2020 A Space Odyssey: a decade of architecture that made history
Shining architectures that rise to the sky, mirrored skyscrapers that reflect the sunlight, green as a fundamental design element: the architecture of the last decade has evolved by increasingly combining form and matter as well as giving some surprising works that are already making history.
The last ten years could be remembered as those in which the world's greatest architects have worked to merge the geometry of solid shapes with the elements of nature: that is the reason why we have seen greenery sprouting directly from the walls of buildings, water reflected in large surfaces overhanging seas and rivers and floating shapes following the wind wave.
After exploring some examples of green and sustainable architecture, today we travel among some of the most famous works of architecture of the Twenty-Tens (2010-2020).
Architecture of the Twenty-Tens in Italy: between skyscrapers and public spaces
The decade 2010-2020 saw the birth of architectural jewels in Italy too: some of the world's most famous archistars have designed works that are transforming cities, open spaces and public areas through new ways of looking around and imagining our country.
Milan, very fast changes and astonishing spaces
Architecturally speaking, the most dynamic Italian city has certainly been Milan: in just ten years, we witnessed the astonishing creation of Bosco Verticale (the Vertical Forest), designed by Stefano Boeri, around which one of the most interesting districts of the city -Isola- is gaining ground.
Among recent Milanese works, the following are worth to be remembered: Feltrinelli Foundation, by Herzog and de Meuron, Prada Foundation by OMA, Unicredit Tower by Cèsar Pelli and Generali Tower, designed by the London-based studio of the late Zaha Hadid.
Between 2010 and 2020, Milan was renewed with numerous experiments: if we wanted to identify a common thread, it could be light, glass and mirrors, in which the image of the city is reflected.
Rome, Naples and Reggio Emilia: innovative public spaces
Among the most famous architectural works inaugurated in Italy in the last decade there are also several public spaces, such as the High Speed Railway Station in Reggio Emilia, designed by the insight of Calatrava, who thanks to this project gives life to a "cathedral" of white waves that stands out between the fields and the plain, and the MAXXI Museum in Rome, a luminous temple of 21st-century arts, by Hadid Studio, as well as the Afragola Railway Station in Naples, which seems to lie on the ground following its shapes.
The world in a decade of architecture: works to be remembered
The world's architecture includes works that dare, that fiercely rise to the sky and that completely change the imagination of some spaces being so far considered very classic, such as museums. Let's see some examples.
New York: the architecture that never sleeps
The pace of architectural innovation in the Big Apple is among the highest in the world: in the last ten years, the city of a thousand lights - just to name a few examples - has completed the redevelopment of Ground Zero and inaugurated the Vessel building, designed by Heatherwick Studio.
The United Arab Emirates: expansion and large dimensions
In recent years, the United Arab Emirates have stated their intention to proceed with an unprecedented urban expansion. The attention to cities grandeur, combined with the need to be liveable for the locals and attractive for world tourism, have led to the creation of some truly valuable museum works, the Louvre in Abu Dhabi and the National Museum of Qatar, both bearing the signature of Jean Nouvel.
Museum architecture: welcome to the future
It is precisely museum architecture that has had the greatest degree of experimentation: in addition to the examples in the United Arab Emirates, the last decade has given us the Whitney Museum by Renzo Piano in New York, the Yves St. Laurent Museum in Marrakesh by KO, the Vuitton Foundation in Paris by Gehry and the Maat Museum in Lisbon, thanks to Amanda Leevete.
Finally, one of the most famous architectural virtuosities of the Twenty-Tens is represented by the greenway of the High Line in New York, a green area located on a former railway, by Diller Scofidio and Renfro. New York High Line is aligned with a 20th-century Parisian project, the Promenade Plantée, which was set up in the 1980s on a disused railway line. Projects like these truly recount the essence of modern outdoor architecture, which redevelops and innovates tradition.
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The ones we mentioned are just some of the many works created in the last decade that will probably go down in history: now we just have to choose our favourite!