The presidential palace in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is aiming to become the world's greenest, emissions-free seat of power, a research institute said on Thursday.
The British colonial era building will undergo eco-friendly modifications to serve as a prototype for government buildings everywhere, The Cyprus Institute which will carry out the task said in a statement.
The non-profit science and technology research institute is undertaking a study of the presidential palace in a bid to make it a zero-energy building that emits zero emissions, it said.
Current palace resident, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias, has given the scheme his full backing and wants the transformation to be complete as soon as possible.
The presidential palace was formerly called Government House and was the residence of the British Governor of Cyprus during the 1878-1960 British rule over the island.
The sandstone building was built in the 1930s, after a previous wooden structure was burnt down.
It was badly damaged during a Greek-engineered 1974 coup to oust then president Archbishop Makarios and restored several years later, although bullet holes on exterior walls were left untouched.
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