Welcome to our first feature regarding a particular architectural style. This week, we will briefly discuss the term “contemporary.” This word gets thrown around a lot in relation to architectural designs, and we decided to focus on it because we believe that it is definitely one of the most vague descriptors used in the industry.

What does “contemporary” mean?

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica company Merriam-Webster, the word “contemporary” means: “Happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time,” and/or “marked by characteristics of the present period.”

When applying this term in an architectural sense, it basically means the style represents some form of architecture that is most common presently. That’s right, it’s a vague term with a broad meaning.

So, to understand the meaning of “contemporary” is really only understanding half of this label that someone has attributed to a certain design. There are many styles that are considered current, such as deconstructivism and postmodernism.

When you see the word “contemporary” used to describe a building, the best way of comprehending it is to just recognize that, for the most part, the design doesn’t reflect any characteristics of past architectural styles.