Contemporary architecture

Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the twenty-first century, a period in which no single style dominates and architects instead work across postmodernism, high-tech architecture, new classical interpretations and highly conceptual sculptural forms. Advanced technology and modern materials, including tube structures, allow buildings to rise taller and stronger, while other contemporary designs favor natural materials such as stone and wood, and computer-aided design has become universal across the field. Many contemporary buildings feature concrete structures wrapped in glass or aluminium screens, asymmetric facades, cantilevered sections and surfaces that shimmer or change color through the day. Unlike twentieth century Modernism, which was concentrated in the Americas and Western Europe, contemporary architecture is a genuinely global practice, with significant buildings now emerging from China, Russia, India and the Persian Gulf, alongside a concurrent traditionalist response from New Classical architects and organizations promoting older building methods.