These cutting-edge trends show how modern architecture stands to impact our everyday lives and society at large.
While off-the-grid prefabs and lush nature retreats can spark a flame of inspiration in all of us, architecture can also provide solutions to pressing issues ranging from global warming to the lack of accessible housing for vulnerable communities. Our friends at ArchDaily curated a list of growing architectural trends from 2018 to predict which ones will make waves in 2019. Read on for a look!
1. Small Space Living
Built-in storage solutions and multi-functional furniture are crucial to successful small space floor plans.
Photo by Fredrico Villa
Small spaces continue to be a growing trend in 2019—including tiny cabins, petite prefabs, and breathtaking airstream transformations. Minimalism and tiny living can be great solutions for anyone trying to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, or for those that simply don’t have an abundance of space to work with. Small space living proves that no matter how much space you have (or don’t have), there’s always room for good design.
2. Accessibility in Design
Melanie Maher sunbathes beneath the lattice of a pool house, which is clad in Cor-Ten steel.
Photo: Carlos Chavarría
Accessible design ensures that everyone has access to adequate and functional spaces in both public and private contexts. Homes such as the one pictured above in Northern California carefully address the needs of the homeowners. The plan creates accessible paths for Melanie Maher, who uses a wheelchair after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.
Other examples of architecture that emphasizes accessibility are homes designed for aging in place to accommodate senior homeowners. Housing communities that provide shelter for those struggling with homelessness and/or those struggling with mental health also focus on the ways in which architecture can provide positive solutions on an individual and societal level.
3. Architecture in the Middle East
This majestic and modern Qatar National Library has sides that lift at the edges to form a diamond-shaped profile, and an interior that’s arranged around three aisles of book shelves that enclose a central, triangular space. “The idea was to make reading as accessible and as stimulating as possible to the population of Qatar,” says architect Rem Koolhaas. “We thought we could achieve that by creating a building that was almost a single room.”
Photo Courtesy of Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti
See the full story on Dwell.com: The 11 Most Influential Architecture Trends of 2019
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