Architecture & Design: Top 8 Facadist Renovations, from Melbourne to Bucharest [SLIDESHOW]

Architecture has traditionally been built in a single unified style, but within the last few decades, a new style as emerged that mixes old and new: facadism. As the name suggests, old facades (and sometimes even more substantial portions) are left intact while the interior and other less visible portions of the building are demolished to make way for something new--usually a glassy, modern building.

The style is often reviled by architects and design critics as only a superficially preservation of the past, and many facadist buildings are rightly criticized for their random juxtapositions and out-of-scale pieces. The style aims to strike a balance between redevelopment pressures and architectural preservation, and while developers are often pleased with the sky-high rents they can charge for rehabilitated historical structures, preservationists are often left satisfied with the small sliver left behind.

While there may be some who will never accept a shiny modernist tower plopped in the middle of a staid neoclassical structure, some of the projects turn out nicely--here's a tour of eight of the best from around the world.