Gigantic Gasometers Transformed into Thriving Communities  

Inhabitat has a post on an interesting redevelopment of some obsolete fossil fuel infrastructure in Austria - Gigantic Coal Gasometers Transformed into Thriving Communities.

In 1896 the Viennese authorities decided to invest in large-scale gas and electric utilities, so they constructed what became Europe’s largest gas plant. After nearly a century long run the plant was decommissioned, and left behind were four massive gasometers. These incredible structures were cast off, but a recent revitalization project led by Jean Nouvel, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Manfred Wehdorn, and Wilhelm Holzbauer have transformed these four tanks into spectacular and thriving communities.

The gasometers are four gigantic gas tanks enclosed by a brick façade, each approximately 230 feet tall, 197 feet in diameter, and with a storage capacity of over 3 million cubic feet. Once used for the storage of coal gas, the gasometers were retired in 1984 as the city shifted over to natural gas. By 1981 these structure were classified as heritage buildings due to their unique architecture, and thus escaped demolition. Despite random use since the closing of the plant (see the setting in the James Bond movie The Living Daylights. Also see: rave venue hosting Gazometer-Raves – the term “Gazometer” was coined on its scene) they remained on the whole abandoned empty containers.