Carla Cabrera Fernández’s Oxford power station thesis is an adaptive reuse architecture project about uncovering hidden parts of the city and giving unused buildings a new material role.
The project reworks an abandoned power station, combining it with materials from other empty buildings on the site. That makes reuse a design method, not just a sustainability label.
Project focus
The thesis uses Oxford as a test bed for hidden infrastructure, vacancy and material recovery. Instead of treating the power station as an object to decorate, the project asks how its existing structure, context and material history can shape the new design.
Design method to notice
- Adaptive reuse is tied to material sourcing from nearby empty buildings.
- Digital modelling and Adobe Creative Suite work sit alongside physical collage.
- The collage method becomes part of both representation and design development.
- Professional BIM experience gives the research-led work a practical technical edge.
Portfolio lesson from this project
Research-led design lands better when the reader can see the chain from research to spatial decision. Carla’s strongest angle is not only that the project studies reuse, but that reuse drives the method of making the design.
Connect with the designer
Use these links to see Carla Cabrera Fernández’s professional profile and the wider Architecture Social community.
Showcase an adaptive reuse project
If your project reworks an existing building, show what remains, what changes and why the reuse matters.
- Name the existing structure and its constraints.
- Show the material, programme and access strategy.
- Explain how the reuse idea affects the final architecture.
Next step
Explore more project work in the Architecture Social Projects directory, or submit your own project for the showcase.
Add a comment