How to Make Your Architecture Stand Out

With sleek and minimalist design as far as the eye can see, modern architecture can start to get a bit monotonous. It can sometimes be tricky to balance creativity with practicality in design. After all, budgeting, environmental considerations, and legal issues can all come into play when planning a new construction.

Below we discuss a few ways you can make your architecture stand out while bearing these concerns in mind.

Use Recycled Materials

Sustainability is a key concern in modern architectural design, so why not go one step further and use recycled materials in construction? This could involve re-purposing old construction materials - using railway timbers to make flooring or compressing rubble into building blocks; or alternatively, use post-consumer recycling where used products are made into a new useful material. Using salvaged materials not only reduces waste but it also offers architects interesting materials they wouldn't usually have access to, encouraging creative design.

Shipping containers have become a popular construction material in recent years, used for projects including the Re:Start mall in Christchurch, a number of bars in Melbourne's CBD, and many successful residential conversions in Sydney suburbs. They are also increasingly being used as above-ground pools, as seen on The Block. 

Use Mirrors

A mirrored surface adds a whole new dimension to any building. Mirroring is often used when a modern structure is being built in an area surrounded by modern buildings. This allows new surfaces to reflect the traditional architecture and blend in more effectively with their environment. When planning a build set in beautiful natural surroundings such as water or greenery, mirroring can be used to integrate nature into the built environment.

As well as being a tool for concealing and reflecting surroundings, mirroring can be used simply to create interest, as in the case of Mexico City's Soumaya museum, which is clad in 16,000 hexagonal mirrored tiles to create the illusion that the building changes in appearance as you move around it.

Artist Doug Altken's Mirage in Southern California reflects the beauty of the Coachella Valley at every angle. The house, covered in mirrors, disappears into its surrounding landscape and projects different lights depending on the time of day.

Use Colour

Modern architecture doesn't have to be a bland colour palette of steel and concrete. Adding colour to your design can make the space feel more accessible, fun and friendly to users, as well as less austere and intimidating. Colour blocking can be used in place of physical structures to separate different areas of a large building or to draw the eye towards important features such as entryways and exits. In office and education environments, a splash of colour creates interest, which leads to better focus and productivity. In residential spaces, colour can help to create a sense of identity and familiarity for the inhabitants.

Use Plants

Integrating the natural world into new builds is a trend that is guaranteed to keep on growing. With green spaces at a premium in many modern cities, bringing trees and plants into new building plans is a way of improving air quality as well as being aesthetically pleasing. Features such as 'living' roofs and walls are a key part of environmentally responsible architecture and can be seen across the world from Parisian tower blocks to Google's new London campus.

To discover some of Somfy's own high performing facades, visit our References page.