(Newswire.net — January 18, 2024) — Architecture styles are always changing whether it be small and subtle changes to drastic changes in how buildings are designed and made. 2023 was an especially changing year for architecture because there were new technological advancements that allowed architects to explore more designs.
Since the cost of homes is increasing, architects have also centered many of their trends around increasing space but decreasing the overall cost.
Here are some of the top architectural trends in 2023, some very prevalent in Idaho architecture, and how you can expect the world of architecture to continue changing as we move into the year 2024.
Use of Smart Materials
With smartphones and smart cars, we also now have smart materials that can be used in homes to make living and working easier. Smart materials have a wide range of uses but one of the best examples is smart glass.
These are used for windows and they can change their tint according to temperatures and hues. This allows not too much or too little sunlight to enter into the window.
Since many are exposed to UV radiation through windows at work and at home without knowing, these windows allow people to get just the right amount of Vitamin D without possibly increasing their chances of skin cancer.
There is also a move to use more smart materials that can help to control the climate crisis. For example, instead of needing to buy solar panels for the entire home, people can now just put Solar Glazing on the windows which allows the windows to convert sun rays into energy and power for the home.
With the utilization of more and more smart materials, builders and architects are making moves to ensure modern spaces can function without contributing to ongoing carbon emissions.
Biophilic Urbanism
Just as stated before, the climate crisis is a big deal to many builders and designers around the world so they have started to make simple designs that can make places look modern but still ensure that they are ecologically friendly.
This means new spaces need to be using their resources efficiently and all the materials needed in the home need to be centered around being energy-saving.
This includes things like using solar architecture and adding green roofs to large urban spaces that might not have any green areas around.
Green spaces have been used on rooftops and tall buildings for many years and now they are gaining more popularity as people want the chance to grow their food and make their gardens regardless of whether they live in a big city or not.
Green spaces in cities also have many advantages that people need to be made aware of, including the air quality and ensuring that the climate within the city can remain stable.
Biophilic Urbanism sets out to do all these things. It’s all about taking the natural city environment that has been built and constructing new spaces with materials that are better for the environment.
It also concentrates on making gardens and places where plants can grow rather than having to rearrange the city or tear things down to make space for green areas.
Modular Construction
These homes are not built with traditional construction methods. This means almost the entire building or space is made at a factory or manufacturer rather than being built on a construction site. Once about 70-90% of the modular space is constructed, it is then transported to the construction site and the final touches are added.
While this might sound odd to some people, it’s a very efficient way of designing and building places. It works for many different kinds of structures and places including homes, medical clinics, and hotels.
Tiny Homes
Tiny homes did not become popular in 2023. They have been very popular for the last 10 years or so. However, they continue to gain in popularity because they are very environmentally friendly and all the new designs that have been created allow people to live in very efficient homes where they can feel at home and grow their families.
These homes also focus on what is more important because they encourage people to live more modestly and not be centered on commercialism and materialism.
Architecture with Adaptive Reuse
As with all construction and architecture, there are times when buildings are always being torn down and then rebuilt. More and more architects have been focusing on reusing the structures or redesigning parts of them for further uses rather than tearing down the whole site and starting from the beginning again.
Tearing down old buildings is very bad for the environment and also contributes to carbon emissions, so the more architects can reuse old spaces for new designs, the better.
Reusing spaces also allows designers to keep some of the original components which allows us to keep the past and culture alive where needed.
Designs Centered Around the Community
Community has become more and more important for many people, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic people realized the importance of human interaction and helping those around them.
Architecture design in 2023 has been centered around making spaces where individuals can gather and engage with one another as well as the community around them.
This trend is mostly for outdoor spaces in towns and other places that need a green environment where people can gather and focus on spending time with friends and neighbors.
This also allows people to appreciate their communities and the green spaces that are available to them.
The Bottom Line
Although many architectural designs started in 2023, most of them center around making eco-friendly places, ensuring that the community can be brought together, and trying to reuse materials rather than just tearing everything down and starting from new.
These designs show how as a community, we are changing and evolving to care more about the environment and the world around us. Architectural trends show we are constantly changing to meet new needs.