Despite a reputation for Soviet-era design, overt political propaganda and gray, imposing skylines, North Korean approaches to architectural design have been changing with increasing pace in recent years.

Once a city dominated by uniform Eastern European-style super-blocks, a look at the ever-changing skyline of Pyongyang shows architects are being given increased freedom to design creatively. The result: a more individualistic and street-based approach to design, with buildings in the North Korean capital increasingly colorful, curved, but still overwhelmingly concrete.