With the recent death of commander in chief Fidel Castro (ese gran hijo de puta!!!), Cuba's future seems on the path of reintegration to democratic world affairs as it was prior to the advance of the "revolution" in january 1959. Once heralded among the bastions of modern architecture in the Americas (MOMA 1952 exhibit), including Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela, the island had a strong regional architecture vocabulary and ideology.
With possible open doors for architectural imput which is most needed on a crumbling infrastructure just 90 miles from the US (reconstruction, new buildings, refursbishments, adaptive re-use,etc)......................the possibility seems for architecture to resurface as mediator of various upcoming and already front_page situations.
a tabula rasa site close to homelonging for attack by architects, contractors, builders, students............ANY THOUGHTS
Javier's post is a good example of a great fear of mine. After “el presidente†falls people from the northern latitudes (many of Cuban descent) are going to go to Cuba to impose their will architecturally and otherwise. The locals will be happy to get a buck or two and sell their country cheap, and will in effect lose control again.
I don’t like what Fidel has done to Cuba and the Cubans, but the island is by no means a tabula rasa.
i hope cuba stays as an independent country, free of orders from washington.
even though i don't like the tone of your post, which sounds too opportunistic and 'developer ho-ish', here is a book that was given to me by peter noever. the full model of havana was very impressive. and there are some worthy discussions in it by some of the participants specially by carme pinos.
In a MAK-initiated conference in Havana entitled The Havana Project  Architecture Again (1994), contemporary architectural interventions for urban problem zones were developed and discussed on site in the historic old city of Havana. The results of this conference, in which a number of seminal international architects participated, such as Eric Owen Moss, C.P.P.N., Thom Mayne, Carme Pinos, Lebbeus Woods, and Coop Himmelb(l)au, were compiled with comprehensive descriptions and architectural models for a traveling exhibition which  after being shown at the MAK Center, Los Angeles, (1996), in Hannover, Germany (1997), and at the MAK Vienna (1998)  returned to its place of origin, the Centro Nacional de Conversacion, Restauracion y Museologia (CENCREM) in Havana's Convent of Santa Clara in fall 1999.
Moreover, an exhibition of contemporary Cuban architecture entitled Manifestos. Exposicion International de Arquitetura Contemporanea was shown at the CENCREM in 1995. The MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles, initiated a traveling exhibition about Architecture and Revolution. Escuelas Nacionales de Arte en La Habana, which paid a tribute, with a show of photographs, plans and blueprints, to the once-famous National Art Schools of Havana which are today abandoned and exposed to dilapidation. LA CUBANIDAD! now addresses another aspect of Cuban identity.
I really hope Castro doesn't die anytime soon ... DPZ's offices are only a 45-minute flight away from Havana, a sure sign that even darker days lie ahead for Cuba.
CUBA..........after now
With the recent death of commander in chief Fidel Castro (ese gran hijo de puta!!!), Cuba's future seems on the path of reintegration to democratic world affairs as it was prior to the advance of the "revolution" in january 1959. Once heralded among the bastions of modern architecture in the Americas (MOMA 1952 exhibit), including Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela, the island had a strong regional architecture vocabulary and ideology.
With possible open doors for architectural imput which is most needed on a crumbling infrastructure just 90 miles from the US (reconstruction, new buildings, refursbishments, adaptive re-use,etc)......................the possibility seems for architecture to resurface as mediator of various upcoming and already front_page situations.
a tabula rasa site close to homelonging for attack by architects, contractors, builders, students............ANY THOUGHTS
first, I already started a thread today about Castro's cecession. Second, he's not dead yet...
Javier's post is a good example of a great fear of mine. After “el presidente†falls people from the northern latitudes (many of Cuban descent) are going to go to Cuba to impose their will architecturally and otherwise. The locals will be happy to get a buck or two and sell their country cheap, and will in effect lose control again.
I don’t like what Fidel has done to Cuba and the Cubans, but the island is by no means a tabula rasa.
is he dead?
SuperBeatleDud, did you say he's dead? Hey everybody...!
Javier said:
"With the recent death of commander in chief Fidel Castro"
CNN and BBC both state that he's recovering well...so unless Javier has a source that refreshes their homepage quicker...
i hope cuba stays as an independent country, free of orders from washington.
even though i don't like the tone of your post, which sounds too opportunistic and 'developer ho-ish', here is a book that was given to me by peter noever. the full model of havana was very impressive. and there are some worthy discussions in it by some of the participants specially by carme pinos.
In a MAK-initiated conference in Havana entitled The Havana Project  Architecture Again (1994), contemporary architectural interventions for urban problem zones were developed and discussed on site in the historic old city of Havana. The results of this conference, in which a number of seminal international architects participated, such as Eric Owen Moss, C.P.P.N., Thom Mayne, Carme Pinos, Lebbeus Woods, and Coop Himmelb(l)au, were compiled with comprehensive descriptions and architectural models for a traveling exhibition which  after being shown at the MAK Center, Los Angeles, (1996), in Hannover, Germany (1997), and at the MAK Vienna (1998)  returned to its place of origin, the Centro Nacional de Conversacion, Restauracion y Museologia (CENCREM) in Havana's Convent of Santa Clara in fall 1999.
Moreover, an exhibition of contemporary Cuban architecture entitled Manifestos. Exposicion International de Arquitetura Contemporanea was shown at the CENCREM in 1995. The MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles, initiated a traveling exhibition about Architecture and Revolution. Escuelas Nacionales de Arte en La Habana, which paid a tribute, with a show of photographs, plans and blueprints, to the once-famous National Art Schools of Havana which are today abandoned and exposed to dilapidation. LA CUBANIDAD! now addresses another aspect of Cuban identity.
and yeah he is not dead yet...
I really hope Castro doesn't die anytime soon ... DPZ's offices are only a 45-minute flight away from Havana, a sure sign that even darker days lie ahead for Cuba.
¡Viva El Urbanismo Nuevo!
Raul Castro is more insane than Fidel, so I don't know what everyone is partying about.
i once went as fidel castrato for halloween. it was quite a popular costume.
My brother looks like Fidel ...
(I accidentally placed this pic in the "mullet" thread ... my brother does not have a mullet)
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