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.

Fuller House- Farewell Trailer
'Fuller House'- Farewell Trailer
Sailing to Antarctica on the Tall Ship Bark Europa
Sailing to Antarctica on the Tall Ship Bark Europa
Prime Ministers Chief Adviser Dominic Cummings Defends His Actions During The Coronavirus Lockdown
Prime Minister's Chief Adviser Dominic Cummings Defends His Actions During The Coronavirus Lockdown
Russell Street Police Headquarters, Melbourne
The original art deco building was erected in the 1940s, an though the structure went through a number of renovations throughout the years, the most prominent is a glassy, modernist tower perched atop the old building. The building was bombed in 1986 and later abandoned as a police station, until the "Concept Blue" addition was built in 2005 and the whole complex was turned into apartments. Wikipedia
Mega Pod Of Common Dolphins Seen Off California Coast
Mega Pod Of Common Dolphins Seen Off California Coast
Bowyer Block, Singapore General Hospital
The Bowyer Block renovation is subtler than others, but no less visually arresting. The neoclassical structure was built during the early twentieth century, and renamed the Bowyer Block in memory of a hospital administrator who died during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during World War II. In recent years it has been renovated and now serves as a museum. Wikipedia
Coronavirus By the Numbers U.S. States Reopen As COVID-19 Cases Reach 4.4 Million Worldwide
Coronavirus By the Numbers: U.S. States Reopen As COVID-19 Cases Reach 4.4 Million Worldwide
Architecture