Herzog & de Meuron Repurpose Old Madrid Power Station With a Lush Vertical Garden

If you're in Madrid strolling along the Paseo del Prado (aka Museum Mile), make sure to take a slight detour off to the CaixaForum, a post-modern art gallery designed by Swiss ar­chi­tects <a href="http://inhabitat.com/herzog-de-meurons-elphilharmonie-concert-hall-tops-out/">Herzog &amp; de Meuron</a>. Not only will you experience a 1900s power plant <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/green-renovation">renovated </a>into a stunning modern space, but you'll also get to see a lush <a href="http://inhabitat.com/britomarts-leafy-three-storey-green-wall-is-new-zealands-largest/">living wall</a> installation by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/gorgeous-green-house-wrapped-in-a-vertical-garden/">Patrick Blanc</a> - a two-for-one experience. The striking adaptive reuse project was completed in 2007 when the industrial building was gutted, and it now features a fantastic rusty expansion on the top.

Herzog &amp; de Meuron describe their transformation and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/green-renovation">renovation</a> of Madrid’s Central Eléctrica de Mediodía into the art museum as if it were a surgical procedure.

The brick building was completely gutted, demolishing the interior and the roof and leaving only a shell behind.

Then they cut away the granite base to create the illusion that the building is hovering over the entrance plaza.

hey also added two floors underground and two on top clad in <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-japanese-tsunami-preventive-control-center-lets-waves-pass-right-underneath/">rusty steel</a> to double the building's original space.

The backside of the CaixaForum.

The <a href="http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/nuestroscentros/caixaforummadrid/caixaforummadrid_es.html" target="_blank">CaixaForum Madrid</a> is owned and operated by the Social Works Foundation of La Caixa, Spain’s largest savings bank, and it is dedicated to programs in art, music, theater, and literature.

The rusty steel creates an interesting juxtaposition when set against the historic brick work.

The living wall designed by Patrick Blanc adds even more texture to the public plaza.

The museum includes a lobby, two levels of exhibition galleries, an attic café, below-ground classrooms and an auditorium.

Herzog &amp; de Meuron also convinced their clients to buy up a neighboring gas station, which was demolished to make way for a public plaza and a more direct connection to the Paseo del Prado.

The spiraling central staircase from below.

One of the exhibit halls.

The cafe inside the museum.