Ever since the official German reunification ceremony on 3rd October 1990 was held at the Reichstag building (also known as the Bundestag), its changing shape and inspired architectural engineering has entertained wide-eyed tourists and budding environmentalists from all around the globe.

A building steeped in history and a dubious past, the Reichstag came under the creative eye of England’s own architectural master mind Norman Foster – nationally renowned for design achievements such as 30 St Mary Axe, or as it is informally known, ‘The Gerkhin’. Foster won the rights for the reconstruction of the building and finished his magnificent make-over just before the dawn of a new millennium in 1999.

But it is the crowning piece of architectural mastery Foster insisted on (about half way through the original renovation plan) that take, so to speak, centre stage. The inclusion of a cupola – or dome-like structure – was added to blueprints in order to subtly echo the original 1894 design but place it in an entirely modern setting.

The dome itself is situated at the very peek of the Reichstag, and for all intensive purposes, provides three-hundred-and-sixty-degree panoramic views out onto Berlin’s cityscape. The glass work not only emphasises a looking-out to an international city, but it also purports an inward eye to peer down into the dome itself to see what is truly being housed on site.

Elegantly wrapped in glass and steel, what surrounds the central chamber of German democratic government is a number of innovative, eco-friendly designs that work together in order to move the building away from its past and towards a greener future.

Now running completely on renewable energy, the Reichstag combines water, wind and solar power, in order to make a true statement of a national commitment.

Germany is and has been over recent years one of the leading advocates for the renewable energy industry. So why would we expect anything less from a building that houses its nation’s voice and key decisions? The building can be seen as an emblem to Germany’s dedication to environmentalism in a modern age.

Take the intricate solar panelling system: utilising photovoltaic and microgeneration at each and every tasteful corner, the building also incorporates a mirror design circuit which captures the sun’s natural energy, sending it flowing through heating systems towards a porous rock foundation that sits below the building for any excess heat to be stored and used again at a later date.

It is an inspiring building. One that does not want to ignore its relationship with the past, but also one that seeks to recognise its investment in the future. The levels of transformation and conservation are wonderfully balanced to such a degree that any onlooker can take not of, as well as, pride in the sheer beauty of it.