National Trust for Canada profiles Prof. Mariana Esponda

The National Trust for Canada has published a profile of Professor Mariana Esponda, calling her an “adaptive reuse champion” and one of the few professors of conservation architecture in Canada.

Read the story here.

Writer Audrey Gray traces Esponda’s development from growing up in Mexico with parents who were conservation architects to her pursuit of a PhD, sparked by earthquake damage to historic structures in that country.

Dr. Esponda is the Research Chair of the Adaptive Reuse for a Sustainable Future research cluster at Carleton University, one of 14 clusters of the SSHRC partnership grant on Quality in Canada’s Built Environment. As part of her research, she is developing an inventory of case studies, including vacant and underutilized buildings in Ottawa.

“In a time when we are facing social challenges, including a global housing crisis, increased loneliness, and desolate downtown cores, adaptive reuse projects offer opportunities for revitalization and innovative solutions,” she says.