Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty | Know Your Architecture: Contemporary

While today’s architecture encompasses a wide range of trends and styles, Contemporary architecture builds on the modernism that followed the Industrial Revolution. When the uniformity and clean linearity of early modernism began to feel impersonal, Contemporary architecture responded with modernism’s open spaces but added warmth, whimsy, asymmetry and regional flair. It embraces natural light and, as a dynamic style interacting with its context, considers environmental impact, often incorporating eco-friendly materials and technology. Not to be confused with Mid-Century Modern architecture, which spans the early 1930s to the late ’60s, Contemporary architecture is very much of the 1970s up to right now.

What to look for: Imbalanced façades, geometric shapes, composite or recycled materials such as concrete or broken glass, natural elements such as sustainable bamboo flooring, flat roofs, large windows, skylights, open floor plans, outdoor living areas, sliding doors, movable walls or partitions.

Famous examples: Outside Tubac, Arizona, and designed by Rick Joy, the Tyler Residence, with rustic materials and austere structures, brings its saturated desert surrounds into relief. In Portland, Oregon, the dramatically cantilevered Hoke House by Skylab Architecture nestles among the trees. (It was the Cullen family’s house in the movie Twilight.)

In the tallest residential high-rise in Fort Worth, the duplex residence at 500 Throckmorton Street #3601 offers unforgettable views, all the way to Dallas and beyond. Its luxuries include a cast-stone fireplace, a gourmet kitchen and a master suite with a sumptuous bath that has dual sinks, a soaking tub and a large shower with dual showerheads. Two more bedrooms on the upper floor share a bath. The many amenities at The Tower include a pool, club room, fitness room and dog area.

The home is represented by Laura Spann and Jeremy Spann and is priced $1,995,000.

To see all the exceptional homes, ranches and land offered by Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, in North Texas and around the world, visit briggsfreeman.com.