Emerging from stasis : a new typology for the public building in centro Havana/

Abstract

This project proposes a new public institution for the most dense and deteriorated zone of Havana, Cuba. This new institution aims to capitalize on existing social networks which, consolidated and enhanced, might provide the social medium out of which a vibrant and active civic institution would arise, facilitated by a new architectural typology. The site, Centro Habana, is an "in-between" residential neighborhood with a dense, pre-car urban fabric, high population density, close-knit social circles, and a real potential to be left behind as Havana slowly re-opens to the rest of the world. Its frequent vacant lots and abandoned buildings, products of decay induced by decades of deferred maintenance, offer rich opportunities to imagine the insertion of a new type of public institution into the existing fabric of the city. In a context where the state is currently the only real agent for change, this project proposes a network of public buildings for the citizens of Havana, suggesting a new attitude toward modernization which resists both an abrupt reversion to unbridled market-driven development and an ideologically driven perpetuation of an oppressive and tired status quo.