After thousands of North Korean homes were destroyed in floods and typhoons this summer, new apartments with a modern look began to spring up in their place in yet another sign of diversifying tastes among Pyongyang’s architectural planners.

Built in a modernist style with boxy accents and multicolor brick veneers, the new, low-rise apartment blocks resemble the “fast-casual architecture” that is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and Europe.

Some residents and designers around the world have called this type of design forgettable or “generic,” but its popularity appears to be on the rise in North