Student Portfolio: Industrial Obsolescence

Marta Ruiz, student of the Professional Master’s Degree in Editorial Design and Digital Publishing at ESDESIGN, presents her project, Industrial Obsolescence.

This Master’s Final Project focuses on the research, documentation and editorial design surrounding Spanish industrial architectural heritage from the 19th and 20th centuries. Obsolescencia industrial proposes a critical and visual perspective on those buildings constructed during the industrial revolution that, after becoming obsolete due to changes in production models, have been rehabilitated and reprogrammed to respond to new social and urban needs.

The project takes shape as an editorial catalogue that compiles relevant cases of architectural reconversion in cities such as Barcelona, Madrid or Valencia, highlighting the strategies used to transform industrial spaces into cultural centres, libraries, housing or public facilities. This editorial work not only documents, but also invites reflection on sustainability, urban memory and the importance of preserving and reusing our built heritage.

With a carefully considered and symbolic design, the book is constructed as an object that combines past and present, using porous materials, visible binding and a visual narrative that alternates solids and voids. Typography, colour and structure reinforce the discourse of transformation, proposing a visual and conceptual reading consistent with the themes addressed.

Obsolescencia industrial thus becomes a tool to promote public awareness of the value of rehabilitated industrial heritage and its potential as a driver of social, cultural and environmental change.