The decade since the mid-1980s has seen an unparalleled surge in architectural creativity. Completely new design possibilities have been opened up by technological innovations such as computer-aided design, and at the same time there has been a growing cross-fertilization between architecture and art. The face of today's architecture is shaped by masters such as Frank O. Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas and Tadao Ando, to name but a few. Whether in Japan, the USA or Europe, everywhere the search is on for new forms, and the impressive results of that quest are presented to the reader.
In the 1990s architecture has evolved considerably despite economic constraints. The new architecture has been guided by the rapid progress of computer assisted design and a newly rediscovered affinity for the arts. Indeed, many architects - from France's Dominique Perrault, creator of the new Bibliothèque Nationale de France, to Japan's Tadao Ando - explain their work in terms of references to minimalism or land art. At the same time art itself has veered towards installations and works which approach architecture. These influences have enriched and diversified contemporary architecture in the developed world.
The Author:
Philip Jodidio (born 1954) studied art history and economics at Harvard and has been editor-in-chief of the French art magazine "Connaissance des Arts" in Paris since 1980. He has written numerous books and articles on contemporary architecture.
