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.