Skyscrapers and digitally sculpted buildings are becoming steadily more organic, with forms that interconnect and entwine. Enabled by advancing fabrication technologies, skyscrapers loop, ripple and curve rather than reaching straight to the sky — recalling the curving cityscape in Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film Inception.

There is a synergy between the rise of circular aesthetics and the rise of circular processes. As buildings become more self-sufficient – with Zaha Hadid’s CECEP towers using processes such as rainwater harvesting and micro-grid photovoltaics — curved forms reference this closed loop visually. Geodesic domes are an important reference point for Interstellar Labs’ self-sufficient, Mars-inspired pods.

As the creative industry evolves from extracting from nature to working more symbiotically with it, architects are drawing inspiration from the shapes and finishes of natural elements. Hard materials are designed to recall softer movements and tactilities – from ripples of water, as in The Wave by Lacime Architects, to the drape of fabric, in Steven Chilton Architects’ silk-inspired Guangzhou Show Theatre.

How you can action this: take inspiration from organic architectural forms, bringing softness into solid design by referencing smoothed stones, ripples of water and drapes of fabric. This direction works as well for concept cars and interior spatial design as it does for architecture.

With spatial equity and decolonisation now key topics across the creative industry, architecture is seeing a long-term shift in approach.

Sir David Adjaye’s Edo Museum of West African Art, which is being built in Nigeria’s Benin City, will focus on enabling objects to be viewed in their pre-colonial context. “From an initial glance at the preliminary design concept, one might believe this is a traditional museum but, really, what we are proposing is an undoing of the objectification that has happened in the West through full reconstruction,” notes Adjaye.

In India, architect Bijoy Jain engages with traditional Indian masonry and craftsmanship, creating an architectural language that acknowledges his country’s pre-colonial past. “I knew that we could build like we used to build,” Jain told The New York Times in 2019.

Local materials and ancient construction techniques are coming to the fore. French-born, Mexico City-based architect Ludwig Godefroy drew from indigenous Mayan techniques to create Casa Mérida: the concrete house’s fragmented layout is modelled after a Sacbe, a Mayan city road system. Álvaro Siza’s Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido, Mexico has a thatched palm roof made using traditional Palapa construction methods.

How you can action this: invest in collaborative design processes and local materials and manufacturing to create spaces and products that reflect and support the needs and locality of their users.

Green, plant-filled buildings and spaces form an important part of the ‘consensus future’ – the idea of the future that the majority of people share. As environmental concerns grow, planting trees, forests and wetlands and protecting existing green space is a rising priority.

In architecture, there is a growing focus on green: the focal point of Heatherwick Studio’s EDEN apartments in Singapore is their expansive balconies, which function as giant planters, while Koichi Takada’s Urban Forest in Brisbane resembles a human-made tree, complete with organic-shaped wooden legs.

As buildings green, maintenance will be key: the plant-filled balconies on Chengdu’s Qiyi City Forest Garden apartments recently became overrun with mosquitoes due to a lack of effective drainage and infrequent maintenance.

Post-pandemic, national green recovery plans will increasingly include eco-attractions – landmark sites that blend environmental education with entertainment. In the UK, the Eden Project North aims to regenerate Morecambe into a modern seaside attraction, while the Dutch-designed Spiral Tower is a climate-neutral visitor attraction complete with solar power, integrated windmill and vertical garden.

How you can action this: work to re-green spaces on both large and small scales. Promote biodiverse and native species of plants and trees and provide ways for consumers to live in symbiosis with nature.

By 2050, two-thirds of people will live in cities, and populations will need to move frequently – in part due to climate breakdown, which will make some areas of cities and countries unlivable. Modular, adaptive housing will be key to accommodating these long-term needs.

Prefabricated components are increasingly important in architecture, offering a low-cost, adaptable and sustainable construction method. US start-up WoHo makes reusable building components that can be easily manufactured, transported and then plugged together on-site, giving architects more flexibility. Norwegian company Othalo is developing modular buildings made from recycled plastic, which will offer affordable homes in sub-Saharan Africa. The company plans to collaborate with local creatives on personalised layouts and designs.

Small-scale modular homes will be smartly designed to squeeze into every spatial opportunity. In London, Fletcher Crane Architects designed the Water Gardens Pod, a three-bedroom home that fits below a 17-storey high-rise, while Boano Prišmontas’s tiny prefab timber office creates an extra room in a garden, alleyway or rooftop. In Tokyo, Suzuko Yamada’s house, Daita2019, features permanent steel tube scaffolding that can be adjusted by its owner to reconfigure the space as needed.

How you can action this: use modular design to offer consumers solutions that fit into small-scale homes and on-the-move lifestyles.