New Forms

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 Bibliotheque 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.