelier du Pont Completes the Pavilion Jardins Building
Graphic-Accented Brutalist Apartments
Jean Verville Designs a Creative Laboratory in Quebec City
Pier-Side Dynamic Office Spaces
The New BIG HQ is a New Office on the Industrial Harbour
Textural Brick Structures
Bennetts Associates & Citizens Design Bureau Create BEAM Cultural Center
White Concrete Boxy Museums
Thomas Phifer Designs the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
Sustainably Designed Mumbai Offices
Sanjay Puri Architects Designs the Office@27 Workspace
Mass-Timber Apartment Blocks
Local Architecture Network Completes the Wood Up Apartment Block
Blocky High-Ride Laboratories
Herzog & de Meuron Designs Some Blocky Laboratories in Basel
Inclusive Social Housing Projects
Peris + Toral Arquitectes Design 85 Social Dwellings in Cornellà
Clover-Style Conference Center Designs
MAD Designs the ZGC International Innovation Center
Staggered Tower Texan Skyscrapers
BIG Introduces the 1550 on the Green Building in Texas
Versatile Work Furniture Systems
SIXINCH USA and Populous Present the Elevate System
Wooden Cubic University Buildings
BIG Designs the Makers' KUbe at the University of Kansas
Paper-Like Sleek Furniture Capsules
Béton Brut Presents the Alu Collection by Archive for Space
Traditional Sustainable School Designs
Heatherwick Studio Showcases Plans for Universidad Ean
Industrial-Inspired Housing Units
Conen Sigl Designs the Westhof Housing Block in Zurich
Cross-Laminated Timber Renovated Warehouses
Lever Architecture Created the 843 N Spring Street
Modern Deco Office Designs
Reflect Architecture Designs the NewGen Office with Contemporary Detail
Reused Skyscraper Furniture Capsules
Niceworkshop Creates the Aged Form Line and New Form Line
Organic Striking Tower Designs
David Macullo Architects Designs the Leaves Tower
Sculptural Museum Expansions
Diller Scofidio + Renfro Unveil Images of the Broad's Expansion
Latticed-Steel Transport Hub Columns
Tremend Designs the Metropolitan Station in Lublin
Billowing Modular Art Installations
People's Architecture Office Designs the Curly Cube
Shaded Modern Outdoor Furniture
mmcité street furniture Designs the UFO Shelter for Outdoors
Supertall Miami Skyscrapers
Foster + Partners Unveils its 1201 Brickell Bay Drive Skyscraper
Public Sculptural Pergola Barbecues
H30 Architects Designs the Communal Barbecue in Costa Brava
Transformed Disused Steelwork Structures
Delugan Meissl Designs Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse
Rustic Cultural Architectural Buildings
Abin Design Studio Designed the Gallery House in Bensberia
Mass-Timber Transport Hubs
BIG and A+ Architecture Build the Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub
Roman Architecture-Themed Pavilions
Pratique and Fanum Design the Forum des Vestiges Pavilion
Recycled Ship Sail Pavilions
The Breeze Installation is Installed at Chart Art Fair
Live Self-Construction Projects
Dropcity Initiates Live Self-Construction in Milan Central Station
Interconnected Brick-Clad Buildings
David Chipperfield Architects Blends Three Housing Typologies
Urban Natural Expansive Buildings
Atelier Delalande Tabourin Designs Office National des Forêts
Sustainable Custom Luxe Homes
Schenkar and GA Arquitectura y Construcción Join on a Structure
Gold-Tonal Metal Building Extensions
Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter Extends a Skylab at a University
Vast Wooden Structural Pavilions
Sou Fujimoto Architects Showcases Progress of the Grand Ring
Arab Majlis-Inspired Modular Sofas
Patricia Urquiola's Insula Sofa Series is Customizable
Multifunctional Cross-Disciplinary Buildings
The BLOX Building in Represents Joint Thinking
Paper-Like Art Museum Roofs
BIG Expands the Museum for Paper Art in Denmark with a Folded Roof
Repurposed Factory Studios
Tengbom Uses Existing Elements in the 1930s Factory as a Studio
Textured Prefab Holiday Cabins
TEST Presents the Prefab House Changeover in Barcelona
Sleek Contemporary Elevated Retreats
Brown & Brown Architects Designs the Tidal House
Mass-Timber Expansive Buildings
Anttinen Oiva Architects Designs the Katajanokan Laituri
Expansive Roofs Concrete Homes
Studio MOB Creates a House in the Farm in Coimbatore
Compact Red Wooden Homes
Studio TEST Presents the Prefab House Changeover Structure
Tree-Lined Striking Modern Residences
Palette Architecture Designs the Shift House in New York
Pre-Fabricated Fire Stations
Wittman Estes Forms the Rapid Assembly Fire Station 67
Steel Structural Dynamic Workspaces
Skylab Architecture Builds a New Skylab Office in Oregon
Whimsical Sculptural Furniture Series
Micah Rosenblatt Presents the City Block Series in Art Show
Dynamic Concrete Modern Buildings
Atelier Matias Mosquera Designs the Shire Building
Artful Dockside Installations
London Festival of Architecture Gets Benches for Pews and Perches
Multifamily Canadian Housing Developments
MODA Unveils the GROW Project with Roof Gardens
Port Building-Nestled Museums
Colectivo C733 Installs a Museum inside of a Mexican Port Building
Dynamic Living Towered Residences
Triptyque Completes a Residential Tower in Onze22
Asymmetrical Sculptural Apartment Blocks
LOHA Designs the South E8 Housing Block in Raleigh
Nature-Merging Geometric Homes
Reigo & Bauer Designs the Neville Park Residence in Toronto
Distinctive Airlifted Structures
Arête Architects and Makers Fabrication Design the Karka Tower
Warm-Tonal Urban City Apartments
General Assembly Creates a Comforting Palette in New York
Translucent Mesh-Wrapped Art Center
Wutopia Lab Designed the Flickering Peak in Hainan, China
Metal Tower Residential Expansions
Modu Unveils the Mini Tower One Expansion in Brooklyn
Museum-Nestled Tokyo Offices
I IN Updates the Reception Lounge in Museum Tower Kyobashi
Arched Garden-Topped Cultural Centers
Atelier Apeiron Creates the Hengqin Culture and Art Complex
Staggered Cubic Skyscrapers
OODA Works on a Rising Geometric Skyscraper in Tirana
Large Passive House Buildings
Handel Architects Builds the Harmony Commons at UofT