1. The Tate Modern in London: The former Bankside Power Station was redeveloped and reused as a museum in 2000. Instead of demolishing the building, the designers made use of its existing structure, and added a glass roof to form a memorable entrance. It is now a famous example of adaptive reuse architecture.
2. The Royal Opera House, London: The Royal Opera House was renovated in the early 2000s with sustainable principles in mind. Among many innovative solutions, the roof was replaced with more eco-friendly materials to reduce energy waste, and fewer new materials were used by reusing the existing ones.
3. The New York Public Library: The recent renovation by architects from Mecanoo has restored the historic beauty of the library while making a very eco-friendly imprint. Super-efficient heating and cooling systems, high-performance lighting, and an intelligent building management system are just a few of the sustainable solutions implemented here.
4. The California Theatre, San José: The California Theatre was completed in 1927 and had a grand Italian Renaissance facade with a palatial interior. After decades of neglect, the building was renovated, modernized and restored to its original grandeur. It won numerous awards for its ecological solutions, including recycled wood from the original structure used in various parts of the renovation.
5. The Palace of Westminster, London: The Palace of Westminster, which houses the United Kingdom's Parliament, is almost a millennium old. Almost every renovation is a challenge as the building sits on soft ground and has an ancient infrastructure. But with each overhaul, the designers aim to introduce more eco-friendly processes and services. For example, the Palace's Energy Management System is so advanced that it can detect when unused parts of the building are consuming more energy than needed and turn off the electricity in those areas.
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