The Esso Abandoned Building: Community Driven Adaptive Reuse of Abandoned Office Buildings in Bogotá

This thesis explores the potential of adaptive reuse as a sustainable architectural strategy to transform abandoned office buildings in Bogotá into inclusive, community oriented spaces. In response to the slow growing presence of obsolete mid century office buildings particularly in consolidated urban areas like Santa Fe, this research investigates how minimal architectural interventions can repurpose those structures to meet unmet social, cultural, and environmental needs. The study adopts a mixed methods approach combining literature review, urban and architectural analysis, and a schematic program design proposal for the Esso Colombiana building that is located near Bogotá’s Parque Nacional. Based on international and local case studies, it identifies adaptable reuse strategies and community based functions that align with the city’s sustainability goals and planning frameworks, such as the POT 2022–2035 and the Partial Plan for Urban Renewal of Sagrado Corazón. Through the concept of the Triple Bottom Line, the thesis examines the social benefits of increased access to public amenities; the environmental gains from conserving embodied energy and introducing participatory green uses such as community gardening ; and the economic opportunities linked to revitalizing underutilized buildings. The proposed program includes a mix of cultural, recreational, educational, and commercial uses determined by the socio-economic analysis of the urban context in order to respond to the urban tissues and improve neighborhood vitality. By prioritizing function over form and community benefit over market demand, this work demonstrates how adaptive reuse can be a replicable tool for equitable and sustainable urban transformation in Bogotá and similar Latin American contexts.