The article has been devoted to identifying and summarizing the main trends of architecture of the XXI century. Social development as well as scientific and technological progress form conditions for further development of architecture and the search for new materials and new design methods. Owing to the Industrial Revolution, the invention of construction technologies and other innovative things, a new structural scheme of buildings appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was based on the enclosing structure of the building, which, unlike the architecture that existed before the twentieth century, no longer took on the load of floors – namely, it was not load-bearing. The main type and method of forming the appearance of the building was the curtain facade, which received a wide variety of expressions. This includes, both during the twentieth century and today, a wide range of applications in enclosing structures of more and more new synthetic materials, the display of various textures, textures, compositional techniques, color solutions, perforated surfaces etc. The materials and structures themselves can be very different: from translucent structures to sandwich-panels.
 Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and throughout the twentieth century, the exploitation of Earth's Resources has led to devastating consequences and environmental disasters. This is reflected even in the economic and political plans of states. Therefore, since the middle of the twentieth century, the leading European countries have taken a course towards sustainable development. And, the XXI century is focused on improving the environment and energy saving. Such changes affect the formation of new techniques in architecture. The task of sustainable development forces the new forms as well as techniques and materials that will ensure the fulfillment of these requirements to be looked for. Such actions lead to the improvement of the curtain facade and saturation of its functional component. This is the manifestation of new trends and directions.
 The economic factor can also be considered as an influential factor in the emergence of innovative techniques. The advertising and marketing industry pushes architects in their creative quest to design iconic, unusual buildings with dynamic know-how or media technologies. They become the hallmark of urban space. We are talking about Media Architecture and kinetics.
 The present time is an era of high Information Technologies and their significant influence on the formation of the face of modern architecture. Nowadays, with the help of complex computer calculations, a parametric architecture of complex geometric shapes has appeared and the new design methods are being developed. With the help of virtual reality, one can both demonstrate objects, and directly design and edit the design of objects down to the smallest details.
 Design has been increasingly capturing the architecture. 3-D construction methods can build architecture of any shape. This leads to the formation of objects that do not depend on the location.
 Every year on the Internet the number of projects of space architecture – conceptual solutions for the colonization of Mars or the Moon increases. This is also part of the trend of replacing architecture with design.