Here to stay in power : adaptive reuse of Seahom Power Plant, Austin, Texas as the Austin Museum of Art

The relevance of adaptive-reuse of structures, historic or otherwise is unquestionable in today’s world. Not only is it a sustainable design intervention, it also has a proven record as a working economic model. In simple terms, adaptive-reuse is in. When a historic building is being considered for a new/improved function it is essential to update the facility for present day use and at the same time relay the building’s pristine past. This design problem aims at bridging the gap between these two complimentary ideas that at times raises a conflicted approach. As a means to this end, the project is treated more like a design studio problem than a report.The building chosen for this project is Seaholm Power Plant at Austin, Texas which is to be adaptively reused to house the Austin Museum of Art. The report begins with a detailed history of the building and its surroundings and museums in Texas. It is followed by a pre-design site analysis, building documentation and study of other projects that are similar to this report. The final part of the report includes preliminary design ideas, adaptive reuse design of the building and inference.