The history of building architecture is a process of change, reconfiguration and transformation. The field of reuse is a complex field of action, highly attractive for experimentation and has many innovative elements to show in contemporary architecture. The process is a regressive one, with the end result of the intervention varying from the emphasis on preserving as much of the old as possible or the predominance of meeting new utilitarian requirements. Some cases lead to exceeding the limits of the existing structure or even to the construction of a new building as an annex.

Herzog & de Meuron add a specificity to the way of intervention they adopt in their interventions in existing buildings, using a persistent experimentation with materials. Their penetration in the field of reuse has a particular resonance in the contemporary architectural scene. Their work in reuse, which will be analyzed in this research paper, is an interesting field of architecture because of their chronological sequence and their different geographical location.