Architecture Students Transform History into Vision with Award-Winning 16th Street Station Designs

For the second year in a row, Academy of Art University’s B.Lab students have been recognized with the prestigious 2026 AIASF Leadership Award for work rooted in community impact, preservation, and visionary design. This year’s award-winning collaboration focused on the historic 16th Street Train Station in West Oakland, a landmark deeply tied to the history of the transcontinental railroad, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Through a partnership between Academy of Art University’s School of Architecture and the Oakland Heritage Alliance, students in ARH 315 spent Fall 2024 researching the station’s history, engaging with community members, and developing adaptive reuse proposals that imagine new futures for the long-vacant Beaux-Arts structure.

Damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and threatened by years of neglect, the station has remained a symbol of both Oakland’s rich cultural history and the urgent need for preservation. Student proposals sought to restore that connection between the building and the community by transforming the station into spaces centered around wellness, education, culture, recreation, and support services.

“Working with the community really helped me realize that people genuinely care about this building and have real experiences tied to it,” said student Raquel Vera. “Instead of designing based on what I thought was needed, it became about listening and understanding what the community values, and how the space could actually serve them in a meaningful way.”

The award-winning studio produced five unique proposals:

A Center for Rebirth

Raquel Vera & Allen Rivera

Inspired by the station’s role as a gateway for Black migrants during the Great Migration, A Center for Rebirth reimagines the station as a wellness and birthing center focused on supporting Black maternal health. The proposal includes birthing facilities, healing gardens, wellness programs, a café, event spaces, and a museum honoring the station’s legacy.

“I grew up in Oakland and the East Bay my entire life, and I had never really known about the history or current condition of the 16th Street Train Station until this studio,” Vera shared. “Hearing people’s stories and testimonies about how the station once felt lively, safe, and full of new beginnings really stayed with me.”

The project reflects a larger commitment to community-centered architecture and demonstrates how design can address both historical preservation and contemporary social issues.

“My project honors the history of the station by recognizing it as a place of new beginnings,” Vera explained. “The birthing center carries that same idea. It represents new life, new beginnings, and new chapters for families.”

Vera also emphasized how the experience reshaped her understanding of architecture’s role in society.

“This project really changed how I see architecture,” she said. “It showed me that as architects, we have a responsibility and an opportunity to create spaces that genuinely support people, not just exist as buildings.”

Modules of Hope

Kouassi Simon Yao & Mohammed Abdulhabeb

Modules of Hope proposes transforming the station into an educational and economic hub featuring a graduate business program connected to an HBCU, alongside community gathering spaces, local vendor stalls, and a Civil and Labor Rights center.

Using repurposed shipping containers as modular interventions within the historic structure, the design balances preservation with adaptability and sustainability.

“I believe that challenges often lead to strong design solutions,” said Kouassi Simon Yao. “Because historic preservation and affordability were central concerns of the project, shipping containers became a logical choice due to their adaptability, accessibility, and wide range of design possibilities.”

The proposal also draws symbolic connections between the station’s history of movement and trade and the idea of education as a pathway toward economic empowerment and opportunity.

“The building has deep historical ties to Black communities, particularly through the migration of African Americans from other states to California and the role the train station played in that movement,” Yao explained. “Incorporating an HBCU presence was a way to honor and continue that cultural and educational legacy.”

Preservation remained a central focus throughout the design process.

“We aimed to maintain as much of the original Beaux-Arts structure as possible while carefully introducing contemporary elements,” he said. “The goal was to allow both architectural narratives to coexist and tell the story of the building’s past and future.”

A New Hub

Jeffery Luc & JD Nguyen

Centered on youth, recreation, mobility, and healthy living, A New Hub transforms the station into a wellness-oriented community recreation center featuring culinary training spaces, community gardens, a basketball court, and integration with the proposed West Oakland Bike Link Project.

“What drew me to this project was hearing a podcast regarding the station, where we learned about its history and impact upon Black history, becoming a space that helped people thrive,” said Jeffery Luc.

For both designers, conversations with residents and the Oakland Heritage Alliance played a major role in shaping the proposal.

“Working with and hearing from the community and OHA helped us narrow our focus to specific needs,” Luc explained. “That impacted the spaces we would provide, as well as how we shaped the site to better engage with its surroundings.”

Nguyen echoed the importance of community voices in the design process.

“Community members of West Oakland shared so many stories of them practically growing up at the station, hanging out in the building from morning till night,” Nguyen said. “After multiple community meetings, it became apparent that West Oakland needed a building similar to a community rec center that could reconnect residents and give youth a place to gather again.”

The proposal reconnects the station to its historic role as a transportation hub while addressing the long-standing isolation created by infrastructure such as I-880 and BART.

“I believe this was one of the major points in our project,” Luc said of integrating the West Oakland Bike Link Project. “It allowed us to connect the project on a larger city scale and made the proposal feel plausible and impactful.”

Nguyen added, “The station was once a transportation hub, so by making it part of the West Oakland Bike Link Project, it could serve its original role once more.”

Recreation and accessibility became key tools for strengthening community connection.

“Recreation plays a part in how we connect with others through activity,” Luc said. “Our design promotes healthy living as well as youth development through socialization.”

“Nothing brings people together more than sports,” Nguyen added. “Whether you are a player or a spectator, sports promote connection between people and create shared experiences.”

Both students also reflected on the significance of receiving the AIASF Leadership Award.

“Winning the award shows the value of community projects and allows us to continue advocating for the site,” Luc said.

“For me personally, it’s recognition that makes me feel satisfied with the amount of time and dedication I put into the project,” Nguyen shared. “As a team, it means our work is helping bring the train station back into the spotlight, where it can hopefully receive the funding needed to revive it.”

Harlem West Oakland

Aric Hope & Evangelina Shutko

Celebrating West Oakland’s deep roots in jazz and Black artistic expression, Harlem West Oakland envisions the station as a vibrant cultural center dedicated to jazz and Afrofuturist arts. The proposal includes recording studios, classrooms, exhibition galleries, gathering spaces, and performance venues designed to support artists, musicians, and the surrounding community.

Inspired by the energy and movement of jazz performance, the design introduces dramatic architectural elements that blend contemporary expression with the station’s historic character. A flowing curtain-like architectural feature and a prominent ramp system create spaces that feel dynamic, immersive, and celebratory while preserving the station’s historic presence.

The Harlem West Oakland Jazz Center aims to create opportunities for both established artists and emerging artists, inviting the community to connect, learn, celebrate, and preserve the cultural legacy of jazz in West Oakland for future generations.

Switchyard Station